Chapter 55

**Aria’s POV**

For a fleeting instant, I caught a glimpse of unease flicker across Margaret’s countenance. It was as if a shadow had momentarily crossed her features, revealing the cracks in her carefully constructed facade.

I let my words hang in the air, heavy and suffocating, like a toxic cloud that refused to dissipate. Back then, I had approached Margaret with those vital documents, seeking her counsel, believing she would guide me. I had placed my trust in her, a decision that now felt like a betrayal of my own instincts. Somehow, Sophia had managed to take those documents, and from that moment, everything had spiraled out of control. It was the first misstep in a long line of mistakes—my first and most significant error had been trusting anyone at all.

Margaret’s eyes darted away, and in that brief moment, I caught a flicker of guilt. She had always known the truth, yet she remained obstinate, refusing to acknowledge her part in this tangled mess. “I’m your mother,” she murmured, her voice softening, but the pleading tone only served to stir the wolf within me, causing it to growl in disgust. “And Sophia didn’t mean it. You’re so capable—can’t you just help her out?”

Help her out? The very idea sent a surge of anger coursing through me. My nails dug into the palms of my hands, and I could feel the blood simmering beneath my skin, the wolf inside me clawing at the restraints of my humanity. “Help her? By taking her place in prison?” I stepped closer, my words spilling out like venom, sharp and unfiltered.

“You’re a lawyer? That you’re my mother?” I shot back, the disbelief lacing my voice.

Margaret flushed, and I could see the realization dawning on her that I was not going to back down. The guilt was evident, but her stubbornness was even more pronounced. “It’s done. And it was your fault for not securing those documents. You left them with me and forgot to take them back. It’s not all Sophia’s fault,” she snapped, her voice turning defensive, as if she were the victim in this twisted narrative.