103.

Lily's POV

As I watched Aiden drive off, a pang of worry shot through me like a bolt of lightning. He looked so troubled, so burdened by something heavy on his mind. I couldn't shake the feeling that he was keeping something from me, something important.

"What's wrong with him?" I muttered to myself, my brow furrowed with concern. "Why won't he tell me?"

The thought gnawed at me, like a persistent itch I couldn't scratch. I wanted to reach out to him, to offer him comfort and support, but I didn't know how to break through the wall he was slowly building around himself again.

It reminded me too much of that time, a few months ago, when I'd just met him, and he'd been a dark, sullen man.

I sighed heavily, my shoulders sagging with the weight of uncertainty. Ever since Cook's death, things had been difficult for both of us. Aiden had been distant, lost in his own thoughts, and even though he had tried to hide it for my sake, I could still see it.

I could see right through him like clear