Sweet Hatred
Chapter 69: Emptiness.

Chapter 69: Emptiness.

ARIA

I stared at his message for way too long.

There was no question mark, no urgency—just a simple "We need to talk." As if we were still functioning normally. As if I hadn’t just gotten dragged out of a car, blindfolded, and tossed into some back-alley horror show where people like Mia never made it out alive.

My thumbs hovered over the keyboard and I left it on seen not sure of what to say back.

I peeled myself out of couch were I laid like corpse for a moment and moved like a ghost to my room. Every step felt heavier than the last, my limbs stiff and my brain foggy. My body had gotten some rest—forced or not—but my mind hadn’t stopped running since last night. Every time I blinked, I saw smoke. I heard screaming.

I turned the tap and splashed cold water on my face. My reflection stared back, hollow-eyed and pale, with strands of hair sticking to damp cheeks. Once again I looked like someone who’d given up halfway through the fight but was too stubborn to stay down.

Staying home meant thinking. Remembering. Feeling. I wasn’t in the mood to do any of those things.

I pulled open my wardrobe and reached for the first thing that didn’t scream I’ve completely lost it. Black slacks. Neutral long sleeve blouse. Polished but guarded. I didn’t bother with too much makeup—just enough to hide the damage.

As I twisted my hair up and clipped it back, I caught myself whispering under my breath.

"You’re okay Aria. You’re fine. Work is the only drug that numbs you without asking questions anyways."

I didn’t believe it. Not really. But I kept saying it regardless.

The moment I stepped into XE’s headquarters, I regretted it.

The air was thick with something I couldn’t name—buzzing, shifting, whispering. Every footstep felt like it echoed louder than it should’ve, like my presence disrupted something sacred. Or scandalous.

Eyes turned. Voices dropped.

I kept walking.

My heels clicked against the marble floors, sharp and steady, even though my heart wasn’t. Behind the polished walls and glass doors, people were murmuring—about the accident, the lady in the car, the fire, the body.

Her.

My pulse spiked. I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms as if pain could anchor me.

"Aria!"

Sarah’s voice pulled me out of the haze. She weaved through the corridor, her brows furrowed in concern as she rushed toward me.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, like she couldn’t believe her eyes. "I thought you were going to take a few days off. You looked so out of it yesterday."

I forced a weak smile, trying not to crumble under her kindness.

"If I stayed indoors any longer, I would lose it," I said quietly. "Work is the only thing that makes the crashing feel...distant."

Sarah’s face softened even more, but before she could respond, her voice lowered a notch. "Have you heard the news?"

I didn’t want to ask. I already knew. But I nodded anyway.

"She’s dead, Aria," she whispered. "They said the car burst into flames. Her body... God, they said it was burned so badly they could barely identify her. It’s all over the internal forums."

The words landed like punches, each one knocking the air from my lungs.

Burned. Flames. Barely identified.

I saw Mia’s face again. Smug. Alive.

And then—nothing.

My vision blurred as the hallway twisted around me. I was slipping—somewhere between the moment we locked eyes and the one where she disappeared. Everything Sarah said dissolved into static. I stood there, frozen, while her voice faded into the background.

I was spiraling.

No.

I shook my head hard, snapping myself out of it. My jaw tightened.

"Sarah... let’s talk later. I need some air," I said, cutting Sarah off mid-sentence. I didn’t wait for her reply. I just walked.

My heels found the elevator, and the doors slid closed around me like a coffin. The air inside was too still, too tight. I felt it pressing down on my chest.

I exhaled sharply.

Don’t fall apart here. Not now.

The elevator dinged on the top floor, and I stepped out. Everything was the same. Polished. Pristine. Controlled. Except her desk was empty.

The chair sat tucked in. Papers neatly stacked. A new nameplate already perched at the corner like Mia had never existed. Like I hadn’t seen her before she drove herself to her death.

My steps faltered.

I stood there for a second too long, staring at the space that had once been hers. The guilt snuck up again—slithering up my spine, wrapping around my throat. I swallowed hard.

No. Not now.

I came here for something else.

Something that would require more than just walking through those glass doors. I was about to trade in the last of whatever pride I had left. How many pieces of myself had I already bartered just to survive?

I couldn’t even keep count anymore.

I turned toward Kael’s office.

The blinds were half-closed, the glass slightly fogged from the inside. I raised a hand, but hesitated. My fingers hovered above the handle for a beat too long before I finally pushed it open.

He was at his desk.

And he looked up.

For the briefest moment, something flickered behind his eyes—something soft, maybe worry, relief—but it vanished too fast to name. His features settled into that usual mask. Cold. Impeccable. Detached.

But he looked... tired.

I almost said something. But he beat me to it.

"I didn’t think you’d show your face again so soon." He teased with a smirk tugging the corner of his lips. "With the way you walked out, I thought I’d have to wait ten working days at least to catch a glimpse of your gorgeous face."

Just like that, I was shoved back into our usual script, my brows knitting furiously.

I opened my mouth, ready to snap—ready to give him that look he always seemed to crave, that sharp bite he poked and prodded me into. But something in me just... broke.

I looked at him. And I didn’t feel anger. Just... exhaustion and emptiness.

So I gave him that emptiness. No fire. No venom. No heat.

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