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Aria cleared her throat and glanced at Cole, who nodded at her for support. “I was curious about something, Professor. Did you happen to know my mother? Bethany Quinn?”
At this, all the color drained from Judah’s face. He placed his hand around his neck and blinked at her, genuinely shocked.
“Where is this coming from?” Judah asked, his voice even lower than normal.
Aria wasn’t sure she wanted to get into how she’d learned about this.
“Did your mother tell you that?” Judah asked then, sounding anxious.
Aria tilted her head. “So, you did know her.”
Judah stood and placed his hands behind his back. He stuttered and said, “I suppose I have known many people in my life.”
Aria rolled her eyes slightly. She felt very quiet and very damaged. “Is that why you always said you liked my work?”
Judah’s jaw went slack. “I’m sorry?”
“You always said you thought I was a good architect or that I would be. But did you only say that because my mom was a friend of yours?” Aria asked.
Judah looked flabbergasted.
“The other students knew I was a hack,” Aria continued. “They saw right through what I did.”
“Aria. Is that why you left?” Judah demanded. “Because the other students said you weren’t good enough? Because that’s incorrect, Aria. You are an extremely talented architect, and you owe it to yourself to return to this school and graduate.”
As Judah spoke, Aria realized he hadn’t answered her question and was dancing around it any way he could. There was no way to tell if he lied to her, even now, about her talent or lack thereof.
Slowly, Aria stood and took a step toward the door. Judah’s eyes swam with confusion.
“Why don’t you want to tell me?” Aria asked, her voice very small. “I spent so many hours in this office, chatting with you about everything in my life. And you never thought to mention this?”
Judah’s arms dropped to his sides. He looked defeated. “Aria, there’s so much you don’t understand,” he said.
Aria’s heart shattered at his words. She felt just as she had with her own family, that they were unwilling to share themselves with her and get to know her. She felt alone. Before Judah could say another word, she turned on her heel and fled his office. Cole raced after her and remained hot on her heels, even when she broke into a sprint, cutting across campus, her blond hair flowing wildly out behind her. Only when she reached her tree, beneath which she’d spent so many hours in the shade, she faltered, gripped her knees, and let herself cry.
Why wasn’t her mother honest with her? And why had Judah kept the past a secret for all these years?None of it meant any sense. And it seemed clearer, every day, that Aria would never get to the bottom of it.
ChapterFourteen
Carmella watched from the front porch as Aria parked her Chevy in the driveway and walked slowly up to the house. She was tanned from her sailing adventure, and her hair was wild and very blonde from the sun. When she reached the porch, she smiled up at Carmella, then said, “I’m sorry I’m late,” as though she was ten minutes late instead of two.
“Honey, you’re fine!” Carmella laughed and greeted the young woman with a hug. “Georgia is fast asleep, so you can rest for a little while. She’ll need a bottle in about an hour, but that’s it.”
Aria entered Carmella’s house, and Carmella followed after her, dying to ask about her trip to Savannah with Cole. According to Elsa, they’d returned only two days ago, and they remained hush-hush about the state of their relationship.But how could they have traveled all that way in such close quarters without a single kiss?
“How was Savannah?” Carmella asked as she put on her shoes.
Aria shrugged. “It was weird to be back.”
“Did it make you want to go back to school?”
“I don’t know. Not really.” Aria grimaced. “It feels like the entire city is filled with ghosts.”
Carmella laughed. “Did Cole like it?”
“I think so.” Aria bit her lower lip, looking as though she wanted to say something but wasn’t sure how. After another pause, she asked, “Do you have big plans today?”
Carmella slid her mother’s diary into her bag, her heart hammering. What she was up to today had nothing to do with grocery shopping, seeing a friend, or going to the gym. It felt much more sinister.
