Milton didn't answer Aria's question right away. Instead, he walked back to his desk, picked up the photograph he had been looking at earlier, and handed it to her.
Aria accepted it and gazed at the picture. It was of a young woman holding a vibrant bouquet of flowers, her smile radiant and full of life.
"That's my daughter, Eva," Milton said, his voice low.
"She's beautiful," Aria commented softly.
"She was more than beautiful," Milton replied, his expression darkening. "She was kind, loving, and always had a smile for everyone. That was until she was mated to Tristan." His voice hardened as he continued. "I can still remember her smile when she found out that she had a mate. She was even talking about building her family and having babies but that bastard took away her smile, her laughter, her dream and everything that made her who she was. He turned her into a shadow of herself. She became bitter, paranoid and out of depression and loneliness, she took her own life."
