Chapter 328

Aria's POV I glanced at my phone with anticipation. Monday had finally arrived, and Linda was in New York for a concert series. We'd arranged this meetup through Instagram a month ago, and I couldn't wait to see her. Linda had arrived last Friday. With performances scheduled for both Saturday and Sunday, Monday was our only option to catch up. We'd met years ago at a music festival—her violin was every bit as impressive as my piano. We connected instantly, discovering our personalities clicked perfectly, and soon became close friends. In earlier years, when Linda's schedule was less demanding, she'd frequently fly to New York just to have dinner with me. But the past two years had been different. Her family business faced difficulties, and she'd been forced into a marriage of convenience to save it. For over a year after that marriage, she barely touched her violin or performed. I thought she'd given up music entirely and mourned that loss for her. Still, I understood the weight of res