A prison without bars.

Aria

I didn't know how long I stood there after Lucian left.

The dining room was empty now. The servants had quietly returned to their work, and the table that had been covered with food only minutes ago had been cleared as if nothing had happened. It was strange how life inside this mansion continued so normally while mine was falling apart.

My legs felt weak, so I slowly pulled out a chair and sat down. I stared at the polished wooden table, remembering the plate that had been taken away before I could even touch it. A tear rolled down my cheek and landed on the empty table.

I quickly wiped it away.

"No," I whispered to myself. "Don't cry."

But the tears refused to listen.

They came one after another until my vision blurred. I covered my face with my hands, trying to hide from a pain I couldn't escape.

Just a few days ago, my life had been completely different.

I had a home where I laughed without fear. I had a father I believed would always protect me. I had a fiancé who promised we would grow old together. I had dreams, plans, and a future I couldn't wait to live.

Now...

I had none of them.

Everything had been taken from me in a single night.

I still remembered the excitement I felt while getting ready for my engagement. I had smiled at my reflection, imagining the life Ethan and I would build together. I thought I was the happiest woman in the world.

How foolish I had been.

That same night, the man I loved stood there and watched another man claim me.

He didn't fight.

He didn't stop Lucian.

He didn't even call my name.

I remembered looking at Ethan, silently begging him to do something.

Please...

Tell them this is a mistake.

Tell them you love me.

Tell them you'll never let me go.

But he looked away.

That was the moment my heart truly broke.

Not when Lucian took my hand.

Not when I was forced into his car.

Not even when I arrived at this mansion.

It broke when the man I loved chose silence instead of me.

A sob escaped my lips.

I hugged myself tighter, as if I could somehow hold together the pieces of my shattered heart.

Then my father's face appeared in my mind.

His eyes were filled with guilt, but guilt hadn't stopped him.

He had signed the papers anyway.

He had handed me over like I was nothing more than another business deal.

I used to believe a father's love was unconditional.

Now I wasn't sure he had ever loved me at all.

What father sells his daughter?

What father watches his child cry and still says, "It's for the family"?

I wasn't a company.

I wasn't land.

I wasn't a debt to be paid.

I was his daughter.

At least...

I thought I was.

A fresh wave of tears blurred my vision.

My entire life I had tried to make him proud. I studied hard, listened to him, respected him, and never once questioned his decisions because I believed he would always choose what was best for me.

Instead...

He chose money.

He chose power.

He chose the Romano name.

He just didn't choose me.

The realization hurt more than any punishment Lucian could ever give me.

For the first time in my life, I understood what it felt like to have no one.

My father had abandoned me.

Ethan had betrayed me.

And Lucian...

Lucian hated me for a reason I didn't even know.

I slowly looked around the enormous dining room.

The crystal chandeliers sparkled above me.

The marble floors shone beneath my feet.

Everything was beautiful.

Everything was expensive.

Everything was empty.

This wasn't a mansion.

It was a prison.

The doors weren't locked, yet I couldn't leave.

The windows weren't barred, yet I wasn't free.

Every hallway reminded me that my life no longer belonged to me.

Even my meals depended on Lucian's permission.

I laughed through my tears.

"What a pathetic life."

My voice echoed around the empty room before disappearing into the silence.

Was this all my future would ever be?

Living under the same roof as a man who looked at me with nothing but hatred?

Waking up every morning wondering what lesson he would teach me next?

Waiting for permission to eat...

To speak...

To breathe...

I rested my forehead against the cold wooden table and closed my eyes.

For the first time since coming here...

I didn't want to be strong anymore.

I was tired.

Tired of pretending I wasn't scared.

Tired of pretending his words didn't hurt.

Tired of pretending I could survive this alone.

A single thought crossed my mind, one so painful that it stole the air from my lungs.

If I disappeared today...

Would anyone come looking for me?

Would my father regret his decision?

Would Ethan even remember my name?

Or would the world simply move on... as if Aria Romano had never existed?

That thought broke something inside me.

The tears I had been holding back finally spilled freely down my face as silent sobs shook my body.

For the first time in twenty-four years...

I didn't just feel heartbroken.

I felt completely... forgotten.