LOGINAriaThe phone slipped from my fingers and clattered onto the stone floor of the chapel. Valerie’s whimpers still echoed in my ears, raw and terrified, begging for someone who wasn’t there. I dropped to my knees, forehead pressed against the cold floor, the taste of salt on my lips from tears I hadn’t realized were falling.Valerie. My brave, loyal Valerie.She had only been trying to help me. Following Isabella like I asked. Now Ricardo had her. The monster who had burned me, framed my father, and torn this family apart now held the one person who had become like a sister to me.I stayed there on the floor until my knees ached and the nuns’ soft footsteps moved around me like gentle ghosts. Father Miguel eventually knelt beside me, his old hand resting lightly on my back.“Child,” he murmured, “breathe. God sees. God hears.”But God felt very far away right now.I called Rosa next. Her voice cracked the moment she heard me.“Aria… Valerie didn’t come home last night. She told me she
AriaThe church bells rang softly at dawn, pulling me from a restless sleep. I lay still for a moment, listening to the low murmur of prayers from the chapel. The thin blanket smelled of lavender and old wood. For the first time in days, I didn’t wake up wondering if guards were coming to drag me back to Elena’s mercy. It felt like a relief far from troubles only that it may not last forever.Sister Samantha found me in the small courtyard later that morning. She handed me a cup of weak tea and sat beside me on the stone bench.“You carry heavy things in your eyes,” she said gently. “Would you like to pray with us?”I nodded. Words felt too heavy, so I followed her into the chapel to pray. The nuns knelt in quiet rows, their heads bowed. I joined them, closing my eyes, but my mind refused to settle. Instead of peace, I saw Luciano’s face, the way he had looked at me the last time we touched, the guilt and hunger mixed together.I shake the thoughts off my mind then I tried to concen
AriaThe days blurred into one long ache. I kept calling Luciano’s number until my thumb went numb, and all was to no avail as his numbers kept ending in the same cold voicemail. There was no answer, no text to acknowledge the missed calls . Nothing. The silence gnawed at me like hunger. I told myself it was just business. He was in San Francisco, dealing with dangerous men and even more dangerous shipments. But the fear wouldn’t leave. It sat heavy in my chest, whispering that something was terribly wrong.Elena’s grip on the mansion tightened with every passing hour. New guards patrolled the grounds, hard-faced men who answered only to her. Luciano’s loyal men were slowly pushed out or replaced. The house no longer felt like home. It felt like a prison with a new warden.Valerie’s call came late one afternoon while I sat on the edge of the narrow bunk, staring at the wooden beams above me.“Aria,” she whispered, voice thick with tears. “Isabella still hasn’t come back. And Elena… s
AriaThe iron gates of the old church creaked open under my trembling hands, and for the first time in hours, I breathed without looking over my shoulder. The night had been endless with every rustle in the bushes, every distant car engine, a potential threat. My feet ached and my mind spun. But here, beneath the faded cross above the entrance, something inside me unclenched just a little.I slipped inside. The air smelled of old wood, incense, and candle wax. It was quiet and sacred. Far away, Father Miguel knelt at the altar, head bowed in prayer, his white hair glowing softly in the candlelight. I remembered him from years ago, he was the kind man who had given me sweets after confession with my father. He looked older now, frailer, but the same gentle presence remained.I sat in the back pew, knees weak, and waited for him to be done. The silence wrapped around me like a blanket I hadn’t earned, and my eyes grew heavy with fear, exhaustion, and the weight of everything Elena had d
AriaTwo weeks had passed since Luciano left for San Francisco, and the house had begun to rot from the inside.Elena moved like she owned every shadow. Her voice carried down corridors at all hours, sharp orders snapping at maids and guards alike. New faces appeared daily; men with hard eyes and hidden guns who answered only to her. The original staff grew quieter, heads bowed, their movements careful. Even the air around the mansion felt stiff and heavier.Rosa found me in the kitchen one afternoon, her hands twisting a dish towel. “I called the Don about the new guards Elena is bringing in. He said not to worry. That it’s for our protection.” Her voice trembled. “But I don’t trust them, Aria. None of us do.”I didn’t know what to say. Luciano’s silence had stretched too long. No calls from him. No messages. Just the growing fear that something had gone wrong.The first real fracture came the next morning.Valerie was on her knees scrubbing the marble floor when Elena walked by. “Do
AriaRosa found me in the kitchen the next morning, her usual warm smile strained at the edges.“Don Luciano left early for San Francisco,” she said quietly, pouring me coffee. “Business with the ammunition suppliers. He won’t be back for a few days.”I nodded, but the words landed like stones in my stomach. Of course he left. Of course he chose the empire over staying to face the mess he’d made. Elena’s pregnancy hung over this house like smoke, and he had walked away from it. From me.I carried my breakfast to the small table by the window and ate without tasting anything. My mind kept drifting to the way Luciano had held me two nights ago, to the promises that now felt like smoke. I had let myself believe we were building something. I was very foolish to believe we had a future together. So stupid of me.Focus on revenge, I reminded myself. That was why I was here. My father’s name still needed clearing. His death still needed avenging. Everything else, the way my heart betrayed me
Luciano POV By the time I reached the hospital, my heart was beating so hard it felt like it might tear through my chest.I hurried down the hallway, my footsteps echoing sharply against the polished floor. Nurses and patients turned their heads as I passed, but I didn’t notice them. All I could h
Aria’s POV The rain started just after midnight. I couldn’t sleep, and I just kept tossing here and there, scared of the lighting and thunderstorm. On occasions when the lighting flashed, I hugged my sheets tightly and buried my face on the pillow. I was still wide awake when a sharp knock sounded
Aria’s POV Luciano Cortez. The son of my father’s murderer. The man I was meant to hate forever. The man I had been slaved to. He was tall, about six foot two, broad-shouldered, with dark brown hair and piercing grey eyes. He carried a presence that demanded obedience without ever raising his v
Aria’s POV “Move!” “Walk faster!” One of the men barked the orders behind me. I looked down at my torn boho skirt. It barely covered my thighs. My top was worse; transparent, clinging to my skin, soaked with sweat and tears. My nipples showed clearly through the thin fabric, and I hated that I c







