Chapter 3

Chapter 3 — Inheritance of Chains

~ARIA~

Blood.

Disinfectants.

The nauseating smell of the two mixing had me snapping my eyes open as a scream tore from my throat. The memories came back in an instant. The warm splash, the driver's skull snapping back.

Another scream escaped my throat as I tried to get on my feet.

Where was I?

A firm hand clasped around me, trying to push me back down. "It's fine. You're fine," a soft voice soothed, but it did nothing to stop the fear threatening to suffocate me.

I gasped, frantically glancing around, barely registering the hospital walls. A nurse with a kind face leaned over me, repeating the words she had spoken seconds before, "You are fine now. You were in an accident."

I didn't need her to tell me. I remembered everything vividly. It played out in my head like it was happening again—the car, the gunfire, the crash. Lorenzo.

Lorenzo.

I tried to sit up, ripping at the wires and tubes hooked to my body. The universe, in a twisted sense of humor, had given me a chance to go on with my escape plan and even though my entire body felt like it was being hammered, I was not letting it slip away.

"You cannot leave yet," Her hand shot out to stop me from taking the tubes off, but I brushed her away.

I pushed myself to my feet, struggling against the pain threatening to rip me in half. "I cannot stay here. I cannot let any of them find me."

"Please, calm down," she urged. "We need to contact your husband"

Her words stopped me cold. My mind reeled as I blinked at her, the reality crashing down on me. My stomach churned as the twisted irony hit me—Lorenzo would be looking for me if he'd survived the crash, and I knew painfully that he was not a man that died easily.

The Mafia overlords never, ever did.

He was probably out there, pulling his unlimited resources to find me, and I knew he would. Even if I managed to escape, he would never stop, just to make me pay. So I needed to do something else. Something precautionary, and I had to act quickly.

I turned to the nurse, the words spilling as the thought crossed my mind, "Is there a way to... to tie my womb?"

The nurse blinked back in shock. "You want to tie your womb?"

"I need to know if there's a way, and if it can be done immediately. Like right now," I pressed, my voice urgent, eyes wide with desperation.

The nurse hesitated, clearly torn between her duty and the urgency in my voice. "That's... a serious decision," she said carefully, still trying to assess if I was in a stable state of mind.

I watched her eyes survey me and came to the conclusion that I was insane. "I think the doctor had better come check on you."

I grabbed her hand, gripping it tightly. "Please, don't. My husband. He is... He is a very bad man. I was forced into the marriage, and he almost killed me. He'll be looking for me. He wants a child, but I can't—I can't bring a child into this world to be raised in blood."

I saw the pity in her eyes, but she still seemed unsure.

"I'll pay you. I'll give you anything you want. Just please help me."

Her expression softened, and she sighed. "To tie your womb, there would need to be surgery, and you'd have to stay for recovery. You don't have that kind of time, do you?"

My heart sank. Surgery would take too long. Lorenzo could find me at any moment. "Is there another way? Please, tell me there's another way."

The nurse glanced around nervously, lowering her voice. "There are drugs you could take, effective enough to prevent it, or you could get a shot. But I can only offer you the drugs right now... and I'm risking my license to even do that."

Relief flooded through me, and I clasped her hand tightly. "Thank you."

She nodded, her face grim as she turned to leave. "I'll be back. Just... try to stay calm."

As soon as she was gone, I stumbled to the window, surveying the drop outside while tightening the hospital gown around me.

Could I jump?

Could I make it?

My mind raced, a blur of frantic thoughts and sheer terror. And then the door creaked open. I spun around to see the nurse returning, a small vial of pills in her hand. I rushed to her, my breath coming in quick, shallow bursts.

"These will work but you'll need to find a way to renew them. They're not—"

I wasn't listening. My hands shook as I ripped the vial open, the pills spilling into my palm. My mind was scrambling, struggling to keep up with reality, and all I knew was that I needed to act before it was too late.

Her eyes widened as I brought the pills to my mouth. "Wait—"

I stopped, but it wasn't her voice that halted me. It was that sudden dread, that fear that built up whenever his aura surrounded me.

I felt it before I saw him, and I froze on the spot.

Lorenzo was here.

That single thought seemed to materialize him, and the door opened again, but this time it did with a cold air.

He stood there, his presence making the room feel suddenly so small. He was still wearing his bloodied suit, and I realized I hadn't even asked how long I had been unconscious.

His eyes zeroed in on the pill in my hand, and they switched from cold to deadly in an instant.

"Aria."

My name was said as a warning, and I almost didn't recognize it. I blinked, the nurse long forgotten, even though I could feel her shaking beside me.

I had to do something. Anything to make me feel like I still had some control over my life. So I made a move to swallow the pill. It was a useless act—I had already been caught—but it was the only thing I had left.

Before I could get the pill to my lips, Lorenzo raised a gun, pointing it directly at me. His cold voice cut through the still air like a blade.

"You put those drugs in your mouth, and in three seconds, I will have a dead wife."

I dared him.