The Truth About His Father

Aria's POV

 

The days after that night feel different.

  

Tonight is one of those nights.

 

I change into something comfortable and sit on the edge of my bed while reaching for my phone.

 

I am about to check my messages when I hear a faint sound outside my door.

 

The second the door opens, someone grabs me.

 

A hand covers my mouth before I can scream, while another pair of arms wraps tightly around my body and forces me backward.

 

The smell makes my head spin.

 

My vision begins to blur as I desperately try to stay conscious, and the last thing I see before everything disappears is the hallway outside my bedroom.

 

Then everything goes dark.

 

---

 

When I wake up, my head is throbbing badly, and my wrists are tied tightly behind a wooden chair.

 

“Let me go.”

 

A quiet laugh comes from somewhere in the darkness.

 

“You are awake.”

 

Enzo steps into the light, followed closely by Dante.

 

My stomach tightens when I see them.

 

“What do you want from me?”

 

Enzo smiles as he walks closer.

 

“We want something very simple.”

 

“What?”

 

“We want you.”

 

I stare at him in disbelief.

 

“You are both insane.”

 

“Maybe we are,” he says calmly, “but that does not change what is going to happen.”

 

Dante moves closer to me.

 

“You have become a problem.”

 

I shake my head.

 

“I have done nothing to either of you.”

 

“You exist in the wrong place,” Enzo says.

 

Before I can respond, another voice comes from behind them.

 

A voice I recognize immediately.

 

“Aiden.”

 

He steps into the room.

 

My heart stops when I see him standing there.

 

“Aiden, what are you doing here?”

 

He looks at me but does not answer immediately.

 

Enzo turns toward him.

 

“You were supposed to stay out of this.”

 

Aiden's expression hardens.

 

“I told you I wanted her alive.”

“You helped them?”

 

“I did what I had to do.”

 

“You planned to kidnap me.”

 

“I was trying to get you away from Massimo.”

 

I let out a bitter laugh.

 

“You call this getting me away from him?”

 

Aiden looks away, and I feel something inside me break all over again.

 

Enzo suddenly pulls out his gun.

 

Aiden immediately notices.

 

“Put that away.”

 

Enzo looks at him coldly.

 

Enzo raises the gun.

 

The gunshot tears through the room.

 

Aiden's body jerks before he collapses to the floor.

 

I scream his name as tears immediately fill my eyes.

 

“Aiden!”

 

 

Enzo lowers the gun without showing any emotion.

 

“He was becoming a problem.”

 

I stare at him in horror.

 

“You killed him.”

 

Enzo looks directly at me.

 

“And you are next".

I stare at his eyes. He really do not like someone with a bit of humanity.

 

Before he can move toward me, the door suddenly crashes open.

 

 Massimo stands in the doorway.

The gunshot echoes through the room as Enzo falls backward.

 

Dante immediately turns and runs toward the opposite door.

 

Massimo fires again, but Dante manages to escape before the bullet reaches him.

 

Massimo does not chase after him.

 

He runs straight toward me.

 

“Aria.”

 

After everyone finally settles down, I expect Massimo to stay home, but later that evening, he walks into my room.

 

“Get ready.”

 

I look at him from where I am sitting on the bed.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“You will find out.”

 

I narrow my eyes.

 

“That sounds suspicious.”

 

He almost smiles.

 

“It is not.”

 

“Then tell me.”

 

“No.”

 

I sigh and stand up.

 

“You are really annoying.”

 

“I know. You're my wife so you have to tolerate me

 

A few minutes later, I follow him outside.

 

After a long drive,we arrive at his vineyard

 

“What is this place?”

He stays quiet for a few seconds.

 

“My father gave this property to me.”

 

“He brought me here when I was younger. He taught me how to take care of the vines. He used to say that good wine takes patience because you cannot force something to become ready before its time.”

 

His voice becomes quieter.

 

“He loved this place.”

 

I do not interrupt him.

 

“I come here when I need to think,” he continues. “Everything here reminds me of him.”

 

 

 Later that night, we go upstairs

 

Massimo sits beside me, staring toward the window.

 

I turn toward him.

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

“You.”

 

I laugh softly.

 

“That is a dangerous thing to think about.”

 

He looks at me and smirks.

 

“I know.”

 

There is something different in his expression.

 

“Aria.”

 

“Yes?”

 

He takes a breath.

 

“I have been trying to figure out when it happened.”

 

“When what happened?”

 

“When you became important to me.”

 

My smile slowly disappears.

 

He looks down at his hands.

 

 

“You ruined the way I thought I understood myself. You made me care about things I never cared about. You made me worry when you were gone. You made me angry when you were hurt. You made me want to come home.”

 

My heart begins beating faster.

 

Massimo reaches for my hand.

 

“This place reminds me of my father. It is the one place where I have always felt like myself.”

 

He looks directly into my eyes.

 

“And somehow, tonight, it feels even better because you are here.”

 

He gives me a small smile.

 

“I love you.”

 

My heart stops for a second.

 

“I love you, Aria.”

 

I smile through my tears.

 

“I love you too.”

 

He pulls me into his arms.

 

I gently take his shirt off, he also pulled my dress off.

Next thing, he's on top of me.

 

"I love you", he whispers.

 

I giggled "I love you too Massimo."

 

Curtains close.

 

-

 

 

But the moment I step into the hallway, I stop.

 

Someone is standing in the living room.

 

My father, Alessandro.

 

My heart drops.

 

"What are you doing here?"

 

He turns toward me.

 

"Aria."

 

"Why is he here?"

 

My father looks at Massimo.

 

"I came to speak with my daughter."

 

Massimo's jaw tightens.

 

"You had plenty of opportunities to speak to her before now."

 

My father ignores him.

 

"Aria, we need to talk."

 

I stare at him.

 

"There is something Massimo deserves to know."

 

My stomach twists.

 

"Father, what are you talking about?"

 

He looks at Massimo.

 

"The truth about his father."

 

 

Massimo's expression becomes darker.

 

"What about my father?"

 

My father does not answer immediately.

 

Then he says the words that change everything.

 

"I killed him."

 

Massimo does not move.

 

His face has gone completely still.

 

"What did you say?"

 

My father's eyes remain on him.

 

"I killed your father."

 

Massimo takes one step forward.

 

"You are lying."

 

"I am not."

 

 

I want to stop him, I want to tell him that this is not the whole story.

 

But before I can speak, my father continues.

 

"And Aria helped me."

 

Massimo turns toward me.

 

His eyes meet mine.

 

Then something breaks. "Aria?"

 

My lips part.

 

"Massimo, please let me explain."

 

His voice suddenly rises.

 

"BUT YOU GAVE IT TO HIM!"

 

I flinch.

 

Tears fall down my cheeks.

 

"Massimo, please."

 

He turns away from me and runs a hand through his hair.

 

His breathing becomes heavier.

 

"I told her that I needed the information," Alessandro says. "She was good with numbers, patterns, security systems, and data. She found the weaknesses in the mansion's security and showed me exactly where to enter."

 

"You murdered him because he stood in your way?"

 

"Yes."

 

Massimo lets out a bitter laugh.

 

"And you brought my wife into it."

 

My father says nothing.

 

Massimo suddenly grabs the nearest table and throws everything on it across the room.

 

I jump at the sound of glass breaking.

 

"Get out!"

 

His voice shakes the entire house.

 

My father does not move.

 

"Massimo..."

 

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

 

Massimo points toward the door.

 

“You killed my father.”

 

His voice cracks on the last words.

 

Then he looks at me.

 

"You helped him."

 

"Do not", I stop.

 

His eyes are filled with anger, but beneath that anger, I can see something else.

 

Pain, he is hurt and I know I am the reason.

 

"I trusted you," he says quietly.

 

My tears fall faster. "I know."

 

"No, you do not."

 

He looks at me again.

 

"I finally let myself love you, and now I find out that you helped the man who destroyed my family."

 

 

He continues toward his office. I follow him.

 

"Please do not shut me out."

 

He reaches the office door.

 

"Massimo."

 

He finally looks at me.

 

"I cannot talk to you right now."

 

"But I need you to listen."

 

"I said I cannot."

 

He opens the door. I stand there, crying.

 

"Do you hate me?"

 

He looks at me for a long moment.

He walks inside and closes the door.

 

And for the first time since I met Massimo, I am terrified that loving him may not be enough to save us.

 

 

I hear footsteps approaching from behind, and when I turn around, I see Keanu and Maria walking toward me.

 

"We have forgiven you," Keanu says, his voice calm as he stands beside Maria. "You were not at fault for what happened."

 

 

"I hurt him."

 

"You made a mistake, but that does not mean you wanted to hurt him," Maria replies. "Massimo needs time, Aria. You cannot force him to heal before he is ready."

 

 

"Does he hate me?"

 

Maria reaches for my hand and squeezes it gently.

 

"No, and I know my son well enough to tell you that he does not hate you. I have watched him since everything happened, and I have seen the way he looks at you even when he refuses to speak to you.

 

Massimo loves you, Aria, and that is exactly why he is hurting this badly."

 

"Then what am I supposed to do?"

 

"Leave him alone for a while," she tells me.

 

 "Give him the space he needs, and when he is ready, he will come around."

 

 

For the first time, I decide to listen.

 

-

 

A week passes.

 

Seven long days go by, yet Massimo remains distant from me.

 

He does not come looking for me and whenever we’re in the same room, his eyes avoid mine.

 

 

Then, on an unexpected afternoon, Don Viti calls.

 

Everyone gathers in the living room as Massimo answers the phone, and the moment he puts the call on speaker, Don Viti's deep voice fills the room.

 

"I want all of you to come to Italy."

 

Massimo's expression immediately changes.

 

"For what?"

 

"There is something important that must be announced," Don Viti replies. "You are going to be announced as the new Don."

 

Silence fills the room.

 

Two days later, we leave for Italy.

 

 

"Massimo."

 

He does not answer.

 

I swallow and try again.

 

"Can we talk?"

 

His eyes remain fixed ahead.

 

"Please."

 

Still nothing.

 

He finally turns toward me, and for the first time in days, his eyes meet mine.

 

"Aria."

 

I look at him, unable to stop crying.

 

"I just want to know if you still hate me."

 

His jaw tightens, and he looks away for a moment before turning back to me.

 

"I don't hate you."

 

"I could never hate you."

I listen without interrupting him.

 

"I stayed away because I needed to understand my own feelings. Every time I looked at you, I remembered the pain, but I also remembered everything we had shared, and that made it impossible for me to walk away from you."

 

 

"I am sorry," I whisper.

 

He reaches for my hand.

 

"I know."

 

I look down at our hands before looking back at him.

 

"I have forgiven you."

 

My breath catches.

 

"You have?"

 

He nods.

 

"I have forgiven you because I know you did not do it to hurt me, and because despite everything that happened, my feelings for you never disappeared."

 

He pauses, his eyes holding mine.

 

"I love you, Aria."

 

"I love you too," I whisper.

 

Massimo moves closer, and his hand gently touches my cheek as he wipes away the tears on my face.

 

He leans closer and kisses me.

 

The kiss is soft at first, almost hesitant, but the moment I realize that he is truly here with me again, I wrap my arms around him and return it.

 

 I rest my forehead against his.

 

For the first time in days, I feel like I can breathe again.

 

Hours later, the plane finally lands in Italy.

 

Then gunshots explode outside.

 

Massimo immediately pulls me behind him as his men reach for their weapons.

 

Dante and his men attack before anyone has time to fully react, and gunfire erupts around us as everyone rushes for cover.

 

I crouch behind the plane.

 

my heart pounding violently as I watch the chaos unfold around me.

 

"Stay down!" Massimo shouts.

 

Massimo steps out from behind the aircraft and raises his weapon.

 

Dante sees him.

 

For a moment, the two men stare at each other.

 

Then Dante lifts his gun.

 

Massimo fires first.

 

The shot hits Dante, and he stumbles backward before collapsing onto the ground.

 

The remaining attackers retreat, leaving silence behind.

 

"Aria."

 

I stand up and run toward him. "Are you hurt?"

 

He shakes his head before pulling me into his arms.

 

"I'm fine."

 

We have barely arrived in Italy, yet Dante has already reminded us that peace was never guaranteed.

 

And as I cling to Massimo, I realize that whatever awaits us in Italy, our lives have just entered a completely different chapter.