Chapter One My happiest day turns to a nightmare.

Aria's Pov

  “The moment he put the ring on my hand, I became the happiest woman on earth.”

  I stared at the sparkling diamond on my finger, barely able to breathe. The applause echoed in the grand hall of the De Luca mansion, but all I could focus on was Marco, his smile, his strong hands, his warmth.

  This was it. My dream come true.

  He leaned down slightly and whispered, “You look beautiful Aria, so beautiful.”

  I blushed. “Thank you. Everything is perfect, Marco… but I haven't even met your father before, that's strange. He approved of our engagement without even meeting me. And now I can't see him here either. Why isn’t your father here?”

  His smile faltered just a bit. “He’s not a fan of social interactions. Doesn’t like crowds.”

  “Oh…” I tried to hide my disappointment.

  “But,” Marco added, squeezing my hand, “he was the one who arranged all of this. The venue, the food… He wanted it to be special for you.”

  That made my heart flutter again. Maybe Damian De Luca wasn’t as scary as people said.

  Before I could say more, Marco’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He checked it, and his expression shifted.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  “Yeah. Just business. I'll just attend to it quickly. I’ll be back soon, okay?” He kissed my cheek and walked away.

  I watched him go, wondering what could be so urgent tonight.

  “Girl, you look like a Disney princess.”

  I turned and smiled when I saw Fiona walking toward me. She was dressed in a red silk dress, her heels clicking against the marble floor. “You made it,” I said.

  “Of course I did. There was free champagne and a mafia prince getting engaged to my best friend. Like hell I was missing this.”

  I laughed, finally feeling a bit more relaxed. Fiona always knew how to make things feel light.

  We stood by the dessert table, sipping champagne, when I looked around and realized Marco still hadn’t come back.

  “Have you seen Marco?” I asked.

  Fiona shook her head. “Maybe he’s on a business call? You know how mafia stuff is.”

  I nodded slowly. “Yeah, maybe…”

  But something didn’t sit right in my chest. A weird ache started to grow.

  “You know what, I’m just gonna check,” I said, placing my glass down.

  Fiona raised an eyebrow. “You sure? Don’t go full psycho-fiancée on him.”

  I chuckled weakly. “It's nothing like that, Just checking.”

  The De Luca mansion was huge, with too many hallways and closed doors. I walked past a few rooms, listening for voices, trying not to overthink it.

  And then… I heard something.

  A soft moan.

  I froze.

  It was from a woman.

  The sound came from behind a door at the end of the hallway. It wasn’t loud, but I knew what I was hearing.

  No. It couldn’t be.

  I swallowed hard and walked closer, my heels clicking against the marble now sounding like thunder in my ears.

  The door wasn’t fully shut.

  I pushed it open just a little.

  And my heart shattered.

  There he was.

  Marco.

  His lips crashed into another woman’s, her dress was pulled halfway down, her hands tangled in his hair. They were kissing like they hadn’t seen each other in years.

  I couldn’t breathe.

  He looked up. Our eyes met.

  His face went pale.

  “Aria—”

  I turned and ran.

  "Aria" Marco said as he was about to run after me. But then Elena stopped him.

  "Don't leave me Marco, I'm horny already" 

  Elena pulls marco back into the room and closes the door. They resume kissing again.

  Tears blurred my vision as I stumbled through the hallway. The laughter and music from the engagement party felt like cruel background noise. My chest burned, my lungs screamed, but I didn’t stop.

  “Aria!”

  I heard Fiona’s voice as I burst through the front doors.

  She came after me, her heels clicking fast. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

  I collapsed against the nearest pillar, sobbing. “He… he was kissing someone else.”

  Her face went cold. “What?”

  I nodded, unable to form words. “He was with another woman. In one of the rooms. They were…”

  “Motherf.....” Fiona caught herself. “That cheating bastard. Are you sure it was him?”

  “I saw him. He saw me.”

  Fiona wrapped her arms around me. “You don’t deserve this. He doesn’t deserve you.”

  I wanted to scream, cry, punch something, but all I could do was fall apart in her arms.

  “Let’s go,” she said firmly. “You are not staying another second in this cursed place.”

  At my apartment, everything felt numb. Fiona made tea while I curled up on the couch, staring at the wall like it could explain why this happened.

  “You should’ve seen your face when he proposed,” Fiona muttered. “He doesn’t deserve that kind of love.”

  I stayed quiet.

  “Let’s go out,” she said suddenly.

  “What?”

  “A club. Loud music, drinks, hot men. Let’s go.”

  “I don’t want to,” I whispered.

  “You need to. You’re not gonna cry all night over some loser.”

  I shook my head. “I can’t.”

  She walked over and grabbed my hands. “Yes, you can. You’re Aria Sinclair. You’re strong. Let’s go be hot and reckless.”

  A part of me didn’t want to give in, but another part… the hurt, broken part… wanted to forget.

  I stood up slowly.

  Fiona grinned. “That’s my girl. Go get dressed.”

  I walked to my room, and just before I opened my closet, my eyes landed on the engagement ring.

  The glittering diamond mocked me.

  I slid it off my finger, held it in my palm for a second… and then threw it across the room.

  It hit the floor with a soft clink.

  Just like that, my fairytale ended.

  “I thought I was walking into forever… but I had no idea it would all burn down in a single night.”