ARIA“You tried to escape.” He roared like a lion, furious and ready to kill.Unfortunately, I was only one living here so it was clear that I was the prey.His prey.I straightened, shaking myself internally to be strong. I couldn’t be weak.“You think you can leave me like this.” He kept roaring, “A woman!” He spat, glaring at me like he wished to disassemble me limb by limb.He moved my way, heightening my fear and dread“Stay away.”He roared at me, and slapped me again, making my head jerk back.Tears fell from my face.“You’re nothing, you understand.” He bellowed, “You’re a piece of flesh. A property. A slave. A whore.”A sob echoed around me, I realized it was mine.My head spun, the present and the past mixed with each other.‘My warrior princess.’‘Bye, good weirdo’s friend.’‘Your father is dead.’“You’re a whore.” He shouted at the top of his voice, “I’ll make sure you remember that for the rest of your life.”‘I’m sorry to inform you, your parents didn’t survive the accid
ARIAMy head rolled to a side, my eyes fell on the dark sky staring back at me. I looked up at the stars gazing back at me.“You told me to fight, Dad.” I whispered out loud, “You said if I gave up, the world would crush me.”I thought I had no more tears left but I was wrong. It was always tearful when I talked to my father.“I fought like you told me to.” I could feel the sob forming in my raw throat. “You said if I fought, I would succeed.”Tears rolled down my cheeks.“Why didn’t you tell me that fighting brings pain?” I questioned, looking at the stars through my teary vision, “Look what I get every time I fight.”“I get raped.”The sob bubbled out of me, echoing in the silent night.“You fed me lies.” I accused, “You fed me lies.”My body shook with violent sobs, I closed my eyes, praying that they would never open again.***I woke up surrounded by darkness.My body ached, every part of it.I was very much alive, breathing and living.I looked around me, trying to look beyond t
ARIAI ignored the voice inside my head and focused on cleaning my body.I winced from the pain while washing myself.The water beneath me turned pink as I washed the blood off myself.He made me bleed.I had washed off the fluids but why didn't I feel clean? Why did I feel dirty still? When I was done, I turned off the shower and took a cream-colored towel that was hanging from the hook on the wall.I dried myself slowly and carefully.For the first time, I looked down at my body and took notice of the damage he had done to me.His marks covered every part of me; from my chest to my legs.Was this really my body? It didn’t feel like my body.He had punished me, could I be normal again?I settled down on the bed naked because I had no clothes. I covered myself with clean sheets, pulling them up to my chin.I cursed him hell.* * *One day, Lina came rolling a trolly full of dishes that seemed complex to me.“May I?” Lina whispered softly, staring at me like I was a caged animal behin
ARIA“Goodnight.” Lina uttered; she pushed the trolly towards the door. As usual, she locked the door, leaving me in darkness.I scoffed internally at her words.What was good about this night or any night?My gaze flicked to the small window in my cage.I didn’t know how long I had been in this dark room.I layed down on the bed, looking above me.A small smile stretched at my lips when suddenly, my mind went to my sister.Alara.I felt ashamed that I hadn’t even thought about her in weeks. I shook my head and sighed silently.I remembered her little babies.Leona and Konstantin.The last time I had seen her was when she had saw me off at the airport when I left for New York shortly after her bloody marriage.I didn’t know what she was doing but I knew that wherever she was, she was safe and unharmed. Most importantly, she was happy with her family.As much as I didn’t like her husband, I knew he would lay down his life for her and his babies.A part of me felt jealous but I immediat
ARIA Next day, I found myself sitting on the bench, playing piano again. I didn’t try my father’s song today. I let my fingers free and bruised soul loose. My fingers worked on the keys. The song was dark and filled with wretchedness. The sound of the notes bounced from the black walls of my cage in the beast’s castle. His dark eyes floated before me. His ruffled dark hair filled my vision. I snapped my eyes open, fingers halting as I blinked and shook my head to get rid of his darkness. *** I didn't know when the day ended or when the Sun came up again. I only knew whether it was day or night because of Lina and the food she brought. I didn’t know when it would end. Even though I desperately wanted it to. There was an emptiness inside me. A feeling that ate me alive; fed on my flesh and pained me. I looked down at my stomach, pressing my palm and waiting, as if I would feel something back but the only thing I felt was the truth. That I was pregnant. That there was a lif
FABIANO Fabiano stared at the little girl peering up at her with dark eyes. He was almost startled when he found the little girl in the office in his mansion in Naples. “Who are you?” He demanded but the girl stood quiet, watching him in a way that would’ve creped a normal person. But not him. Never him. He raised a brow, watching the girl with narrowed eyes as he tried to figure out who she was. She was small, nearly three or was she four? He didn’t know. But he did know that she wasn’t any servant’s daughter. She looked familiar. Very familiar. A bulb went on in his mind, a smile stretched on his lips as he squatted down to the little girl’s height, staring into his eyes. She didn’t flinch away from his gaze, unlike most adults. “Leona.” He uttered, watching the girl in surprise. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The last time he had seen this little girl was two years ago, when she was barely months old. He had picked her from her crib in Aria’s house in New York and hande
FABIANO Ignoring the tightening sensation in his chest, he focused on his brother. Adriano wasn’t his brother by blood. But he was more loyal to him than any of his blood relations had been. Adriano had stood with him every time he needed him. “Adriano.” He finally acknowledged his brother, giving him a mocking nod, which Adriano didn’t return. Fabiano’s eyebrows dipped, a frown forming on his face. He watched as his friend whispered to his daughter, let her on the ground and she ran out of his office. His brother moved his way, all signs of softness vanishing from his face. “Where is Aria?” Adriano’s voice was cold and harsh as he spoke. Fabiano stilled, finally understanding the reason of his visit. He stood taller, forced his body to relax under the scrutinizing gaze of his friend. “What do you mean?” Fabiano feigned innocence, shrugging his shoulders he continued, “I don’t know. I haven’t seen the bitch.” The flash of anger in Adriano’s dark eyes surprised him. As fa
FABIANO“Where is Aria?” Adriano ignored his question and asked one of his own.Fabiano seethed internally, trying to calm the demons that roared inside him. A part of him wanted to finish the man in front of him for trying to take his lioness away from him but he tried to bury that part.The man in front of him was his brother.He was the man who had stood by him when everyone had abandoned him.“Fabiano.” Adriano strode towards him, “Tell me where she is before everything gets ruined.”“She’s not here.”Adriano growled, “I know she isn’t here.” He barked, “WHERE IS SHE?”Fabiano tried to hold on to his calm façade. He couldn’t hurt his brother.“Fabio.” His brother looked so exhausted. Fabiano could understand. The threats of Bratva. The traitors that raised inside La Cosa Nostra. And most of all his daughter. Fabiano knew that there was a lot of his brother’s plate right now and his wife had, no doubt, told his brother to search for her sister.“You had an unhealthy obsession with