33. Dion
33
DION
T he feel of my phone incessantly buzzing in my pocket wakes me up from my slumber.
Eyes half open, my head throbs, consciousness reluctantly seeping in. The room spins.
I look at my watch. It’s four o’clock in the morning. Fuck . I must’ve passed out on the couch when I got home, too tired to take myself to bed. This seems to be a recurring habit.
A sour taste lingers in my mouth, a bitter reminder of last night’s indulgence.
When I got back after rescuing Aria , I drank my fucking weight in alcohol. It was midnight, but I was wired. The thought of her hollow eyes and the lingering scent of her on my clothes were enough to keep me far away from slumber.
When I caught sight of her on that bathroom floor, my heart stopped.
A sinking feeling settled in my chest when I wrapped my arms around her frail body to carry her out of the club. Aria looked different, changed in a way I hadn’t anticipated. Granted , my men told me she had stopped doing yoga and barely left the house as of late, but I didn’t realize she had gotten to this point.
Her eyes were dull. She looked fucked up, and I could tell it wasn’t from alcohol.
Turns out, she’s been getting high off her mind.
The phone keeps ringing. “ Okay , okay, damn,” I grumble. Who would try to contact me at this godforsaken hour?
I sit up just as the buzzing finally stops.
Disoriented and disheveled, I pat myself to find the device, locating it in my back pocket. I groan as I reach for it.
I put the phone up to my face, rubbing my eyes, and squint against the unwelcome intrusion of light. Forty -eight missed calls from… Angelica ?
“ Holy shit!” I jump off the couch. My body feels heavy, limbs uncooperative.
Panic sets in. Did something happen after I left Aria ? Is Evan okay?
Angelica calls me again, and I pick up before the first ring is even over.
“ Ang , is everything okay? Are you hurt? Where’s Evander ?” I ask, going a mile a second.
Angelica’s voice trembles. “ We’re fine, D .” The knot in my stomach loosens. “ It’s Aria .” Just as quickly, the weight I thought was lifted crashes back down, heavier than before, and my muscles tense up again.
But I swallow, my mouth and throat dry, trying to keep my cool. “ What is it?” I was just with her a few hours ago, what could have happened?
“ We can’t find her. Dimitri called, asking if I knew where she was. Turns out, she snuck past her guards last night and still hasn’t returned home,” she explains, her tone filled with sorrow. “ She texted me last night, telling me she was going out for a drink. I thought nothing of it, that she was meeting up with one of her friends or something. But it’s four a.m. and her phone is off and they can’t find her anywhere,” she cries, her panic escalating, and I hear Evan in the back trying to comfort her.
“ I’ll find out where she is,” I reply. “ Don’t tell anyone that I’m looking for her. They might not like what they find.” Angelica agrees through a sob. We hang up.
I clench my fists, hard, searing pain traveling through my head. “ Fuck , fuck, fuck. FUCK . Why , Aria ?”
I hurl my phone across the room, and it crashes against the wall with a sharp impact.
I pace back and forth, each step matching the racing of my thoughts. I run my hands through my hair, a futile attempt to release the tension.
I can’t keep doing this. What I feel for Aria is a bittersweet ache, both beautiful and excruciatingly painful. It’s all-consuming, leaving me feeling so powerless and empty. Every memory of her is a reminder of what I want but can’t grasp. Yet I’m always the one at her beck and call. Her knight in shining armor. Her protector. The Sotíras .
It’s like watching my heart slowly crumble into dust, knowing that each piece I offer her takes a part of my soul with it.
After her rejection, I tried to bury these feelings, push them down, but they kept resurfacing, stronger than before. It’s like an unquenchable thirst, an insatiable desire that consumes my thoughts.
The room feels too small, too confining, as if it’s closing in on me, so I head to my bedroom. I sink onto the edge of the bed, clutching my head in my hands.
The more I try to distance myself from Aria , the more I realize how deeply I’ve fallen for her.
Lifting myself, I head to my office and sit at my desk. As soon as my computer hums to life, I quickly type in my password and navigate to the tracking software.
My fingers fly over the keyboard as I enter Aria’s phone number. The screen refreshes, but instead of seeing her location, I’m greeted with a message: “ Device Offline .”
I slam my fist on the desk, making a few papers flutter to the ground. “ Where is she?” I mutter under my breath. I run a hand through my hair, trying to think. “ She must’ve destroyed her cell... But why?”
I grab a new phone from the drawer, input my SIM card, then scroll through my contacts, tapping on Dimitri’s name. The phone rings, and I drum my fingers impatiently on the desk, waiting for him to pick up.
“ Dion ,” he says as if expecting my call.
“ Did you look for her around the property?” I bark.
“ Of course I did, vlakas . She’s nowhere to be found on the estate, and I can’t track her anymore.”
“ You’ve been tracking her?” I ask, surprised.
“ Yes . Ever since she started hanging out with those degenerates.” I’m assuming he means the friends she was with at the club.
I rub the back of my neck. “ I was just with her a few hours ago. I dropped her home.” I feel like such an idiot. I should’ve checked if she got inside safely, but I was so focused on leaving the property before anyone noticed me. “ What ?” Dimitri purses his lips. “ Are you trying to get killed, Loukas ?”
I’m about to answer when it hits me. I exhale, the sound rough and shaky. I know where Aria is—and I’m fucking terrified of what I might find.
“ I’ll call you back,” I say, hanging up before Dimitri can utter a response.
Aria
My head is pounding, a relentless throb that drowns out any coherent thought. Every sound is muffled, distant, as if underwater. Where am I ?
I crack my eyes open, my vision swimming in and out of focus. Everything is hazy. It takes me a moment to realize I’m not indoors.
It’s not light out, but it’s not fully dark either—everything is bathed in an eerie glow.
I try to move, but a sharp pain stabs through me. Every muscle, every bone, every fiber of my being protests. My body feels heavy and sluggish, like I’m moving through thick, sticky mud.
I grit my teeth, a groan escaping my lips.
I close my eyes again, just for a moment, trying to gather my strength.
Cold sweat slicks my skin, and I shiver uncontrollably. Nausea rolls through me in waves, threatening to spill over at any moment. My mouth is dry, but the thought of drinking anything turns my stomach. Each breath is a conscious effort, as if I have to remind myself to keep breathing.
Fear grips me, a tight, unyielding band around my chest. My heart hammers wildly, and I’m terrified it might just stop. I can’t think straight, can’t grasp onto any sense of normalcy or control.
I lie down, curling into myself, hoping to find a position that offers a hint of comfort. I can no longer hold on to any single worry; it all slips away into the darkness that envelops me.
Dion
I head to my garage, chest tightening as I slide into the driver’s seat of one of my cars.
I speed out of my driveway, not caring about the loud screeching sounds I leave in my wake.
My heart races as I tear through the street, every passing second feeling like an eternity. I can still see Aria’s face, the worry etched into her features as I left her just hours ago. I told myself she’d be safe at home, but now doubt claws at my mind.
What if I’m too late? What if something’s happened to her? The mere thought sends a surge of panic through me, driving me to push my limits even further.
The city lights streak by, but all I can focus on is Aria .
When I finally arrive at my destination, I jump out of the car and make a beeline for the forest behind Aria’s family estate.
As I was racking my brain, trying to figure out where she could be, a brief snippet of a conversation we had many months ago popped into my head.
Aria told me she would find comfort in these woods as a young girl.
That whenever things got too overwhelming, she’d escape into the forest, exploring every nook and cranny until she felt calm again. I remember the nostalgic smile on her face, the way her fingers traced patterns on her knee as she spoke.
I can’t imagine her being anywhere else but these woods if she didn’t leave through the estate gates. It’s so obvious now, yet I feel like an idiot for not seeing it immediately. My chest constricts with guilt. I left her alone when she was in that state—fragile, on the edge.
I knew she was a ticking time bomb, and I let her slip out of my sight. My throat is dry and my heart pounds harder. I should’ve taken her to my place, should have watched over her better.
I push that thought away and plunge into the dense forest.
The last time I was here, I told Aria that I wouldn’t let her marry Andrew , and I still haven’t been able to make good on my promise. What a fucking joke .
It’s still quite dark, but a hint of light pokes through the expansive trees. The sun will make its appearance soon.
The further in I go, the darker it becomes under the thick trees, and the more difficult it is to see past my arms. There’s a heavy cloud of fog floating in the air, but I push through it.
“ Aria !” I shout.
Not hearing anything except my footsteps on the mossy floor and the twigs breaking underneath my shoes, I call again. “ Aria .”
My breath comes in ragged gasps as I dart between trunks, eyes darting frantically side to side, searching for any sign of her.
“ Aria !” I yell for the third time, my voice breaking. The only response is the echo of my own desperate plea, mocking me in the stillness of the forest.
I have to find her.
Branches whip against my skin, the forest floor uneven beneath my pounding footsteps. But I press on, driven by a primal instinct to protect her at all costs. She’s out here somewhere, waiting for me to find her, and I won’t let her down. I can’t.
Just when I feel like all hope is lost, I see something beneath the trees: a streak of blonde hair. I sprint toward Aria .
My heart lurches in my chest as I reach her side, breath catching in my throat at the sight before me. Aria lies unconscious by a tree; her usually vibrant face now pale and still. Too pale. I drop to my knees beside her, my shaky fingers brushing against her clammy skin.
“ No , no, no,” I murmur, the words barely more than a whisper as I frantically check for signs of life.
Relief floods through me when I feel the faint thud of her pulse beneath my fingertips, but it’s quickly replaced by a gnawing fear as I take in the scene around her.
Baggies of pills litter the ground, their contents spilled everywhere.
My stomach twists when I realize what must have happened. What the fuck could have driven her to this? I stifle a sob, bringing my fist to my mouth.
I gather her limp form into my arms, cradling her against my chest as if my embrace alone could chase away the darkness that threatens to engulf her. Her body is unresponsive, her face still and ashen. But even in her unconscious state, there’s something in her expression—a vulnerability, a fear, a plea for help that tugs at my heartstrings.
The forest floor is cold and damp beneath us, the smell of pine and earth mingling. I shake her gently, but she doesn’t respond.
“ Baby , please. Wake up,” I whisper, caressing her face.
My hands are trembling as I brush her hair away from her forehead.
A memory surges up. I’m a kid again, standing in my mother’s bedroom doorway. She’s sprawled on the bed, an empty pill bottle clutched in her hand. I remember the stillness of her body. My throat tightens. I try to push the memory away, but it’s relentless.
“ Aria , please .”
Just then, she stirs in my arms and groans. Something in my chest flips.
“ That’s it, astéri mou . Come back to me. Show me your light.”
Her eyes flutter open. “ Dion ?” She tries to move, but I hold her down.
“ Shhh , baby. Relax ,” I coo.
“ Where am I ?” she croaks, squeezing her eyes shut.
“ In the forest behind your property. Do you remember coming here?”
She shakes her head.
“ Speak to me. Tell me what you last remember.”
She licks her dry lips. “ I - I -,” she stutters, and then notices the pills around her as if for the first time. Her eyes widen and she doesn’t meet my gaze, as if scared to reveal the truth.
Every fiber of my being screams with rage, yet I force myself to stay calm. She’s so fragile right now, and I don’t want my anger to cause more harm than good. I want to tell her how stupid she is. How reckless she’s been. How selfish she’s become.
I swallow down the fiery words that threaten to escape my lips.
Instead , I focus all my energy on trying to understand her perspective.
“ Aria , you could’ve overdosed. You could’ve died .”
She lets out a weak laugh, but it’s strained. “ Would that be the worst thing?” she chokes out, and a rush of anger courses through me. I can feel my face getting hot, my jaw tightening as I struggle to keep my voice steady. “ I almost lost you!” I shout, my gaze locking onto hers. “ Do you have any idea what that feels like? Do you?”
She looks at me with those wide eyes, hurt and confused, but the words keep pouring out of me.
“ Do you know what it’s like to think you might never see someone you care about again? To be that close to losing everything ?”
Aria’s shoulders slump, her gaze dropping to the floor. “ I - I’m sorry. I just... I don’t know. It’s like nothing I do matters. Like I’m just existing, not really living.”
“ Don’t fucking say that. It matters. It fucking matters, Aria ,” I spit.
“ None of it feels real, Dion . I’m stuck in this endless cycle of disappointment and failure,” she murmurs, tears trickling down her cheeks.
I grab her trembling hands in mine. “ Do you really think your life is fucking worthless? Trust me, you are so worthy.”
She scoffs. “ Worth being used.”
“ You’re much more than that and you know it, astéri mou . But you have to fight for yourself, too. You are loved by so many people.”
She shakes her head, her face crumpling. “ And what if I don’t love myself?”
“ Then I will keep telling you until you do.”
Aria looks up at me again, something flashing across her gaze, and my hands reach out to her face.
“ I need you to understand how much you mean to me. I need you to be more careful. Because if I lose you, I don’t think I’d survive it.”
“ Dion —” I put my finger on her lips to silence her.
“ Don’t . Come here,” I say, tapping my chest, and she brings her head down to the crook of my neck.
And I know it now. I love her. I fucking love her. And it’s so liberating to finally accept it.
I never thought I’d fall in love. It seemed like a distant, abstract concept, something reserved for others but not for me. My heart was guarded, surrounded by walls I thought impenetrable. It was a foreign language.
Then , Aria came into my life like a chaotic storm, and she effortlessly tore down my walls. Even though I didn’t want to admit it, she unlocked a part of myself I never knew existed.
I’ve learned to embrace vulnerability, to savor the beauty in the chaos of emotions.
Now , as I look into her eyes, I realize that I’ve opened my heart in ways I didn’t think possible.
Her breathing steadies as she relaxes into my hold, our heartbeats joined. Even if Aria doesn’t love me back, it’s okay, as long as I get to hold her like this a little while longer.