47. Aria
47
ARIA
Three Days Before the Wedding
A ria ?” A voice startles me.
“ Uh . Yeah . Sorry .”
Angelica looks at me through narrowed lids. “ Where did you go?” she asks, eyeing me over the rim of her sunglasses.
We’re sitting on the rooftop of her penthouse at the Iris Boutique Hotel , the hotel she owns—courtesy of Evander .
The cute bastard bought it for her and named it after her mother.
I’d love to have my own business one day. A flower shop I can call my own. But given that I’m getting married in a few short days to a controlling asshole, I can officially kiss that dream goodbye. I push the thought away as my heart squeezes.
Angelica has been through so much in her life and seeing her so happy and taken care of fills me with joy, despite my own situation.
My wedding is in three days, and my mother insisted that I do something to “celebrate,” even though I’m dreading it. She tried to convince me that it would shift my focus from the negative feelings I have toward it. I don’t know why I listened to her.
I didn’t see a point in having a bachelorette party, so Angelica suggested we spend a day at her hotel, getting pampered. I wanted to refuse, but I could see how much Angelica wanted to try and distract me.
We spent the morning at the spa, having facials, a massage, and a mani and pedi.
I haven’t heard anything from Dion since last night, and unless something changes—or something happens to Andrew — I will soon be Mrs . Galanis .
“ Earth to Aria ,” Angelica says, snapping me out of my thoughts.
“ Fuck . I’m sorry.”
Ever since leaning off the drugs and alcohol, my mind has been a blur, as if clouded in a dense fog. Conversations are more challenging, and I find myself not being able to focus for long. The mess my life is still in doesn’t help.
Many months ago, when I decided to quit everything, I was scared, but also relieved. I was ready to not be a prisoner of my own vices anymore.
I stood in my bathroom, staring at the bottles under the sink. There were so many, hidden there like ghosts of the past I wanted to forget. My hands trembled as I reached down, pulling each one out.
I remember the sound they made as they hit the bottom of the trash bag, dull thuds that echoed in the room. The coke and pills went next. I flushed them down the toilet, watching the water swirl and take them away. I felt a strange mix of both empowerment and helplessness. The former because I was taking a step forward, the latter because I knew how hard the road ahead would be.
The physical withdrawal would be a bitch, I knew that, but in that moment, I felt a clarity I hadn’t in a long time.
I still go to therapy, even after taking that hiatus to recover from my injury. It’s like returning to a familiar place, yet everything is different. There’s this new layer now—the thoughts I had before the bullet hit me. The almost disappointment when I woke up and found out I’d lived. They’re not just shadows in the corner of my mind anymore; they’re front and center in every session.
It’s helping, though. I can’t deny that. Dr . Goode and I unpack these thoughts, unraveling each one carefully, like defusing a bomb. But it feels like I’m starting from scratch. All the progress I made before, all the hard work, it’s like it got wiped clean. I’m rebuilding, step by step, trying to find my footing again, which at times seems impossible with Andrew still in my life.
Some days, it’s too much.
“ How are you?” Angelica asks, her voice soft.
I look at her. “ Scared ,” I admit.
She smiles, reaching out to take my hand. Her touch is warm, reassuring. I squeeze it, trying to draw strength from her.
Having Angelica by my side during this journey has been a godsend. I remember the day I finally told her about my struggle with substance abuse. I was so scared she would judge me or react harshly, but instead, she cried. She cried for me, cried with me. We held each other for what felt like hours. She shared my pain. Felt it. And in that moment, I felt hers. In a way, it was like we bonded over our traumas, but it went deeper than that. We are sisters, and Angelica promised to be there every step of the way.
Even though she’s now five months pregnant, she’s been a pillar of strength, at my beck and call anytime I need her.
“ You have an army surrounding you, Arioula . We’ll make sure you’re taken care of,” she assures me.
I scoff. “ Andrew is going to shield me from the world, Giegie . I probably won’t even be able to leave the house.” My voice cracks.
Angie squints her brows. “ None of the men in your life will allow that. Not your brothers, not Dion —not even Evan ,” she says with a wink.
I laugh, despite everything. She knows how much Evander and I bicker. Even though he gets on my last damn nerve, I love him. He’s family.
My amusement fades quickly. “ Then why am I still getting married to him?”
“ Stupid traditions. Signed in blood. Blah , blah, blah,” she says, rolling her eyes. “ You know you can’t technically get out of it unless Andrew decides to cancel the wedding.”
I sigh. So , I have to play the part even if that means getting married to an abusive prick. Cool .
“ You know your brothers have something up their sleeves. Even if you do get married to him, it surely won’t last long.”
“ Angie . One day married to that waste of a man is a day too long.” I exhale again.
Honestly , I’m scared shitless of what Andrew is going to do to me once we’re alone again.
But I guess I should have faith in my brothers and Dion .
I get off my chair and lean against the railing, the cool metal grounding me. I take a deep breath.
The doorbell rings.
“ Are you expecting anyone?” Angelica asks.
I shake my head.
She walks inside the apartment and, after a few minutes, comes back out, holding a bouquet of sunflowers.
Her grin is contagious when she approaches me. “ I wonder who these are from,” Ang teases with a wink.
Dion’s favorite flowers. Of course, Dion knows how to put a smile on my face when I need it the most.
I take the bunch of flowers out of her hands, unable to stifle my grin, and read the note.
I’m looking forward to calling you my wife. - A
My heart lurches into my throat, and cold sweat breaks out on my forehead. I scan the words again. My fingers tremble, and the sunflowers slip from my grasp, falling to the ground as if in slow motion.
“ Aria , what’s wrong?” Angelica’s voice cuts through the thickness of my shock. She steps closer, concern etched across her face.
I can barely breathe, each inhale a struggle. My mind races. “ Andrew ,” I choke out.
“ Andrew ?” Angelica repeats. She picks up the note and her eyes grow wide. “ How could he possibly know that you’re here?”
“ Dion had said that he might have had my phone tapped.” Panic surges through me, my chest tightening.
An image of me and Dion in the alleyway of Black Bean rushes through my mind. “ And Andrew has followed me in the past. I guess he still is. He could be watching us right now.” My vision blurs with tears, and I start to hyperventilate.
Angelica grabs my shoulders, her touch almost grounding me for a moment. “ Aria , breathe. You’re safe here. Just take deep breaths.”
I try to follow her instructions, but my breaths come out shallow and quick. My knees buckle, and I sink to the floor of the balcony, clutching the note.
The world around me seems to spin.
Angelica kneels beside me, her voice soft but firm. “ Look at me, Riri . Focus on my voice. You’re going to be okay. You’re having a panic attack. We just have to ride through it.”
I nod weakly, my eyes locking onto hers. “ Sunflowers …they’re Dion’s favorite.” My voice breaks, tears spilling over. “ That’s why this is so terrifying. How could Andrew know something so personal?”
Angelica’s expression shifts to a mix of anger and shock. “ I don’t know, but we’ll find out,” she assures me, brushing a strand of hair away from my face. “ Right now, you need to calm down. You’re safe here with me.”
I cling to her words, attempting to steady my breathing. Slowly , the panic begins to recede.
Angie grabs her phone and calls Evander , telling him what happened.
When she hangs up, she says, “ Evan will put the building on a discreet lockdown until they can find if there’s someone out there. In the meantime, let’s go into my safe room, okay?”
“ Okay ,” I say with trembling lips.
A couple hours later, I’m pacing back and forth in the living room. Evander called an hour ago, saying he caught a suspicious man lurking around the block and we were free to leave the safe room. Angie sits on the couch, eyes darting from the door to me and back again. The tension is thick, and I can’t shake the feeling that something terrible is about to happen.
The door bursts open, and Evander strides in. His clothes are splattered with blood, his face grim and hard. I freeze, my heart threatening to burst out of my chest. Angie lets out a small gasp, her hand flying to her mouth.
“ Evander ,” I breathe, “what happened?”
He runs a hand through his hair, smearing more blood across his forehead. “ I caught the guy. Had to rough him up a bit to get him to talk.” His eyes meet mine, and there’s a flash of anger there that makes me shiver.
Angie stands up, her face pale. “ Who is he?”
Evander sighs, taking a step closer. “ He’s been following Aria . Working for Andrew .”
I feel the blood drain from my face. “ What ? Since when?”
“ Since you got engaged,” Evander says, his voice low. “ The guy admitted it. Andrew hired him to keep tabs on you.”
Disgust churns in my stomach, and I wrap my arms around myself as if to ward off this new violation. “ All this time…he’s been watching me?” I had a feeling he was, but getting confirmation makes it feel too real.
Evander nods. “ I’m sorry, Aria .”
Angie’s eyes widen with fury. “ That bastard! How could he do this to you?”
I swallow hard, trying to process the information. “ I can’t believe he would go this far.”
Evander steps closer, his bloodstained hand reaching out to touch my shoulder. “ We’ll figure out what to do next.”
I nod, though my mind is spinning. “ What happened to the guy you caught?”
Evander’s jaw tightens. “ I made sure he won’t bother you again.”
I don’t ask for details. I don’t want to know. Instead , I sink onto the couch, my legs suddenly too weak to hold me. Angie wraps an arm around my shoulders.
My first thought is to inform my brothers of the situation.
Since meeting Atlas , we’ve been talking every day through texts. He’s a lot more talkative that way.
He and Dimo have been inseparable.
Dimitri offered to transfer the estate and clan to him, since he’s technically the rightful heir as the oldest. But Atlas refused.
As I grab my phone with shaky hands, I scroll through my messages.
It’s now been almost a day since a word from Dion .
I just assumed he was busy, but with this new revelation that Andrew has been following me, and the sunflowers, something feels off.
Angelica notices me squinting at my phone. “ What’s up?”
“ Have you spoken to Dion recently?” I turn back to Evander .
“ We spoke yesterday. He said something about having to go out to take care of something and hung up. Nothing out of the ordinary,” he answers.
I tilt my head, fingers absentmindedly tapping against my phone screen.
“ Why ?” Angelica asks.
“ Never mind,” I wave a hand, not wanting to make a big deal out of nothing. Maybe it’s just my nerves being on edge.
I text my brothers in our group chat to tell them what happened, and we wait until the coast is clear.
So much for my wedding celebrations.