Chapter 16
Chapter
Sixteen
AURORA
“ L et me go!” I scream. It’s pointless because Enzo doesn’t release his hold on me until he drags me down into the basement. I didn’t even know there was a basement. The mansion is so large that even after living in it for the past couple months, I still find myself getting lost.
The basement doesn’t help because it’s like a maze. Enzo drags me down a hallway, then another one and another one until he opens a door and tosses me into a barren, cold cement room. Bloodstains are on the floor and walls, telling me exactly what this room is for.
Torture.
“Please,” I say, scrambling on my knees to the door, but Enzo slams it shut on me. “Please! I didn’t do anything. I’m innocent.”
“You’re not innocent,” Enzo growls before walking away.
I continue to bang on the door for a long time until my hands are raw and red and my throat is scratchy from screaming. Afterward, I spend time pacing back and forth, and when my legs are tired, I sit on the floor, my knees drawn up to my chest, wondering when I’m going to die.
NICO
“We’ll handle her, sir,” Andrew tells me as I watch Enzo drag Aurora away. After a long beat, I get up and dressed into my day clothes.
“Handle her how?” I ask.
“We’ll torture her for information. She’s Giovanni Costa’s daughter. She didn’t marry you on accident. There’s a reason she’s here, and we’ll find it. If she tried to hurt you, then we’ll kill her for it.”
“No.”
Andrew is halfway turned from me when he pauses. “What do you mean ‘no?’”
“I don’t want Aurora to die.”
“She tried to kill you, sir.”
“No. I would have seen her do it. I think I can handle a small woman. She never tried to kill me, so whatever she had planned, it wasn’t that. I’ll speak to her.” I try walking past him, but Andrew stops me with a hand to my chest.
“I would advise against that.”
“And why would you advise against it?” I ask in a low, slow voice.
A flash of fear crosses Andrew’s eyes. “Because she’s been manipulating you for weeks now. You can’t see her clearly. Give it time. We’ll get the answers we need. Let Enzo and me handle this.”
“Enzo was the one who tried to kill her.”
“No. He was trying to stop her from killing you. She lied, and you fired him for it.”
I narrow my eyes and shove Andrew’s hand away. “Are you suggesting I’m incompetent at my job?
“Not at all, sir. I’m just telling you the truth.”
“And how do you know this truth, Andrew?”
“Enzo told me.”
“Ah. So, it’s Enzo’s word against my wife’s. I’m going to talk to her, and you’re not going to get in my way.” I walk past him.
“Nico, give it at least a day. Get your wits about you before you talk to her. Right now, it’s too raw.”
I hate to agree with Andrew, but he has a point. Aurora betrayed me, no matter which way I spin it. But the reality is I didn’t do my due diligence and look into her harder. I let myself get manipulated by a pretty face and a kind smile and sweet words. Aurora has a kind spirit, and I was drawn to that.
Now, I wonder if it was all fake.
I need answers, but I’m too fucking angry right now. I don’t want to accidently hurt Aurora because, even though I’m pissed, I don’t want to hurt a woman. Especially a woman I know I’ve fallen in love with. One I wanted to have children with. One I’ve experienced the loss of a child with.
“Fine,” I growl at Andrew. “I’ll give it a day, and then I’ll talk to her. Until then, neither you nor Enzo nor anyone else will lay a hand on her. Is that understood?”
Andrew opens his mouth, looking like he wants to object, then nods, thinking better of it. “Understood.”
I sulk to my office, needing time alone, and wondering what the fuck I’m going to do about my wife, who I don’t even know at all.
AURORA
“Someone let me out!” I scream. “Nico!”
I don’t know why I keep screaming. No one’s coming. There are no windows in this small room, so I have no idea how much time has passed. My only indication that it’s been a couple of hours is that I have to really pee.
No longer able to hold it, I have no choice but to let my bladder go in the corner of the room. I have no idea what I’m going to do when I have to do more than just pee.
I stay clear of the pee corner and lie down. Eventually, sleep takes me.
When I wake up, my stomach is rumbling for food, but despite screaming for someone to come help me, no one does. It hurts that Nico hasn’t come to me. I know I betrayed him. I know technically I deserve this for even trying to kill him, but I wish he would have at least spoken to me first. Heard my story.
I killed my aunt to save his life. I cried real tears over losing our baby. When I told him I loved him, I meant it.
Nico has surprised me in so many ways. He’s attentive and nice and has shown me he cares for me.
And yet, he’s not coming.
I’m not sure if it’s only an hour that passes or multiple, but I start to go stir crazy. I pace some more, but it doesn’t help. It only makes me more restless.
The only good part about not eating or drinking is I don’t have to pee, which I know is worrisome. If I don’t get food or water eventually, I’m going to die down here. My lips are already parched and dry.
And then I hear a sound that sends relief through me.
“Aurora,” Nico says through the door.
“Nico. Help me. Please.”
“You’ve been down here for a day. You must be thirsty.” He opens the door and hands me a bottle of water. I gulp half of it down.
Nico looks me over with expressionless eyes. “Tell me if it’s true what Andrew accused you of.”
I could deny it. I could try to fake it again as I did with Enzo. But I’m tired of lying.
“It’s true. I’m Giovanni Costa’s daughter.”
Nico closes his eyes for a long moment, then looks at me. “What was your plan? Clearly, you arrived at my house that day for a reason. Why marry me?”
“To kill you.”
“Well, you didn’t succeed, did you?”
“I never wanted to kill you, Nico. Beatrice was making me. She thought you were responsible for my father’s death, and she wanted revenge. She thought if I married you, I could get close enough to kill you.”
“At least you had a good reason for betraying me.”
“Someone murdered my father. And you never knew my aunt. She was a force to be reckoned with. I don’t have murder in my heart.”
“And yet, you murdered your aunt.”
“To stop her from killing you!” I clench the water bottle in my hand. “I meant what I said, Nico. I love you. That’s why I never could kill you. You showed me how kind you could be. When I got pregnant, I knew I had a choice. And I chose you and our life together.”
“See, the problem is, I’m just not sure I believe you.” He starts to turn away from me, but I grab his arm.
“If I hated you, I would have tried harder to kill you. But I’ve never hated you, Nico. I love you, and I mean it. You have to believe that. My aunt forced me to marry you. That’s true. But I fell in love honestly. If you’re going to kill me now, I need you to know that at least.”
He studies my face, his eyes softening just the tiniest bit. “I didn’t kill your father, Aurora.”
“I know. And that’s why I was able to fall in love with you.”
He nods once, then pries my hand off his arm and walks out of the room. “I need more time to think.” Before I can get another word in, he shuts the door, locking me inside.
NICO
“Andrew,” I say, running into him in the basement. “Make sure Aurora gets food and water. I don’t want her to starve to death.”
“But—”
I grab him and slam him against the wall. “But? Why would there be a ‘but’ after what I just said?”
“Does she deserve it?”
“Until I figure out how I feel, Aurora will not be harmed. In fact, have her brought to one of the bedrooms upstairs. Keep her locked in there, but at least she’ll have access to a bed and a bathroom. And food, Andrew. I expect this to be taken care of.”
“Where are you going?”
“I’m leaving for a few days. I can’t stay in this house.” Once I let Andrew go, I head upstairs. Aurora will be fine, I tell myself.
Now, I just need to figure out how the hell I feel about her.
AURORA
Andrew shows up at the door to my cell, opening it just a crack so I can’t run through. “You thought you were so clever, but you never deceived me.”
“I never hurt Nico.”
“You never got the chance.”
“I had the chance. I just never took it because I love him.”
It’s a little funny to watch the smug smirk fall off his face. But then he scoffs. “You don’t love him. And I’m going to make sure you suffer for what you did to him.” He shuts the door and walks away.
I slump against the wall, and for the first time since I came down here, I cry.
Another day passes. I can tell by how hungry I become. I pee in my pee corner from all the water I drank the day before. I only have a little water left, and I need to conserve it.
My legs eventually cramp from pacing the room, so I settle on the floor against the wall and lie there. Sleep takes me once more.
The following day is another day spent not eating. I drink the last of my water. The only hope I have is that Nico will let me out soon or at least kill me. If I’m dead, then at least I’ll be in heaven with my father.
Another day passes by—or what I assume is another day. I’m growing hungrier and weaker. My lips are so parched; they hurt to even touch.
I just lie on the ground and feel my entire soul start to leave my body. Nico will let me stay down here and rot. That’s how he’s going to punish me. He said he didn’t believe me when I told him I loved him.
But I’m starting to think his words of love were the lie. If he truly loved me, he wouldn’t have left me to die down here. He would have either made it quick, or he would have let me out.
Instead, I’m slowly dying.
I manage to get more sleep, and when I wake up, I know my end is near. It’s been days since I’ve seen anyone. I’m massively dehydrated and starving. At least I’ll die of dehydration faster than I will of starvation. I probably only have one more day left. My body feels so weak, I can barely lift my arms.
I try to fight what’s happening to me, but I’m only human.
I can’t fight it anymore.
Blackness starts to take over my vision, and at the last moment, the door opens, and I see Andrew, staring down at me with a smirk, not coming to my rescue.
I let the darkness take me.