CHAPTER 17
Ariana's POV
What...?
I try to process this. How could I? The man I’d been worried sick about for days was now standing in front of me like he was meant to be here.
My heart dropped when Matt gave me that small, reassuring smile — except I wasn’t reassured.
Not even close. Something was off, painfully off.
Matt shouldn’t be here. This place was dangerous.
My stomach twisted as I watched him, tuning out everything else around me.
“Matt...?” I whispered.
“You’ll have someone by your side twenty-four-seven,” Salvatore said flatly from behind him. “No need to worry about being alone, fiore.”
My gaze snapped to him just as he straightened, stepping toward the door. My jaw fell open when I realized what was happening. He looked at Matt — they exchanged a knowing nod — and then Salvatore turned and left with his men, the same men who’d cornered me minutes ago.
When the door shut, the silence weighed a ton.
Matt walked toward me, crouching slightly. “Ariana, I’m here. Don’t worry.”
He reached for my hand, but I jerked away. My breath hitched as confusion and dread tangled in my chest. “Matt, what’s going on? Where were you? Why are you here?”
He hesitated, then said quietly, “I work with Alessandro.”
My whole body froze. My heart slammed against my ribs so hard it hurt.
“What?” I croaked. “Matt, what are you talking about?”
He edged closer, but I slid away from him. The space between us wasn’t nearly enough. The truth hit me like a punch — Matt, my therapist, my friend, the one person I thought was safe — had been lying to me this entire time.
“I’m sorry it came to this,” he said softly. “I should’ve told you before, but I knew you’d cut me off. And that’s... not healthy.”
I stared at him, trembling. The room spun. “You’ve known Alessandro all this time — while I was telling you about him?” My voice cracked under the weight of betrayal. “You knew?”
Matt didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
The word gutted me. My chest caved in as the tears spilled over. The one person I trusted most had been part of the same world that ruined me. Everything I’d confessed to him — every nightmare, every fear — he already knew.
“I... I can’t believe you,” I whispered. “You lied to me. You lied to me for years.”
He tried to reach for me again. “Ariana, please don’t cry. I can explain.”
I pulled away sharply, shaking my head. “I don’t want to hear it, Matt. Just leave me alone.”
“Ariana, no—”
“Matt, just go!”
He lingered a moment, guilt painted all over his face, before he finally turned and walked out. The sound of the door closing behind him left the air heavy, suffocating.
I sat there for what felt like hours, trying to piece together everything — his lies, Alessandro’s coldness, the madness of this entire situation. Nothing made sense. Nothing ever did.
Later, I sat curled on the white couch, grinding my teeth as I glared at the floor. My thoughts spun in circles. Is Matt even his real name?
The thought snapped me out of my spiral when I felt someone’s eyes on me. I looked up — and froze.
A girl stood in the doorway, one I hadn’t seen before.
She couldn’t have been older than twenty.
Her honey-blonde hair was neatly combed, her white shirt tucked crisply into her trousers.
There was a softness in her eyes I wasn’t used to.
She smiled — gently — and for the first time since I’d been taken, I didn’t feel like I was being hunted.
In her hands, she held a small bag and a bottle of water. She approached carefully, her voice light. “Hey... I’ve brought you a few things.” She set them down near me and took a seat a few cushions away. “Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you. I’m Mia.”
I stared at her through blurry, tear-filled eyes.
“What’s your name?” she asked softly.
“A-Ariana,” I whispered, inching away as she scooted closer. I didn’t care how rude I sounded. After everything that had happened — Alessandro’s rejection, Matt’s betrayal — I had no trust left to give.
“I brought you some clothes and water,” she said, nodding toward the bag. I glanced at it like it was something foreign, something I’d forgotten how to use. My breath shook as silence filled the room again.
Mia’s eyes lingered on me for a moment before she stood. “I’ll leave you to it...” she murmured gently. Then she walked away, leaving me alone with the weight of it all — the lies, the pain, the haunting question of why me.
“No!” I trembled as I tried to reach out for her. When she looked over her shoulder, I drew my hand back and frowned up at her. “Don’t leave me.”
As much as I wanted to be left alone, I didn’t. I couldn’t. Mia was the only presence here that didn’t make my stomach twist in fear. Everyone else in this place felt dangerous, suffocating. She was the one person who didn’t radiate threat.
Mia’s full lips curved into a gentle smile as she sat back down beside me. Her hands were small and soft when they reached for mine, wrapping around my trembling fingers before giving them an assuring squeeze.
“I promise you, you’re safe here,” she said quietly. “No one is going to hurt you.”
“M-Mia... why am I here?” I asked, my voice fragile.
“Ariana...” she frowned, eyes flickering with sympathy. “I wish I could tell you why, but I can’t — because I don’t know. I have no idea why my brothers have abducted you. I want to apologize on their behalf. I’m so sorry.”
“Your brothers?” I echoed, blinking in confusion. Since when did Alessandro have a sister?
Mia laughed softly and scooted a little closer, her smile faint but warm.
“Bruno, Salvatore, and Alessandro — they’re like my brothers. It’s a long story.”
“Long story?” I pressed, curiosity slipping through the fear.
“When I was young,” she began, her tone turning somber, “my parents gave me up for adoption. They couldn’t afford to keep me. They were poor, struggling... I don’t blame them. I understand now. But if I had known what was waiting for me, I would’ve begged my mother to keep me.”
Her eyes dimmed as she continued, and I felt the heaviness in her voice.
“My first foster family seemed perfect at first. But when I was six years old, I experienced my first assault. I thought it was normal — the man who did it always told me not to worry, that everything was fine. By the time I was fifteen, I realized none of it was normal, and I knew I had to get out.”
My jaw slackened. I stared at her, speechless, because of how brave she was — how she could speak about her past without breaking down. I couldn’t even say Nicola’s name without my throat tightening.
“I escaped one night,” she went on. “And eventually, I found the mafia — or maybe it found me. That’s where I met Alessandro.
” Her lips softened into a faint smile. “He found me when I was at my lowest. He brought me home, treated me like his own sister, and raised me ever since. I can’t thank him enough.
That’s why I’m telling you not to worry, Ariana.
You’re safe here. The boys won’t hurt you. They’ll look after you.”
“You’ve been here since you were fifteen?”
She nodded. “Yes. I’ve known these men for years. They’re my family.”
I tried to recall the past — those old, blurry memories of Alessandro and me — but there was no trace of Mia anywhere.
He never mentioned her. If she came into his life after I left, then all this must have been recent.
Still, I was stunned. I always knew Alessandro had a good heart buried somewhere under the chaos, but the man I met days ago felt nothing like him.
Cold. Detached. Someone I didn’t recognize.
“Alessandro has always been there for me,” Mia said with a soft laugh. “And to this day, I still don’t know why. You’ve met him, haven’t you?”
I nodded, slowly.
“I know what you’re thinking — that he’s cruel, heartless, impossible,” she said. “But he’s not. He has a huge heart. He just hides it. I love him for that.”
My throat thickened as I tried to hold everything in. I lowered my gaze, blinking rapidly to keep the tears from falling.
“Alessandro loves deeply, but he doesn’t show it,” Mia continued, her voice quieter now.
“Something happened — one night that changed everything. He never talks about it, but he lost someone he loved more than anything. After that, he changed. He became quieter, harder, more focused. He works himself to the bone, and still... it’s like he’s never satisfied. ”
My stomach turned. My fists clenched. “W-what happened?” I whispered, though I already knew.
“Alessandro lost the woman of his dreams,” she said softly. “And after that, he lost himself.”
I looked away and dug my nails into my palms until they stung. The ache in my chest was unbearable. He lost himself — because of me.
Mia must have felt the heaviness in the air, because she suddenly smiled again, shaking off the gloom. “But don’t worry. Once you see him more often, you’ll get used to his coldness. He warms up — slowly. He always does. That’s what happened with me.”
Her smile brightened the room again, easing the tension. I was grateful for that. If she had kept talking about Alessandro any longer, I would’ve fallen apart completely.
“Mia... could you please stay here with me?” I asked, wiping at my eyes.
“Of course, Ariana. I’d love to,” she said warmly. “But I need to grab a few things for you from the estate. Would you like to come with me?”
“No,” I said quickly.
“Okay,” she giggled — the sound so light, so innocent, it almost made me smile. “I’ll be back soon.”
With that, she stood and left the small house — leaving me alone again to drown in my thoughts. The silence pressed down on me, thick and cold. I thought about everything — about Alessandro, about who he’d become, about the version of him I used to know and love.
Mia said he’d changed. I believed her. People do change — eight years is a long time. But not like this. Not this much.
The Alessandro I knew had a heart. He had warmth, patience, love.
The man I saw now? He was a stranger wearing his face.
And the worst part?
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know him anymore.