A rumble of voices filled the line, and Nicco said, “I have to go. But I’ll call you soon, okay?”
“Okay.” Pain was woven into every syllable.
Talking to Nicco wasn’t enough. I needed to see him. To feel his arms wrapped around me, his breath fanning my face.
“I love you Bambolina. Sei tutto per me.”
“I love you too,” I whispered as I hung up, pain burying itself further into the cracks in my heart.
“Ari?” Nora came rushing into the room, crushing me into her slender arms as I sobbed. “Ssh, it’s going to be okay. I promise.”
But people kept making promises and they kept breaking them.
My father. My mother. Scott... Nicco.
People called me the Capizola heir. The kids at Montague looked at me like that meant something; something to revere and envy.
Being the Capizola heir didn’t make me powerful though.
It made me a pawn.
A pawn in a game for which I didn’t understand the rules.
A game I was currently losing.
The next morning didn’t bring any signs of hope. Luis knocked early to inform me my father expected me to resume classes. Nora said it was a good thing—getting back to normal.
But nothing about my life felt normal anymore.
I went through the motions: showering and dressing, combing my hair and letting it hang in gentle waves around my face. I didn’t bother with make-up.
Nora made coffee and heated some waffles, but I wasn’t hungry. The pit in my stomach didn’t want food, it wanted answers. It wanted a solution to the mess I’d found myself in.
The door opened and Luis appeared. “All set?”
I nodded, feeling the claws of uncertainty tighten around my throat.
“Nora, the car is downstairs,” he said. “Could you give me and Arianne a few seconds alone?”
“Of course.” She grabbed her bag and came over to me. “You’ve got this.” Nora squeezed my hand gently before disappearing out of the apartment.
Luis closed the door and stepped further into the room. “How are you feeling?”
“Numb.”
“I’ll be right there,” his expression softened, “every step of the way.”
“And when I go tonight. Will you be there also?”
Luis’ nostrils flared, but he didn’t flinch. He was good at his job, able to present a calm and composed front at all times. He’d tricked my father, lied to his very face. It made me wonder if he could also lie to me.
“You can trust me,” he said, as if he had heard my thoughts. “I won’t let that piece of shit hurt you again. I promise.”
I released a small sigh.
More promises.
Promises meant nothing when you were dealing with men like Scott Fascini and my father. Men who manipulated and lied and twisted the truth to their ends.
I’d learned that the hard way.
“Have you spoken to my father?”
Luis’ expression morphed into anger. “He called me this morning.”
“Did he say anything?”
“Nothing. But something doesn’t add up. He’s a ruthless man, Ari, but I can’t believe he would hand you over to Fascini unless he thought he was doing it to protect you.”
“Protect himself more like,” I mumbled, indignation burning through me, betrayal and deceit lying heavy in my chest.
“Your father is many things, Ari, but he is not a monster. I have worked for him since before you were born, and everything he has ever done was to protect you.”
“How can you defend him after he...?” The words got stuck over the lump in my throat. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down, but my body trembled with anger. “He handed me over to Scott like I was nothing more than a possession. I told him what Scott did to me. I looked him in the eye and told him he...” I glanced away, refusing to let Luis see me break.
“I know,” he exhaled a strained breath. “But there has to be more to it. There has to.”
Slowly, I lifted my glassy eyes to my bodyguard. “So tell me, Luis, what am I supposed to do?”
“You are the Capizola heir, Arianne. You raise your head high and refuse to cower. Sometimes we don’t realize how strong we truly are until we are faced with our greatest weakness. Try to remember that,” he said around a half-smile. “Now come on, you don’t want to be late for class.”
I scoffed as he ushered me out of the apartment.
Being tardy was the least of my problems.
“Everyone’s staring,” I said to Nora as we made our way to the food court.
“They’re just curious.”
“Curious?” My brow rose. “That’s what we’re calling it?”