Aria…
I stood with my back against the cold wall, my head dropped down and balled. How could he treat me like this? Like I was his enemy? Why couldn’t he see that I wasn’t to blame for anything that happened? I wiped my nose on the inside of my wrist and then shut the room door closed. I was done crying. I was done feeling worthless. I walked to the closet and picked out a plain white top with a ripped blue jean. I smiled at Joaquin’s dressing sense, but my smile soon faltered when I recalled the events that led to his death. He was going to help me escape this place and he died for it. I forced myself to shake off my emotions and tried covering up my puffy eyes with makeup, making sure to blend in the makeup over the area where I had gotten a punch. I took one deep breath and walked out of the room.
“So beautiful, mio dio” Damien’s mother said and held out her hands to me as I made my way down the stairs (My god). I looked at Damien, who sat on the couch, watching me like a hawk. His sister had gotten up from her seat and was waiting behind her mother to greet me. I forced my lips into a smile and hugged them both. “We were thinking of you and thought we should visit” Adriana said and I continued smiling. “Oh, that’s nice” I said softly, not knowing what else I should say. I took a seat furthest away from Damien, near to the stairs. Damien hadn’t stopped glaring at me since I arrived. I gulped nervously and straightened my posture. “How did you like the party, my dear?” The mother asked in that heavy Italian accent of hers. “Perfect, really, everything was just…perfect” I said and looked over at Damien. Damien rolled his eyes and lit his cigarette. I narrowed my eyes in thought and pursed my lips in contemplation. Why didn’t Damien want his mother and sister to know that Joaquin was dead? He was also hiding my supposed betrayal from them, why? Whatever the reason was, I suddenly felt an inch to disrupt his plans. I faked a long yawn and mumbled an apology. “My, are you not sleeping enough?”. “Is my brother keeping you up at night?” Adriana asked with a giggle. Damien took a long drag from his cigarette and stared at the back of his sister’s head, but didn’t say a thing.
I smiled at Adriana and shook my head. “No, I’m just tired from everything that happened today. You know, it happened so fast and I already miss him so much” I answered and looked at Damien. He sat forward in his seat and gave me a warning scowl. Adriana looked at me and frowned. “Who are you talking about?”. My eyes softened naturally, I looked at Adriana and her mother. “Joaquin, of course. Wait, did Damien not say anything?”. Martina whipped her head to look at her son. “Are you keeping something from me, son?”. “No, I am not, Aria’s just…”. “What happened to Joaquin?” Adriana asked, looking at me. “He’s dead, Damien had Lars shoot him” I said and a tear escaped my eye, I looked at Damien, his chest raising, nostrils flared. “What?” Adriana asked in utter disbelief. “Son, what is Aria saying?”. “Lars wouldn’t kill Joaquin, Damien, what did you tell him?”.
YOU ARE READING
Ruined
Teen Fiction18+ Edited and completed A toxic mafia romance novel Le Quelli Temuti basically owns the town Aria Samuels lives in, so when she gets kidnapped by Damien Romano, the gang leader himself, she knows she doesn't have a chance at survival, judging fro...
