She was lost and so was he.
Who knew that two broken hearts can connect to one.
Arabella's world has been rigged since the day she was born. Her fate had been decided for her much longer before she even had been conceived in the womb. So it came as...
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Months pass with no more contact from Alexei. Days crawl by in agony.
I moved out a few months ago. It was two weeks after everything went down in the hospital. I couldn't bear living with them anymore. And I still had some dignity left in me—not enough to beg a friend for a place to stay, but just enough to keep me from crumbling completely.
So I stayed in one of the suites at my hotel near the hospital. I may have lost everyone, but I wasn't leaving Luca. Not with him still in a coma. He was okay—but he'd been unresponsive for the past four months. On some days, when I spoke to him like he could hear me, I begged him to take me to wherever he was.
These four months—barely any words exchanged with family or friends—have nearly killed me. My family only checks in once in a while. Vivian and her family, including Dominic, have cut ties with me completely. The only ones who've tried to stand by me are Mateo, Aria, and, surprisingly, Marco.
Flashback
Aria finds me in a dark storage closet, curled up on the floor. I have no more tears left to cry, but my throat still burns with the need to sob again. I've never felt so helpless—not even with Nicholas. Back then, I always had someone to fight for.
My family.
My friends.
My Dominic.
But I've lost it all now. Everything.
"Please leave, Aria," I mumble, my voice barely audible through the rawness in my throat.
"I'm not leaving." Her voice is firm as she moves closer. The door creaks open again. Mateo pokes his head in, glancing from her to me. There's distance in his eyes, but mostly pity.
"Hey... you alright?" he asks gently. Before I realize it, they've both sat beside me. My hands clench into fists, angered by the invasion of space, but I don't look at them. I keep my eyes forward—blank.
"Talk to us." Aria reaches for my hand, but I jerk it back before she can touch me. The movement makes her pause. She retracts her hand.
"Leave me alone," I grit out. They don't budge. My anger floods me like a tsunami.
"Fucking leave, goddammit!" I scream. My voice cracks—I know I'll lose it completely soon, but I don't care.
"We're not leaving you alone. You're angry, sad, and hurting. You need someone to comfort you," Mateo says gently.
Stop caring. Please. It's killing me.
"Why do you care?" I snap. "I said so many hurtful things to everyone—including Dominic and Vivian. Why would you choose to be here with me instead of them? They're the ones who are hurt. Not me. I'm fine."
