ᴛʜᴇ ᴛᴡɪꜱᴛᴇᴅ ꜱᴇᴄʀᴇᴛꜱ (*Completed*)

Chapter: 18

Aria Delaney POV

I lied. I understand Italian. So does Alex. But I want to know who they actually are. I want to know the real Dante Ferrari. Who is his father? Where is he? Who are they after? What field are they actually in?

I glanced at Alex, who was secretly recording their conversation. Trying to appear casual, I got up. "Bae," Dante called, holding my hand. I smiled sweetly. "Yeah?"

Footsteps echoed on the stairs. "Hey!" Alessandro called, his hair still damp from a warm bath. "Hey, guys!" Luna chimed in, descending slowly. Aless put his arm around her and kissed her cheek. "It hurts," she teased playfully. "It's called sweet pain, baby," Aless replied, kissing her forehead. She giggled.

"So, you guys went to bathe?" Nemesis asked with a smirk. "Yeah, we ended up doing it again," Luna said, blushing. We all laughed, the tension momentarily easing.

But then, I felt someone staring at me. Dante's phone rang. He spoke in Italian, and I translated in my head: "Yes, I'll be there... Fine... Don't forget the girl." My heartbeat quickened. Who was the girl? Where was he going?

Luna noticed my erratic breathing. "Are you okay?" she asked, concerned, holding my arm. "I'm fine," I lied, trying to steady myself. A sense of dread washed over me.

"Aria? Aria? Can you hear me?" Dante sounded worried, gripping my shoulders. My chest tightened. I couldn't breathe.

"I'M GOING TO BURN YOU ALL!" The voice from my nightmares roared in my mind. I screamed, clutching my ears. The boys rushed to hold me down. "Aria!" I heard Alex's voice. "ALEX! HELP! I CAN'T HOLD IT! HE'S COMING! HE'LL KILL ME!" I screamed, tears streaming down my face. Alex grabbed my wrists and pulled me into his arms. "Shhh," he soothed. "He's coming," I whispered, slowly calming down, tears still falling. "It's alright, I'm here now," Alex said, his eyes wet with tears.

"It's happened a few times before," he explained. "It's called panic attacks. It's caused by childhood trauma."

"Is she alright now?" Dante asked. I turned to him, my mind racing. The man who killed my parents was Italian. Could it be Dante's father? Dante's phone rang again.

"Hello? Yes, Father... I have an issue going on right now," Dante said in English, putting the call on speaker. "Don't you dare touch MJ, or else I'll kill you all," his father's voice threatened. "Yes, sir," the boys replied in unison. The voice... it was the same. Dante's father killed my parents. No... it can't be...

"Alex... I can't breathe," I gasped. "CUT THE DAMN CALL!" Alex yelled at Dante. Dante ended the call, looking at me.

"Come here, baby girl," Dante said, pulling me into his arms. I've fallen for the man whose father killed my parents. I listened to Dante's heartbeat. It was fast. I'm in love with the wrong person. Or did I think he was the right person?

I looked at Nemesis, who was hugging Dante. He saw the emptiness in my eyes. He knew... He knew what I was thinking. He had felt it. He would tell Dante. "Aria," Nemesis mouthed, unnoticed by the others. "You know Italian," he mouthed again, and my heart pounded. I shook my head. "Stop lying, Aria. You're lying," he mouthed.

"Aria," Dante called. I shrieked and looked at him. No... Dante shouldn't know.