Aria climbed into the car, settling into the plush leather seat, her nerves prickling.
Marco glanced at her every now and then through the rearview mirror, his gaze steady and unreadable.
She felt his watchful eyes on her, making her shift uncomfortably. To calm herself, she turned her attention outside, her eyes tracing the landscape rolling by soft, green hills, old stone buildings, the sunlight dancing on cobblestone streets. She could hardly believe it, just hours ago, she’d been in Los Angeles, her life restricted to a small, controlled world. Now, here she was, halfway across the globe in Italy.
But the silence inside the car was thick, and a cold knot of fear twisted in her stomach.
Questions clawed at her mind.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴?𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱?Her heart began to pound as darker thoughts took hold, but she forced herself to breathe, gripping the straps of her bag, grounding herself.
The car slowed to a halt, and she looked up, startled to see they were in front of a hospital.
The sign reads Hastings Medical Center.Panic flared up inside her.
𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭?
The questions rushed in, her mind spiraling.Marco stepped out, circling around to open her door. He held it open patiently, gesturing for her to follow him.
With her head down, she stepped out, feeling the weight of the hospital's bustling surroundings press in on her. People hurried by, and she felt their eyes pass over her, strangers who didn’t know her story, her pain, her past. She swallowed hard, her body tense as Marco led her inside. The bright, sterile hallways felt wrong, foreign.
“We need to perform a DNA test.”
Marco said calmly, his gaze piercing.Aria’s heart dropped.
𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?
She wondered, her thoughts spinning. Her hand instinctively went to her hair, plucking a single strand, which she handed to him without a word.𝘚𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘫𝘴𝘶𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
She thought bitterly. She tried to push down the sting, but it lingered.Marco disappeared into a small office, leaving her alone on a bench in the corridor. Aria sat in silence, her mind drifting as she stared at the floor. Doubts surfaced, cold and heavy.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.
The last remnants of hope she’d clung to felt like they were crumbling away, slipping through her fingers like sand. She had thought naively, maybe, that this journey could be the start of something better. But now she was left wondering if she was just a burden, an unwanted figure just like her mother told her.
A short while later, Marco emerged, phone in hand. He spoke quietly, but his words were unmistakable.
“Yes, it’s confirmed,” he said. Before hanging up, he added a quiet, “Yes, boss.” The phrase sent a shiver down her spine. She was beginning to understand who was really in control here.Marco motioned for her to follow him, his face as unreadable as ever. Her fear grew with every step. She forced herself to keep pace, her eyes fixed downward.
YOU ARE READING
Silent Scars
Teen FictionAfter enduring years of neglect and cruelty from her mother and stepfather, Ariana's life changes drastically when tragedy brings her under the guardianship of five brothers she's never met and they never even knew they had a sister. For her brother...