ᴀᴘʜʀᴏᴅɪᴛᴇ // $ᴜɪᴄɪᴅᴇʙᴏʏ$

Chapter Thirteen

ARISTOS

I didn't mean to fall in love with her. But I did. She was meant to be hidden away from my mind. But I saw her. She was supposed to be taken care of. But she wasn't. Not like she should have been. Not by her mom like she wanted to be. But trapped in the prison of her childhood home, she could only do her best.

Trapped in hell, she could only fight so hard.

Until one day, she met me and everything changed.

Aphrodite told me stories. I felt despair and empathy, feeling empathy for another person was so foreign to me, and it sat on my heart, so heavy and never moving.

I glared at the scars on her arms as I felt hatred toward her mom.

"Look up into the sky, Ari." My baby girl murmured.

I lifted her arm to place a kiss on the deepest scar, my eyes darkening. Then I looked up into the sky. The corner of my mouth lifted.

Aphrodite softly placed her hand on my shoulder, more of a reassuring touch for me, and I strangely prayed that we would stay together forever.

Aphrodite had no choice but to stare into my eyes once I took her cheeks in my hand.

"I'll never let anyone fucking hurt you. Do you understand? You can let go of your past now."

◇◇◇

APHRODITE

It was a day just like any other. Ari was nervously pacing through the house smoking a blunt, waiting for Scott. Nothing unusual, just business, as he would say.

Somebody knocked, called his name, and then Aristos left.

I walked out from the bathroom and went into my room. I dried my hair with a wet towel and hummed a melody. I was in a good mood and ready to see Brynn. I fixed my hair, threw on a pair of black shorts, one of Ari's large band t-shirts, put a little mascara and red lipstick on and- and my phone rang.

"Yes?" I answered.

"My belt!" Ari's nervous voice snapped from the other end.

"What about it?"

"I forgot it!"

I rolled my eyes and sighed. Aristos gave me the address and hung up.

"What the hell? He wants me to bring it now?" I asked myself and went to his room. I found not one, not two, but a dozen belts. I sighed and threw all of them in a bag while I called Brynn.

"Hey, Brynn. Honey, I have to cancel our plans. Sorry, I'll call you later."

With a bag full of belts I left the house and walked through the streets. It was a rainy day, the sky covered with heavy grey clouds.

Well, so much for a free afternoon. I sighed and after some time, I finally got to the place. I knocked on the door and Scott opened it.

"Hey, Scott." I smiled.

He let me inside the comfy small house.

"How was your honeymoon?" I asked and he just shrugged without answering.

Alright then, I thought and followed him.

"Finally! What took you so long?" Ari greeted me with a grumpy face.