ᴀᴘʜʀᴏᴅɪᴛᴇ // $ᴜɪᴄɪᴅᴇʙᴏʏ$

Chapter Sixteen

APHRODITE

It was a few days later when Scott received a horrifying piece of mail addressed from Sienna's father who lived in New York City. The letter read that he had received worrisome calls from his daughter about Aristos Petrou's intentions to kill her and that she had gone missing. And that's when Scott realized he hadn't seen his wife in a few days and that she was nowhere to be found.

Aristos came home that night. "My baby girl." He smiled and looked happy.

"What have you done, Ari?" I asked, holding in tears as I went to him.

He gave me a confused look and sat down on the couch with a blunt in his mouth. "What do you mean?"

"Ari, listen, how about you join me upstairs and take a bath with me?" I whispered and wiped a tear from my face.

"Are you mad at me for something?" He asked.

"No." I smiled softly, stretching my arm and took him to the bathroom. We both took our clothes off and I sat behind him and hugged him.

"How was your day, baby girl?"

"Good." I said and laid my head on his back, listening to his breath and steady, calm heartbeat. "I bought new clothes today."

"Hm. I can't wait to see them."

I took the loofa and started to clean his back and arms, then he turned and pulled me into his chest. "I will marry you one day." He whispered into my hair, inhaling my scent. "Will you say yes if I propose?"

"Of course, Ari." I laid my head on his shoulder and then let the water from the loofa run down on the same spot so he wouldn't feel my tears falling on his skin.

It was funny how simplicity was anything but simple. It was ironic that the meaningless could mean so much. A few drops of rain, and the drought is over. One little seed, and food from a tree for a lifetime. Words requiring one small answer, and the future is changed. Altered. Made better in every possible way. Heaven is there and the sun feels warm. It feels relaxing and it feels so perfect. Will you say yes if I propose? Those words that could mend a broken life.

And then, simple suddenly becomes larger than life. Meaningless is now so very profound. The rain healed the dry land. The seed transformed into a forest with a giving feast. And the future is right there, staring up at you, waiting for the answer. Waiting patiently because that future has always waited for you. The breath, the pulse, and the life. A great sacrifice, indeed.

◇◇◇

I was modeling my new clothes for Ari as promised. I held up the black fabric of my new dress, feeling the texture between my fingers. I studied it, as I had countless times, surveying it because it was oddly a very important thing.

Deep in thought...

I thought maybe to forget this idea, such a notion. I had been engaged once before and it ended in tragedy. But the more I thought about it, there were no more lost dreams and unfulfilled wishes. No more pain and blood and heartache. I'd chosen life. I'd chosen Ari. And now it was time to step into it completely with this wonderful fabric against my skin. I undressed, standing only in my underwear as I studied it again. Nodding, I decided I would marry him someday.

Looking down at my body, at the proof of the pain life had given as a cruel present, something inside said that Ari didn't kill Sienna. But I would only have to wait and see, and discover the truth for myself. I lifted the dress again and slipped it on. I wasn't surprised when there was a knock on Ari's bedroom door. An impatient one.

I peeked through the crack to make sure it was actually Ari on the other side before opening the door completely.

"What took you so long? I wanna see you in the new dr-" He seemed to flinch back a little, blinking even as his eyes trailed my length, everything from my face to my feet. At first, I thought it was a bad sign, knew it had to be what I myself brought to it. There was too much scarring on my arms because I had yet to apply the concealer to them after our bath. There were too many deformities and nicks of past pain.

Ari swallowed, and I could see it was somewhat nervously. His eyes went over me again, taking everything in. A familiar expression passed over his face then, one I was familiar with. A look I most likely would be the only person in the world to see because he hid his emotions from the world. A remorseful look, full of unspoken apologies he would say everyday if he could. A regretful look, for something he could never take back. But he also knew, as I'd told him with my own unspoken words, that those looks were not needed anymore. He looked into my eyes. Just the briefest move of his head that was one of approval.

I breathed then, felt my confidence returning. Looking down, I thought again that my plan was a good one.

Will you say yes if I propose?

Of course, Ari, I'd answered.

A simple response, and heaven was there. The suffering gone.

"You look beautiful." He told me.

And I smiled softly.

◇◇◇

When we went to sleep in Ari's bed, I woke up to the sounds of footsteps and I knew something was wrong the second my nose was filled with cheap cologne. I jolted up, my heart pounding like thunder in my chest and my breath ceasing. However it was too late for me to wake up Ari and escape. Two hands grabbed me by my shirt and dragged me before throwing me into the living room, making me fall on the floor.

"Hello, girl. Scott sent us." The man said in a wicked voice and I tried to see him in the dark room. Steps coming toward me made me realize that he wasn't alone. There were two of them in front of me.

"No." I whispered, shaking when I saw a familiar face across the room in the shadows. Two men held onto Aristos as he kneeled on the ground, restraining him as he tried to tug his way out of their grip and growled.

"If you wanna kill somebody, don't kill your cousin's wife, you stupid prick." The man said harshly and snorted.

"What the fuck are you motherfuckers talking about?" Aristos yelled at the top of his lungs, his body shaking violently. It was so fierce I thought fire would start to spew out of his mouth. "Summit, I order you to let me go."

"You don't tell me what to do anymore... Scott says it's only fair that he take the only woman you've ever loved since you took the only woman he's ever loved." The man told him angrily and glared at him. "What kind of piece of shit does that to family?"

Aristos' nostrils flared and his eyes looked crazier than I had ever seen them. "What the fuck did you just say? I did nothing! Where is my cousin? I wanna see him right now! Summit, Tommy, I order you to let Aphrodite go now!"

"You didn't kill Sienna, Ari?" I asked in a shaky voice.

His eyes locked with mine from across the room and the anger in them disappeared and replaced with sadness. "Of course not, baby girl."

Before the coming of Heaven, Hell was breathing down on our necks. My screams hung in the air like poison. Hell was here and wide open, about to swallow us whole straight into darkness.

A few of the men then swiftly grabbed me, their hands gripping so tightly I already felt like I was bruising. "NO!" I screamed again, kicking and jolting as they started to drag me away from Aristos.

No, I won't leave you.

It took a few more men to hold Aristos down as he used all of his strength to come after me.

Nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Before they took me away, I yelled from across the room, seeing tears falling out of Ari's eyes. "I love you, Aristos!"

And for the first time ever, I heard him say the words, "I love you, Aphrodite."