Page 34 of Until You Break

Luca’s gaze hardens, his voice dropping. “You think he’s just a ghost? A shadow you can shake off?”

“I moved on, and he doesn’t get to just come back and decide I belong to him.”

“You haven’t moved on,” Luca says, shaking his head. “That’s why you’re standing here looking for answers and waiting for him to pull you back in.”

I grit my teeth, anger flaring hot. “I’m here because he’s been haunting my life, not because I want him!”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Matteo cuts in, his voice laced with that mocking edge that grates on every last nerve I have. “But we both know the truth. If you really wanted him gone, if you were done, you wouldn’t be here demanding answers like a desperate woman.”

“I just want to understand what he’s trying to do,” I say through gritted teeth. “I don’t want him back.”

“Funny,” Luca murmurs, crossing his arms. “Because it sure as hell sounds like you do.”

I open my mouth, ready to argue, to shout that they’re wrong, that they don’t understand, but the words die in my throat. The truth is, a part of me doesn’t even know why I’m here. I don’t know if it’s anger, desperation, or some twisted form of closure I can’t let go of.

But I know one thing—I can’t keep doing this, can’t keep pretending his absence doesn’t tear me apart, that the silence doesn’t make me ache in ways I can’t explain.

“Then tell him,” I say finally, my voice low, almost defeated. “Tell him to leave me alone. If he’s trying to prove something, then it’s done. I get it. He’s never really left my head, and he’s not going to. But he can’t keep showing up, messing with my life, acting like he has some kind of right to it.”

Matteo smirks, tipping his beer in a mock salute. “I’ll be sure to pass that along, princess.”

“Good,” I bite out, turning on my heel, but Luca’s voice stops me.

“Aria.”

I turn back, my gaze meeting his, and there’s something in his eyes, something almost like pity. “What?”

He shakes his head, a faint, rueful smile tugging at his lips. “Just remember, you’re the one who came looking for him. You’re the one who couldn’t let go.”

The words hit harder than I’d like to admit, and I swallow, trying to keep my voice steady. “I didn’t ask him to come back. I didn’t ask for any of this.”

“No,” Luca says, his voice soft, knowing. “But maybe you didn’t have to.”

Chapter twenty-four

Her Ruin

I watch from theshadows as Aria speeds off, her bike tearing down the road, kicking up dust and leaving that lingering, desperate energy in her wake.

She came all this way demanding answers and practically begged to know why I’ve been showing up in her life, haunting her the way she’s always haunted me. I smirk, the thrill of seeing her unravel bleeding into every nerve in my body. She thinks she can get me out of her head, but she doesn’t understand yet—I’m not done. Not even close.

I step out of the dark as Luca and Matteo lean against the garage wall, their eyes following the trail of dust Aria left behind. Matteo spots me first, his grin widening as he takes another swig of his beer, clearly amused by the whole damn thing.

“You know, she was practically begging for it,” he says, chuckling as he nods toward the road she just tore down. “Asking all kinds of questions about where you are, what you’re doing. It’s almost cute, watching her think she’s in control.”

“Cute isn’t the word I’d use,” I mutter, shaking my head. Aria thinks she’s one step ahead, thinks she can just walk in here, demand answers, and be done with me.“But she’s hooked. That much is clear.”

Luca shakes his head, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his mouth. “I think she might actually hate you, Dom.”

“Yeah?” I say, shrugging, feeling that familiar spark of satisfaction coil in my chest. “Good. Hate’s a powerful thing. Gets under your skin, eats away at you until you can’t think straight.”

Matteo chuckles, setting his bottle down on the workbench. “I don’t know, man. She looked pretty close to losing her shit back there. Maybe you’re laying it on a little too thick?”

I shake my head, crossing my arms as I stare down the road she just sped off on. “Nah. Not thick enough. She’s fighting me every damn step of the way, holding on to that neat little life of hers like it’s some kind of lifeline. But I know her. I know what’s under all that.”

Luca raises an eyebrow, glancing at me with that cautious look he always gets when he thinks I’m going too far. “What’s your next move, then? You’ve got her on edge. She’s coming around, but if you’re not careful, she might just decide you’re not worth it.”

“Not worth it?” I scoff, a laugh slipping out. “She’s already obsessed, Luca. She wouldn’t be begging you guys for answers if she wasn’t losing her grip. She thinks she can forget me, that she can move on. But I’ll make her see the truth.”

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