Page 3 of Aria De Luca
PRESENT
I don't knowhow long I have been unconscious.
All I know is that my head is pounding, and my body feels weak.
I am pretty sure it's been a few hours since I woke up. I have been in and out of consciousness but luckily, I only had to face Dante once, which is when I first woke up.
He was yelling at me to wake up while I dreamt about some sort of ending.
"I think it's you who saved me, Aria."
His voice sounded comforting and familiar.
And his eyes.
His green eyes were sparkling when looking at me. I felt safe looking into them. They gave me comfort and I had a feeling everything was perfect then and there in the dream.
It wasn’t long until I felt terror in my blood as I heard a voice that shook my nerves, and not in a good way.
Dante.
My worst fear.
I realized that I am his prisoner.
Dante trapped me again.
And this time I have no one to help me and no way to get out.
"Baby!" I hear the door of my cell open at the same time I hear his voice.
It's deeper since I last saw him.
I see him walk through the entryway of my cell and he has that sinister smile on his face. I straighten my back and force myself to look at him.
He doesn't look that different. His shoulders are just a little broader and the features on his face are much more mature than they were when we broke up.
"What am I doing here?" I ask while trying not to show how scared of him I really am.
My mind is full of blurs. I don't remember a thing that happened or how I ended up in this smelly cage.
The last thing I remember is me being in my room talking to Layna about going to a race and then getting a drink afterward, but I got a phone call from my dad saying that I had a meeting with him. After that, I can’t seem to remember what happened next.
"Oh, we have a lot of catching up to do, Aria. What do you remember last?" Dante asks as he sits down on the chair across from me.
"I was with Layna in my room, and we were going to go to a party. How did I get here? Where is she? Where is my family?" I ask him as my heart starts pounding against my chest.
Dante smirks and shakes his head lightly. "Wow, that serum he created worked like a bitch," Dante mutters and then he makes eye contact with me. "Aria, that party you are thinking about was supposed to happen over two years ago. Instead of going to that party, your dad decided to send you on a mission. What happened during those two years doesn't matter to me. What matters is that you are here now, and you are mine."
I press my back against the hard concrete wall. "No. Where are they? Where is my family, Dante?" I repeat my question from before.
"Not here. I promised not to hurt anyone you love if you complied. I am honorable, Aria. I will not hurt any loved one as long as you comply with every little thing I say."
"I'm not a dog that you can control Dante. You tried and you failed."
"But baby, I didn't fail. If I did then you wouldn't be here in front of me at my mercy," Dante smiles at me widely.
"I'm not at your fucking mercy. I'm getting out of here."
