Page 32 of Arianna

For now, she is free.

Unlocking my phone, I open the message her father sent me, and her picture pops up.

It does not do her justice.

Not at all.

Her chopped-off hair, mascara running down her face, and big green eyes pierced through me.

Stunning.

Yes, the girl is gorgeous, but not only on the outside. The inside too. That fire inside of her that has not dimmed, not even a little bit, makes her even more beautiful in my eyes.

I am so fucked.

A child.

She is a child.

I keep repeating it like a mantra as I stare at her photograph, not understanding how a kid in a couple of hours has this hold on me.

She is dangerous.

Because she is made of the same cloth as me.

I saw it in the way she held my gaze and never backed down while I did my best to intimidate her.

I take one last look at the photo before I drop the phone on the seat next to me and look out the jet’s window.

I will be landing in my city any moment now, and she will soon be forgotten.

Or so I thought.

I knew deep down that it couldn’t be further from the truth.

ARIANNA

Malibu Barbie

“I dream of him when night falls.” - A

Why does time stand still when you don’t want it to? Although wishing the hours away is futile, after all, there is nowhere else to go.

I feel stuck.

I have gone through this in my head a million times, trying to make sense of it all since stepping foot inside my new home. Should I make a run for it? Should I scream and fight?

What is the answer?

For the first time in what feels like forever, I don’t have a clear one.

What I am certain of is that I have nothing to my name and no support from my so-called allies back in Detroit.

There is no lost love between them and my only ally…I shoved my knife into his back.

I messed up big time when I betrayed Lucan Volpe by exposing his little girlfriend’s heartbreaking secret. I did a horrible thing. It was uncalled for, yes. However, what is the point of agonizing about it now? I don’t make excuses for myself and what happened, happened…but I regret it deeply.

The girl did not deserve what I did to her out of anger and survival.

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