Chapter 143
Aria’s POV
The silence in the room was heavy, like a storm about to break. The woman’s cold eyes never left mine, her gun still pointed straight at my chest.
I didn’t move. I didn’t breathe.
Then-
“Mamma! Put the gun down!”
The sharp voice sliced through the tension like a knife.
A girl rushed in–Chiara. Her long dark hair bounced behind her as she came to stand between me and the gun.
“She’s the girl I told you about!”
Everything changed in a second.
The woman’s face froze in confusion. Her lips parted slightly. Her gaze flicked from Chiara to me and back again. The gun lowered–slowly— until it hung loosely at her side.
“Oh Dio mio…” (Oh my God…) she whispered.
Then, without warning, she ran to me and threw her arms around my sho. S
I stiffened. What was happening?
“I’m so sorry, tesoro!” she cried, kissing both of my cheeks one after the other. “Mi dispiace, mi dispiace!” (I’m sorry, I’m sorry!)
Her perfume was floral and strong, and she smelled like roses and something spicy. Her hug was tight and warm, completely the opposite of the way she looked a minute ago. I stood there, too stunned to do anything.
“I didn’t know! If I knew it was you… oh, these stupid boys!” she muttered, pulling back only to kiss my cheeks again. “Bella ragazza! (Beautiful girl!) You must think I’m crazy!”
I blinked at her, still trying to catch up. My mouth opened, then closed. What was I supposed to say to that?
Behind us, one of the triplets cleared his throat.
“Mamma, please–don’t smother her.”
She turned her head slowly, eyes narrowing at them. “Ah! Smother her? After what you
Her voice shifted into fast, angry Italian.
did?!”
“Avete drogato una donna? Che vergogna! Animali!” (You drugged a woman? Shame on you! Animals!)
I covered my mouth, trying not to laugh.
She stormed toward Enzo and, without warning, reached up and grabbed his ear, twisting it hard.
“Ahi! Mama!” he yelped, ducking away.
Chapter 143
She gave him a glare sharp enough to kill and turned back to me with a sweet smile like nothing had happened,
“Come, tesoro. Let’s get you out of this room.”
She took my hand gently but firmly and led me through the door. I glanced back for a moment, meeting Enzo’s eyes. He looked both annoyed and a little scared. I couldn’t help but smirk.
As we stepped into the hallway, I finally got a good look at where I was.
The house–or was it a villa?-was like something out of a dream. The floor was white marble with gold streaks running through it. The walls were tall, painted in soft creams, and decorated with old paintings in golden frames. Huge windows let in sunlight, making everything shine. Crystal chandeliers hung above us, catching the light like stars.
Everything smelled clean and expensive. Like fresh flowers and polished wood.
She led me down a wide staircase, her hand still wrapped around mine like she didn’t want to let go.
I followed her quietly, still too overwhelmed to speak.
When we reached the bottom, I saw Chiara waiting near a big kitchen that looked like it belonged in a cooking show. Long counters, shiny silver appliances, big fruit bowls–it had everything.
I glanced at Chiara but quickly looked away.
“Do you like tea, Aria?” their mom asked excitedly. “I can make you lemon tea! Or honey tea! Or both! Are you hungry? What do you like to eat? Do you like fresh bread? I have that. Or maybe you want eggs? Or-”
“Mamma,” Chiara said gently, “give her time to regain herself.”
Their mother paused, then sighed. “Okay, okay… I’m going to pick her some flowers from the garden.”
She leaned in toward me, cupping my cheeks and smiling brightly. “You are too sweet, mia cara. I’ll be back soon.”
And with that, she turned and walked away.
I watched her go, stunned.
That woman had held a gun to my face five minutes ago, and now she was going to the garden to pick flowers for me?
As I stood there, watching her disappear down the hallway with her heels clicking confidently against the marble floor, I couldn’t help but feel like I had just stepped into another world. One moment I was locked in a room with three dangerous strangers–triplets who had drugged me, kidnapped me, and turned my life upside down–and the next, I was being kissed on both cheeks by their gun–toting, flower–picking mother who acted like I was her long–lost daughter. The shift was dizzying. My mind tried to make sense of it all, but the pieces didn’t quite fit. I didn’t know what scared me more–how easily this family switched from chaos to charm, or how part of me was starting to soften in their presence. I should’ve been screaming, fighting, demanding to go home. But instead, I found myself blinking at crystal chandeliers hugs, and the smell of lemon tea lingering in the air like a trap disguised as comfort. What kind of spell was this place casting on . And worse… why was a small part of me beginning to want to stay?
I let out a small laugh. It just escaped. I couldn’t help it.
“She’s… something,” I said..
Chiara smiled and walked over to me. She wrapped her arms around me in a soft hug. Her embrace felt gentle and sincere.
“I’m really sorry,” she whispered. “For how I acted before. I was just scared. I thought you were… dangerous.”
“It’s okay,” I said quietly. And it was. Kind of.
arm
Chapter 143
We pulled back and looked at each other. There was a pause, then Chiara smirked.
“Our mother is a hurricane in heels.”
I burst out laughing. “That’s the perfect way to describe her.”
Chiara joined in, and for a moment, everything felt lighter. Like I wasn’t a prisoner or a pawn in someone’s weird game.
But then I heard a voice from the hallway.
“Button… can we talk?”
My breath caught.
I turned slowly.
Matteo was standing in the doorway.
And the moment between me and Chiara shattered like glass.
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