It was time to let him go.
No matter how much it killed me...
CHAPTER 16
Ariana's POV
I wrapped my arms around my legs and pulled them to my chest, rocking back and forth in time with the steady drip of water echoing off the walls.The sound shouldn’t have been comforting, but it was the only thing that reminded me I was still alive.
It had been days since Alessandro told his men to “deal with this,” and I was still here — still trapped in the same basement where this nightmare began.The same cold, damp air.The same darkness.
I’d lost count of how many times I’d cried myself to sleep.My voice was hoarse from calling out for Mom and for Matt, even though I knew neither could hear me.The last time I saw them was that Friday night, and now it felt like years had passed.
When Alessandro told them to get rid of me, I was certain that meant I’d die.I thought I’d feel the press of a gun against my head any second.But instead, I was locked back in this room — left alive, but forgotten.They only came to bring me food and water, like I was some animal in a cage.
It was freezing.My fingers were numb.I’d thought I’d die from the cold on the first night.Somehow, I made it to the second.
Then the door opened.
The familiar heavy creak made me flinch instantly.My body moved before my brain did — curling up tighter in the corner like I could disappear into the wall.I didn’t want anyone near me.Not the guards.Not even Alessandro.
The footsteps came closer, slow and deliberate.
“Stand up.”
I froze.That voice — deep, commanding, edged with something I couldn’t quite place.Salvatore.
I hesitated until he spoke again, his tone a little softer.“Stand up, fiore.”
My legs trembled as I forced myself upright.I hated the way his eyes followed me, heavy and judging, like he could see straight through my skin.
“I’m going to ask you one more time,” he said quietly, “what’s your name, fiore?”
Even though his tone wasn’t harsh, it still sent a shiver down my spine.
“A-Ariana...”I whispered.
