I sat there for what felt like hours, trying to piece together everything — his lies, Alessandro’s coldness, the madness of this entire situation.Nothing made sense.Nothing ever did.
Later, I sat curled on the white couch, grinding my teeth as I glared at the floor.My thoughts spun in circles.Is Matt even his real name?
The thought snapped me out of my spiral when I felt someone’s eyes on me.I looked up — and froze.
A girl stood in the doorway, one I hadn’t seen before.She couldn’t have been older than twenty.Her honey-blonde hair was neatly combed, her white shirt tucked crisply into her trousers.There was a softness in her eyes I wasn’t used to.She smiled — gently — and for the first time since I’d been taken, I didn’t feel like I was being hunted.
In her hands, she held a small bag and a bottle of water.She approached carefully, her voice light.“Hey...I’ve brought you a few things.”She set them down near me and took a seat a few cushions away.“Don’t worry, I’m not here to hurt you.I’m Mia.”
I stared at her through blurry, tear-filled eyes.
“What’s your name?”she asked softly.
“A-Ariana,” I whispered, inching away as she scooted closer.I didn’t care how rude I sounded.After everything that had happened — Alessandro’s rejection, Matt’s betrayal — I had no trust left to give.
“I brought you some clothes and water,” she said, nodding toward the bag.I glanced at it like it was something foreign, something I’d forgotten how to use.My breath shook as silence filled the room again.
Mia’s eyes lingered on me for a moment before she stood.“I’ll leave you to it...”she murmured gently.Then she walked away, leaving me alone with the weight of it all — the lies, the pain, the haunting question of why me.
“No!”I trembled as I tried to reach out for her.When she looked over her shoulder, I drew my hand back and frowned up at her.“Don’t leave me.”
As much as I wanted to be left alone, I didn’t.I couldn’t.Mia was the only presence here that didn’t make my stomach twist in fear.Everyone else in this place felt dangerous, suffocating.She was the one person who didn’t radiate threat.
Mia’s full lips curved into a gentle smile as she sat back down beside me.Her hands were small and soft when they reached for mine, wrapping around my trembling fingers before giving them an assuring squeeze.
“I promise you, you’re safe here,” she said quietly.“No one is going to hurt you.”
“M-Mia...why am I here?”I asked, my voice fragile.
“Ariana...”she frowned, eyes flickering with sympathy.“I wish I could tell you why, but I can’t — because I don’t know.I have no idea why my brothers have abducted you.I want to apologize on their behalf.I’m so sorry.”
“Your brothers?”I echoed, blinking in confusion.Since when did Alessandro have a sister?
Mia laughed softly and scooted a little closer, her smile faint but warm.
“Bruno, Salvatore, and Alessandro — they’re like my brothers.It’s a long story.”
“Long story?”I pressed, curiosity slipping through the fear.
“When I was young,” she began, her tone turning somber, “my parents gave me up for adoption.They couldn’t afford to keep me.They were poor, struggling...I don’t blame them.I understand now.But if I had known what was waiting for me, I would’ve begged my mother to keep me.”
Her eyes dimmed as she continued, and I felt the heaviness in her voice.
“My first foster family seemed perfect at first.But when I was six years old, I experienced my first assault.I thought it was normal — the man who did it always told me not to worry, that everything was fine.By the time I was fifteen, I realized none of it was normal, and I knew I had to get out.”
My jaw slackened.I stared at her, speechless, because of how brave she was — how she could speak about her past without breaking down.I couldn’t even say Nicola’s name without my throat tightening.
“I escaped one night,” she went on.“And eventually, I found the mafia — or maybe it found me.That’s where I met Alessandro.”Her lips softened into a faint smile.“He found me when I was at my lowest.He brought me home, treated me like his own sister, and raised me ever since.I can’t thank him enough.That’s why I’m telling you not to worry, Ariana.You’re safe here.The boys won’t hurt you.They’ll look after you.”
“You’ve been here since you were fifteen?”
She nodded.“Yes.I’ve known these men for years.They’re my family.”
I tried to recall the past — those old, blurry memories of Alessandro and me — but there was no trace of Mia anywhere.He never mentioned her.If she came into his life after I left, then all this must have been recent.Still, I was stunned.I always knew Alessandro had a good heart buried somewhere under the chaos, but the man I met days ago felt nothing like him.Cold.Detached.Someone I didn’t recognize.
“Alessandro has always been there for me,” Mia said with a soft laugh.“And to this day, I still don’t know why.You’ve met him, haven’t you?”
I nodded, slowly.
