Aria’s POV

Isadora didn’t even hesitate.

Her palm came crashing down on my cheek with a loud, sharp smack, her other hand fisting the front of my shirt like she wanted to tear me apart. I stumbled, caught off guard, trying to push her off without hurting her, but she wasn’t holding back.

“Let go,” I hissed, but she pulled harder.

We tripped, crashing onto the floor. Everything blurred. Nails. Hair. Slaps. Her ring caught my skin and I felt a sting across my neck. My hands pushed against her shoulder, trying to get her off me, but she twisted, trying to pin me down.

We were a mess. A tangle of limbs and anger.

Then I felt hands grab me from behind.

Rough. Tight. Painful.

Lorenzo.

He yanked me off her like I was nothing, his grip bruising. My head snapped back from the force, and the next thing I knew, I was dropped on the cold floor, away from Isadora.

He didn’t even look at me.

He bent down beside her instead.

Her hair was a wreck. She had a thin line of blood running down her chin, another one across her neck. She looked like a wounded animal, breathing hard, eyes wild, and she soon started sobbing.

“Are you okay?” Lorenzo asked, his voice low and careful.

She slapped his hand away, her face twisted in rage. “You fucking piece of shit!”

He flinched.

“She kissed me first!” he blurted out. Loud. Defensive. Like a kid trying to explain away trouble.

I stared at him as my body went cold.

He just… lied.

Right in front of me.

“That’s a fucking lie!” I fired back, feeling something twist in my gut. “You kissed me first! You pulled me—”

“Enough!” he snapped, finally turning toward me. His eyes were cold. Hard. “You need to leave.”

I opened my mouth to argue, but he didn’t give me the chance. His hand shot out, wrapped around my wrist, and dragged me toward the door.

“I’ll be back soon,” he told Isadora, without even glancing at me. “I promise to make this up to you.”

Make it up to her?

He yanked the door open and pulled me into the hallway like I was the one who ruined everything.

I ripped my hand out of his grip.

“I’m not leaving without my son,” I said, voice low but firm. My hand stung. My face burned. But my heart hurt the most.

He stared at me for a long second. No anger. Just… something hollow.

Then he muttered, “Wait here,” and disappeared upstairs.

I stood there in silence, chest rising and falling fast, the back of my throat burning.

And then I heard small feet on the stairs.

Lorenzo was back.

With Leo.

Leo’s little eyes widened the second he saw me. He looked from my bruised face to Lorenzo, his brows pinching together.

“What happened to my mommy?” he asked, voice shaking.

Then he ran.

He threw himself into my arms, wrapping his little limbs around my neck like he was afraid I’d disappear.

“What did you do to my mommy?” he sobbed, pressing his face into my shoulder.

I swallowed hard, fighting the lump in my throat. “Nothing, baby. Mommy just… had to handle something. I’m okay now, alright?” I whispered, brushing his hair back, rocking him like I used to when he had nightmares.

His sobs quieted, but he held onto me like he didn’t believe me.

Lorenzo stood by the door, watching. I didn’t say a word to him. I didn’t even look at him when I turned and carried Leo outside.

We got into the car and Lorenzo started the engine, just as a heavy and suffocating silence filled the car.

Leo fell asleep on my chest before we even left the neighborhood. His little fingers still clung to my shirt like he needed to feel me breathing.

I stared out the window, my jaw clenched tightly. Every second in that car reminded me of what just happened… the fight, the lies, the shame. Everything I ran from.

About forty minutes later, Lorenzo pulled up in front of a quiet, fancy neighborhood. Big houses. Perfect lawns.

He stepped out first and came around to open the door for me. When he reached for Leo, I shifted away.

“Don’t,” I said without raising my voice, but there was no mistaking the warning.

He paused, looked at me, then stepped back without a word.

He walked up to the front porch, unlocked the door, and pushed it open.

“The bedroom’s upstairs,” he said. “You can lay him down. I still need to talk to you.”

I didn’t answer. Just walked past him and up the stairs.

The guest bedroom was spotless. Too perfect. No sign of life in it. I laid Leo down gently, pulled the blanket over him, and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead.

He stirred a little, but didn’t wake. I stood there a few seconds longer, brushing my fingers through his hair. My heart felt heavy in my chest. So much was happening, and all I wanted was for him to be okay. Safe. Loved. Free from all this chaos.

Then I went downstairs.

Lorenzo was in the kitchen, glass of whiskey in hand. He looked tired. Not the kind of tired that sleep fixes. The kind that comes from being a man who’s made too many bad decisions and has to live with them.

He turned as I entered.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “About earlier. I shouldn’t have lied. I just needed to calm Isadora down. I can’t afford to lose her yet, she’s—”

“Don’t,” I said, shaking my head. “Just don’t.”

He opened his mouth to say something, but decided against it.

“I don’t want to hear your feelings. I don’t want to hear anything about Isadora. You haven’t changed, Lorenzo. You’re still the same man who does what’s best for himself first.”

I crossed my arms.

“I was stupid for thinking you meant anything you said, before you kissed me. You don’t care about people. You care about control. You care about looking like a good man—not being one.”

“I never said I was a good man, Aria. In fact…” He took another slow sip of his drink, eyes never leaving mine. “By the time I’m done talking tonight, you’ll probably be plotting my murder.”

I blinked at him, confused, my heart suddenly racing. “What are you talking about?”

He placed the glass down carefully, then walked over to a drawer, pulling out a stack of credit cards and a small folder. “This is one of my houses. You and Leo can stay here until he turns eighteen. You’ll be comfortable; clothes, groceries, luxuries, anything you need. These cards have no limit.”

He walked closer, his voice dipping lower in a calm, controlled, and terrifying way.

“But you can’t leave, Aria.”

His eyes locked on mine. Cold.

“And there’s more,” he added. “You’ll have to be my mistress. Your body? It’ll be mine. Whenever I want you… you’ll have to be ready. No excuses.”

I took a step back like his words physically slapped me.

“The divorce papers will come soon,” he said, “and you’ll sign them.”

My mind went blank. I blinked again, trying to process what the hell I just heard. My ears rang.

There’s no way.

“You’re joking,” I let out a laugh, a small, shaky thing that didn’t sound like me. “This must be a sick joke.”

He didn’t laugh.

“I’m not joking, Aria.”

Silence. The kind where you could hear your heart pounding.

“And what the hell makes you think I’ll agree to that?” I snapped, anger replacing shock. “I’ll report this. This is kidnapping. Trafficking. You’re sick—”

He cut me off, stepping forward until he was too close.

“You’ll never be able to prove it,” he said, his hands on my chin. “And when you fail, you know what I’ll do?”

I stood frozen.

“I’ll call your sanity into question,” he continued. “I’ll take full custody of Leo. You’re broke, Aria. You can’t even afford a proper lawyer. I’ll tell the courts you’re unstable. I’ll tell Leo—” his voice dropped, “that his mother lost her mind.”

I felt sick to my stomach, my head woozy and the room tilted.

“I can get you locked up in an asylum,” he said softly. “Or… if I’m feeling merciful, I’ll trade you. Sell you off to one of the cartels. Let you disappear.”

I couldn’t breathe. My hands trembled at my sides. He kept going.

“Either way, I still keep Leo. And you? You lose everything.”

My voice barely came out. “You’re a monster.”

He tilted his head.

“No Aria, I'm a man with power, while you?" He leaned in, whispering, “You have no one. No power. No money. No voice. So if I were you… I’d choose my battles carefully.”

He moved back, slowly, letting his words sink in.

“So,” he said, coolly, as if he were offering me dinner plans, “what’s it going to be?”

"Fuck you!"