Chapter 23 I AM A GODDESS!
Erica’s POV
My eyes fluttered open softly. The last thing I remembered was being hit on the neck by that woman.
“Did you check who followed me?” Aaron’s deep voice broke through the haze.
I blinked, watching him speak with someone else. My instinct told me to get up and run, but the moment I took a step, I crashed to the ground.
“Ouch…” I groaned, the pain searing through my legs. That was when I noticed—he had tied me down.
My gaze darkened. Aaron… a mafia lord? When did that happened?
I felt his strong hands on my shoulders as he gently lifted me up. His touch was familiar, yet distant, colder than I remembered.
“You’ve changed so much,” I whispered, still drowsy. “Mafia? When did that happen?”
He brushed my hair to the side, his expression unreadable. “Why do you know so much?” he asked.
My lips parted, then pressed shut again. “Celina told me… she told me a lot about you.”
He hummed quietly, crouching down to untie the ropes from my legs.
“You’re just going to let her go?” Diva’s voice cut through the room, sharp and annoyed.
Aaron didn’t answer.
“No, I told you to kill her,” she snapped, stepping closer. “You keep talking about keeping her alive. Can’t you just forget about Celina and everything connected to her?”
The next second, Aaron’s gun was pointed straight at her.
I froze. My heart slammed painfully against my ribs.
“No!” I blurted out, my hand shooting forward to twist the gun’s aim toward the wall beside Diva.
Her eyes widened, but she only scoffed and stepped back.
“I can’t believe you,” she spat before storming off.
The other woman, who had been silently watching, bowed and followed her out.
“Don’t kill,” I said softly once they were gone. I didn’t care that he was a mafia boss, but the darkness that surrounded him terrified me a bit...he wasn’t the man I used to know....well people changed for the better!
With a quiet sigh, I stepped forward and hugged him. It wouldn’t fix anything, but guilt still pressed heavily on my chest.
My heart ached— for him, for the pain he carried, for everything we had both lost. Maybe he blamed himself for not saving me… maybe he’d been living with that guilt all along.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, fighting back the tears that burned behind my eyes. I missed him. I missed his laugh, the one he rarely showed anymore. I missed how close we used to be.
I wanted to tell him everything, to apologize for my mistakes… but revealing my real identity wasn’t an option. Not now. Maybe not ever. I would carry this false identity to the grave.
When I underwent the surgery, I knew the risks... death, pain, losing everything. Still, I went through with it because of my hatred for those who wronged me. I survived… but I never went back to my loved ones.
I worked hard, clawed my way up, and became Erica. But if I was being honest… I stole that name from a dead girl.
I didn’t know much about her death either, just that she was shot and died instantly. Sometimes I wondered what kind of life she had… but that wasn’t my concern. The past was a place I couldn’t afford to live in.
My thoughts were cut short by a sudden realization....my phone.
I turned to Aaron, who stood motionless. “Aaron,” I whispered, tugging gently at his sleeve.
He blinked, his icy blue eyes snapping toward me. “What?” His tone was cold, distant, enough to make me shiver.
“My phone,” I said.
He stood up abruptly, shoving me aside, not too hard, but not gently either. I gritted my teeth, glaring at his back...annoying. I hated and loved him at the same time.
Wait—love?
I let out a low laugh. No. I liked Aaron, that was all. Liked, not loved. I brushed the thought away and grabbed my phone.
The screen lit up instantly, Incoming call: Jolie.
I answered. “Hello.”
“Erica! Oh my God, I’ve been worried sick! The gala’s ending soon and you’ve been nowhere to be found—” she ranted.
“I’m okay. I’m safe,” I said, glancing at Aaron, who was busy with something on the table.
“Where are you? I’ll come pick you up,” she said.
I hesitated, then quickly replied, “No, I’ll stay here for the night. I’m fine.”
“Okay,” she said softly, clearly unconvinced.
“Oh, and Jolie, make sure to follow Emily home. Giselle might try something.”
“Got it,” she said, understanding my tone immediately. “Um, Jaxon wants to talk to you...”
“Bye,” I said quickly, ending the call. The last thing I needed was to hear Jaxon’s nagging voice right now.
When I looked up again, Aaron was gone.
I sighed, scanning the room. It was spacious, isolated, like a private hideout. Where was this place?
My gaze caught a glint of glass. A framed photo sat on the shelf. I picked it up and couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face.
“Wow…”
It was Aaron. Shirtless.
He looked… incredible. His body was more defined than before, his abs sculpted like stone. I couldn’t help licking my lips. He really grew up well.
His messy dark hair framed those piercing blue eyes, that sharp jawline, and those lips.... those lips.
He had been my first kiss. Long before Carter.
It was an accident, of course...I had slipped once, and he caught me, saving my head from hitting the ground… but our lips had met instead.
I laughed quietly at the memory. He’d always wanted to become stronger, and looking at him now, I was proud. No one could look down on him anymore.
But then the rattling sound came from the door.
“Come on, don’t push me!”
“I want to see who she is!”
“Stop pulling my hair!”
I opened the door suddenly and the group outside froze. Three people stared at me, caught red-handed, then burst out laughing awkwardly.
“Who are you?” I asked coldly.
“She’s not that pretty,” one of the females whispered.
My brow arched sharply. Excuse me?
Before I even realized it, my hand reached for her ear and tugged hard enough to make her hiss.
“Not pretty?” I said, tilting my head with a teasing smile. “I am pretty. Have you ever seen a face like mine in your entire lifetime?”
The two guys behind her stared at me in disbelief.
I smiled, turned slightly, and added, “I’m a goddess.”