Chapter 4 Chapter 4.
The words hung in the air like thick smoke, suffocating and acrid. Aria felt as if the ground beneath her had dropped out, leaving her suspended in a void of emotions—anger, sorrow, rejection.
“What?!” Aria burst out, her voice cracking with disbelief. “Are you crazy? I just lost my husband and child!”
Lucien stepped closer, his eyes blazing with an intensity that made Aria's skin prickle, his gaze piercing hers like a challenge. “Which wouldn't have happened if you had been with me,” he replied, his tone cool yet laced with an unshakeable conviction.
“Do you even have a heart?!” she said, feeling the heat of tears prick at her eyes. “I stand here, raw and broken, and all you can think about is your damn pride?”
His expression shifted then, the playfulness vanishing, replaced by a bitterness that echoed the ghost of their past. “You killed it... many years ago, do you remember?” Lucien’s voice softened for a moment, laden with memories that felt too heavy for the present.
Aria swallowed hard, the weight of his words pressing down on her chest. “I made mistakes, yes. But so did you. We both did!” Her voice trembled, caught between anger and deep sorrow. “And now, you want to tie my fate to yours as if it’s some twisted penance?”
A flicker of vulnerability crossed Lucien’s face, but it was quickly masked by his trademark bravado. “This isn’t about penance. It's about power.” He leaned in closer, invading her space but not touching her. “I can help you get justice for what was stolen from you. But I want something in return. No more half-measures.”
“You think I’ll agree to that?” She fought against the rising tide of her emotions, grappling with the conflict inside her. “After everything we’ve been through, you think I’d willingly sign myself over to you?”
“Willingly or not, you’re walking a dangerous path, Aria,” he said, his tone dangerous now. “And if you think you can navigate it alone, then be my guest.”
Silence fell between them, thick with unspoken words and unresolved feelings. Aria could feel the desperation clawing at her throat. Her fight against him felt futile.
"Fine," she exhaled. "As long as you'll get me what I want, then I agree to your terms."
"Good thinking," he nodded, satisfied by her answer.
"So when do we begin?" She asked.
"After we put this down on paper," he replied bluntly.
"What?" She was surprised.
"I don't trust you, not after ten years ago," he replied.
Aria scoffed in disbelief, speechless.
"I want you here tomorrow, same time only then we can discuss anything further." Lucien said.
"If you don't mind, I'll like to get busy," he added with a dismissive air.
Aria's chest felt heavy, like an anchor had settled in her lungs, making it hard to breathe. As she turned away, her mind raced with confusion and doubt. The room, once filled with tension, now felt suffocating, as if the emotional fallout of their conversation had thickened the air. With each step she took toward the door, the memories of their shared past flooded back—echoes of laughter, passion, and ultimately, pain. "I hope I didn't make a mistake coming to him."
With a firm grip, she opened the door and stepped out into the dimly lit hallway. The brightness of the world outside felt blinding after the intensity of their exchange. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself as she walked away from the room, the echo of their history trailing behind her.
Inside the room, Lucien watched her leave, a mixture of hope and fear swirling within him. He could feel the sting of regret cutting through him, realizing that they were both standing on a precipice, their lives intertwined yet painfully separate.
“Aria…” Lucien whispered to himself, closing his eyes for a brief moment as if to hold onto the image of her departing figure. He clenched his fists, the weight of their broken relationship pressing on him.
Getting back home, Aria was met with flashing red and blue lights that painted her once peaceful neighborhood in eerie colors. The sound of murmured conversations and shuffling footsteps greeted her as she approached the crime scene—her home that was still wrapped in yellow tape like a grim present from the universe.
She stopped just outside the front yard, her breath catching as she saw two officers carrying sealed evidence bags into the back of a patrol car. Another officer was talking with someone from forensics, both of them looking far too casual for what had occurred within those walls.
Aria's heart raced. A tightness coiled in her chest, the kind that made her throat burn and her limbs tremble. She pushed forward.
“What’s going on?” she asked, stepping past the tape that was being torn down by an officer.
Detective Murdock, a heavy-set man with tired eyes and a thick mustache, turned to her with a forced sigh. “Hello ma'am, I'm the new detective assigned to your case.”
“If you're the new detective then why are you packing up?!” Aria flashed at the detective.
Murdock looked at her like he’d rather be anywhere else.
“It’s been ruled a break-in gone wrong,” he said flatly.
Aria’s world stopped. “What? You too?”
He folded his arms. “We found signs of forced entry at the back door. No fingerprints, nothing left behind except for a few muddy shoe prints. No indication it was premeditated—just a robbery that escalated.”
She stared at him, stunned. “Escalated? My husband and child were slaughtered.”
“Sometimes these things happen,” he said, shrugging. “Wrong place, wrong time.”
Fury flared in her veins. “Did you even look at the message left on the wall? That was personal. That was a threat!”
Murdock exchanged a quick glance with another officer. “We looked into that. Could be anything. Maybe it was meant for someone else. Gangs sometimes leave cryptic tags. It doesn’t mean—”
“Don’t lie to me!” Aria snapped. “I told you who it could be. I gave you a name. Marius Velkoz. Did you even look into him?”
The moment his name left her lips, the casual air vanished.
Murdock’s expression hardened. “Be careful with that name.”
Aria narrowed her eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
He leaned closer, lowering his voice. “You don’t know who you’re playing with. If you want to stay alive, let this go.”
She took a shaky step back. “So that’s it? You’re shutting this down just like the other motherfucking detective, Holloway? Why did you even come here anyway if you knew you weren't gonna do your job?”
Murdock's eyes flashed with anger that he managed to keep under control. “We’re reallocating resources,” he said, the calm im his voice evident that it was forced. “No leads, no suspects, nothing left to pursue. It’s over.”
“No,” she whispered. “It’s not over. You’re just afraid.”
He gave her a long look, then turned away. “Good day, Mrs Kane.”
As the last of the police vehicles rolled off, Aria stood frozen on the pavement, tears slipping silently down her cheeks.
Just a robbery, they said. Nothing malicious, they claimed.
But deep down, she knew the truth. This wasn’t random. This wasn’t accidental.
This was punishment. A message. A warning.
And the people who should help and protect her had chosen to turn their backs.
Her fists clenched, nails biting into her palms. “Fuck you!” She cursed, her throat sour from agony. “Just fuck you all, bastards!!!”