Chapter 131 True colors
ARYA’S POV
I looked up through blurred vision to see Marco standing a few feet away.
"Marco?” I cleared my throat and tried again. “What are you doing here?”
"You weren't answering your phone. I got worried." He moved closer, crouching down beside the bench. "What happened? Where's your friend?"
I shook my head, the tears coming again. "She's not coming." The words broke on a sob. "I don't know why but she won't answer.”
"Oh, Arya." Marco pulled me into his arms, careful not to disturb Dante. "I'm so sorry. Come on. Let's get you home."
I shook my head again. “Let’s wait a while. Maybe she’ll-“
“It’s been hours already, Arya.” He gently cut me off and there was something pitiful in his eyes. “If she was coming, you would have seen her hours ago.”
My gaze fell to Dante who was now blinking at me with open curiosity. I looked down at my phone where my message was still staring at me unread.
What the hell is going on, Cherry? I wanted to ask but my voice was suddenly gone.
“Come on.” Marco urged.
I didn't have the energy to argue so I just let him help me gather the diaper bag, guide me out to his car, and settle me in the passenger seat while he put Dante's carrier in the back.
Through the window, I could see that yellow balloon still caught in the rafters, a bright spot of hope that had floated away and gotten stuck.
Just like me.
Marco drove in silence while I stared out the window, tears still sliding down my face.
Cherry had promised. She had sworn she would be here. And she broke that promise without even a word of explanation.
I had never felt more alone in my life. Not even in Giovanni's dungeon.
At least then, I knew why I was suffering. Now I was just... abandoned.
The drive back to Marco's apartment felt longer than it should have.
I sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window as streetlights blurred past.
I didn’t want to think about why she suddenly ghosted me. It would hurt too much.
Dante had fallen asleep in his car seat by the time we pulled into the parking garage, his little face peaceful in a way that made my chest ache.
Marco carried him inside while I grabbed our bags, and together we navigated the quiet apartment, working in practiced synchronization to get him into bed without waking him.
"There we go, buddy," Marco whispered, tucking the blanket around Dante's small form. "Sweet dreams."
I stood in the doorway, watching the gentle way Marco brushed Dante's hair back from his forehead, and felt that familiar surge of love for both of them.
This is home, I told myself. This is safe.
So why did it feel like the walls were closing in?
He turned to me and gestured to the door. I nodded and walked out.
"Hot chocolate?" Marco asked when we returned to the kitchen, already pulling out the milk and cocoa powder.
"Sure." I slid onto one of the bar stools, resting my elbows on the counter. "Thanks."
He moved around the kitchen, and I watched him with a smile.
"So," he said, pouring milk into a pot, "I had to call the manager and cancel our date but he started making a big issue out of it and… Arya, are you here?”
I blinked, pulled from my thoughts. "What?"
"The date. The one I told you about?” He arched a questioning brow. "I rescheduled it for Friday. Think you could come with me then?"
I bobbed my head. "Oh. Yeah, of course."
He turned back to the stove, stirring slowly. I leaned away from the table and decided to ask him.
“How did you know to come there?” I said and shook my head. “I mean to the airport.”
He made a sound at the back of his throat and shrugged. "You were gone a long time today," his tone was casual. “I had a feeling something was wrong.”
My shoulders slumped, my eyes lazily tracing the patterns on the counter. Thinking about Cherry made my throat start closing up again.
I still didn’t know why. Why would she text me to come only to bail on me?
He slid a mug across the counter to me, but I didn't reach for it. "So what happened, dove. You know you can always talk to me.”
I looked at him, the tightening around my throat was getting worse again.
“She didn’t come.” I managed to whisper. “I waited for her and she didn’t… she didn’t come.”
"Hmm." Marco took a sip of his chocolate, studying me over the rim. "You know, I had a feeling about her but I just didn’t want to say it.”
I blinked through my tears and frowned at him. “What?”
"She doesn’t seem like a loyal person,” Marco continued, his voice taking on an edge I didn't like. "My guess is she must have gotten better friends. People who match her new fancy lifestyle.”
Something hot and defensive flared in my chest. "Stop."
He rolled his eyes. "I'm just saying-"
"I said stop talking." I stood, hands pressed flat against the counter. "Cherry is my friend. She hasn't forgotten anything."
"Hasn't she?" Marco set down his mug, his expression hardening. "When was the last time she called you? Really called, not just sent some generic text. Now look at what happened today!”
I flinched at the harshness in his voice. "That's not fair.”
"What's not fair is watching you get used by people who don't actually give a shit about you." His voice rose. "I'm the only one who's been here, Arya. Me. While everyone else moved on with their perfect little lives, I'm the one who stayed."
"Stop it!" The words exploded out of me. "Just stop! You don't get to stand there and tell me who cares about me and who doesn't. You don't get to-"
He cursed and slammed his mug and the sound of shattering glass cut me off.