Chapter 132 A Night of Disaster
ARYA’S POV
"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.
I jerked back, eyes dropping to the floor where Marco's mug had exploded against the tile, hot chocolate and ceramic shards spreading in a dark pool.
Marco stood there, chest heaving, his hand still extended from throwing it.
I took a step back, and that seemed to snap something in him.
"Really?" His laugh was bitter. "You're scared of me now?"
I shook my head. "Marco."
"God, you're so stupid sometimes." He moved toward me, and I instinctively backed up further. "Can't you see what I'm trying to do? I'm protecting you. From Giovanni, from Cherry, from everyone who wants to use you and throw you away."
Fear crawled up my spine. “You need to calm down.”
"Don't tell me to calm down!" He slammed his hand on the counter, and I flinched. "I have given up everything for you and that kid in there. And this is how you repay me? By defending people who don't give a shit?"
From down the hall, Dante started crying.
"Great." Marco cursed under his breath. "That damn baby-"
"Don't." I snapped. "Don't you dare."
He looked at me, eyes wild, and for a moment I didn't recognize him at all.
"I won't let you talk to me like this," I said, my voice shaking. "And I won't let you talk about Dante that way. I'm leaving tonight."
He scoffed. "No, you're not."
"Yes, I am." I moved toward the hallway, toward Dante. "We're leaving, and you need to figure out whatever the hell is going on with you, because this…"
I gestured between us, “… isn't okay."
"Arya, wait!"
But I was already walking away, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst through my ribs.
I rushed to Dante and I scooped him up, holding him close. "It's okay. We're okay."
But we weren't. Nothing was okay.
He kept fussing over my shoulder and I started a wary look at the door. Marco hadn’t chased after me which was a relief.
I didn’t want to be anywhere near him right now. I had no idea what was wrong with him but I needed to be as far away from him as possible.
I pulled out my phone with shaking hands and called Cherry. It went straight to voicemail just as it had been so I texted her:
Call me. Please. Something's wrong.
No response so I tried to call her again and again.
But there was nothing. My heart thumped as I remembered what Marco said about her finding new friends and I pushed it away.
It was not possible. Cherry would never do that to me. We had been talking every day for months so why now when we were supposed to finally see each other?
What if she was in trouble?
"What's going on?" I whispered to the empty room, rocking Dante gently as his crying subsided into hiccups.
I was about to turn to the door when it slammed close and the sound of a lock clicking into place echoed in the silence.
My blood turned to ice. I set Dante down carefully and rushed to the bedroom door, yanking it open.
But it was locked. If it was possible for the floor to give way under me, it would have.
"No, no, no. " I twisted harder, pulled and pushed, but it wouldn't budge.
"Marco!" I pounded on the door with both fists. "Marco, open the door! Open it right now!"
His voice came from the other side, calm now. "I can't do that, Arya."
My heart skipped again. "What are you doing? Let me out!"
"I'm protecting you. You'll understand later.” He responded. “You'll thank me for this."
"Marco, please." My voice broke, panic clawing at my throat. "Please don't do this. Whatever you think you're doing, this isn't right!"
"I'm sorry." He sounded like he meant it, which made it so much worse. "But I can't let you leave. Not when there are people out there trying to hurt you.”
I wasn’t listening, I slammed my palms harder against the door. By some miracle, Dante remained quiet but I knew it wasn’t going to be for long.
“Marco!” I cried, my throat raw and scratchy.
He cursed in Italian. “I'm the only one who can keep you safe."
"Marco!" I screamed, slamming my palms against the door until they stung. "Marco, please! Please don't leave me here!"
“I’m sorry, Arya.” He murmured and then I heard the sound of footsteps moving away.
"No, no, no." I pounded harder, screaming until my throat was raw. "Come back! Please come back!"
But he was gone.
I slid down the door, my legs giving out, chest heaving as panic flooded my system.
It felt like the walls were closing in and the air was getting too thin and I couldn’t breathe anymore.
Suddenly I wasn't in Marco's apartment anymore.
I was back in Giovanni’s house, locked in that dark dungeon, scratching at the iron until my fingers bled, screaming until my voice gave out but no one came.
Horrid images flashed through my mind, too fast for me to catch them but my body curled in response to each memory.
Stop," I gasped, clutching at my chest. "Stop, stop, stop. Please!"
But I couldn't breathe. The room was spinning, tilting, and my lungs refused to work properly.
Each breath came shorter than the last, sharp and painful but not enough.
The edges of my vision went dark. I heard Dante crying from far away but there was nothing I could do.
My body met the floor in a hard thud and then there was nothing at all.