Chapter 51 Sneaking and Suspicions
ARYA’S POV
I woke up the next morning with swollen eyes and a hollow feeling in my chest that no amount of sleep could fix.
The pillow was still damp from last night's tears, and my throat felt raw from crying.
I managed to push myself to the bathroom, washing my hair and cleaning my makeup. I wore a comfortable knit sweater, black leggings, and styled my hair into a simple low pony.
In the mirror, I could see the bags underneath my eyes and how much color I had lost.
The phone Marco had slipped me yesterday during our gelato outing felt like heavy in my pocket as I made my way downstairs.
He texted me last night asking for us to meet today and sent the address already.
I didn’t know if it was the rage or the pain, but I wasn’t sure I wanted to spend the day cooped up in the house.
Matteo was already waiting by the car, and looking at him now, I couldn't tell if he'd known what Giovanni was planning last night or if he has just been following orders like always.
"I need to make a quick run," I said, proud of how steady my voice sounded. "To pick up some... lady things."
I watched his face for any sign that he suspected something, but Matteo just nodded. "There's a pharmacy about ten minutes from here."
"Actually, I need to go to a specific shop." I pulled out my regular phone that Giovanni gave me and showed him the address Marco had texted me. "They carry a particular brand that I need."
Matteo studied the address, then me. For a long moment, I thought he would see through my terrible lie and report back to Giovanni that I was planning something.
But he just opened the car door and muttered. "Let's go."
The drive felt endless and I kept my hands clasped in my lap to stop them from shaking.
My eyes were fixed on the scenery outside to avoid Matteo's occasional glances in the rearview mirror.
When we finally pulled up to the shop, I nearly sagged with relief.
"I'll wait here," Matteo said, making no move to get out of the car.
I blinked at him in surprise. "You're not coming in?"
"It's a women's specialty shop, Mrs. De Santis. I think you can manage on your own for fifteen minutes."
Was that... amusement in his voice? Or pity? I couldn't tell, and I didn't have time to analyze it.
"Right. Thank you." I scrambled out of the car before he could change his mind.
The shop was exactly as Marco had described, it was the kind of place that sold expensive lingerie and intimate products, where men wouldn't feel comfortable entering even if they wanted to.
Marco had always been smart.
I walked through the displays trying not to look suspicious even though I was absolutely being suspicious.
When I ducked into a changing stall, my phone buzzed immediately.
It was a text from Marco. ‘Meet me at the back entrance in two minutes.’
My hands were shaking as I texted back. ‘I’m coming.’
I peeked out of the stall, making sure no one was watching too closely, then made my way toward the back of the shop.
A few other customers gave me curious looks, but no one stopped me.
The back door led to a narrow alley and Marco was waiting there.
"Arya," he breathed, pulling me into a tight hug. "Are you okay? Last night was… I'm so sorry. I should have done something to stop him."
"It's not your fault," I said with a wry smile.
He sighed and patted my head. "We're going to figure this out," Marco promised, pulling back to look at me.
I wish I could believe him but escaping Giovanni was impossible, I knew that now.
"Why did you call me here?" I asked instead.
Marco opened his mouth to respond, but before he could say anything, another voice squealed.
"Surprise!"
We both jumped as Christabel appeared around the corner, grinning like she'd just pulled off the best prank in history.
"Christabel!" Marco's voice rose an octave. "How did you… what are you doing here?"
"I followed you," she said proudly. "You kept checking your phone and acting all secretive, so I snuck out when Dad wasn't looking."
"You can't just do that!" Marco huffed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Does anyone know you're here?"
"Nope!" Christabel bounced on her toes. "And I'm not going back to that boring hotel. Dad's been grumpy all morning, and Mom keeps crying. I want to hang out with Arya."
I couldn't help but smile despite everything. "You're going to give Marco a heart attack, you know that?"
"Where are we going?" Christabel asked, ignoring my comment entirely. "Can we get more gelato? Or go to the beach? Or…"
"The spa," Marco said suddenly.
I stared at him. "The spa?"
"There's one two blocks from here. It’s exclusive and hard to monitor." He was already typing on his phone. "I can book us treatments under false names. We'll have a few hours at least before anyone realizes."
"This is insane," I said, but I was already nodding. "Completely insane."
"But fun!" Christabel grabbed my hand. "Come on, Arya. When was the last time we did something fun together?"
Never, I realized. We had never done something like this.
"Okay," I said. "Let's do it."
We huddled down the alley, careful to avoid the main road in case Matteo was watching, which I was sure that he was.
By the time we got to the spa, I was already feeling better than I did this morning.
The next two hours passed in a blur of pampering and laughter that I desperately needed.
Marco insisted on getting a manicure too, declaring that "toxic masculinity was cancelled" when the nail technician suggested he wait outside.
Watching my serious friend debate between "Midnight Rose" and "Sunset Coral" polish was possibly the best thing I'd seen in weeks.
Christabel was chattering non-stop to her manicurist about school and friends and the butterfly collection she had started. She changed her mind about her nail color four times, and the patient technician just smiled and started over each time without complaint.
For a little while, I let myself forget about Giovanni and the humiliation of last night.
I was just Arya again. Someone's sister and daughter. Someone who could laugh at Marco's terrible jokes and help Christabel pick out the perfect shade of pink polish.
Then Marco's phone buzzed. He glanced at it, and his face went pale.
"I need to step out for a minute," he said, standing abruptly. "Just a work call. I'll be right back."
"Now?" I asked, worry creeping into my voice. "Marco."
"Five minutes. I promise." He squeezed my shoulder and disappeared before I could protest.
Five minutes turned into ten then fifteen but Marco was still not back
Christabel kept chattering, oblivious, but I couldn't focus anymore. I tried texting Marco, even calling but everything went to voicemail.
I managed to sit still through the nails and massage session. But by the time we were done, even Christabel realized something was wrong.
“Where is Marco?” She asked and I looked up from my phone where I had dropped a dozen messages already.
It was more than an hour since he suddenly disappeared.
“He’s probably back at the hotel.” I said with a terse smile. “Come on, let’s go.”
I found out from the cashier that Marco had already paid beforehand so there was no need to pay again and I wondered how long he had been planning this.
The walk back felt like it took forever. Every corner we turned, I expected to see Matteo or one of Giovanni's other guards, ready to drag me back and report my disappearance.
But we made it to the hotel lobby without incident.
I was about to rush upstairs to tell my parents what had happened when Marco appeared from the elevator, looking perfectly composed.
"There you are!" he said brightly. "I was just checking on Mom and Dad. They're fine, by the way. Still annoyed about last night, but fine."
"Where were you?" I demanded. "You disappeared at the spa for almost an hour. I thought something happened!"
"Just a work emergency," he said with a shrug. "Nothing to worry about."
"Marco-"
"You left without telling anyone!" Christabel interrupted, hands on her hips in perfect imitation of our mother. "That was very irresponsible. What if something had happened to you?"
"Nothing happened," Marco said, ruffling her hair. "I'm fine. We're all fine."
But when his eyes met mine, I saw something there. He wasn't telling the truth.
"Marco," I said quietly. "What did you do?"
"Nothing." he said, and this time his smile didn't reach his eyes. "Trust me, Arya. I just came back to handle a work emergency.”
I wanted to believe him but the look on Marco's face told me that he was hiding something big.