Chapter 89 To be falsely accused
ARYA’S POV
I staggered backward, my mouth opening and closing but no words coming out.
Giovanni advanced on me like a predator, controlled fury radiating from every line of his body.
"I asked you a question." His voice was so quiet, it was worse than shouting. "Where. The fuck. Have you been?"
"I-" My voice broke.
He pushed past Matteo like he wasn't even there, closing the distance between us.
This close, I could see the blood wasn't all his and the rage in his eyes was terrifying.
"I trusted you," he spat. "I let you into my home, my bed, my fucking life. And this is how you repay me?"
"I don't understand…” I tried to back away but hit the wall. "Giovanni, what are you talking about?"
"Mr. De Santis, please." Matteo started walking forward.
Giovanni whirled, raising his gun and pointing it directly at Matteo's head. "Stay back."
Matteo froze, hands raised.
"Giovanni, please!" I was crying now, tears streaming down my face. "I don't know what's happening! What did I do?"
"What did you do?" He laughed, and the sound was broken. "You played me. You played all of us."
My heart was beating too fast, I could hear it in my ears. "I didn't! I swear!"
"WHERE WERE YOU?" The roar echoed through the destroyed foyer.
"The painting class!" I sobbed. "I went to a painting class, I told Matteo-"
Footsteps on the stairs made me look up. Enzo appeared with several men, all of them staring at me with the same mixture of betrayal.
"Gio!" Enzo started to say.
"Ask her again," Giovanni cut him off, his eyes never leaving mine. "Ask her where she really was."
"The painting class," I repeated, my voice shaking. "I swear, I was at the painting class."
"LIAR!"
He reached into his pocket and pulled out something, flinging it into the air. Photographs scattered at my feet and I stiffened.
They were pictures of me with Marco at the café. There were several shots of him hugging me, sitting close, and holding hands across the table.
"No," I whispered. "No, no!"
"Sharing information with the enemy," Giovanni said, his voice dripping with venom. "That's why you were so eager to leave the house today, wasn't it? So you could run to your father's lapdog and tell him everything."
I didn’t even understand what he was saying. What was going on? "I wasn't! I didn't share anything, I swear!”
"Then why were you with him?" He grabbed my shoulders, shaking me. "Why were you meeting with Marco in secret?"
"He's not… he's just-" I couldn't form the words. "Marco's been my friend since I was a child, he was checking on me!"
Giovanni's grip tightened. "When did you set it up?" He snarled. "Last night? After I fucked you? Did you slip out of bed and call him while I was sleeping?"
The words hit like a slap. "How dare you-"
"How dare I?" His laugh was bitter. "You gave me your virginity, looked at me with those innocent eyes, and the whole time you were planning to betray me.”
He stepped closer, his entire body trembling. “Tell me, Arya… was it worth it? Did you give him your body too, or was I special?"
"Stop it!" I was sobbing now, trying to push him away. "You don't understand anything!"
"I understand perfectly." He released me so suddenly I stumbled. "You're a Vitale. I should have known better than to trust you. Your whole fucking family is poison."
He turned to Matteo, and I saw his finger tighten on the trigger.
"No!" I screamed. "Giovanni, please, this isn't his fault, please!”
"Your incompetence cost us everything," Giovanni said coldly to Matteo. "You let her slip away.”
Matteo staggered back, raising his hand in surrender. “Mr. De Santis, I can explain!"
The gunshot was deafening. Matteo crumpled to the ground, blood blooming across his chest.
"NO!" I screamed, lunging forward, but Giovanni caught me, his hand like a vice around my arm.
I was shaking, trembling so hard my teeth chattered. Matteo was unmoving on the ground, blood spreading beneath him.
Giovanni had shot him, Giovanni had actually…
"Look at me." Giovanni grabbed my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. It was nothing like the eyes of the man who fed me pancakes this morning.
"I should have known better than to trust a Vitale. You're all the same.”
"Please," I sobbed. "Please, I didn't do anything."
"Enzo." Giovanni's voice was flat. "Take her away and lock her up until I decide what to do with her."
"No! Giovanni, please!" I clawed at him as Enzo grabbed me from behind. "I didn't betray you! I swear I didn't do anything!”
Enzo lifted me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. I screamed and kicked and beat at his back, but he didn't even flinch.
"GIOVANNI!" I shrieked, reaching for him desperately. "PLEASE! LISTEN TO ME!"
He turned his back on me and Enzo carried me up the stairs, my screams echoing through the house.
I caught glimpses of destruction as we passed. He threw me into my bedroom and I stumbled, falling to my knees.
"Enzo, please." I crawled toward him, tears streaming down my face. "Please, you have to believe me. I didn't do anything wrong. I was just seeing an old friend."
"An old friend." Enzo's voice was flat. "Is that what you call enemy informants now?"
The look on his face completely stunned me. "He's not… Marco's not like that, he's part of my family."
"I trusted you, Arya." The disgust in his voice made me flinch. "We all did and you-“
His voice cracked. "Do you have any idea what you've done to him?"
"I didn't do anything!" I was sobbing so hard I could barely speak. "Please, Enzo, please!"
The door slammed in my face and I heard the lock click.
"NO!" I rose to my feet and pounded on the door, screaming until my voice went hoarse. "PLEASE! SOMEONE! ANYONE! I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!"
No one came. I don't know how long I screamed but eventually, my voice gave out, my fists stopped hitting the door, and I collapsed to the floo.
What happened? What the hell happened?
I pressed my hands to my face, trying to think through the panic.
My mind flashed back to Marco and the weird questions.
‘I'm sorry.’
‘I wish I could do more.’
With shaking hands, I pulled one of the photographs I had taken from downstairs.
I thought back through the conversation, replaying every word and then it hit me.
Oh God.
"What did you do, Marco?" I whispered, my voice breaking on his name. "What did you do?"