Aria's POV
I wake up in a hospital bed.
Everything hurts. My side where the bullet hit. My head. My heart.
Especially my heart.
"Easy." A male voice. Not Dante. "You're safe. Just breathe."
I force my eyes open. A man sits beside my bed. Dark hair, warm brown eyes, expensive suit. Handsome in a friendly way, not the dangerous way Dante is.
Was.
"Who are you?" My throat feels like sandpaper.
"Matteo De Luca. Dante's best friend and second-in-command." He offers me water. "How do you feel?"
"Like I got shot and poisoned." I take the cup with shaking hands. "How long was I out?"
"Four hours."
Four hours. That means I have two hours left.
Panic floods through me. "The poison—did they find an antidote?"
Matteo's expression darkens. "The doctors are working on it. They've identified some of the compounds, but Sofia used a custom mixture. Without the exact formula..."
"I'm going to die." It's not a question.
"Dante won't let that happen."
"Dante LEFT!" The words explode out. "He ran away while I was drugged and helpless!"
"He ran to SAVE you," Matteo corrects firmly. "He's hunting Sofia. Getting the antidote. That's the only way."
I want to argue. Want to scream that Dante abandoned me. But Matteo's right. If Dante had stayed, we'd both just be sitting here watching me die.
"Where is he now?" I ask.
"I don't know. He went dark—turned off his phone so Sofia can't track him." Matteo leans forward. "But I know Dante. He'll find her. He'll get that antidote. He's never failed at anything he's set his mind to."
"There's a first time for everything."
"Not today." Matteo's confidence is almost annoying. Almost comforting. "You don't know him like I do. When Dante cares about something—or someone—he becomes unstoppable."
My traitorous heart skips. "He doesn't care about me. He just feels guilty."
"Is that what you think?" Matteo actually laughs. "Aria, I've known Dante since we were kids. I've seen him with women, with family, with enemies. I've never—and I mean NEVER—seen him look at anyone the way he looks at you."
"You're delusional."
"Am I? He's been watching over you for years. Protecting you from shadows you never knew existed. He kept you alive when the Syndicate wanted you dead. And now he's out there, probably getting himself killed, just for a chance to save you." Matteo shakes his head. "That's not guilt, sweetheart. That's something much more dangerous."
I don't know what to say to that.
My phone buzzes on the bedside table. Unknown number.
My hands shake as I open it.
Clock's ticking, baby girl. 1 hour 47 minutes left. Dante's getting close, though. Might actually make it. Unless... - Mom
A video file downloads automatically.
"Don't open that," Matteo warns. "It could be—"
Too late. I've already pressed play.
The video shows Dante. He's in some kind of warehouse, fighting three men. He's injured—blood soaking through his shirt—but he fights like a demon. Takes them all down.
Then he opens a metal case.
Empty.
"NO!" His roar of frustration echoes through the warehouse.
Sofia's voice comes from off-screen: "Wrong location, Constantino. Better luck next time."
The video ends.
Another message: He's chasing ghosts while you're dying. Want to know where the REAL antidote is?
"It's a trap," Matteo says immediately.
"I don't care." I throw off the hospital blankets, nearly falling as dizziness hits. "She's playing with him. Sending him on a wild chase while I—"
"While you what? Run off and get yourself killed faster?" Matteo blocks my path. "You can barely stand."
"Then help me!"
"Aria—"
"Please." I grab his arm. "I can't just lie here waiting to die. Or waiting for Dante to die trying to save me. If there's even a chance that message is real..."
Matteo studies me for a long moment. Then sighs.
"Dante's going to kill me for this."
"Only if we survive long enough."
He smiles despite everything. "You're definitely his type. Stubborn and slightly insane." He helps me to my feet. "Can you walk?"
"I'll crawl if I have to."
"That's the spirit." He pulls out his phone. "My car's downstairs. Whatever Sofia's planning, we'll face it together."
We make it to the elevator when my phone buzzes again.
Another video.
This one shows a different location. An old church. And there, tied to a pillar, is someone I recognize.
Marco.
He's beaten badly, blood dripping from his face. Sofia stands beside him, gun in hand.
"Aria," she says to the camera, "your uncle has been very chatty. Told me all about Dante's backup plans. His safe houses. His allies." She presses the gun to Marco's head. "One hour and forty minutes. You can save yourself by coming here. Or you can let Dante keep chasing dead ends while you both die. Your choice."
The video shows the church's address at the bottom.
"She's forcing you to choose between yourself and Dante," Matteo says quietly. "If you go there, Dante won't know where you are. He'll keep searching for the antidote in the wrong places."
"But if I don't go, Marco dies. And maybe the antidote really is there."
"Or maybe she just wants to kill you in person."
He's right. Of course he's right.
But I'm so tired of other people making choices for me. Marco made choices. Dante made choices. Sofia made choices.
Now it's my turn.
"Take me to the church," I say.
"Aria—"
"I'm not asking, Matteo." I meet his eyes. "Either help me or get out of my way."
He curses in Italian. Then nods.
"Fine. But we're bringing backup. Lots of backup."
We make it to his car. He drives fast, calling in his team as we go. Ten men. Armed. Trained.
"Surrounding the church now," one reports. "No sign of Sofia or hostiles."
"It's too quiet," Matteo mutters.
My phone buzzes.
Sofia: Come inside. Alone. Or I kill Marco and destroy the antidote. You have five minutes.
"Don't," Matteo says. "It's obviously a trap."
"Everything with her is a trap." I open the car door. "But Marco's in there. And maybe—"
"Maybe nothing. You go in there, you die."
"I'm dying anyway!" I shout. "At least this way I'm trying!"
I stumble out before he can stop me.
The church looms ahead. Old. Abandoned. Perfect place for a murder.
I walk through the front doors.
Inside, it's dark. Candles flicker. And there, just like the video, Marco is tied to a pillar.
But Sofia isn't here.
"Uncle Marco?" I approach carefully.
He looks up. His face is a mess, but his eyes are clear. Focused.
"Aria." His voice is hoarse. "You shouldn't have come."
"Where's Sofia? Where's the antidote?"
"There is no antidote."
My blood runs cold. "What?"
"She lied. The poison is fake. Saline solution with a mild sedative." He coughs. "She just wanted to separate you from Dante. Make him run in circles. Break both of you."
Relief floods through me. I'm not dying.
Then terror replaces it.
"Then where is she?"
Marco's eyes fill with regret. "You led her right to what she really wants."
"I don't understand—"
My phone rings.
Dante.
I answer with shaking hands.
"Aria! Don't trust anything Sofia—"
Gunshots. Shouting. Then silence.
"Dante? DANTE!"
Sofia's laugh comes through the phone.
"Thanks for the distraction, baby girl. While Matteo's men surrounded an empty church, my team hit Dante's real location. He's been quite the challenge, but even he can't fight twenty trained soldiers."
"No—"
"Don't worry. I'm not killing him. Not yet." Her voice turns cold. "But I am taking him. And if you ever want to see him alive again, you'll bring me exactly what I want."
"What do you want?"
"The Constantino empire. His codes. His accounts. His contacts. Everything." She pauses. "You have twelve hours to deliver it all to me. Or I'll send you pieces of Dante until there's nothing left to save."
The line goes dead.
I stand frozen, phone in hand
, the truth crashing down.
Sofia never wanted to kill me.
She wanted to capture Dante.
And I helped her do it.