Chapter 47 

Dominic did me well by not wanting me to see Amara’s dead body. He knew I would have broken. 

Hence, I remained in this dark room on the sofa throughout the night. Now, the morning sunlight was streaming through the blinds, but I didn’t have the energy to get up. 

My body felt heavy, my mind trapped in an endless loop of everything that had happened. Amara’s laugh. Her tears. The way she whispered to herself in the dark. 

It just kept coming back to me. 

A soft knock sounded at the door, but I didn’t respond. 

A second later, it opened anyway. 

Luca stepped inside, his expression unreadable. “You need to get up.” 

I swallowed, keeping my gaze on the ceiling. “I don’t want to.” 

“You don’t have a choice,” he said simply. 

I let out a bitter laugh. “I never do, do I?” 

Luca sighed, stepping closer. “Aria.” 

His voice wasn’t cruel. It wasn’t even demanding. 

It was just… firm. 

I finally looked at him. His blue eyes studied me carefully, his usual smirk nowhere in sight. 

“Dominic’s gone,” he said. 

I frowned. “Gone?” 

“He left the island late last night. As you know there were things he needed to handle.” 

My chest tightened. “Oh…I didn’t even realize he was leaving. I thought…gosh I am such an idiot.” 

Luca shrugged. “You were asleep. He didn’t want to wake you.” 

I sat up, my muscles aching. “And what about me?” 

“You’re leaving today.” 

The words settled over me like a suffocating blanket. 

I knew it was coming. I just hadn’t thought it would be so soon. 

I glanced around the room, as if memorizing it. “And Amara?” 

Luca exhaled. “The burial is happening in a few hours.” 

I clenched my jaw. “I want to go.” 

“No.” 

I shot him a glare. “Excuse me?” 

Luca leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “Dominic left orders. You’re not to attend.” 

My nails dug into my palms. “She was my friend.” 

He didn’t flinch. “And she wouldn’t want you anywhere near this. For your own sanity.” 

Anger flared in my chest, but deep down, I knew he was right. 

Dominic wasn’t trying to be cruel. He was trying to protect me. 

From what, though? 

The truth? The guilt? 

Or the sight of Amara being lowered into the ground like she never mattered? 

Luca softened, just a little. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.” 

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to stand. 

*** 

The water was hot and burning, but I didn’t turne 

Wanted it to burn away my sins. 

If that was even possible. 

Successfully unlocked! 

I stood under the stream, eyes closed. I didn’t even move. 

41A 

Chapter 47 

Tears slipped down my face, mixing with the water but I didn’t make a sound. 

I had cried too much already. 

Still, my chest ached. 

I pressed my forehead against the tiled wall, my fingers gripping my arms as I took deep, shaky breaths. 

“She was supposed to live,” I whispered. 

The thought wouldn’t leave my mind. 

Amara had a future. She should have escaped, found something better. She should have been okay. 

Instead, she was in a morgue. 

And soon, she’d be in the ground. 

I clenched my jaw and wiped my face, forcing myself to breathe. 

Crying wouldn’t fix anything. 

I had to be strong. 

I had to keep going. 

But God, it was hard. 

A knock on the door pulled me from my thoughts. 

“Aria,” Luca called. “You need to hurry.” 

I sighed, turning off the water. 

**** 

I dressed in simple clothes jeans and a long–sleeved shirt. 

My hair was damp, but I didn’t care. 

Luca was waiting by the door, watching me carefully. 

“You ready?” he asked. 

No. 

But I nodded anyway. 

We walked in silence through the villa, the tension thick. 

Guards stood at every entrance, their eyes scanning the surroundings like danger lurked in every shadow. 

Luca led me toward the waiting car. 

Before I got in, I turned, staring toward the path that led to the burial site. 

The place where Amara’s body would be put to rest. 

I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment, inhaling deeply. 

Then, without another word, I got into the car. 

Luca shut the door behind me and climbed into the driver’s seat. 

As the engine roared to life, I kept my eyes on the window, watching the villa fade into the distance. 

Goodbye, Amara. 

I’ll never forget you. 

And I swear, I’ll make them pay. 

If I didn’t die first. 

**** 

The helicopter ride back wasn’t peaceful. 

It wasn’t freeing. It was suffocating. 

Too many guards. Too many eyes watching my every move. 

The security was stricter than before. There was an extra layer of tension in the air, like everyone was bracing for something big to happen. 

I sat stiffly, staring out of the window as the island disappeared below us, the endless ocean stretching out like a void. I should have felt relieved to leave, but instead, unease settled in my chest. 

Something wasn’t right. 

Chapter 47 

I turned to Luca, who was seated across from me. “Why is security this tight?” 

He exhaled, shifting slightly in his seat. “Dominic’s orders.” 

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?” 

Luca hesitated. 

And that hesitation told me everything. 

I leaned forward, my voice firm. “Luca.” 

His jaw clenched. “Things are heating up.” 

My stomach twisted. “Because of Mikael?” 

He nodded once. “Dominic made moves while you were on the island. It didn’t go unnoticed. Petrov’s people are stirring.” 

I swallowed hard. “So this is… what? A precaution?” 

“A necessary one.” 

I crossed my arms. “And what happens when we land?” 

Luca smirked, but there was no humor in it. “You go back to the mansion. And you stay there.” 

My fingers tightened around the armrest. “So I’m a prisoner again?” 

He sighed. “Don’t make it sound like that.” 

I let out a dry laugh. “Then what do you call it?” 

Luca ran a hand through his hair. “Aria, Dominic’s doing this to protect you.” 

I clenched my jaw, looking away. 

I was tired of hearing that. 

That everything was for my own good. 

That every decision about my life wasn’t mine to make. 

I felt trapped. 

Again. It was like we were falling back to square one of our relationship. I didn’t win, I didn’t control. 

Fucking hell. Why did I think I could even do shit anyways? 

I was always the loser. 

I should have remained that way. 

**** 

I almost went mad. 

A week had passed. 

Dominic was nowhere to be seen. 

The mansion was a cage, the guards my invisible chains. The same schedule, the same annoying silence, the same lifeless 

routine. 

I had never felt so trapped. 

Every morning, I woke up and counted. 

How many days left? 

How many more mornings would I open my eyes before my body finally gave up? 

Fifty? Sixty? Maybe less. 

And then what? 

I’d die like this? Locked away, a kept woman, a possession? 

My stomach twisted at the thought. 

I had spent years fighting. Struggling. Surviving. 

But I had never lived. 

And the realization hit me like a punch to the chest. 

I can’t die like this. 

No. 

I refuse to die like this. 

2/4 

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Chapter 47 

I pressed my hands to my temples, trying to quiet the rising panic. 

The idea clawed at my brain, wild and desperate- 

I needed to leave. 

Even if it was for a day, a night, a few hours. 

I needed to breathe. 

To touch something real. 

To be a person, not a possession. 

And then, an even bolder thought struck me- 

If I was gone, maybe Mikael would stop. 

Maybe once he realized I wasn’t important to Dominic, he would leave us alone. 

Maybe just maybe–this whole nightmare would end. 

My pulse quickened. This was reckless. Stupid. Suicidal. 

But what other choice did I have? 

I had to escape. 

“What are you thinking?!” 

I yelped at the voice. 

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