Chapter 80 

Aria’s POV 

If there is anything, I would rather be asleep forever. 

I was dying already of cancer. Now I wish the process would speed up. 

Life… why… 

Why give me hope just to take it back? 

Why let me dream of remission? Of getting better? Of being something–anything other than a girl losing everything? Why let me think my mother would be happy but then she was dead? 

Why so awful? 

I opened my eyes slowly. 

The ceiling above me came into focus, pale and unfamiliar. For a second, I didn’t move. I didn’t even breathe. Because for a fleeting moment, I’d thought it was all a nightmare. That maybe I was still home. That my mom was in the kitchen making tea and my dad was watching one of his old films. 

But the room was silent. 

And cold. 

And real. 

I turned my head. 

Empty. 

I was alone. 

And then I remembered. 

The sniper. 

The house in Florence. 

Their bodies. 

My chest cracked open all over again: 

Tears rolled quietly down my cheeks, soaking into the pillow beneath me. I didn’t sob. There wasn’t even enough strength left in me for that. Just quiet, hollow crying–the kind that didn’t fix anything, didn’t heal anything. Just existed, like me. They weren’t perfect. Not even close. My dad was reckless, my mom fragile. But they were mine. They were there. And now? 

Gone. 

Forever. 

I curled in on myself a little tighter. 

The door creaked open. 

I didn’t look up. 

“Miss Montel,” a soft voice said. Feminine. Older. 

M 

I blinked through blurry vision to see a maid standing by the door, holding a glass of water on a tray. Her uniform was crisp, her eyes kind. 

“Oh… you’re awake.” Relief washed over her face. “You gave everyone a scare.” 

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. 

She walked in slowly, setting the glass down on the bedside table. “It’s morning now,” she said gently. “Just past nine.” Morning? 

I’d slept that long? 

I turned my head toward the window. Pale light spilled through the curtains, too soft to be real. It felt wrong. Like the world should’ve stopped when they died. 

“Would you like something to eat?” the maid offered, her voice cautious. “Toast? Tea? I could bring some soup…” 

I shook my head. 

She waited a moment, then tried again. “You should eat, dear. You’ve been out almost a day.” 

“I don’t want food,” I whispered hoarsely. 

1/4 

Chapter 80 

“Maybe just something warm for your throat-” 

“Can you get someone?” I asked suddenly. My voice cracked, but I forced the words out. “Anyone. Please 

The maid paused. Her brows knit together. 

I swallowed hard. “I just… I don’t want to be alone right now.” 

She hesitated, then nodded slowly. “Of course, dear. But… only Mister Nico is here at the moment. Everyone else is out.” 

My chest tightened. 

“Call him,” I said quietly. “Please.” 

She gave me a soft smile. “I’ll let him know.” 

She turned and left, closing the door behind her with a gentle click. 

I stared at the ceiling again. 

Nico. 

He was always so unreadable. Smooth. Controlled. The one with the easy smirk and quiet eyes, like he saw everything but never said a word unless it was calculated. Dominic trusted him–and in this world, that had to mean something. 

I didn’t know if I wanted comfort or a distraction. But I couldn’t sit here with my thoughts crawling over me like ants, picking at the grief, the pain, the sickness that hadn’t left. 

A few minutes passed. 

Then a soft knock at the door. 

“Come in,” I croaked. 

The door opened and Nico stepped inside. 

He wasn’t dressed like usual–no suit, no jacket. Just a dark T–shirt that clung to his frame and jeans. His hair was slightly tousled, like he hadn’t slept either. 

His eyes landed on me. 

“Hey,” he said simply, voice low. 

I looked at him but didn’t say anything. 

He shut the door and walked over to the chair beside my bed. He didn’t sit, not right away. Just stood there with his hands in his pockets, his head tilted like he was trying to figure out the right thing to say. 

“Don’t tell me you’re sorry,” I said, my voice raw. 

He gave a soft exhale and nodded. “Alright. I won’t.” 

I closed my eyes for a second. “It wouldn’t change anything.” 

“No. It wouldn’t.” 

The silence stretched between us. 

Then he finally sat down, resting his elbows on his knees, fingers laced together. “Dominic didn’t want to leave,” he said. ” He had to. You were still asleep, and… he needed to handle something.” 

“More blood?” I asked quietly. 

Nico didn’t flinch. “Probably.” 

I swallowed the lump in my throat. “It’s never going to stop, is it?” 

“No.” His honesty was brutal, but weirdly comforting. 

“I want to hate him,” I whispered. “I want to hate everyone who dragged me into this.” 

“You can.” 

“But I don’t. Because if… maybe he hadn’t been there I would be dead a long time ago and so would my mum because there was no funds, so I guess everything happens for a fucking reason.” 

Nico glanced at me, brows slightly raised. “That’s probably the most annoying part, isn’t it?” 

I gave a bitter laugh. 

He leaned back in the chair, folding his arms. “You’re stronger than you think, you know. Most people would’ve broken a long time ago.” 

I shook my head. “I’m already broken.” 

“Not all the way.” 

I looked at him then. Really looked. “Why are you being nice to me today?” 

2/4 

Chapter 80 

He smirked faintly. “Because if Dominic finds out I wasn’t, he’ll cut my tongue out.” 

I chuckled. It was the first time I had laughed. 

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Nico said. 

I blinked, the smile fading slightly. “I told you not to say sorry. I would rather have cold Nico.” 

He raised an eyebrow, “Why?” 

“Because you don’t seem like the type to care.” 

He leaned back in the chair, expression unreadable. “I don’t have to care to recognize pain when I see it.” 

I nodded slowly, throat tight. “Yeah. Well… it hurts. In ways I didn’t think were possible.” 

He was silent for a beat. “Dominic’s trying.” 

“I know.” 

“But trying doesn’t always cut it,” Nico added softly, his gaze flicking to mine. 

I looked up. 

There was something in his expression I hadn’t seen before. Not just sympathy. Not even comfort. 

He had a sinister look in his eyes. If a man who had enough. 

“I’ve been with him a long time,” Nico said. “Seen him burn through people like paper. But you… you’re the first fire he hasn’t been able to control.” 

I frowned. “What are you trying to say?” 

He stood slowly, stepping closer to the edge of the bed. “You think Dominic saved you. But he didn’t. He claimed you. Have this Messiah complex. There’s a difference.” 

I sat up a little, heart thudding. “Why are you saying this?” 

“Because someone needs to.” He reached out, brushing his fingers along the blanket near my arm. Not touching me–but too close. “He’s not who you think he is, Aria. He’ll ruin you in the end. He lies. He is a liar.” 

“I don’t-” 

“I could treat you better.” 

I froze. 

My mouth went dry. “What?” 

He stepped closer. His voice dropped, like it was just between us now, like this room had shrunk and there wasn’t enough air left for both of us. “You don’t belong to this world. You never did. But if you’re going to be in it… you deserve someone 

who doesn’t see you as property.” 

My voice barely made it out. “You’re Dominic’s-” 

“Right hand?” he cut in. “I was. But that doesn’t mean I want to spend my life playing backup to a man who doesn’t know how to value what he has.” * 

I tried to move back, but the bed felt like a trap. “You’re not serious.“, 

“I am,” he whispered. “You’re more than a pawn. More than what he’s made you into. You think he protects you, but he’s already failed. He couldn’t even protect your parents.” 

The words hit like a slap. 

I gasped, hands clenching the sheets. “Get out.” 

“Aria-” 

“Get out, Nico!” 

But he didn’t. 

Instead, he reached down and grabbed my wrist–gently, but firm. 

“I’m not trying to scare you,” he said. “I’m trying to show you that you have options. I’m not afraid of Domin beside him long enough to know where his cracks are.” 

“You’re insane,” I breathed. 

“No. Just ready,” he said. 

And then–he leaned down. 

Too fast. 

Too close. 

ve stood 

3/4 

Chapter 80 

And he kissed me. 

Hard. 

My entire body froze. My eyes stayed wide open, chest locked as if I’d been slammed into ice. I didn’t kiss him back. I couldn’t. I shoved at his chest- 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” 

The voice shattered everything. 

Nico jerked back. 

I turned toward the door. 

Dominic stood there. 

Eyes black. 

Jaw clenched. 

Chest rising like a man ready to kill. 

The silence in the room stretched thin. Fragile. Deadly. 

He walked in slowly. One step at a time. Every movement precise. Measured. Like a predator stalking the thing it’s already marked for death. 

Nico stood straighter, but I could see it–the flicker of fear. It was brief. But it was there. 

Dominic stopped just a few feet away. 

He didn’t yell. 

He didn’t curse. 

He just stared. 

Then he moved. 

Fast. 

His fist slammed into Nico’s jaw so hard I heard the crack. Nico stumbled back, crashing into the side table. A glass of water shattered to the floor. 

Before Nico could recover, Dominic grabbed him by the collar and punched him again–this time straight to the stomach. Nico doubled over with a cough. 

“You’ve signed your death warrant,” Dominic growled, voice low and seething. 

Blood dripped from Nico’s mouth as he looked up. “I’m not afraid of you anymore.” 

Dominic leaned in. “You should be.” 

He let go, letting Nico collapse against the wall. 

Dominic turned to me next. 

But he didn’t say anything. 

He walked straight to the bed, his hands trembling with barely contained rage. He looked down at me–then past me, like he was trying to make sure I was okay without asking. 

“I didn’t kiss him,” I whispered, voice cracking. “He–he just-” 

“Quiet!”