Arianna’s POV
It was late when we finally got to the hotel room. Gabriele was quiet as usual but this time I didn’t have it in me to try and make him feel better.
I was also hurt by his words.
Brett was just my friend. Even if he was trying to get into my panties, I wasn’t going to let him. But Gabriele didn’t think of that.
He simply concluded that Brett was going to get what he wanted if I kept talking to him. But he was my friend.
What was I supposed to do? Ignore him the next time I saw him on the streets? It wasn’t fair on him at all.
I owe him a lot of things. We have been through a couple of situations and in all of that Brett never made it seem like he wanted me in that manner.
So, Gabriele was wrong and he should apologize.
I walked past him and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower.
I let the water wash away all of my anger and anxiety as it trickled down my body. When I finished, I wrapped the large white towel around me and walked back to the room.
Gabriele didn’t move from the position I left him. He was on the sofa opposite the bed with his laptop. His frown was still there and the temperature in the room kept dropping.
I let out a sigh and walked to the closet. I picked out a pair of pajamas and slipped them on.
I was getting into bed when he cleared his voice, making me pause to glare at him.
“Are you ready to talk to me now?” I asked him.
“Arianna, you need to pack up. Niko will escort you back home tomorrow,” He said and I felt my heart crack.
“What?”
How could he send me back when we just got here? Didn’t his godfather –what was his name again–Agostino as him to take me with him?
“Gabriele, you do know this is very childish right? I want to work. We just got here and now you are sending me back because you do not want to apologize for lashing out wrongly against Brett!” I yelled.
He slapped his laptop closed with a force so strong I knew the poor thing was ruined.
When he raised his eyes to glare at me, they were cold and I could feel the anger growing inside of him from where I stood.
“I do not want to hear his name leaving your lips…” He growled.
But I wasn’t going to give up easily.
“Gabriele! I am not leaving. You are not thinking straight. Call Basilio or someone if you have to but I am not fucking leaving!” I yelled, jumping into the bed.
“Damn it, Arianna!” He hissed getting off the chair. “I do not need you to be stubborn right now!”
“Why? Is there a danger here? Are they going to kill me? Ooh, wait… I will get kidnapped again?” I asked as my heart cracked even further.
My words reminded me of my situation and it slapped me in the face. I was kidnapped.
“I am sorry. I forgot that you won’t understand any of that because you are a kidnapper yourself…” I whispered as my tear gland broke and a single tear trickled down my eye.
I left the bed and walked to the wardrobe. There was no point in arguing. He was the mafia king and nothing could change him.
What was I thinking? That he would fall in love with me and he would leave his life behind and focus on this one… For me?
“Arianna…” He called. He came closer and stretched out his hand to me but I pushed them away.
“Stay away from me Gabriele… Please.” My voice broke at the end and I bit my bottom lip as I resumed throwing my clothes into the box in front of me.
“Fuck!” He cursed under his breath before walking out of the room.
A small part of me wished he could ignore my little fights and hug me. I wished he could tell me that he was sorry and that everything was going to be fine but he left…
My legs felt like jellies and I dropped to the ground. It was at this point that the barrier holding back my tears broke off.
What a fool I had been!
I gave him my body. Like a fool, I gave everything to him.
“Damn, you Gabriele!” I yelled pushing off the box of clothes in front of me.
I held my hair between my hands and cried my eyes out. His stupid body deceived me. He said that I was going to fall for him and I did.
“How stupid can you be Arianna!” I cried out as more tears filled my eyes.
He had promised to get between my legs no matter how hard I tried to stop it and he won. He won and now all he did was use me and I was helpless.
I was such a fool.
I sat there crying for so long that I lost track of time. I cried till my tears ran dry and all that was left was anger.
I wasn’t angry at Gabriele. I was angry at myself for falling for him and for thinking like some silly princess.
There was no castle here. Just mansions of pain and crime.
I wiped off the tear stains from my face and packed up my bag. I arranged the clothes and kept the box at the wardrobe door.
It was almost two in the morning and Gabriele wasn’t back yet. I refused to think about where he could have gone because that would only reopen the cans of pain, I had safely stored within me.
I got up and moved to the bed. I knew that sleep would be a luxury but I would rather die than let Gabriele see how broken he had made me.
I pulled the blanket over my head and pretended to sleep. Not long after I got to the bed, I heard the door open and his footsteps echoed as he walked further into the room.
I knew it was Gabriele without checking because his cologne was everywhere and my stupid body reacted to his presence.
The bed dipped and I felt his warmth right behind me.
He pulled the blanket and I closed my eyes at once. He readjusted it around my neck and gently placed my head on the pillow I had missed.
When he finished, I felt his shadow hover above me and I struggled to keep my breath even.
Why was he doing this? If he didn’t care about me if he didn’t trust me? Why was he taking care of me?
“I am sorry…” He whispered before placing a soft kiss on my temples.
As soon as I felt him return to his side of the bed, I let the tears drop.
I couldn’t do this. My heart was not going to take it.
I cried silently till sleep took over my body. But it didn’t last, as soon as the clock hit six, I woke up to an empty bed.
I swallowed my pain and moved to take a quick shower and prepare to leave.
I chose a simple black dress that was flared and stopped below my knees. I paired it with my silver sandals and kept my face bare. My hair was packed into a low chignon and I made no effort to hide the pain flashing in my eyes.
I walked to the door and as I opened it, Niko was standing there waiting for me.
I placed my dark shades on and gave him a curt nod. “I am ready to leave.”
He understood my mood and quickly picked the box from me and led me to the elevator.
I wanted to talk to him but I feared the lump in my throat would burst open if I opened up my mouth, so I stayed silent.
The elevator dinged and we stepped into the car park where the vehicle was waiting to take us to the airport.
Just as we got into the car, I caught a glimpse of Gabriele talking to some men on the other side of the car park.
Our eyes met for a brief second and my heart bled. He quickly darted his sight away and I swallowed away my pain.
“Let’s go,” Niko ordered the driver and he swerved out of the hotel.
I closed my eyes, refusing to think about anything. I refused to even see the area because everything reminded me of my life and my lost freedom.
We soon got to the airport and boarded the plane that was taking us back to Italy.
“Agostino just called, he will be there to pick you up himself,” Niko said and I nodded even though I didn’t want anybody to pick me up.
I just wanted to go home to my grandparents…