ARIA’s POV
I watched as he slept soundly on my lap, his features serene and peaceful. His hair was soft beneath my fingertips, and I ran my hand through it gently, careful not to wake him. There was a knock on the door, and I saw Evelyn’s face appear in the doorway. Her smile was sly, knowing, and I felt a prickle of unease. She surveyed the scene before her, taking in the sight of the two of us. A chuckle escaped her lips, low and mischievous. The sound grated on my nerves, and I felt a knot of anxiety form in my stomach. I knew she was about to make things difficult.
“He looks peaceful”. She said, taking a seat next to Matteo’s body stretched out on the bed. “He’s never been like this with me,” she said, her smile a twisted, cruel thing. Her words sent a chill down my spine, and I felt my fists clench at my sides. “You’re very sweet,” she continued, her tone mocking. “You’re exactly what he needs.” There was something about the way she said it that made my skin crawl. I felt like she was taunting me, like she knew something I didn’t.
With one hand, she reached out and took hold of his hand. I watched, frozen in horror, as she gave it a light squeeze. Then, to my astonishment, I heard her laugh. “I’m not trying to steal him from you,” she said, her voice smug and confident. She was clearly enjoying this, and it made me sick. The room was silent but for the sound of Matteo’s breathing, slow and steady.
“Matteo’s never been like this with me. I’m surprised to see him like this”. She said, her voice quiet and remorseful. She was no longer the smug and taunting person from before, but someone who seemed genuinely hurt. She looked at Matteo, a sad expression on her face as she watched him sleep. I couldn’t tell if she was being sincere or if she was just acting. “He wouldn’t even let me come close to seeing him in this state. I never watched him sleep. He was always gone before we went to bed. He was careful, like he didn’t want me to know who he really was. There was time I thought I could make him open up to me, but the more I tried, the more he pulled away from me”. A lone tear rolled down her cheek
“Did he hurt you?” I asked.
“More than you could think”. She was quick with her reply. “He used to say my eyes reminded him of a woman he couldn’t stand”. She sniffled and wiped the tears from her face, then took his hand again. “For that reason, Matteo hated my guts. He still does. I know that. I couldn’t get him to love me”. Her voice broke, but she maintained composure.
“So you love him”. My voice came out cold and steely, a tone I didn’t even know I was capable of. It was like another person was speaking for me, like I was no longer in control.
“Yes, I loved him, but not anymore. You two make a happy couple. He’s happy with you, Aria”. She said with a broad, wicked smile on her face. Something in me couldn’t bring myself to trust her.
“Do I look happy, Evelyn”. She said, her smile wide and cruel. My instincts screamed at me to be wary, to not trust a word she said.
“Are you happy?”. she asked, her eyes fixed intently on me. I had the sense that she was baiting me, that she wanted to get a certain answer out of me. She seemed too eager, too invested in my response.
“He’s hurt me a lot of times, but I’m getting used to it”. I said, and she laughed. Her laugh was full of scorn. I felt my cheeks burn with shame, and I knew she was mocking me.
“Used to Matteo’s punishments?”. She asked, a surprised look on her face. “That’s a first”. She began tending to Matteo’s wounds. Her initial reason for coming in here.
“What do you mean?”. I asked, and my hands stopped stroking his hair. My hand hanging in the air frozen.
“Matteo’s a man who’s very creative with his punishments. Every woman he’s been with has suffered almost the same fate”. She said, placing a bandage over one of his many cuts.
“Evelyn!” I called out, my voice urgent and insistent. She looked up, her long, hair falling over her shoulder in a glossy cascade. Her eyes were the color of emeralds, and they sparkled with a sharp intelligence.”Women?”. I asked. “That means you’ve been to the box-“.
“No! He got this place when he got married to you, so he says”. She said with a nonchalant shrug, and I found this as an opportunity to pop the question in my head.
“Daya?” I asked, my voice hesitant and unsure. Her body tensed, her muscles coiled like a spring. There was a flicker of anger in her eyes, and I knew I had hit a nerve.
“What about her?”. Her voice was cold like she had withdrawn herself from the conversation and was only forced to reply now.
“Did she get punished?”.
“I don’t know, he loved her…you see. He wouldn’t hurt her”. She said after dressing his last cut. A small cut above his right breast.
“You seemed unsettled when I mentioned her name,” I said. “Is there a reason?” Her expression changed. She stood up and gathered her things, her movements hurried and jerky.
“If you’d excuse me. I’d leave now”.
“Why does nobody talk about her. Why won’t anyone say anything about her. She’s-”
“Gone! That’s what she is!”. She shouted, her voice breaking. Matteo stirred in his sleep, his body turning towards me and his arms wrapping my legs. Meanwhile, Evelyn looked angry. Her green eyes were tearing up slowly, but she shook it off.
“What did she do to you?” I whispered, my heart in my throat. My eyes were fixed on Evelyn, my senses on high alert. Just then, I heard the door open and the sound of heavy footsteps. Carter stood in the doorway, his face pale and his eyes wide.
“I need to talk to Matteo”. he said, and we exchanged looks confused about what was going on
“Let me speak to Matteo!” Carter demanded, his voice loud and insistent. Matteo startled awake, his eyes wide, and his body tensed like a coiled spring. I put a hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him. But his eyes were fixed on Carter, his expression wary and uncertain.
“It’s gone”. Carter said to Matteo.