MATTEO’S POV
Each stride I took was measured, my steps resounding with the calmness I wished to project. The day had felt like an eternity, each passing minute a test of my patience and self-control.
Yet, as I entered the mansion, I wore the mask of composure like a shield, determined not to betray the anger that churned within. I did that so I wouldn’t give her the satisfaction of seeing the extent to which she had broken me.
With Charlie at my back, like a shadow ever-present and loyal, I sauntered through the halls, my mind buzzing with possibilities for vengeance. The irony of the situation was- I, who had once been on the receiving end of betrayal, now held the power to dictate Aria’s fate.
The fact that Dennis was shot by an unknown gun man was quite infuriating, but I had refused to allow Dennis the dignity of death, sending him instead to the cold, precise hands of Evelyn’s scap.
And I was certain that man who shot Dennis was sent by ex wife’s lover. His name, I am yet to find out.
The door swung open with a resounding thud, announcing my arrival. Aria’s reaction was immediate, her body recoiling as though struck, the chains that bound her rattling in response to her frantic movements. She was a picture of terror, her eyes glistening with fear that tore at the fragments of my heart.
Yet, I held fast to my mask of indifference, refusing to let her see the turmoil that raged within.
“Leave us”. I said to Charlie, but my gaze stayed on her.
With the click of the door, we were alone, the tension in the air thick enough to cut with a knife. As I approached, Aria squirmed, her movements desperate yet futile in the face of her captive.
Like a fisherman reveling in his catch, I savored her vulnerability, her eyes tracking my every movement with fear. With a calculated nonchalance, I seated myself at the edge of the bed, my hand drifting casually to the warmth of her leg.
Her brain must have been thinking of the many ways she could escape from this room and from me.
A way out of her nightmare. But her thoughts were cut short by the sound of shattering bone, a sickening ‘snap’ that echoed through the room as my grip tightened on her leg, sending waves of agony rippling through her body. Her screams, a melodious chorus of pain and desperation, filled the air as she writhed, but all I did was soothe the pain I caused.
“I don’t think you could run with this leg”. I paused and looked her in the eyes with a small smile on my face. “I don’t think you could walk either”
The heat of the moment, the bloodlust that coursed through my veins, had left me soaked in a sheen of perspiration. With a calculated deliberation, I undressed. I pulled my suit jacket off, and my tie went off next.
My white dress shirt was also off, and my wristwatch was as well. It was the first time she had seen me without my shirt on, and I saw her eyes widen for a second, and then it was taken over by fear again.
Straddling her, my weight pressing down on her delicate frame, I held the divorce papers like a weapon, thrusting them into her line of sight with a feral intensity. A flash of recognition and regret flickered across Aria’s face as she was forced to look at the divorce papers.
Yet, the hint of remorse was quickly swallowed up by the vast ocean of her fear. The dark bruise on her temple, a reminder of the man’s brutality, flickered across my vision, the sight eliciting a scowl that cracked the facade of my calm, exposing the rage that churned within.
“It says…”. I started. “This was made a few weeks before you ran off with your boyfriend”. My voice was rough and hard.
Her eyes went to the date, and I could tell she hadn’t noticed before now. “You have it all planned out?”. I asked, and she could tell from the grimace on my face that I hated it all, but all she did was cry as I looked at her face, waiting for answers
“Speak Aria!”. I spat, and I watched her close her eyes.
“I didn’t see…it”. She cried
“Liar! Liar! You fucking liar!”. I pulled at her hair and looked at her straight in the eyes. “You think I’m a fool?”.
“Matteo…I…promise you. It’s the truth”. She sobbed.
My resolve wavered, my heart wavering at the sight of Aria’s fear-filled eyes, the embers of my anger cooling in the face of her distress. But as my thoughts turned to my family, to the expectation of strength and ferocity they held me to, I found myself hardening once more, my desire to maintain my iron-fisted rule overriding the brief flicker of compassion that had dared to take root.
“Why’d you do it?”. I asked, but she looked away and cried, and that alone pissed me off. I walked to the door and pulled it open to reveal Charlie back dressed in suit and his face as stoic as ever.
“The meeting’s about to start. Should I handle this for you?”. He asked
That was the last thing I wanted, Charlie alone with Aria.
“Since cater is still in recovery, stand in my place. I’m about to teach my little wife here some manners”.
“Of course sir”. He said, smiling from ear to ear. He was frightening that his face alone sent shivers down my spine. He bowed, a gesture, both deferential and menacing and left. I locked the door behind him and dipped my hand into my pocket to drop the key.
Taking the cuffs off, I slung her over my shoulder, her frantic efforts to break free, no match for my overwhelming strength. She fought against me, but it was pointless.
I deposited her into the awaiting tub, the water swirling around her as I cast her into its cold embrace. Aria’s pleas fell on deaf ears, her cries for mercy, ignored.
With a cruel hand, I forced Aria’s head underwater, ignoring her desperate pleas. Her desperate struggle to survive was reflected in the ripples of the water, a twisted echo of her agony as I held her underwater.
Her nails clawed at my arm as she struggled for freedom. With a relentless brutality, I plunged her head beneath the water, the pauses between each plunge only serving to allow her to gasp for air before the cycle of torment resumed.
The moment her eyelids began to flutter and her eyes rolled back in their sockets, I pulled her head above the surface, my hand like a vise on her face, each finger digging into her skin to ensure not a single breath of air could pass between her chapped lips. I knew it would leave a mark.
As I repeatedly dunked Aria’s head into the water, her body grew increasingly weaker until she finally lost consciousness, her eyes glazed over, and her form limp in my grasp.
With a tenderness that seemed almost irreconcilable with the violence that had just taken place, I gathered her into my arms, my lips pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead. Tears pricked at the corners of my eyes as I stared down at her motionless form, a wave of emotions sweeping over me as the weight of my actions came crashing down upon my heart.
But no man touches what belongs to me. NO ONE!