ARIA’s POV
It was quiet.
The only sound that was heard was the soft hum of the air conditioning. Rosaline and I sat on my bed, our legs crossed, our eyes fixed on each other.
Then, Rosaline’s voice broke the silence, her words barely above a whisper. “Aria, have you forgotten?”
I felt a flutter in my chest, my heart skipping a beat. “Forgotten what?” I asked, my voice tentative.
Rosaline’s eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing. “What Matteo did to you.”. Her voice was softer than before, and from my years of knowing Rosaline, this was the time to make her see reason.
My mind went blank, my thoughts scrambling to process her question. I didn’t want to think about it, didn’t want to remember. But Rosaline’s words stirred up memories I had tried to bury, memories that still lingered in the shadows of my mind.
“Aria, Matteo hurt you,” Rosaline said, her voice laced with concern. “Is that all just forgotten now?”
I looked away, my eyes welling up with tears. “I don’t want to think about it, Rosaline. I just want to move on.”
“Forget about it?” Rosaline’s voice rose in disbelief. “How can you forget what he did to you? How can you just forgive him like that?”
I shook my head, my voice barely audible. “I’m not forgiving him, Rosaline. I’m just trying to survive.”
Rosaline’s eyes searched mine, her gaze intense. “Aria, do you really love him?”
I hesitated, my heart racing. I didn’t want to admit it. I didn’t want to acknowledge the hold Matteo still had on me. But Rosaline’s eyes saw right through me, saw the truth I was trying to hide.
“Yes,” I whispered finally, my voice barely audible. “I love him.”
Rosaline’s expression softened, her eyes filled with a mix of pity and understanding. “Fuck, Aria,” she said, her voice laced in anger. “What now?”
Rosaline’s eyes locked onto mine, her gaze piercing. “Aria, are you going to tell him?”
I swallowed hard, my heart skipping a beat. Tell Matteo I love him? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I wasn’t sure if I was ready for that, if I was ready to give my heart to him again.
“I don’t know,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “I’m scared, Rosaline. I don’t know if I can trust him again.”
Rosaline’s expression was everything far from sympathetic, but her eyes also held a hint of warning. “You obviously shouldn’t trust him,”
I placed a hand on Rosaline’s arm, my eyes locked onto hers. “The Matteo I fell in love with is still in there, Rosaline. I know he is. He’s just lost, hidden behind all that pain and anger.”
Rosaline’s expression was skeptical, but I could see the faintest glimmer of hope in her eyes. “Can you hear yourself, Aria? What makes you think you can bring him back, Aria?”
I took a deep breath, my heart filled with determination. “Because I love him, Rosaline. And I know he loves me too, deep down. I’ll find that love again, I’ll bring it back to the surface. I’ll bring him back to the light. I just need to support me like you always do”
Rosaline’s face softened, a warm smile spreading across her lips, but I could still tell she wasn’t comfortable with the idea.”Aria, you’re an amazing person, and I’m so proud of you. I’ll always be by your side, no matter what. If you believe in Matteo, then I have no choice.”
She reached out and hugged me tightly, her embrace a comforting haven. I felt a lump form in my throat as I hugged her back, grateful for her unwavering support.
“Thank you, Rosaline,” I whispered, my voice choked with emotion. “That means everything to me.”
Rosaline pulled back, her eyes shining with warmth. “We’ll face whatever comes next together, okay?”
I nodded, feeling a sense of gratitude towards Rosaline. I cleared my throat, my heart beating slightly faster. “There’s something I wanted to say, Rosaline.”
Rosaline’s eyes locked onto mine, her expression curious. “What is it, Aria?”
I took a deep breath, my words spilling out in a rush. “There’s something that’s been bugging me, Rosaline. Something I can’t shake off.”
Rosaline’s eyes narrowed slightly, her expression encouraging. “What is it, Aria? You can tell me.”
“I feel there’s more to Matteo that I don’t know,” I revealed, my voice barely above a whisper. “Something worse than what I know.”
Rosaline’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. “What could that be?”
I hesitated, my heart racing. “I feel it’s something that could destroy everything.”
Rosaline’s face paled, her voice barely audible. “Destroy everything?”
I nodded in agreement. “Yes, destroy everything. And the worst part is, I’m scared, Rosaline. I’m scared that this time, I might not be able to handle the truth about Matteo.”
I sighed, feeling a lump form in my throat. “What if he’s hiding something so big, so terrible that it changes everything? What if I can’t love him anymore?”
Rosaline’s expression softened, her eyes filled with compassion. “Aria, whatever it might be. I’ll protect you, and if he dares lay his hands on you, I’ll make him pay!”
I shuddered at my memory, my voice barely above a whisper. “I had a nightmare, Rosaline. It was a nightmare that felt so real. Alonzo was standing before me, his eyes cold and empty. He had a knife in his hand, and he stabbed me. I felt the pain, the blood dripping down my skin.”
I paused, my heart racing at the memory. “And Carter… Carter was there. He was standing there, watching me die, and he was laughing. The sound of his laughter still haunts me.”
I felt a chill run down my spine as I relived the nightmare. “It felt so real, Rosaline. I woke up in cold sweat, my heart racing. I can’t shake the feeling that something is off, that something terrible is going to happen.”
Rosaline’s eyes were wide with concern, her expression soft with empathy. “Aria, we’ll get through this together. We’ll figure out what’s going on, and we’ll face it head-on.”
Rosaline’s expression turned thoughtful, her eyes narrowing slightly. “There might be something up with Carter and Alonzo, Aria. I think you need to keep a close eye on them and see if we can uncover anything suspicious.”
She leaned in closer, her voice taking on a conspiratorial tone. “I don’t trust Carter. I never have, and Alonzo was the one person I never trusted. You should dig deeper and see if you can uncover any secrets they might be hiding, but its dangerous. ”
I smiled and looked at my friend.
“I think you’re right, Rosaline. I need to get to the bottom of this. And I think we should start with finding out why Evelyn sent me that letter,” I said, my mind racing with possibilities.
Rosaline’s eyes lit up with determination. “She did?!!. If we can trace it back to the sender, we might uncover a lead on what’s really going on.”
I nodded, a sense of purpose growing inside me. “Yes, she, but she’s very important to Matteo, so I didn’t want to ruin whatever relationship they had . Also, I feel she was forced to do this”