Chapter One

CHAPTER ONE

ARIA

*Flashback*

"You bitch!" Jacob yelled as he slammed my head against the wall. I yelped in pain as black dots filled my vision. I could feel the wetness trickling down my face, and I knew that I was bleeding. I tried to get up from my position on the floor, but my body was very weak.

"You can't run away from me," he growled. "Never!"

Tears filled my eyes as I looked at my packed bag that was beside him. I caught sight of his Armani shoes walking towards me, and my heart pounded in my chest.

"I'll kill you today," he growled.

I looked around for any object I could use to defend myself. I screamed when he grabbed my legs, and I immediately grabbed the broken lamp I spotted beside me. I turned over and stabbed his leg with all my might.

"F*ck!" He screamed in pain and fell to the floor. Adrenaline flowed through my veins as I climbed up and stabbed his head with the sharp edges of the broken glass. He let out a guttural scream as blood rushed from where I'd stabbed him.

I immediately stood up and grabbed my bags. As I rushed out of the house with the remaining strength I had left, I heard Jacob's scary promise.

"It's not f*cking over, Aria!"

*End of flashback*

I stood before the house my mother grew up in. With a shaky inhale, I knocked on the door. I heard the shuffling of someone's feet behind the door before it was thrown open.

The young lady that stood before me had an uncanny resemblance to my mother. I assumed she was my aunt. Her eyes widened in shock, and a strangled gasp escaped her lips. I forced a smile on mine.

"Hi, I'm..."

"I know who you are," she interrupted in a shocked whisper.

"Evita! Who is at the door? You know better than to open the door for people at this time," an older female voice yelled from the kitchen. As she didn't get any reply from Evita, who was staring at me like I was a ghost, she trudged into the room.

I closed my ears as she let out an ear-splitting scream. She immediately rushed to the door and banged it shut.

Wow. How welcoming!

I exhaled sharply and knocked again.

"Leave us alone!" The older woman's voice rang through the wooden door. "Don't come back here. Please," she said as her voice slightly shook.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the door. I didn't have anywhere else to go, and I desperately needed them to let me in. I took a deep breath and banged on the door with my two hands.

"Why are you here?" Evita asked immediately after she opened the door. I noticed that her demeanor screamed that she was unsettled. She went from constantly looking to see if there was anything behind me to having a serious expression on her face.

I chuckled awkwardly with tears in my eyes. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I'm talking about." "Why are you here, in Milan?"

I sighed deeply. "I'm on the run," I said, and she scoffed.

"And what does that have to do with us?" She asked, and I felt a sharp pain in my chest.

I frowned. "Okay, I don't know why you guys are behaving this way," I said. "I thought..."

"You're thinking we would let you in with our arms wide open, right?" She asked with a hard stare.

"Actually, yeah," I bit out. "You're family, the only family I have," my voice wobbled.

Her eyes softened a bit, but she still had a scowl on her face.

I smiled sadly.

“I was my stepfather's punching bag." "The moment my mom died, it was as if a switch flipped in his head. I couldn't endure the abuse any longer, so I planned my escape," I said as my eyes watered. I blinked to get rid of the tears. I didn't want to tell Evita my sob story.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, then sighed.

"I was little when your mother left Italy with you, so I don't know much," she started, and my heart sank in disappointment.

"She was a dancer."

"Evita! "Shut that door," the older woman screamed from inside.

I was speechless.

"I'm sorry, but you can't come over to the house anymore," Evita said with a grim expression on her face.

"Why?" I scoffed in disbelief. Before I could utter another word, she entered and banged the door on me.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I cried as I hit the door over and over again.

"The people that killed your father are after our lives," she yelled from inside. "We can't risk letting you stay here."

I heard her deep sigh, and my heart broke further.

"I know you were running away and all, but I don't think this is the best place for you," she said from inside.

"This is my home too. Please don't do this to me!" I begged as angry tears ran down my cheeks.

"You're angry; I understand that. But you can't blame us. These people, they're evil," she said with a hard voice.

Tears ran down my cheeks as I stared at the wooden door. I didn't have anywhere else to go.

"A word of advice: lay low and stay away from Mafia men."

I watched the door with an ache in my chest. I had wanted to know more about my parents, and now I just found out that they are wanted for some reason. I didn't know what they did, but from Evita's words, it seemed they messed with the mafia.

I grabbed the handle of my suitcase and dragged it off the porch. I cursed as the harsh cold slapped against my skin. I'd forgotten to wear a coat. The sleeveless dress I was wearing did nothing to shield me from the chilly night weather. I decided to take a short walk to the end of the street. I admired the street lamps that illuminated the dark road.

A chilly feeling went through me, but this time, it wasn't because of the cold. The hairs on my body stood as I felt a pair of eyes following me. I initially thought it was the fear I felt due to what Evita had told me, but I confirmed it when I turned and saw a man in black following me. I broke into a run, and soon I was sprinting through the unfamiliar streets of Milan with a strange guy on my heels.

He caught up with me and backed me into a corner.

"You just made me f*cking run," he growled in a thick Italian accent.

"Please don't kill me," I pleaded as tears immediately ran down my cheeks. I felt something hard against my stomach, and I looked down to find a gun barrel pressed into my skin.

"Give me all your money," he spat, and my body shook. I didn't have any money on me.

"I don't have any," I whispered with a shaky voice.

He chuckled darkly. "Then you'll have to pay me some other way," he said as his eyes roamed greedily over my body. I felt like throwing up.

I opened my mouth to let out a scream, but he immediately covered my mouth with his rough hands.

"You keep managing to piss me off, Puttana!"

I struggled against him as his hands harshly gripped my thigh. A choked sob escaped my lips as his hands went under my dress.

"No!" I sobbed as I tried to elbow him in the gut.

Just then, I heard a deep, gravelly voice that sent chills down my spine.

"Leave her alone!"