Chapter Sixty Four

CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR

ARIA

Settled into the plush leather seat of the car, the city of Milan blurred past in a wash of gray. The heavy rain had been relentless for days, creating a slick sheen on the paved roads. Even now, a light drizzle tapped against the windows, similar to the storm brewing inside me.

My heart burned with anger, and I welcomed it. For these few days, I was broken, unable to feel anything. So now, even if the rage hurt, it was better than feeling nothing at all.

I hadn’t seen Maximo’s face in five days. Not since he confessed to killing my father and telling me the story about his childhood, not since he shot and crippled a man in my presence before announcing to the rest of his men that I was his queen.

As his face conjured in my mind, I felt my rage worsen. He lied to me, even after telling me about his trauma, he lied about not killing Aunt Evita and my grandmother. And I believed him, even after I knew he killed my father. How could I have been so stupid? Ho