Chapter 19
Luigi remained frozen, his hand rising slowly to touch his reddening cheek, stunned disbelief written across his unshaven face.
“You’re… real?” he whispered, staring at her as if she might evaporate.
Ariana had reached her absolute limit with this absurd day. She laughed–a sharp, brittle sound utterly devoid of humor.
“Real? Sure. Apparently I’m trapped in a real–life horror movie where my supposed death wasn’t enough to get you out of my life.”
Without deigning to look at him again, she pivoted sharply toward the staircase.
“Ariana, wait–please!”
Luigi lunged after her, alcohol and desperation making his movements clumsy. As he grabbed for her wrist, the combination of his unsteady state and her quick evasion created disaster–her foot slipped on the polished marble
step.
“Look out!”
Despite his impaired reflexes, Luigi managed to pull her against him as they fell, positioning his body to take the impact.
Their bodies hit the marble stairs with a sickening thud that echoed through the foyer.
Cushioned by Luigi’s intervention, Ariana escaped with minor disorientation. Luigi, however, wasn’t as fortunate–a crimson stain began spreading across the white marble beneath his head.
“Sir!” Davis’s horrified voice cut through the sudden stunned silence.
The household erupted into controlled chaos as medical protocols were activated. Within fifteen minutes, both were being loaded into separate ambulances.
Several days later, with Luigi still hospitalized, Ariana decided it was finally time to execute her escape.
She packed her few belongings and headed confidently for the main entrance, only to find her path blocked by two female security staff in business attire.
Ariana’s expression immediately hardened into glacial contempt. “Move.”
The women exchanged uncomfortable glances. “Ms. Collins, we have strict instructions that you’re not to leave the premises without Mr. Maggiore’s authorization.”
A disbelieving laugh escaped her. “Are you seriously trying to hold me prisoner? In 2025? That’s a bold felony
choice.”
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Chapter 19
Before they could formulate a response, she attempted to push past them toward the massive front doors
Caught between following their employer’s orders and physically restraining a clearly unwilling woman, the security team hesitated to use force, instead trailing after her with increasing desperation.
“Ms. Collins, please reconsider Mr. Maggiore was very explicit-”
Their pathetic pleas only accelerated Ariana’s determined stride toward the gates.
Just as freedom appeared within reach, a black sedan with tinted windows glided to a stop directly in her path. The rear door swung open to reveal Luigi–pale and bandaged, but unmistakably present.
“Ariana.” Her name emerged with an unsettling combination of relief and possession.
“Don’t call me that,” she snapped, actual revulsion contorting her features. “It makes my skin crawl hearing it in your voice.”
Since returning to Boston, Ariana had meticulously prepared for an eventual confrontation with Luigi. She’d recognized the reality that neither she nor her family could match the Maggiore empire’s resources or influence.
Her strategy had been calculated avoidance–minimal contact, neutral responses if they did encounter each other. nothing that might escalate the situation or draw his focus.
What she hadn’t anticipated was how her careful restraint would be misinterpreted. Her silence read as invitation. Her avoidance as challenge. Her composure as consent.
At first, he’d merely attended her performances, sending messages she systematically ignored. When blocked, he’d found new channels, seemingly content that she remained somewhere within his orbit.
Now, he’d abandoned even the pretense of boundaries–attempting to literally imprison her in his home.
“Have you completely lost your fucking mind?” she demanded, years of suppressed fury finally breaking through. “What century do you think this is?”
Something in her uncensored rage seemed to please him. This raw emotional reaction felt more authentic than her recent detached composure.
After three years together, Luigi recognized this as the real Ariana–passionate, defiant, uncompromising. Not the carefully controlled woman who had been evading him.
His smile was unsettlingly gentle, but his eyes reflected something darker. “I’m perfectly sane. I just can’t risk losing you again. Keeping you close is the only logical solution.”
His gaze moved over her face with disturbing intensity. “You have no idea what your death did to me. That’s when I truly lost myself.”
After Ariana’s “death,” Boston’s elite had witnessed Luigi Maggiore’s spectacular unraveling.
He had systematically destroyed his closest friends and his childhood sweetheart, using his resources to ensure maximum legal penalties for their roles in the fire.
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Chapter 19
He had defied his family’s objections, insisting on burying Ariana with the Maggiore name and full family honors despite their unmarried status.
This lifelong atheist had eventually consulted every spiritual advisor in New England, offering millions for just one opportunity to communicate with her beyond death.
By comparison, his current behavior showed remarkable restraint.
The Luigi of a year ago would have forced her into marriage the moment her mask fell away.
Instead, he merely wanted to keep her confined to his immediate vicinity–in his mind, a perfectly reasonable compromise.
