I didn't remember walking back to my dorm.
Just the rain slapping against my skin and the sound of my own heartbeat—wild, uneven, terrified.
The door clicked behind me, but the silence inside offered no comfort.
Only darkness and the ghost of Raiden's words:
"You'll come back. You always do."
I stripped off my wet clothes like they were sins clinging to me.
But no matter how hot the shower ran, I couldn't wash him off.
Not his scent.
Not his kiss.
Not the way his touch still lived under my skin, raw and consuming.
---
Three Days Later
At the university
I hadn't seen him.
He didn't show up for lectures. His office door stayed locked. It should've made breathing easier. But it didn't.
I'd almost convinced myself I imagined it all—until I walked out of class and saw Giovanni leaning against a black car like a devil in tailored silk.
"Need a ride, bella?" he smiled, too smooth, too knowing.
I should've said no.
But I nodded.
---
The car smelled expensive. Spiced leather and faint cologne. But beneath it, something else—something like danger dressed in luxury.
"You look like someone stole your soul," Giovanni said as the driver pulled away.
"Maybe they did."
He laughed. "And let me guess… silver eyes, hands that bruise, heart that won't stop chasing?"
I looked at him.
Hard.
"You don't know him."
Giovanni's smile didn't reach his eyes. "I know him better than you do, dolcezza. I know the kind of man who breaks what he touches. I used to be him."
The car stopped.
He didn't wait for me to respond before opening the door.
"Come on. I want to show you something."
---
Giovanni's Penthouse – Downtown
Marble floors. Walls of glass. And silence that screamed money and loneliness.
But the most haunting thing?
A wall full of paintings.
I moved closer, drawn to one that looked like… me.
"That's not a coincidence," Giovanni said behind me.
"I painted her when I was seventeen. Before I ever met you."
I turned, confused.
"What are you trying to say?"
He stepped closer. "That you were always meant to be mine. Even before fate dropped you into his hands."
I backed away. "You think you own me too?"
His expression hardened. "No. But I think you don't know what he's hiding from you."
That made me freeze.
"What do you mean?"
Giovanni walked to a drawer, pulled out a photo, and handed it to me.
It was old, grainy—but there he was. Raiden. Younger. Standing over a body. A man's body. Blood on his hands. Smiling.
"That's his first kill."
My stomach lurched. "You're lying."
"No, Aria. That's who he really is. You think he's dangerous now? You haven't seen him lose control. But you will. And when he does…"
He leaned in, voice dropping to a whisper.
"You'll wish you ran."
---
That Night – Back at My Dorm
The rain returned.
So did the guilt. The confusion. The sick ache in my chest.
I stared at the photo for hours.
Raiden… murderer? Or just a product of the world he was born into?
Was Giovanni protecting me—or manipulating me?
I didn't know anymore.
---
Midnight
A knock.
Hard. Sharp. Familiar.
I opened the door.
Raiden.
Soaked. Eyes wild. Jaw clenched. A storm in human form.
"You went to him."
No hello. No pretense.
"You disappeared," I whispered.
"So you ran to the snake."
"I didn't know what else to do!" My voice cracked. "You left me!"
He stepped inside without asking, the door slamming behind him.
"Do you believe him, Aria?"
His voice was low. Dangerous. Desperate.
I looked away.
"I don't know what to believe anymore."
He walked forward slowly. "Believe this."
He grabbed my hand and pressed it to his chest.
"Whatever I've done—whatever I am—when it comes to you, I am only this."
His heart pounded beneath my fingers.
"Real. Alive. Yours."
I cried. Because I wanted to believe him so badly it hurt.
And when he kissed me—soft, slow, like an apology carved in fire—I let him.
Even if it was a mistake.
Even if it was the beginning of our end.
---
End of Chapter 18
---