CHAPTER SIX

Ariana's POV

The house was quiet, too quiet, with only the sound of my heart pounding in my chest. I sat on the edge of my bed, the moonlight filtering through the curtains, but it felt like it might be the last night of peace I would ever know. Every night, I hoped that I would wake up and things would be different. That everything would go back to normal. That maybe I’d find a way to escape this suffocating feeling that had been creeping up on me since the day I moved in.

But deep down, I knew better. Things could never go back to normal.

The text had come again. From an unknown number, the words simple but deadly in their weight:

“Midnight. The garden. Come alone.”

A part of me wanted to ignore it. To tell myself it was just another one of their games. But I knew that the moment I ignored it, things would spiral further. If I didn’t show up, someone would get hurt. And I was starting to realize—terrifyingly—that I was the one everyone wanted to hurt.

The clock struck midnight, and I could feel the weight of the house around me. The walls seemed to close in, and I knew I couldn’t stay in my room, hiding like a coward.

I grabbed my coat and crept down the hallway, my footsteps barely making a sound against the marble floors. The air felt thick with anticipation, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching me. It felt like every corner of this house held a secret, and every shadow whispered the name of someone who wanted to claim me.

When I reached the garden door, I hesitated. The garden was shrouded in darkness, with only the faintest light from the moon casting a cold, silvery glow over the trees. I stepped outside, my breath visible in the air, and immediately froze.

A figure stood beneath the oak tree, their tall silhouette illuminated by the moonlight. I couldn’t make out their face, but I knew who it was. I could feel it. The way my heart sped up. The way my body betrayed me.

“Ethan?” I called out, my voice barely above a whisper.

He didn’t respond. Instead, he stepped into the light, and I saw his face. His jaw was tight, his dark eyes staring at me with a mix of hunger and something else—something deeper.

“Why are you here?” I asked, my voice shaking, but I didn’t step back.

He took a step forward, and I could see the tension in his body, the way his muscles rippled beneath his shirt. “You got my message.”

“I didn’t have a choice,” I said, trying to maintain my composure. “You told me to come.”

Ethan’s gaze flicked to the door I had just come from, then back to me. His lips curled into something that wasn’t quite a smile. “You never really had a choice, did you?”

I flinched at his words. “What do you mean by that?”

His eyes darkened as he took another step closer. “You think you can just keep running, Ariana? Keep hiding from us?” His voice was low, dangerous. “You’re part of this now. Whether you want to be or not.”

I backed up a step, but my legs were unsteady. “You and Luca... you both—”

“Don’t think this is just about Luca,” he interrupted, his voice sharp. “This is about you. About me. About what I want.”

I swallowed, my throat dry. “Ethan... we can’t do this. This is wrong. All of it is wrong.”

He smiled, but it wasn’t the playful grin I’d seen before. This was something darker, more possessive. “You feel it too, don’t you?”

My breath caught. I could feel the heat between us, the pull that had always been there, growing stronger with every glance, every touch. I wanted to deny it, to push him away. But I couldn’t.

I didn’t say anything, but he didn’t need me to. He stepped closer, his chest almost touching mine. I could feel the heat radiating off him. His breath was warm on my skin, and I closed my eyes, trying to fight the urge to lean in, to let him kiss me.

But then the sound of footsteps interrupted everything.

I turned quickly, my heart sinking. Luca. He was standing at the edge of the garden, his expression unreadable. My pulse raced.

“What’s going on here?” Luca’s voice was sharp, and there was a dangerous edge to it that I hadn’t heard before.

Ethan didn’t turn around. “Nothing.”

“Nothing?” Luca repeated, stepping closer. “You’ve got Ariana cornered, and you’re telling me nothing?”

Ethan’s body went stiff, his hand instinctively reaching for the small of my back. “Stay out of this, Luca.”

“I don’t think so,” Luca snapped, his eyes flashing with something wild. “If anyone’s going to have her, it’s going to be me.”

I took a step back, terrified of what might happen next. “Stop,” I whispered. “Both of you, just stop.”

But the two of them didn’t listen. The tension between them was thick, and I knew they were on the verge of something violent, something uncontrollable.

Ethan’s grip tightened around me. “Stay out of it, Luca,” he growled.

“You think she’s yours?” Luca shot back, moving closer. “She’s not anyone’s. Not until she chooses.”

“Enough,” Victor’s voice suddenly rang out, cutting through the tension like a knife. He stepped into the garden, his eyes dark with anger. “Both of you, step away from her.”

I didn’t know when he had arrived, but his presence instantly quelled the storm. Luca stepped back, and Ethan reluctantly released me, his eyes flashing with anger.

“Go to your room, Ariana,” Victor said, his voice quiet but filled with authority.

I didn’t argue. I didn’t want to stay in this madness a second longer. I turned and walked away, my heart pounding in my chest.

Behind me, I heard Luca’s voice. “She’ll never be yours, Ethan. You know that, right?”

And then Ethan’s voice, colder than

I’d ever heard it. “We’ll see about that.”