Silent Scars - Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Aria climbed into the car, settling into the plush leather seat, her nerves prickling.
Marco glanced at her every now and then through the rearview mirror, his gaze steady and unreadable.
She felt his watchful eyes on her, making her shift uncomfortably. To calm herself, she turned her attention outside, her eyes tracing the landscape rolling by soft, green hills, old stone buildings, the sunlight dancing on cobblestone streets. She could hardly believe it, just hours ago, she’d been in Los Angeles, her life restricted to a small, controlled world. Now, here she was, halfway across the globe in Italy.
But the silence inside the car was thick, and a cold knot of fear twisted in her stomach.
Questions clawed at her mind.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦 𝘪𝘴𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘴?
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘱?
Her heart began to pound as darker thoughts took hold, but she forced herself to breathe, gripping the straps of her bag, grounding herself.
The car slowed to a halt, and she looked up, startled to see they were in front of a hospital.
The sign reads Hastings Medical Center.
Panic flared up inside her.
𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘢 𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘭?
The questions rushed in, her mind spiraling.
Marco stepped out, circling around to open her door. He held it open patiently, gesturing for her to follow him.
With her head down, she stepped out, feeling the weight of the hospital's bustling surroundings press in on her. People hurried by, and she felt their eyes pass over her, strangers who didn’t know her story, her pain, her past. She swallowed hard, her body tense as Marco led her inside. The bright, sterile hallways felt wrong, foreign.
“We need to perform a DNA test.”
Marco said calmly, his gaze piercing.
Aria’s heart dropped.
𝘋𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘢𝘭𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘺 𝘥𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴?
She wondered, her thoughts spinning. Her hand instinctively went to her hair, plucking a single strand, which she handed to him without a word.
𝘚𝘰, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘭𝘭. 𝘐'𝘮 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘢𝘯 𝘰𝘣𝘭𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.
She thought bitterly. She tried to push down the sting, but it lingered.
Marco disappeared into a small office, leaving her alone on a bench in the corridor. Aria sat in silence, her mind drifting as she stared at the floor. Doubts surfaced, cold and heavy.
𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦. 𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘯'𝘵 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘬 𝘮𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘷𝘦𝘴.
The last remnants of hope she’d clung to felt like they were crumbling away, slipping through her fingers like sand. She had thought naively, maybe, that this journey could be the start of something better. But now she was left wondering if she was just a burden, an unwanted figure just like her mother told her.
A short while later, Marco emerged, phone in hand. He spoke quietly, but his words were unmistakable.
“Yes, it’s confirmed.”
He said. Before hanging up, he added a quiet, “Yes, boss.”
The phrase sent a shiver down her spine. She was beginning to understand who was really in control here.
Marco motioned for her to follow him, his face as unreadable as ever. Her fear grew with every step. She forced herself to keep pace, her eyes fixed downward.
𝘞𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘩𝘦'𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦...𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦?
Her mind raced, conjuring images of pain, confinement. She reminded herself she was safe, that this was just paranoia, but the fears ran too deep to banish so easily.
They drove down a quiet, winding road bordered by dense forest. Tall, ancient trees loomed on either side, their shadows casting dark shapes across the path. Aria’s heart raced.
𝘕𝘰 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘮𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦
She thought, panic settling into her bones.
𝘐𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘥......
But then a large iron gate loomed ahead, and as they pulled closer, a guard nodded and let them through. Beyond the gates was a grand mansion, a sprawling estate with meticulously kept gardens and tall fountains. Flowers in rich colors lined the driveway, and sunlight bathed the mansion in a soft, golden glow, giving it an almost ethereal appearance. It was beautiful, yet distant, like a dream she couldn’t touch.
She followed Marco up the grand steps, keeping her head down, afraid to take in the intimidating splendor.
Inside, the mansion was no less imposing. Dark wood lined the floors, the walls adorned with paintings in heavy gold frames. Chandeliers hung above, casting a warm light over the polished surfaces, their light catching in the intricate designs on the ceiling. The place felt as much a museum as a home rich and cold, beautiful and unyielding.
As they climbed a winding staircase, Marco stopped abruptly. Aria, lost in her thoughts, didn’t notice in time and bumped into him, immediately tensing up, her hands trembling as she braced for a blow. But nothing happened. Marco simply glanced back at her, saying nothing and continued. They reached a large, closed door, where Marco knocked.
“Come in. ”
A voice said from inside, low and cold, with a controlled calm that sent a shiver down Aria’s spine.
Marco opened the door and gestured for her to enter. She took a deep breath, barely holding her nerves together, and took small, hesitant steps into the room, feeling like she was stepping into the lion’s den.
The room was dark, with heavy curtains drawn. Bookshelves lined the walls, filled with leather bound volumes, and a large desk sat in the middle, perfectly organized. A single figure sat behind it, his sharp gaze cutting through the dim light.
“Ariana, I hope you had an okay journey.”
The man said. His voice held no warmth, only a cool detachment that made her shrink.
“Today onwards, you will be under my guardianship. I’m your eldest brother, Leonardo Hastings.”
The name hit her like a weight, a formality that solidified her fate. This was her brother. The man she was now bound to. She barely managed a nod, her hands trembling. His voice felt distant, as though he was speaking to a stranger, someone who didn’t belong.
Leonardo’s eyes didn’t soften, he didn’t try to make her feel welcome. His tone was final, authoritative.
“Marco will lead you to your room.”
He added, dismissing her just as easily.
Aria nodded again, her head lowered, barely holding herself together. She followed Marco out, her legs weak, her stomach churning with fear.
𝘐𝘴 𝘩𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘭𝘴𝘦? 𝘈𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘳𝘵 𝘮𝘦?
Her mind spun with doubt and fear, every dark thought piling on top of the next. The hallways grew quieter, the echoes of their footsteps fading as they reached a distant wing of the mansion.
Marco stopped in front of a door, opening it and stepping aside for her. She walked inside, and he closed the door quietly, leaving her alone.
Aria looked around. The room was large, with a soft, inviting bed, dressed in crisp white linens. The walls were a muted shade of blue, calming yet somber, and a window overlooked the gardens below. A small reading chair sat in one corner, with a nightstand holding a lamp and a few books. A wardrobe stood against the far wall, carved with intricate designs, as if to remind her of the wealth she was surrounded by.
But despite its beauty, the room felt foreign. It was a space prepared for her, but it didn’t feel like hers. The silence pressed down on her, heavy and unyielding, filling the space with a sense of isolation. Her heart ached with the realization that this wasn’t a homecoming, it was simply a new cage.
She hugged her arms around herself, taking in the room that now defined her future.
Her brothers had money, power, influence....everything she’d never known. But they didn’t have warmth.
She felt as if they had been bought, just another responsibility, another task to be completed. The hope that had once flickered within her had faded, replaced by a hollow feeling of defeat. She sat down on the edge of the bed, her mind swirling with memories and regrets, fears and losses.
This mansion might be her new home, but for Aria, it felt more like a prison than a place of refuge.