Sinless

CHAPTER1

Unfinished Business

Aria's POV

The city has not altered much; nevertheless, I have. I can feel it in the way I grasp Sofia's hand a little tighter and in the way I naturally scan every darkened lane and busy roadway. I had never intended to return here. Should I be able, I would remove this location from my past. But the conditions drove me back, and as I stroll these familiar streets I feel the weight of a thousand memories down on me.

Sofia skips next to me not seeing my stress. Her laughter fills the room with the innocence I so much want to preserve. She is not sure who brought us here. To her, this is simply another stop on our never-ending trip, another spot we might at last rest, if only temporarily.

I was running last time I was in this city. Believing that staying would cause me to lose myself totally, I had left with just a suitcase and a wounded heart. That was before Sofia, before I understood the responsibilities of a mother and the extent I would go to for her protection.

I am not the same woman that strolled these streets all those years ago today. I tell myself today that I am stronger, or at least that is what I tell myself as I feel the eyes of people staring at me as though they somehow know I do not belong.

We come upon a little diner at the block corner, and I lead Sofia inside. Warm and smelling of coffee and waffles. I let myself unwind for a moment, seeing Sofia's eyes flash at the dessert counter.

"Mommy, might I please have the chocolate cake?" Her eyes wide and hopeful, she probes.

I smile slightly and say, "Just one slice," then go for my cash. I feel the air change and an instinctual prickling along the rear of my neck as I hand her the money. Watching me is someone else.

I look about, but nobody strikes out. Typical folks abound in the diner: an elderly woman reading the newspaper, a couple seated in the corner, a businessman typing furiously on his laptop. Still, the sensation never goes away.

I tighten my mouth and try to concentrate on Sofia as she approaches the counter. I tell myself, she is secure. Nobody among us knows my name. If he knew the truth, the guy I loved—who broke my heart—would rip apart the planet to locate me.

Closing my eyes, I try to inhale through the tension. But my heart stops as I open them.

There, across the street, silhouetrically in the shadows, is someone I know all too famously. He is observing me, his eyes fixed on mine with a clarity that cuts across the years we have been apart.

Dante..

Like every dread I have ever experienced, it seems as though the world tilts beneath me and waits just over the street. I can sense his stare, its weight severe and merciless. Some of me wants to sprint to grab Sofia and vanish once more. I am aware, yet, it is too late. He will not let me vanish this time after seeing me.

I felt a message buzz in my pocket on my phone. My hands shaking, I grab it.

We should chat. Aria, do not make this difficult.

I shiver. I walked away and left everything behind years ago, and I haven heard from him. Dante Moretti, however, has never been one to let things slide readily. He's known for longer than I would have imagined since he's here observing me.

I want to think I can make sense to him, that I left Sofia and never turned around for an explanation. But I know Dante, and he is not the kind of man who forgives readily—especially not betrayal.

Sofia comes back to the table grinning broadly and carrying a slice of cake. She doesn't know what's happening; she doesn't know that her father is just outside waiting for the time he can reclaim us both.

I stretch forward, my fingers brushing her cheek. "Sweetheart, I need you to spend a minute seated here. Right back will be me.

She peers at me, a trace of concern in her eyes. "Where are you planning to go?

"Exactly outside, honey. I swear not to be very long.

My heart pounding, I leave into the frigid air and head toward Dante. He's waiting; his hands are in his pockets; his expression seems to combine wrath with something else I cannot quite understand.

"Aria," he says, his voice low and perilously calm. "I believed you to be dead."

I had to make you consider that. My voice comes out steadier than I feel. “I had no choice.”

His jaw clenches. “You had a choice. You could have trusted me.”

I shake my head, feeling the familiar ache of past wounds. “Trusting you was the last thing I could do, Dante. You wanted control over everything—over me, over my life. I couldn’t stay.”

His eyes flame with rage, but beyond it, I see something else—regret, maybe. It’s a look I’ve never seen before, and it throws me off guard.

“And Sofia?” he says, his voice taut. “Did you think I wouldn’t want to know my own daughter?”

I swallow, feeling the weight of his words. “I was protecting her. You lead the life Dante knows. She cannot grow up in that environment.

He approaches more closely, the tension boiling between us radiating from him. For me, Aria, you are not free to make that decision. She is my daughter as well.

His possessiveness in voice makes me shudder down my back. This is the part of Dante I most dreaded; it is the side that never lets go or gives up. I knew that should he ever learn about Sofia, he would come for her, for us. And here we are today, poised on the brink of a life I believed I had left behind.

I back off and cross my arms over my chest. "I'm not returning, Dante. For us, I created a new safe existence. You cannot just show up and insist we go back to yours.

He looks at me, his eyes fixed and unflinching. " Aria, you cannot run indefinitely. Not with me. And not in line with reality as well.

"What truth?," I wondered as I snapped, my voice was more exact than I meant.

He stumbles, his eyes softening for the shortest of times. The truth is that neither you nor I are done. We always find our way back to each other regardless of the distance you run. It is who we are.

His words hover between us, weighty and relentless. And even if I would want to reject the idea that I am somehow obligated to him, I know he is correct. Unquestionably, we are connected, a tug as strong as it is horrible.

That does not mean I should pardon him though. It does not mean I am ready to give up my freedom, the protection of my daughter, to be back in his life.

I say, "You don't know me anymore," my voice almost audible.

He approaches closely, his eyes sharp as if he were reading every idea in my head. maybe not. Still, I know enough to spot you hiding something. You left to flee not only from me. Surely, there is another as well.

I stiffen, shocked by his sensitivity. Dante has always been able to uncover the secrets I buried far below and past my defenses. Not yet, though I cannot let him see this one.

I urge the words out, "Go back to your life, Dante." "We are no longer among them."

He never looks away from me for a long while, not responding. At last he nods, a hard, nearly hesitant acquiescence.

"Fine," he responds, sounding like a deep growl. "But Aria, don't assume this is done here. I am allowing time for now. Still, I shall come for you. for both of you.

He turns and goes away, vanishing into the throng as fast as he emerged. My pulse thumping, my head whirling from the interaction, I watch him go.

I felt I was free, that I had finally dropped him behind. But as I stand there observing the area he was in, I understand Dante Moretti is a man who won't stop until he has what he wants.

And we are what he wants.