Chapter 4 Public Shame

Aria's POV

Eyes Everywhere.

The police cars drove away, taking Rhys with them. The red and blue lights faded, but the noise did not. My head was still spinning. My cheek burned, and my wrist ached. The night air felt too cold for the way my body felt hot and angry.

I stood in the garden, staring at the spot where Rhys had been. The grass was crushed from where he had stepped. The flowers near the path smelled sweet, but my mind only smelled fear.

Catherine watched me like she was watching a show.

My mother rushed forward, her hands shaking. "Aria, come inside. You need rest."

My father stayed near the doorway, his face stone. He did not speak. He did not move. He looked like he was waiting for something to explode.

Rhys's voice came from the police car, loud and sharp. "You will pay for this!"

The door slammed. Silence followed, heavy and strange.

Catherine stepped forward, her smile fake and bright. "Oh, darling," she said softly. "You made a scene."

I swallowed hard. "He hit me."

Catherine blinked slowly, like she was surprised. "That is not what happened, You were rude to him."

I stared at her. "He slapped me."

She laughed, quiet and cruel. "You always act like you are the victim, You do not deserve sympathy."

My mother gasped. My father's jaw tightened.

Dante stood near the gate, his hands in his pockets, watching me with a calm face. He looked like he had been carved out of stone. Even in the dark, his eyes seemed bright.

He spoke for the first time since the police left. "She is not the victim."

Catherine's eyes snapped to him. "Who are you?"

Dante did not answer her. He looked at me. "Are you okay?"

I wanted to say no. I wanted to say I was tired of being scared, I wanted to say I was done with all of them.

Instead, I said, "I am fine."

Dante shook his head slightly. "No, you are not."

My mother stepped closer. "Aria, please, come inside."

I felt trapped between them all. Between my parents, between Catherine, between Rhys, and now between this stranger who felt like a storm.

I turned to Dante. "Why are you here?"

He looked at me for a moment, like he was trying to decide how much to tell. "Because I saw you."

"Do not act like you saved me," I snapped. "You did not. The police did."

He did not respond.

Catherine crossed her arms. "You two have some kind of story, do you?"

I shook my head. "No."

She smiled, but it was sharp. "You think he cares? He is just another rich man who likes to play."

Dante's eyes narrowed. "Do not speak to her like that."

Catherine stepped closer to me, her voice quiet. "You belong to our family, You do not belong to him."

I felt something in me snap. "I do not belong to anyone."

Catherine's face changed for a moment. The smile disappeared, Something dark passed through her eyes.

"You will regret this," she said softly.

Then she turned and walked back toward the house, her heels clicking on the path. She did not look back.

My mother watched her go, then looked at me with worry. "Aria, your father is going to be furious."

I looked at my father. His eyes were fixed on the house, not on me. He looked like he was thinking about something I could not see.

Dante stepped closer. "You should not go back inside right now."

"Where else can I go?" I asked. He glanced at the house. "My car."

My heart raced. "No."

"Aria," he said, his voice gentle. "You are not safe here tonight."

I stared at him. "Safe from what?"

He looked away, as if he did not want to say the words. "From people like him."

I swallowed hard. "I am not a child."

"I know," he replied. "That is why I am telling you."

I looked at my parents again. My mother's face was pale. My father looked like he wanted to speak but could not. Catherine was gone, Rhys was in the police car. The house felt empty, but it still held me like a cage.

My phone buzzed. A message from an unknown number flashed on the screen.

"You ruined everything."

My hands trembled. I looked at Dante. "Do you know who that is?"

He shook his head. "No, But it is not good."

More messages came.

"Your family is angry."

You will pay, You think you can hide? I felt a cold wave in my stomach.

My mother took the phone from my hands without asking. She read the messages, then looked up at me with eyes full of fear.

"Who sent this?" she whispered. I shook my head. "I do not know."

Dante spoke quietly. "We should leave."

My mother looked at him. "Who are you to tell us what to do?"

He turned his gaze to her, calm but firm. "Someone who does not want her to get hurt."

My father finally spoke. "Aria is my daughter, I will decide."

The words sounded like a threat.

Dante stepped back. "Then you decide. But do not pretend you care when you do not."

My father's face tightened. He looked at me, then at Dante, then at the house.

"You can leave," he said to Dante. "But do not bring trouble to my door."

Dante did not move. "I will not bring trouble, He will."

My father stared at him, then nodded once. It was not approval, It was a warning.

Dante looked at me again. "Are you coming?"

I hesitated.

My mother spoke quickly, her voice trembling. "Aria, if you leave with him, you will never be allowed back."

I looked at her. "You think I care?"

My mother flinched. "I am trying to protect you."

I felt anger rise. "Protect me from what? From living?" My mother's eyes filled with tears. "From ruin."

My father stepped forward. "Do not speak like that. You are the one who ruined everything."

I stared at him. "I did not ruin anything. He hit me, You let him."

My father's face went hard. "That is enough."

Catherine appeared at the doorway again. Her face looked different now. Not smiling, Not bright. Her eyes looked like she had been crying.

"Aria," she said softly. "You should not leave."

I looked at her. "Why are you crying?"

She swallowed. "Because you are making us look weak." My chest tightened.

"What do you want?" I asked. Catherine's eyes flashed. "I want what is best for the family."

I laughed, bitter. "You mean what is best for you."

She took a step closer. "You do not understand. Rhys is the only way our family stays powerful."

I stared at her. "You mean he is the only way you stay powerful."

Catherine's lips pressed together. "You are the one who is naive."

Dante stepped in front of me. "She is not going anywhere tonight."

Catherine's eyes widened. "Who are you to stop her?"

Dante looked at her with cold calm. "I am the person she chose."

Catherine's face turned red. "You think she chose you?"

Dante's voice stayed steady. "Yes."

Catherine laughed loudly, but it sounded broken. "She is yours now? You think you can take her from us?"

Rhys's voice came from the police car again, louder than before. "You will see. You will all see."

My heart jumped. He was still there. Dante looked at the car. "He is not finished."

I felt fear for the first time since the fight. I looked at my family, I looked at Dante. I looked at the dark sky.

I felt like I was standing on the edge of something that could break.

The front door opened.

A man stepped out. He was tall, dressed in a suit, and he had a camera in his hand. He looked like he belonged in the same world as Rhys.

He pointed the camera at us.

"Aria Belmont," he called. "Is it true your fiancé assaulted you?" My breath stopped.

My mother tried to speak, but her voice broke. My father stepped forward, his face angry.

The man continued. "Is it true you were seen with a strange man tonight?" My cheeks burned.

Catherine looked at me with a smile that made me feel sick. The camera clicked again.

The man stepped closer. "We are live. Miss Belmont, do you have anything to say?" My mouth went dry.

Dante moved in front of me. "That is enough." The man smiled. "Who are you?"

Dante did not answer. The camera continued to flash.

My heart pounded. I felt like I was trapped inside a glass box, with everyone watching.

I turned to Dante. "What do we do?" He looked at me, his eyes serious. "We do not answer."

The camera kept filming.

The man spoke again. "Miss Belmont, your family is powerful. Why did this happen? Is it true you are leaving the Belmont name?"

My mother gasped. My father looked like he wanted to punch the man.

Catherine smiled.

The camera kept rolling. I felt like I was drowning.

Dante's hand found mine. His touch was steady, strong.

He leaned closer and whispered in my ear, "Stay with me. Do not let them take your voice."

My heart raced. I looked at the camera, then at my family, then at Dante. I knew something was changing, I knew nothing would ever be the same.

And then, the man with the camera said the words that made my blood freeze.

"Miss Belmont, your fiancé is not the only one who was arrested tonight."

My heart dropped. "What?" I whispered.

The camera man smiled, like he was waiting for my reaction.

"You are under investigation," he said. "For the attack on Rhys Granger."

My legs went weak. I stared at Dante, but his face stayed calm.

Then a police officer stepped forward, handcuffs in his grip. He looked at me and said, clear and cold:

"Aria Belmont, you are under arrest."