Ariana’s POV

Today is the day.

The day Dante marries another woman, I watch from afar, unable to do anything about it. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

I hadn’t slept.

I couldn’t sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Dante’s face.

Every time I breathed, I smelled his cologne.

Every time I moved, I felt his hands on my waist from when he caught me in the gazebo.

Today he was getting married.

Today, he would become Natasha’s husband.

Today, I would lose him forever.

I had tried everything to stop the wedding. I thought about revealing myself. I thought about tearing off my mask and running to Dante and screaming that I was alive, but what good would that do?

I stayed hidden.

I stayed dead.

The other maids were already gathered in the hallway.

Amaya stood beside me doing her chores as well.

She knew something was wrong.

She had known for weeks.

She just didn’t know what.

"All right, listen up." The head maid clapped her hands. Her voice was sharp. "Miss Natasha is getting dressed. She has requested all of you to be present. I need you all to follow me."

We nodded.

We followed her up the stairs.

Natasha stood in front of a floor-length mirror wearing her wedding dress.

White.

Lace.

Expensive.

It had a train that stretched across the room, and the hair was pinned up. Her makeup was flawless, and she looked like everything I would never be again.

"About time," Natasha snapped her eyes, found us in the mirror. "I don’t know why it takes you idiots so long to get up the stairs. I’ve been waiting for ten minutes."

The head maid bowed her head. "Apologies, Miss Natasha. We came as quickly as we could."

"Quickly? That was not quick, but pathetic as you all are, but what more do I expect from a house full of incompetent fools?"

The other maids stared at the floor.

I stared at the floor.

Natasha turned around her dress swirled around her feet. "Jessica, get me the jewelry, my diamond ring and necklace from Dante, and help me put them on."

The head maid hurried to the vanity. The jewelry box was open she looked inside. Her face went pale. "Miss Natasha, the ring and necklace... they’re not here."

Natasha’s eyes narrowed. "What do you mean they’re not here? I left them in that box last night, and I told you to make sure it’s secure ."

The head maid searched the box again. She searched the vanity. She searched the floor. "I’m sorry, Miss Natasha. They’re not here. I don’t understand. Someone must have—"

"Someone must have stolen them." Natasha’s voice was ice; her eyes moved across the row of maids. "It has to be one of you... one of you must have stolen it then... You pathetic, thieving, worthless maids took my jewelry."

Murmurs among the maids.

Whispers.

Fear.

Everyone looked at each other.

Everyone looked at the floor.

"I didn’t take anything," one of the maids said. Her voice was shaking. "I wouldn’t. I would never."

"Me neither," another said. "I’ve never stolen anything in my life."

Natasha’s eyes moved down the line. They stopped on me. "You are the masked one. The hideous one. The one who threw herself at my fiancé in the gazebo. You probably took them. You probably thought you could sell them and run away, right?"

I kept my eyes on the floor. "I didn’t take anything. I have no reason to steal from you."

"No reason?" Natasha laughed. It was a cold sound. "You’re a maid with nothing. You have nothing, you yourself are nothing, and now you see my beautiful jewelry, my expensive diamonds, my gifts from Dante, and you think you deserve them. You think you can take what’s mine."

"I didn’t take them." My voice was steady. "I’ve never stolen anything in my life."

One of the other maids stepped forward.

Margaret.

We don’t really get along with her, cause according to her, I stole her precious husband to be Phil’s attention. She had always been jealous of me. "I saw her, Miss Natasha. I saw Emily near your room late last night. She was acting suspicious and was looking around like she didn’t want to be seen."

My heart dropped. "That’s not true. I was nowhere near your room. I was in the kitchen. Amaya was with me. She can vouch for me."

Amaya stepped forward. "That’s right. Emily was with me. We were cleaning up after dinner, and we didn’t leave the kitchen until after midnight."

Margaret smirked. "You’re her friend, of course, you would lie for her."

Natasha’s eyes burned. "I don’t care about your excuses. I don’t care about your alibis; what I care about is my jewelry, and you will bring it for me."

She walked toward me.

"Give me back my ring and my necklace," she demanded, her face inches from mine. "Give them back now, and I’ll only have you fired and not make your miserable life end up in jail. Do you understand?"

I stared at her. "I don’t have your jewelry, Miss Natasha. I didn’t take anything. You can search my room and my belongings. You won’t find anything because I didn’t steal from you."

Natasha’s hand flew up. She was going to slap me, but I was too fat to catch her hand.

My fingers wrapped around her wrist. I held it in the air as she struggled and tried to pull away. didn’t let go.

"How dare you?" Natasha hissed. "How dare you touch me with those disgusting hands? Let me go. Let me go right now, or I swear I will have you arrested."

I looked at her, and this woman who was about to marry my husband.

"I didn’t steal from you," I said with a voice that was calm and deadly. "I didn’t take your ring. I didn’t take your necklace. I don’t want anything that belongs to you, not your jewelry, not your house, so don’t you dare raise your hands on me."

Natasha’s eyes widened. "What did you say?"