Hearing this, I couldn't help but let out a self-deprecating laugh.

He was the one who said he had his own life and didn't want to be tied down by family duties.

So why was he acting like I abandoned him?

"Why would I tell you?"

He choked on his words. A vein popped on his forehead as he spoke with a cold face, "Do you have any idea how dangerous it is for you to travel alone? The Family has enemies everywhere. If something happens to you, who's going to save you?"

"Don't flatter yourself," I shot back. "Your biggest weakness is standing right next to you. They'd be stupid to kidnap me when they could just take her."

Sloane's face stiffened. Julian gritted his teeth in anger. "Aria, you're being unreasonable! I'm worrying about you!"

Just then, a sudden ringtone interrupted our fight.

The screen flashed "Mother".

It was Julian's mom, my adoptive mother.

Julian took a deep breath and answered.

In just a few seconds, his already impatient face grew darker. He furrowed his brows deeply, throwing complicated glances at me.

I didn't even need to hear the conversation to know what she was saying.

Before I left, I left my adoptive mother a message thanking her for twelve years of care. She must have seen it. Driven by the guilt over my dead parents, she was forcing her son to go to Amalfi to protect me.

He hung up and shoved his phone into his pocket in frustration.

He looked at me with complex eyes and sighed heavily, looking for a way out.

"Looks like I still can't shake you off." He looked away, his tone awkward but harsh. "My mom insists I look after you. Fine, Amalfi, right? Change of plans. I'm coming with you. Just so you don't get into trouble out there and get me yelled at."

I froze.

If this were the past, I would have cried tears of joy hearing those words.

When I was six, my parents were gunned down by a rival syndicate to cover the escape of the current Don and Donna.

My mind completely broke back then. I would scream the moment the lights went out.

It was my adoptive mother, eyes red, who forced a young Julian to kneel before the cross and swear a blood oath: "You will protect Aria with your life, for the rest of your life."

From six to eighteen, he was my whole world. My absolute reliance.

Our bond made everyone in the Family assume that Aria would eventually become the Donna of the Valerius Family.

Whenever the elders teased us about when we'd get engaged, the always-cold Julian would secretly blush, awkwardly swapping his cut steak for mine.

But all of this was completely shattered in the last three months of college.

Sloane showed up. A girl who loved street racing and lived for the thrill.

At first, Julian scoffed at this crazy girl.

Until one day, at the Family's underground shooting range, Sloane held a gun with one hand and smoothly shot a perfect bullseye.

That bullet didn't just hit the target; it pierced right through Julian's heart.

He started pulling Sloane into our inner circle.

He started ignoring me out of habit. He even broke his promise to be my date for the graduation prom.

He left me alone at the entrance of the prom to go bail out Sloane's nobody friend at an underground casino, making me the laughingstock of the whole school.

Twelve years of history. Wiped out by three months of a fatal attraction.

The feeling of being abandoned by the whole world gnawed at my heart.

A wave of nausea rose in my throat. I violently pulled my drifting thoughts back.

"No need." I took a deep breath, looking at the man in front of me whose face screamed 'forced'. My voice was totally clear. "I'll call her myself. I'll tell her I want to be alone and I don't need you trailing after me."

Since I decided to cut ties, I was going to cut them clean.

Julian paused. He clearly didn't expect me to reject his "charity".

But he scoffed, turned his head, and showed me the successful booking confirmation on his phone.

Amalfi.

"Can't help it." He gave a self-deprecating smirk to Sloane, his eyes full of indulgence. "My mom gave a strict order. If I don't watch over her, I can kiss the Southside docks goodbye. Looks like I have to go."

Sloane instantly pouted, naturally wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Fine." she sighed dramatically. "Who told you to be such a responsible big brother? For you, I don't mind suffering a bit. I'll follow your lead."

They smiled at each other. The thick, flirtatious tension between them almost drowned me.

I stood there, watching this performance with cold eyes.

How ridiculous.

I wasn't just an unwanted burden anymore. I was a prop in their twisted love story. A tool they used to prove their devotion to each other.

I lowered my head, refusing to look at them anymore. I quietly unlocked my phone and tapped open the AI app.

They were completely wrapped up in each other, as if I didn't exist.

"Ran into some trouble."

"What kind of trouble?" The AI replied in seconds.

"Supposed to be a solo trip. Now it's a forced party of three."

Silence on the other end for a few seconds.

Then:

"That's a damn shame."

During the long three-hour flight, the one chattering away with Julian was Sloane.

And I was completely shut out of their world.

I jammed in my noise-canceling earbuds, blocking out their piercing laughter, and stared down at my phone, casually chatting with the AI.

"Will you really show up?" I typed, a sliver of absurd anticipation rising in my chest.

"Whenever you want me to, I'll be there."

Seeing the instant reply, my heart skipped two beats, and my cheeks flushed uncontrollably.

"Aria? What's wrong?"

Julian's voice suddenly rang in my ears, laced with rare urgency.

I looked up to meet his furrowed brows. He stared hard at my flushed cheeks.

"Are you having another panic attack?"

Before I could answer, he started frantically digging through his carry-on.

He used to always, without fail, carry my anxiety meds in that bag.

Ever since I watched my parents get gunned down, being in enclosed spaces triggered my panic attacks.

For twelve years, whenever we went out, the meds were always in his bag.

But after rummaging for a while, his movements slowed down. His face dropped.

The meds weren't there.

When he packed, his head was probably so full of this thrilling trip with Sloane that he had completely forgotten about me.

"I didn't bring them..." He looked at me, a flash of genuine panic in his eyes as he gripped the empty bag, at a loss.

To cover up his guilt, his tone instantly hardened, as if blaming me for having an attack now. "Why didn't you check your own stuff before we left? I can't be expected to remember every little thing for you!"

"I'm fine." I coldly looked away, staring at the clouds out the window. "Besides, you won't need to carry them for me anymore."

After being abandoned by him over and over again, I had long been forced to handle my illness on my own.

Julian opened his mouth to speak, but Sloane suddenly screamed.

"Ah! Julian!"

A glass of champagne had spilled right onto Sloane's pale thighs.

Julian whipped his head around. His earlier panic over me vanished in a second.

He pulled out some tissues and patiently wiped her legs.

"It's okay, don't move, I got it." His voice was dripping with tenderness.

Sloane leaned back in her seat with a fake pout, but her eyes looked past Julian, staring directly at me.

"Oops. Sorry, Aria." She drawled in her signature mean-girl tone. "Did Julian used to take care of you this carefully too? I feel a little bad being the third wheel between you two."

I didn't know how Sloane always managed to make the air so incredibly toxic.

I smiled, didn't reply, and stood up to go to the restroom.

Suddenly, the plane hit turbulence. I lost my balance and fell backward.

A ringing filled my ears. Just as I thought I was going to hit the floor, a pair of strong hands caught me steady.

In that split second, I remembered what the AI had said.

"I'm right here. I won't hide. I won't run. When you fall, I'll catch you."

I turned around, still in shock. The person holding me was a muscular bald guy, smiling warmly at me.

"Thank you..." I breathed a sigh of relief, but a deep, inexplicable wave of disappointment washed over me.

What was I even expecting? It was just a damn app.

I stood up straight. Before I could thank him again, a sharp pain shot through my wrist.

A strong force yanked me into the camera's blind spot by the restroom.

It was Julian. He looked furious.

"You're not a kid anymore, Aria! Do you know how dangerous that was? Did you think you could get my attention with a cheap trick like pretending to fall? What if you got hurt!"

I looked at him in disbelief, like I was staring at a complete stranger.

"You think I did that on purpose?"

"Didn't you?" He ran a hand through his hair in sheer frustration. "I'm going to say this one last time: drop the act. I want a free life. I don't want to walk on eggshells every day, holding a glass doll that could shatter at any second! Would it kill you to stop relying on me?"

With those few words, he burned my world to the ground.

A wave of humiliating shame, mixed with bone-chilling cold, shot from my toes straight to my head.

I looked at the man who had been by my side for twelve years.

So, in his eyes, all my pain, my fragility, and even my accidents weren't just shackles holding him back. They were cheap tricks to beg for his pity.

I gave a bitter smile. The last shred of hope in my heart turned to dust.

I suddenly felt so exhausted.

"Understood."

I turned around and locked myself in the restroom.

Splashing freezing water on my face, I looked at my pale, empty-eyed reflection.

Ten minutes.

In this tiny space, I finally figured one thing out.

I would never love Julian again.

During the hour-long drive to the beach villa after landing, Julian ignored me completely.

He held Sloane's hand the whole way, turning a blind eye to my luggage.

I dragged two heavy suitcases across the cobblestone roads all by myself. The friction left red welts on my palms.

But I didn't whine about the pain like I used to, nor did I ask him for help.

The moment I dropped my bags inside the villa, Sloane sauntered over.

She rudely snatched the tablet from my hands. "Let's see what kind of itinerary our little princess made."

The screen displayed an incredibly detailed travel route for Amalfi.

It even detailed which table at which restaurant had the best sunset view, and which part of the coastline had the softest breeze.

The AI had mapped it out for me.

Sloane's face changed. She yelled out in an exaggerated, jealous tone, "Oh my God, Julian! You treat Aria way too well! This itinerary even says what time she should drink water. You can't even remember your own schedule, but you made something this detailed for her!"

Julian, who was replying to texts on the couch, jerked his head up.

He strode over, snatched the tablet from Sloane, and after a single glance, his brows locked into a hard frown.

The layout was completely foreign. The level of detail was foreign. It wasn't his work at all.

"Who made this?" He glared at me, his tone laced with inexplicable jealousy and caution.

"Give it back." I snatched the tablet back, annoyed. "It has nothing to do with you. You're invading my privacy."

I didn't mean any harm. I was just sick of these two ruining my graduation trip.

But Sloane twisted my words. She stepped back, her eyes going red.

"I'm sorry, Aria..." She bit her lip, looking utterly victimized. "It's my fault. A girl from a minor family like me just lacks manners. I don't deserve to look at a precious princess's things. I'll just leave, okay?"

With that, she pretended to run out.

"Sloane!" Julian pulled her into his arms. He turned back, his eyes bloodshot with rage, glaring daggers at me.

"Aria, what the hell is your problem? Over a stupid itinerary, you're going to force Sloane out? Since when did you become so unreasonable!"

He blamed everything on me out of habit. He trampled all over me for Sloane out of habit.

But this time, I didn't bow my head and apologize like before.

Looking at them holding each other so tightly, I suddenly felt that Sloane actually got one thing right.

"You're right." I met Julian's furious glare and fired back without hesitation. "It is a big deal. Someone put their heart into designing this for me. It's not just a 'stupid itinerary.' And honestly? Having you two look at it disgusts me."

"You..." Julian's face turned livid, probably unable to believe I would ever speak to him like that.

I ignored his shocked face, picked up my drawing board, and walked straight past him.

"Enjoy playing your little tragic romance. I'm going to see the ocean."

When I pushed open the villa doors, I didn't even look back once.

Following the AI's route, I walked alone along the cliffside path for an hour.

Until the deep blue Mediterranean Sea crashed into my view, wild and untamed.

I stood at the edge of the cliff, the sea breeze whipping my hair.

I'd always wanted to see the ocean.

The first time I ever wanted to was when I was eighteen. Julian got drunk and pulled me into his arms, and I smelled the salty sea breeze on his leather jacket.

His ears had gone red as he awkwardly promised me, "When you graduate college, I'll take you to see the sea."

But now, I was finally here, and I only had the wind to keep me company.

I held up my phone, snapped a picture of the sparkling water, and sent it to the AI.

"I'm here. It's beautiful."

The second I hit send, a reply popped onto the screen.

"Turn around."

My heart stopped, then began pounding violently against my ribs.

Those words carried some impossible magic, instantly shattering all my logic.

I gripped my phone and spun around.

And then, I froze.

In my line of sight, there was no mysterious figure.

There was only Julian and Sloane.

I took a deep breath, stood up, and looked frantically past them.

There was nothing.