The Black Swan's Final Revenge Pirouette: The 99th Game Was Mine All Along by Kylie Homme

Chapter 5

A heavy silence fell over the hospital room, as if time Itself had stopped.

Luigi, who’d been in the middle of ripping into his friends, froze at Derek’s words echoing through the

“Holy shit, man. Tell me you haven’t actually fallen for her.”

Tall for Ariana? What the fuck?

He rejected the thought with almost violent immediacy, as if the speed of his denial could erase the strange emotion crawling through his chest.

He had always been in love with Leila–what was Ariana in comparison? Nothing but collateral damage in his revenge scheme. A means to an end.

But the logic didn’t track. If she meant nothing, why had he lost his goddamn mind when he saw those men on top of her?

Even when drunk frat boys hit on Leila at parties, he’d never gone nuclear like that.

His mental wrestling match cast the room into uncomfortable silence.

exchanged knowing glances, visibly relieved

on the shoulder, his tone lightening: “Jesus, you had us worried for a second. I thought you’d gone and caught feelings or something. Getting played by

whatever the hell was happening in his chest and stated. coldly: “I will never

headed for the door. “She’s probably gonna wake up soon

out, Luigi slowly approached the bed, staring down

slightly furrowed as if even in unconsciousness she couldn’t

own accord toward her cheek, but the moment they made

abruptly and stalked to the window, lighting a cigarette and taking a desperate drag, hoping the nicotine might quiet whatever the

her eyes, Luigi was alone with

her bed, holding a cup of water. Seeing her

head away, refusing to meet

Larigi barely left the hospital, taking care of her with an attentiveness that surprised even

take calls, and she noticed how his face softened when he

calls were to

their entire relationship.

never questioned it, blinded by her devotion. Now she understood that

in to