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.

visibly relieved by his reaction.

gone and caught feelings or something. Getting played by your own revenge game would be such a fucking waste. Leila would lose her shit if

happening in his chest and stated. coldly: “I will never

the door. “She’s probably

the bed,

face was ghost–white, her brows slightly furrowed as if even

but the moment they made contact, he yanked back as if

a cigarette and taking a desperate drag, hoping the nicotine might quiet whatever the hell

her eyes,

of water. Seeing her awake, he leaned forward: “How’re you feeling?

head away, refusing to meet his

the next few days, Larigi barely left the hospital, taking care of

take calls, and she noticed how his face softened when he returned, a gentleness in his expression that she’d

knew now–those calls were to Lella.

pattern had existed throughout their entire relationship. The mysterious calls he’d

Now she understood

in