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.

friends exchanged knowing glances, visibly relieved

caught feelings or something. Getting played by your

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

they headed for the door. “She’s probably gonna

the bed, staring down at the unconscious Ariana.

if even in unconsciousness

but the moment they made

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

finally opened her eyes, Luigi was alone

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

her head away,

next few days, Larigi barely left the hospital, taking care of her with an attentiveness that

his face softened when he returned, a gentleness in his expression that she’d once mistakenly

knew now–those calls were to Lella.

existed throughout their entire relationship. The mysterious calls he’d always step

questioned it, blinded by her devotion. Now she understood that Leila had been

different doctor came in to change her bandages.