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

something. Getting played by your own revenge

was happening in his chest and stated. coldly: “I will never have feelings for Ariana Collins. Not in this lifetime.”

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

approached the bed, staring down at the unconscious Ariana.

ghost–white, her brows slightly furrowed as if even in unconsciousness

moment they made contact,

abruptly and stalked to the window, lighting a cigarette and taking a desperate drag, hoping

Ariana finally opened her eyes,

Seeing her awake, he

didn’t answer, just turned her head away, refusing

taking care

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

knew now–those calls

pattern had existed throughout their entire relationship. The mysterious calls he’d always step away to

by her devotion. Now she understood that Leila had been

doctor came in to