Page 16 of Watch Me Burn

AARON

Z oe and Dominik sit across from me at the dining table, oblivious to the storm raging inside me.

My sister is buzzing with excitement, practically bouncing in her seat as she sets down her fork, while Dom watches with that unnerving focus of his.

His instincts have already sparked as if he senses something’s wrong.

His hand rests on Zoe’s thigh beneath the table—not possessive, just steady.

A reminder.

Our history goes back years and things got rocky when he fell for my sister.

Dominik Lewis, my best friend since high school, had the audacity to chase after Zoe.

I made him fight for it. He had to claw through every accusation and test I threw his way.

Eventually, he proved himself. The one constant in my life became the one person who would never let Zoe down.

He’s fiercely protective of her and for that, I’m grateful. And equally terrified.

Because tonight might turn out to be a total disaster.

The tension slices through the room, thin but sharp, hidden beneath Zoe’s forced cheerfulness. She’s trying too hard, probably sensing something is off even. She’s been worried about Via for days, texting me constantly, asking why her friend disappeared off the face of the earth.

And now, I have to introduce her to Caterina Mortelle.

The whiskey glass cools my palm as the front desk calls up.

She’s here.

Time fractures. Each step toward the elevator drags, like the hallway’s lengthening beneath my feet. When the doors finally slide open, she’s already stepping inside—as if she owns the place.

My muscles tighten, instincts coiling sharp. Last time she breached my space, it was an invasion.

Now I’m the one holding the door.

Letting the devil in with a key.

She looks different. Upgraded, somehow.

Not Via Jameson. Not the platinum-blonde assistant from Blooms.

Her hair is darker, deep cherry red that spills past her shoulders in loose waves. Under the foyer lights, her eyes catch gold, luminous and unblinking.

She’s wearing a simple silk dress in a deep, wine-red hue that clings to her curves like a secret. It doesn’t beg for attention. It doesn’t need to. Understated, deliberate. Because she knows exactly what she’s doing. She knows I see her. She knows everyone does.

Tristan lets out a low whistle from the kitchen, leaning against the counter like this is a show.

“Oh good, the gang is all here. Should we do a toast? To our happy couple?”

My elbow nearly connects with his ribs.

Zoe turns, color draining from her face at the sight.

“Oh my God.” Her chair scrapes back, hands flying to cover her mouth.

Caterina—not Via—smiles softly. “Hey, Zo.”

“What…what is this? What happened to your hair? Where the hell have you been?” Zoe’s voice quivers with disbelief, but carries no anger.

That makes one of us.

Zoe runs to Caterina, arms wrapping around her in a crushing grip. My sister’s naive desperation tears at something deep in my chest.

My fists clench until knuckles whiten.

She’s fine. Everything is fine.

Caterina exhales, head tilting slightly—a perfect imitation of someone searching for difficult words. “It’s a long story. One I wanted to tell you in person.”

Zoe’s gaze ricochets between us, wild and searching.

“Wait, how did you—? I thought you two hated each other. Why didn’t you tell me she was coming, Aaron?”

My throat constricts.

It’s time.

“That’s actually what we wanted to talk to you about tonight.”

Tristan coughs into his drink.

Dom’s stare burns into me, dissecting every micro-expression.

Caterina moves to my side like she’s exactly where she needs to be. Her hand settles lightly on my arm, and goosebumps break out all over my skin.

My own body betrays me and I hate her for noticing it and for using it.

Zoe blinks hard, snapping from the shock. “What the hell is going on?”

“We’re engaged.” Caterina’s voice is silk over steel.

The silence snaps tight, choking the room.

But not for long, Tristan makes an obvious gagging noise.

My glare could level buildings.

Zoe blinks once. Twice. Then laughs—high, nervous, disbelieving. “You two are hilarious but now is not the time. Tell me what’s going on.”

Good God.

Caterina remains motionless. Unwavering.

My heart is a fucking wrecking ball against my ribs. “Caterina and I are getting married.”

The words ring hollow even to my ears.

Zoe’s jaw drops. Dom watches, face carved from stone, eyes moving between Tristan and me.

“Like to one another?” My sister hasn’t blinked yet.

Caterina laughs. “Mhm.”

“No. That doesn’t make sense.” Zoe shakes her head, incredulous. “You called her a ‘fucking headache’ last month. Said you couldn’t stand the sound of her voice. You mocked me for inviting her to my wedding. And now suddenly, you’re in love?”

Caterina tilts her head, all softness and warmth. A predator disguised as affection.

“It’s complicated and such a long story.”

“Yeah, no shit. Good thing all we have is time.”

Dom reads me like a book. The way he used to before a fight—shoulders tense, jaw flexed, gauging whether I’d throw the first punch or walk away.

I knew this would hurt her.

I just didn’t realize it would gut me too.

“I should’ve told you sooner.” Caterina steps toward Zoe. “I kept a lot from you, and I hate that. But my family…my father. I had to keep certain things separate, to protect you all. Including my real name.”

“What is your real name?”

“Caterina,” she whispers almost apologetically.

Zoe trembles, barely, but I see it. Her entire foundation fracturing beneath her.

Caterina presses on. “When Aaron and I met, it wasn’t under the best circumstances. I was already working at Blooms, but I didn’t know how to tell him. I was scared. My father’s...traditional. And when he found out, things got complicated fast.”

She glances at me with a fake softness only I recognize.

“I love him.”

She delivers the lie flawlessly. Like she’s done it before. Like she was made for this.

It’s an act. I know that. Every line rehearsed, every glance calculated.

But for one messed up second, I almost believe her.

Want it to be real.

How fucked up is that?

My stomach twists into knots. She isn’t just lying, she’s reshaping reality with such skill I almost lose track of what’s real. And I have no choice but to follow her lead.

Zoe struggles visibly, assembling a puzzle with missing pieces. “I—just—why wouldn’t you tell me?”

“Because I was scared. I didn’t want my family’s reputation to ruin my chance at something good.”

Jesus.

Her performance approaches perfection. She wasn’t exaggerating her capabilities.

“Are you happy?”

Caterina answers without hesitation. “Yes.”

Zoe turns to me, expectant. The moment of truth.

I force myself to meet her eyes. “Yeah, Zo. I am.”

The greatest lie I’ve ever told.

“Say it again,” Zoe says, voice steady but razor-edged. “And this time, try to sound like you actually mean it.”

She’s always cut through bullshit like a blade. Today’s no different.

I don’t flinch. Just turn to Tristan like the spineless bastard I suddenly am.

“Tell Zoe how happy I’ve been these past few months.”

He grins—slow and wicked, already positioning me beneath the wheels.

“Oh, thrilled,” he says. “He’s a picture of happiness. You should’ve seen him last night, staring at the skyline like it might offer him a way out.”

Second mistake: trusting this asshole to have my back.

Zoe goes pale.

Dom’s glare sharpens, eyes narrowing like he’s recalibrating his next move.

Tristan’s days are numbered. His murder might actually improve morale.

Zoe exhales hard, her posture folding in on itself. “I don’t even know what to say.”

“Just…be happy for us?” Caterina murmurs.

Whether Zoe believes the lie or just gives up fighting it, I can’t tell.

“Okay,” she says.

And it’s the saddest thing I’ve heard all night.

“Aaron. Can we talk?”

Dominik’s voice slices clean through the veneer. Not a question—an execution order.

I glance at Caterina. She winks.

“Try not to get punched in the face,” Tristan calls. “Would hate for Caterina to have to kiss it better before the wedding photos.”

Zoe frowns, turning to Dominik. “Please don’t. I’m fine, I promise. I just need to talk to Via—” she stops, correcting herself, “—Caterina. About all of this.”

“Everything’s fine, baby. Just going to talk to Aaron. Some good old-fashioned brother-in-law bonding.”

I sigh, bracing for monumental impact.

“Let’s go to my office.”

Each step away from the kitchen drags like I’m wading through wet cement. Past the lounge, into the darker wing of the penthouse. The noose tightens. Inch by inch.

Behind me, silence and rage. Dom doesn’t speak. Doesn’t have to. His jaw grinds so hard I hear it. His fists open and close like he’s rehearsing violence.

I turn, and he shoves me hard.

My back slams into the desk.

Pain spikes.

Instinct coils.

I straighten slowly, brushing my cuffs. Mechanical movements. Rituals of control. I need them.

“Try that again and we’ll have a problem.”

Dom doesn’t care.

He steps in close, breath hot, fury blazing behind his eyes.

“You think I’m gonna just sit there and smile like a goddamn idiot while you feed my fiancée some fantasy about falling in love with that stranger?”

“Lower your fucking voice,” I snap. “This isn’t a conversation we’re having in my goddamn house.”

“Then maybe you should’ve thought of that before you lied to Zoe’s face. What the fuck is wrong with you?!”

I close my eyes, pinching the bridge of my nose. My patience is hanging by a thread.

“What was I supposed to say, Dom? That I was blackmailed into this? That her father will put a bullet through my head if I say no?”

“YES!” he roars. “That’s exactly what you were supposed to say, you dumbass. Because now Zoe thinks this is real. And when it all blows up, it’s her who’s going to get hurt this.”

“You think I don’t know that?”

He stares at me, looking for something. Logic. Guilt. Maybe a flicker of the man I used to be.

I want to scream.

To tell the truth.

To drag Zoe out of this penthouse and vanish before it’s too late.

But I do what I’ve always done?—

Lie.

Strategize.

Bleed behind my teeth.

“You put me through hell when I fell in love with your sister. You nearly destroyed me. Destroyed us. And now you expect me to accept this?”

“You and Zoe are different.”

“Why? Because we actually love each other?”

Silence.

He’s right.

This isn’t love.

It never was and it never will be.

And when Zoe learns the truth, she’ll never forgive me.

“Jesus, Aaron.” His voice softens. Quiet now. Broken. “What did they do to you?”

The question hangs in the room like smoke.

I don’t answer.

Because I don’t know who I am anymore.

I’m a ghost in my own skin. A stranger at the wheel.

Caught between control and chaos.

A man walking blind through a war he can’t win.

And across that battlefield…

Waits Caterina Mortelle.