He Stole My Son, So I Took His Kingdom

~ Aria's POV

"My son's coffin had barely touched the earth when my husband whispered, 'It had to be done.' "

The words echoed in my mind, chilling and scary. I was alone in Leo's bedroom, the walls phantomly quiet, the once loud space was now filled with silence. My trembling fingers clutched tightly at his last drawing---a sketch of a rocket ship with stars in the background. It was only supposed to be a reminder of his innocent dreams, but now, it was the only piece of him I had left.

~ Flashback To a Few Days Ago

The funeral was rushed, just a handful of mourners---if I could even call them mourners. Everything happened so fast that there was no time for a proper ceremony, eulogies, flowers, or even a last goodbye.

The casket was lowered to the ground, swallowed by darkness, when Lucien leaned in and whispered his cruel words, "If it was fate, it had to be done."

I couldn't even bring myself to ask him what he meant. Not when everything felt wrong. However, my grief kept me from speaking, kept me from letting out a single word.

Days passed in a blur. The world was moving on, but I had not. I stayed in the house, trying to piece together the shattered fragments of my life.

It wasn't until a few nights later that I began to notice the distance between us. Lucien, always so organized, had withdrawn into himself, retreating into his safehouse, but this felt different, as if he was deliberately staying away from me.

One evening, I confronted him.

"Lucien, you've been gone for days. What's going on?" I asked, my voice laced with anxiety.

He didn't look at me, his eyes were fixed on the wine glass in front of him. For days, he's been acting strange---as if it didn't matter to him that he lost a son. "I have work to do. Don't worry about it." His tone was cold and dismissive. He wasn't himself. I could feel it, that same distance that had been there all those years ago when we first met.

"Don't worry about it? Lucien, you're not the same. I need you right now. I need---"

"Sometimes..." He interrupted, his voice cold as ice, "..sacrifices are made to secure the legacy. Fate decided Leo to be gone, and it..happened."

I choked on my wine, my heart pounding. His words caught in my throat like a dagger. But what did he mean by it? My mind reeled, the pieces of the puzzle scattered before me. "You---what do you mean?" I gasped, staring at him in disbelief.

Lucien finally turned to look at me, his eyes empty, and his lips curved. "What's done can't be undone, Aria. It was always going to happen. Don't you understand? None of us could've stopped it from happening."

I swallowed hard, my heart thundering in my chest. "You---don't care for anyone other than that pathetic throne?"

His gaze hardened. "It's all that matters, Aria. That's our future, you can't run away from it."

I felt the walls closing in. "You always wanted the throne, Lucien, you---" I whispered, unable to accept what I was hearing, unable to speak more words.

He shook his head, his voice low and calm. "You'll understand in time."

I couldn't breathe or think. His words, his cold detachment, were shattering me in a way I never thought possible. Our son was gone and Lucien didn't give a damn about it. For some reason, doubts regarding Lucien started to creep in. What if---he's the one involved in the accident?

~ The Next Day

I couldn't shake the unease gnawing at me. I had to know what Lucien was hiding, what he had done. I told myself it was for Leo's memory. No one else would know the truth if I didn't uncover it.

I pretended to bring lunch to Lucien's safehouse. I took a tour, my heart racing as I let myself inside his study when he jumped on an urgent video meeting. I moved quietly through the shadows. I had to find something that might explain the strange distance between us.

Behind a bookshelf, I discovered a hidden drawer. My pulse roared through my veins as I pulled it open, revealing a burner phone.

The screen lit up with a series of messages. I could barely breathe as I scrolled, my hands trembling. One message stopped me dead in my tracks.

"The brakes are set. The boy won't survive the impact. Payment transferred."

My mind raced as I read the message again. My son---Leo---wasn't just a victim of an accident; he was murdered by his own father. My breath hitched in my throat as tears stung my eyes.

I scrolled through more messages, each one more damning than the last. Evidence. Proof that Lucien had arranged Leo's death. The world tilted beneath me, my legs shaking as the truth settled like a stone in my chest.

Lucien killed our son.

It all made sense now---the sudden rise to power, the Council meeting right after Leo's death. He had eliminated his own son to claim the Romano throne for himself.

The world spun around me, my vision blurring as the weight of it all crashed over me. I couldn't breathe. I had to get out. I stumbled back out of my car, barely making it behind the wheel before I collapsed in sobs, gasping for air. I roared the engine to life and made my way back to the house.

~ Back in the Present

Leo's bedroom was a ghostly reminder of what Lucien did to him. I sat there for what felt like hours, my heart shattering into pieces. The world I thought I knew had been a lie. Lucien killed my son for his power.

Suddenly, a sharp knock at the bedroom door jolted me from my thoughts. A maid hesitantly walked inside, standing a few feet away from me.

"Ma'am, a letter was delivered to your name." My heart skipped a beat as I saw the brown envelope sitting peacefully in her hands.

I hesitated, my fingers shaking as I reached to pick it up. The maid walked out while I tore it open, the paper feeling cold in my hands. Inside was a single typed note.

"Your son wasn't the first. Go to the pinned location. Meet the person with the name mentioned below, and you'll have your answers."

At the bottom of the page was a name, written in ink that seemed to burn into my soul.

Realization struck me like a thunderclap. "Damien Voss..." I whispered to myself. "Lucien's disowned half-brother, rumored to be dead."