The Truth Prevails

V A L E R I U S ' P O V :

"What are you doing?"

Katerina let's out a shriek, not expecting me to walk into our room.

Her shirt drops and she whips around to me.

"Nothing."

I raise a brow. "What's wrong?"

"I said it's nothing, V. Let it go." Her voice sounds tense like she on edge.

"You're beautiful, Katerina. Don't think you're not." I tell her because when I had walked in she had her hand to her stomach, staring at it oddly. I don't want her to think poorly of herself.

"What did you need?" She changes the subject.

"Come to dinner tonight. Not out.. I plan to cook. Be downstairs by seven?"

"Okay." She says with a small, forced smile.

I stop myself from questioning it any further.

"Okay." I agree with a curt nod.

• • •

I pour a little extra wine into Katerina's glass, hoping to get her slightly tipsy before I tell her my entire family is composed of serial murderers.

I hear the click of her heals coming down the stairs and walking around the corner.

"You look beautiful, Katerina." I tell her sincerely with a small, nervous smile.

I watch her throat bob like she's nervous.

I hope she doesn't already know. Why is she nervous too?

"Thanks."

She flattens her dress down with her hands.

I pull out her chair for her. I swallow the worry down and into my chest. I'm not sure what's up with Katerina but I can tell something is bothering her.

"Is this okay?" I nod towards the food and she nods for yes. I notice her nose scrunch like she's feeling discomfort for a moment.

Her eyes wire shut and she grabs her glass of wine quickly. When it's in her mouth though, Katerina spits it back into the glass just as fast. She coughs, grabbing a napkin and spitting her drink into it.

"Shit!" She hisses, angry. I jump up from the table and run to her side.

"What? What's wrong?"

Katerina takes a heavy breath to calm herself. She's starting to get mad. She pushes my hand off her back.

"N-Nothing! Just.. my stomach hurts. Can you just get me a water."

"Of course."

When everything is settled, we sit awkwardly at first. The way Katerina gazes at me makes me think she has something to hide but I know it's just me reflecting.

"Katerina." I'm first to break the uncomfortable silence. I notice she's barely touched her food, only taking slight sips of her water. "I need to speak to you about something important."

"Okay." She gives me a questioning glance.

I breathe out, biting my cheek.

"You asked me awhile ago how I knew to shoot and fight." She nods. "Katerina.. I'm in the mafia."

Katerina doesn't speak. She stares at me, eyes completely blank. Her mouth opens then closes quickly. She lets out a little laugh, covering her mouth.

"For a moment there you looked completely serious. Stop kidding around, V."

Confusion picks through me. What does she mean? I'm not lying.

"Katerina— I'm not lying."

She hesitates. "I'm really not in the mood for games tonight." Katerina's mood turns sour.

"I'm not playing games Katerina. When I was ten years old I was forced into training. I am the first born of my four brothers. My papà's title is handed down to me. My coronation is in two weeks, just after our wedding."

"Coronation? Like you're a fucking princess!? Valerius stop bullshitting me. I'm too tired for this."

Anger starts to build within me. What isn't she understanding? Why is she acting like I'm trying to fucking fool her.

"This— This isn't a joke! This is my life Katerina!"

"How the fuck am I supposed to sit here and let you try to convince me you're in the mafia? Do those things even exist anymore?"

"Katerina. I am not in the mafia." I push the anger rising in the throat down. "I am the Italian mafia. As soon as I turn twenty-five, I will be the most powerful person in the world."

Katerina takes a moment, she studies my face. Her breathing becomes heavy. She searches for something to point that I'm lying to her but she finds nothing. I'm telling her the whole truth.

I need her to believe me.

"No."

Two minutes had passed since either of us said something. Her word brings me out of my hazed trance.

"What do you—"

"No. You.. you can't be. Just. Just no." Her head shakes, her eyes frantic. Katerina's hand starts to come up to her mouth. "You're not."

"I am. How do you think I have so much money?"

"I.. I don't know! I though you were a fucking business man or something! Maybe you sold drugs.. I don't know! I didn't think you were in the fucking mafia!" She shouts, getting up from the table. She's freaking out, just what I didn't want her to do.

She paces. I try to walk towards her but she jumps back, holding a shaking hand out to stop me.

"No.. don't get close to me. Don't come near me."

Her voice wavers, it shakes. She sounds fucking petrified of me. My entire body feels like it's breaking from the inside out. Her hand slides over her stomach.

"I'm still the same person. I won't hurt you. I'd never lay a hand on you Katerina."

"How the fuck am I supposed to trust you!" She screams. Her face lights up with fury. "You're such a fucking liar." Quietly, her voice breaks.

"I know." My voice faulters.

"How many people have you killed?" Tears bellow in her eyes. "How many!" I don't answer, I swallow the lump building in my throat. "Do you enjoy it?"

I hesitate. I don't know how to answer this question without sounding like a psychopath.

"I only kill guilty people."

"That's a fucking lie! You killed Rosetta."

"No. I saved you."

"At the cost of her life!" She raised her voice. I stay silent, knowing that I can't change her mind. "Did you know you were going to kill her?"

"Kat—"

"Did you!?"

"No." I hold my breath as a tear escapes her eye. "I didn't want her to die.. but she needed to. There was no way I could have saved both our you. Those bombs were about to detonate."

"How many people have you killed?"

"I don't know."

"That's not good enough!" She shouts.

"Like twenty." I recall going of missions with my papà and helping him with dirty work. I'm not even sure if my answer is accurate.

Katerina turns around, unable to look me in the eyes.

I hear her sobs she's trying to contain. It reluctantly brings tears to my own eyes.

"You're a serial killer." I hear her whisper after some silence. "I was about to marry a serial killer."

"Katerina.. that's not the same—"

"But it is!" She screams, her chest heaving and tears pouring out her eyes. "You're.. insane."

"I—"

"Can you even feel!?" The question hurts more than I want it to. "Can.. can you fucking love? Do you feel anything?"

Can you even feel?

I don't know is the true answer. Can I feel love? Can I feel remorse? Am I just a shell of a human? Have I finally reached my point of no return?

I step forward, attempting to call out her name. "No. I'm leaving. Never come looking for me. I never want to see you again." Her voice breaks.

"You don't mean that."

My chest pounds.

"I do. I really do."

Katerina walks backwards to the door. Her hand stays out keeping me from getting close to her even thought I wasn't moving.

"Don't go." My voice breaks, my brain clouding with emotion. "Don't leave me alone." I can't be alone again. I don't want to be alone again.

"Let me leave. Let this be over and I won't tell anyone. Just— just don't kill me. Let me go."

"I would never, Katerina. I love you too much."

Her teary eyes search my face.

"Goodbye."

She's out the door before I can even say anything else. I pull the slammed door open to see barely anything in the dark rain. Thunder cracks down loudly, lighting up the sky for a moment.

I see Katerina running into one of my cars, immediately turning it on to bolt away. The keys must have already been in the car.

Let me go.

I wonder a lot about how I could have changed this night. What would have happened if I went after her or if I had known then what big secret she had been keeping.

Would I have tried harder to keep her? I don't know and I never will.

So instead of fighting to keep together what good I thought I had. I fell to my floor inside, completely drenched and sobbing.

I don't speak to another soul until the day I take my fathers position fifteen days later.

• • •