Fuck...

'Cataleya you were not supposed to hear that.' Leonardo states, taking a step towards her. 'Leon, please don't.'

I can't take my eyes off of her and inhale sharply when she turns back to me.

'Answer the question.' She should be sleeping. 'Adriano, say something.'

'You knew about that already.' I say, feeling the tension rise by the second. 'I-' She takes a deep breath and stumbles back, almost ending back in the hall. 'You don't want kids?'

'Valentina-' 'You don't want them at all?' She asks as a tear rolls down her cheek. Fuck...

'No.' I have thought about it for years, but having kids is not something I can see myself doing.

'You-' She chokes on her words again and looks between Leon and me, 'Alright.'

She's out the door before I can even blink, but I run after her, following her through the hall, up the stairs. 'Valentina.'

I want to grab her, but I don't want to hurt her. 'Listen to me-' She runs even faster than before, almost flying up the stairs, and heads toward the bedroom.

'Valentina.' I slip in front of her and block her way through the door, trying to make her listen to me.

'Rafael, I'm tired.' She tries to reach past me

'Let me explain.' Her eyes meet with mine and I can see another tear form in her eyes. 'Please move.'

'Can we talk first?' She shakes her head and lets another tear escape.

I want to reach out and wipe it away, kiss her for every tear that rolled down her cheek because of all of this.

'Rafael, I'm really tired.' She says, her voice wavering more and more by the second. 'Please?'

I normally like it when she begs for what she wants, especially when it comes to me, I like seeing her desperate for me.

But I don't like this.

I don't like any of this.

So I step to the side, letting her slip into the room, and slam the door right behind her.

I lean against the door and sigh deeply, fighting the urge to break down the door and take her in my arms.

It's the last thing she wants now.

I can hear footsteps down the hall, but keep my eyes on the wall, trying to focus on one thing at once.

But it's too much at once.

'Adriano...' I want to strangle every person in the world right now, 'I didn't know she was there.'

'Get out.'

I don't blame Leonardo for any of this, but right now I just need... I don't even fucking know what I need right now, but I just want to explain myself to her in hopes of her understanding my point of view.

'Do you really want me to leave?' Leon asks, staying right by the stairs as he looks at me. 'Get the fuck out, Leonardo.'

I can faintly hear the bedroom door lock behind me and sigh deeply.

'Adriano you just need to let her blow off some steam.' I wasn't mad at him at first, but he's starting to annoy me now. 'Just get out.'

'Adriano-' 'If you don't get the fuck out right now, I'm going to-' He sighs deeply before striding down the steps, leaving me in the hall.

Fucking hell...

I walk over to the room across the hall and turn around, imagining what it would be like if I just break down the door and explain myself.

She would hate me.

More than she already does.

So I head into the other room and close the door as well, staring at the empty bedroom I'm standing in.

I thought it was clear already, I mean I practically told her already, but it was a long time ago.

I never intended to have kids, not in this life.

I honestly didn't think Valentina wanted to have kids this badly, not until she spoke about it a few hours ago.

But the way she talked about kids...

I can't see myself having children, but I saw her.

I envisioned her waiting at the door for me to return with a beautiful baby in her arms, smiling at me as I get home from some type of deal.

She looked happy, but it didn't feel right.

Because as soon as I got close, as soon as I was able to hold them, I ruined it.

My hands were bloody and I stained them both in blood, making the baby cry and Valentina... She looked disgusted.

It was just a vision, nothing but my mind playing games with me, but it felt so real. And I don't want it to be real.

I don't want her to fear me, I don't want to make a baby cry, I don't want to hurt a baby.

Because that's what I'll do if we ever get a kid.

I'll hurt them both, not just the kid, but Valentina as well.

I'll ruin it all and for what? A kid...

After twisting and turning the entire night, I get out of bed at some point, and stumble down the stairs.

The sun is up already and just as I get to the end of the stairs, the door swings open.

'Barsetti, what are you doing here?' Brandon frowns at me and holds his phone in the air as if that should be enough information, before walking up the stairs.

He seems panicked.

'What room is she in?'

Did she text him?

'Why are you here?' It's supposed to be a question, but it doesn't sound like one. 'She texted me SOS, so tell me where the fuck she is right now!'

'Watch your tone with me, Barsetti.' I sneer, wanting to run up there and throw him down the stairs.

'In here.' Her soft worn-out voice whispers, making my heart hurt all over again. Fuck...

Brandon's out of my sight before I can process it was her in the first place.

I stride back up the stairs and walk over to the bedroom door.

'Valentina, can we talk?' I knock on the door, but the room stays silent.

I knock again, wondering what the fuck it is I'm doing.

I don't knock.

I barge in and say whatever it is I have to say.

But when I try to open the door, I realize it's locked. 'Valentina, open the door.'

I wait another second for someone to answer or open the door, but nothing happens.

'Valentina-' 'She doesn't want to talk to you right now, Rio.' Barsetti answers instead.

I'm going to fucking kill him...

'Open the door.' It takes every cell in my body not to burst through the door at this point, but I feel like it would only anger her more.

'Barsetti-' 'Rafael, give me some time.' It's her voice.

It's all I need to hear right now to calm down but freak out at the same time.

'Please just give me some time to think.' Think...

I just know she will spiral without hearing my side of all of this. Probably even after hearing my side of all of this.

I can hear the door open downstairs and stay by the bedroom door until I hear Leonardo call for me down the stairs.

'What do you want?' I ask as I stay at the top of the stairs, waiting for him to reply, but he's too busy on his phone, dressed in a fancier suit than usual.

North's downstairs too, frowning at me as she walks over to the end of the stairs.

'Everything okay?' No...

'What are you doing here?' I ask as I slowly make my way down the steps.

My cousin managed to take North towards the kitchen instead of waiting for me, and I make my way over there too.

'Well, since you two have that meeting, I was going to spend some time with Leya.'

Meeting? Fucking hell.

'I gather you're not ready yet?' Leon remarks, grinning to himself. 'I'm good to go, trust me.'

Normally, I would be wearing something fancier, but this suit is fine for the simple meeting we're attending today.

'I could go alone?' He suggests, making me frown at him. He has never liked the police department, and I just know he's going to mess it up if he goes alone.

But it's not like I could just leave, right?

'No.' I answer, dropping onto the chair next to North while Leon goes through some cabinets. 'What are you doing?' 'I thought I could make us all some breakfast.'

He knows how to make a good breakfast, something a good father knows. 'Are you sure you want to come with?'

'You are not going alone.' He smiles to himself as he fills a glass with water and gives it to North. Jesus Christ.

'What happened?' North's question bothers me more than the fact that Valentina doesn't want to talk to me right now. 'If you don't-' 'Adriano doesn't want kids and Leya just found out last night.'

Her eyes widen as she processes Leon's words, before she turns to me. 'You don't want kids?'

'I'm going to fucking kill you.' I quickly grab a knife and watch as North jumps off her chair. 'Adriano!'

I follow North through the kitchen with the knife, and when I finally catch her, I can tell Leonardo's tense as well.

'Ask another stupid question and I'll cut your throat.' I warn, pressing the knife against her neck.

She pinches her eyes shut and tilts her head back as far as she can, holding her breath as well.

Leonardo is convinced that I won't hurt his stupid girlfriend, but she's annoying the fuck out of me by asking stupid questions today more than ever.

But despite her fear, despite the knife against her throat, she asks, 'Since when don't you want kids?'

'When did I ever say I wanted kids?' I keep my eyes on Leonardo, watching as his eyes fill with anger the longer I keep my knife pressed against North's neck.

'You do know that she wants kids, right?' When I turn to North again, I notice that she opened her eyes. I do now...

After last night.

'Why don't you want kids?' I lower my knife in fear of actually hurting her and having to fight with everyone over it, but she's asking for it.

I warned her and she's still testing her limits.

'Do I need a reason?' I ask in return, hating that Leonardo isn't stopping her from asking questions again.

He's the only one who can reason with her.

'She wants kids Rio.' Fucking hell... 'I fucking know that now.' She nods and walks around me, keeping her distance before I decide to stab her a few times.

'Why don't you want kids?' North asks again while I slowly put the knife back into the holder. 'It's none of your fucking business.'

'Did you talk to her about it yet?' She continues as if I didn't say a thing. 'Cara, maybe you should-' 'She won't let me talk to her.' I answer as I walk over to the other side of the kitchen island.

'Have you tried?' I don't get why she's asking these dumb questions when the answer is clear.

'Neveah.' Leon warns, staring at her as if he's scared for her life if she continues. 'I'm just asking!'

'No, you're just being nosy.' She rolls her eyes at me before walking over to Leon.

Despite not wanting to involve anyone else, I feel like I'm doomed without some good advice. So I ask the most inevitable question ever.

'What do I do?' Leon's eyes widen a little, he's trying to hide the fact that he's surprised I'm asking for help with this shit, while all North does is look me dead in the eyes.

We stare at each other, both waiting for the other one to break and give in.

North wants to help Valentina and so do I, but sometimes she knows a better way to do it than I do.

'Talk to her.' Sometimes she does. Today she clearly doesn't.

'I tried that, but she doesn't want to talk to me.' I say, gritting my teeth while Leon glides a plate with toast and eggs my way. 'Give her some time to think, Adriano.'

'She had the entire night.' North smiles to herself before taking a bite. I take a bite myself, silently thanking Leon for the great food. 'Just be patient with her.'

I stare at my cousin, wondering how he does it with North because I would've lost my shit the moment she opened her fucking mouth. Just like I do now. Sometimes.

'Maybe when we're back from the meeting, she'll be ready to talk.' North's smile disappears and she drops her toast on her plate, before staring at us. 'I don't think you should go to that meeting.'

'Good thing I didn't ask for your opinion.' She takes a deep breath and looks at Leon, who nods, before turning back to me. 'You asked for advice and I'm giving you advice, don't go to that meeting.'

'Why not?' She stares at us as if we're both idiots, especially now that Leon's waiting for her to answer my question as well. 'Because you two need to talk it out.'

'Neveah, she doesn't want to talk to-' 'Not right now, but later. If you leave and she's ready to talk and you're not going to be here, you're going to get yourself in a more fucked up situation than you already are.' She counters, turning back to me, 'But you know, do whatever the fuck you want.'

'So what, you think I should barge in that room and force her to talk to me?'

'Signore, abbi pietà...' Leonardo mutters, before taking North's plate and placing it in the sink, 'Do not do that.'

'Just wait until she's ready.' Neveah says, getting on my nerves again.

I don't like waiting. I never have. And I usually don't wait.

I don't even know how long it will take for her to think about this all, but I'm not going to wait and sulk around the house until she does.

Especially if I have a meeting with the cops to attend to.

'I don't have time to wait, because we have a meeting to get to.' I get up from my chair and stare at Leon, waiting for him to head out with me, but he's staring at North.

'Leon.' He takes a deep breath and pulls her in his arms, acting as if they'll never see each other again.

My stomach drops and I have to walk out of the room in order to not throw up at the sight of them hugging. 'You two are disgusting.' I mutter as I make my way to the main hall again.

'Shut the fuck up!' North shouts, probably still holding onto Leon.

I stare at the second floor, debating if I should go up there and just tell her.

There's nothing and no one that's holding me back, but for some reason, I can't do it.

'Ready to go?' Leonardo pats my back, making me frown at him. I honestly thought he would take his time saying goodbye to North.

'Done already?' I ask as I reach for my phone. We have twenty minutes until we have to be at the meeting, so we should be good. 'Don't start with me, Adriano.'

He walks out through the door, heading towards the garage, while I quickly glance up the stairs to catch a glimpse of her.

'Maybe you need some time to think as well.' North says as she walks into the hall. 'Just tell her we'll be back later.'

She nods and heads up the stairs, probably going to see what's going on with Valentina, before I walk out the door.

Leon already drove the BMW out of the garage and gets out again. I stare at him as he walks around the car and gets in the passenger seat.

'What are you-' 'You need to clear your head.' He says right before shutting his door.

I roll my eyes and get in the car. 'I don't need to clear my head. Everything is fine.'

He shrugs and uses his phone to open the gate, before staring out the window. 'Whatever you say, Adriano.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' I ask as I focus on the road. 'You clearly are bothered by everything going on.'

'How can I not?' My future wife is angry at me because I don't want children and she won't let me explain why. What did he expect?

'Why didn't you tell her?' He asks, his tone a little gentler now. 'I thought it was clear.'

I told her I only wanted children if it was necessary, but so far it's not. I don't give a single fuck about the heir situation, since I don't plan on dying any time soon and there's always Leonardo who can have kids with North.

'She didn't act like she already knew, Adriano.'

I almost slam the breaks and leave him on the side of the road, almost, but it's no use. He might have a different perspective on whatever is going on with the cops, so I might need him.

'We're not having this conversation right now.' I state with a cold tone in my voice, not wanting to hear or think about any of it for a second.

Because why is it such a big deal?

Hearing Valentina talk about kids the way she did last night made my heart swell a lot more than I thought was possible, but it hurt so much at the same time.

I can't give her what she wants. At least not in that department. Because I don't want kids.

When we make it to the police station, I notice a lot of new recruits, and someone who should not be here at all.

Detective Parker Jones...

Leon greets everyone with a smile, while I simply nod and head to the front desk.

'Salve signore.' I nod my head in greeting and watch as Verismo takes us both in with a smile. 'Lavori ancora qui?' Leonardo asks.

I can't help but smile at it. He indeed has been working here for quite a while. 'Si signore.'

'Cosa sta succedendo?' I ask, not in the mood for any small conversation right now.

Verismo nods and lowers his voice when he says, 'Vuole parlare con te.' Right...

'Ok, dacci cinque minuti.' Leon says as we head to the first meeting room available.

It's a big room, partially made out of glass, with a big table in the middle.

'What the fuck does Parker Jones want with us?' He asks, making me frown at him.

I know he has been busy with North and all, but we kept him updated on everything going on.

'He's here because of the disappearances of some Englishmen.' I say as I head over to one of the chairs at the table. 'How many?'

'Ten dead, six in line.' He starts pacing around the room, making me wonder how much he actually knows about this.

'Didn't Marco inform you?' He stops in the middle of the room and turns to me. 'Marco has barely been out of his place ever since we arrived there.' So he's been busy with miss Norman...

'He's been asking the cops a bunch of questions about everything.' Is all I can say about this so far, because I don't know anything else.

'Fucking hell.' He mutters, right as someone knocks on the door, barely giving us a second to process anything, before opening the door and stepping in.

'Rafael and Leonardo Curzio, what a pleasure to meet you both.' Jones says with a thick British accent, 'I'm detective Parker Jones.'

Does he really think we're that stupid?

'The pleasure is ours, please, take a seat.' I say, pointing at the chair across from me.

Leon makes his way over to the chair next to me and takes a seat as well.

'I would love to thank you for your time, I've heard you two are busy men.' He says with a smile on his face. 'Flattery won't cut it, Jones.'

His eyes shoot to mine and I can't help but grin at the slight fear flashing through his eyes.

'What my cousin is trying to say,' Leon starts, putting a smile on his face, 'We are indeed very busy lately, and we know you're not here for small talk.'

Jones slowly turns back to me and nods. 'I have a few questions regarding the disappearances.'

'Enlighten me on the disappearance part.'

For a second, I can see Jones debate if I'm being serious right now, but since I'm waiting for him to explain, he decides the smile again.

'A lot of English citizens have been disappearing in Italy.' For a detective who took out the Falcon empire in the states, he's kind of bad at this.

Or he's just trying to make fools out of us.

'And you think it has something to do with us.' He shrugs at my statement, quickly glancing at Leon to catch one of us slipping. 'That's some wild accusations, don't you think?' Leon asks, raising a brow at the detective across from us.

'I'm not accusing you, I'm just asking questions.' Trying to get us to confess.

'It feels like you already have your mind made up, detective.' He turns back to me and frowns, 'You just want us to confess.'

'Only if you actually did make those people disappear.' He states, his tone a lot more serious than before.

He's done trying to make us like him.

'Why were they in Italy in the first place?' Leon asks.

Honestly, if I didn't know him yet, I would say he is genuinely oblivious and actually curious about what's going on.

But I can see straight through his facade.

We both know they were here to spy on us.

'They were just passing through.' Bullshit...

'And you're certain they disappeared in Italy?' I ask, making him turn back to me again. 'What do you mean?'

'Maybe they passed through like they were supposed to and ended up dead in wherever it is they were supposed to go.' Leon explains, making him turn back to him.

He's getting annoyed by the fact that we're both talking to him, but that's exactly how it usually goes.

'They disappeared in Italy, that's for sure.' He keeps using the word disappeared when we both know they're dead.

'We could help you find out who's behind it.' He nods and smiles at me, trying to flatter me with one of his fake smiles again. 'I would truly appreciate it.'

'The only condition is that you will return to England and let us handle it.'

He freezes for a second, for some reason having a hard time processing what I just said.

'But-' 'Oh and you guys need to stop sending people over to spy on us, because there's nothing to spy on right now.' Leon grins as we both watch Jones panic a little.

'We're not sending people over to spy on you, we would never-' I simply reach for my phone and he goes silent, afraid for his life. Good...

'How else could you possibly know we would be in Barletta out of all places.' I say, slowly placing my phone on the table.

'Lying will only make this worse for you, Jones.' He stares at my phone for a second, realizing that we just saw him break because I reached for my phone, and takes a deep breath.

'Just let them go.' He says, making me frown a little.

If he thinks they're going to make it out alive, he's insane.

They know too much. And I won't let them go back to England just to rat us out there. Especially since we don't have any report on Martin Steel yet.

'Please, just let them go.' Is he begging us to let them go?

'We don't-' 'I know you have her.' Her.

I notice a change in Leon's mood, just like every other time someone tries to get into our head.

'We have nothing to do with those disappearances, detective.' I expected so much more from him than just this.

'Just let Grace Welton go, please.' Grace Welton... 'She's pregnant.'

Last time I checked we didn't have a Grace Welton as a hostage. 'And how are you so certain we have her?'

'Who else has her?!' I can't tell if he's faking this shit or not, but he seems genuinely concerned about this lady.

'We will find out if you do as we ask.' Tears form in his eyes and he slumps down a little, as if he's genuinely exhausted by all of this.

'Okay, just- please... Find her.' Leon nods and we watch as he slowly gets up and heads to the door.

'Quick question, Jones.' He stops at the door and slowly turns around to face us again, 'How many people are we talking about here?'

'Eighteen, but you already knew that.' Eighteen... Fuck.

We only have sixteen people down at the store, which means that they're still two more rats walking around.

'Take care, Parker Jones.' Leonardo chimes as he walks over to the door, making sure to keep his eyes on the detective leaving the building.

I sigh deeply and go through my phone, ready to text Vincenzo to find the other two, while Leonardo starts pacing around again.

'You said there were only sixteen.' I nod and send that text to Enzo, before turning back to my cousin. 'There's two I didn't know about.'

'Do you think it's Martin who's sending them in?'

At first, I didn't think it was him because I heard he's barely holding on by a thread in the hospital, but since my guys keep ending up dead whenever they enter the United Kingdom, I am thinking that it is him.

'I think so.' I say as I get out of my chair as well, 'I texted Enzo and told him to find them, maybe you could ask Cecilia if she could help as well?'

Cecilia has always enjoyed finding rats for us, and she's good at it too.

Leon grabs his phone and makes the call right away, all while we head to the car.

After making sure that everything is set, he hangs up the phone and looks at me. 'Back to the house?'

We should go back to the house. That way I can finally see if Valentina is out of that stupid bedroom already, and we could finally talk.

But I need a couple of drinks first.

'We're going to Ritollo first.' Leon shakes his head, but I start the car and race off. 'We're not going to Rito, you should-'

'If you say, talk to Cataleya, I'm kicking you out of this car.'

He sighs deeply, muttering something like, dear God, before turning back to me. 'Do you really think this is a good idea?'

'We haven't been to Rito in a while so I don't see why not?'

Before all this drama, before all this talking and all these problems, we used to go to Ritollo almost every week.

It's a bar that has worked with us for over five generations.

Ritollo has even seen the times when the Steels and Curzio's used to be allies in this world.

Unlike now.

'Adriano, I really don't think you should drink right now.' Leon says as I park the car and open the door. 'Why not? It might help me with whatever it is that's going to happen when we get to the house.'

'You're an idiot.' He says, laughing as he walks after me.

We enter the bar and take a seat at one of the tables.

As usual, the girls working here start drooling. I can't help but cringe at their desperation.

'Are they usually like this?' I ask when the girl takes our orders and head to the bar. 'You're usually one who's already trying to find a girl to take home with.'

I stare him dead in the eyes and wonder if he's telling the truth or not. 'I'm not that desperate.'

'I never said you were desperate, but you used to sleep around with every girl that ever crossed your path.' He jokes, making me cringe even more. I don't know why, but it feels wrong.

Especially now that I have Valentina.

If I even have her after what happened...

'Ecco qui.' Our waitress chimes, batting her lashes at us, as she places our drinks on the table.

I gulp down the drink and let it settle in my body, the burn going down my throat.

'You really changed for the better after meeting Leya, haven't you?' He asks, making me frown at him. 'So just because I'm not sleeping around, I've changed?'

'It's not just that and you know it too.' I hate to admit it, but I did change. And I'm not sure if it's a good thing I did, because it's nothing like I'm used to.

'Do you think we'll turn out like our parents?' I don't know why I'm asking Leonardo this question in the middle of the day, but I need to know.

'I don't know.' He answers honestly, not even bothered by my question at all, 'I hope we do in some aspects.'

'And what aspects might that be?' I ask as the girl places another glass on our table. I gulp it all down again, needing a lot more alcohol if we're having this conversation.

'Love.' I wait for him to continue, but he just starts looking around.

As if that four-letter word is enough for me to understand what the fuck he's trying to say.

'You have to elaborate that one, fratello.' He smiles as he turns back to me and clings his glass against mine.

He ordered a simple sprite instead, and slowly takes a sip, while I finish another glass of whiskey.

'I hope we love just as hard as they did.' I take in his words and place my glass on the table, wondering if we should or not.

Because even after everything, there's one thing I can be sure of.

Our dads loved our mothers. Even so that they would give everything for the other one. Especially with Lorenzo and Maria, they were perfect.

'Did you hear what happened to Alessio by the way?' Fucking hell... 'I don't give a shit.' I grunt as I wait for the girl to bring me another glass.

'Adriano, his girlfriend got into a car crash and he's slowly losing it.' Right...

I heard something about Zahra Nazari's death, but I didn't expect Alessio to give a fuck.

In my eyes, he's still the same selfish piece of shit he's always been. He doesn't give a fuck about anyone or anything else, as long as it doesn't involve him.

'I don't care, Leonardo.' He sighs and finishes his glass, before getting off his seat. 'We should probably head back.'

I quickly finish my glass and place it on the table, allowing the alcohol to take me through the next couple of hours. 'You drive.'

Leon pays for the drinks, before he helps me to the car and drives us back to the house.

I stay in the car and stare at my house in front of me, for some reason fearing for my life.

As if it will kill me to go in there.

'You want to hang a bit?' Leon asks, probably sensing my fear, but I shake my head.

If I'm going to do this, I have to do it now.

So I get out of the car and stumble up the steps. 'I'll talk to you tomorrow!'

It's getting kind of dark and I don't expect to see him for the rest of the day.

As soon as I'm in the house, something heavy weighs me down, and I'm pinned to the floor.

'Rafael?' I turn to the soft voice that's calling my name, and force my body to move towards it, 'You're finally back.' She says as she looks down at me.

She's standing at the top of the stairs and keeps her eyes on me. 'I am.'

I make my way up the stairs quicker than I expected, but slower than I should.

Because I just want to touch her. I want to be close to her, I want to fuck her until she begs me to stop, until I have felt every inch of her again, but we need to talk first.

She leads the way to the bedroom, not even bothering to see if I'm following her, because she knows I would.

'I'm sorry.' I mumble as she opens the door for me. 'It's okay.'

I shake my head and walk over to her, closing the gap between us as I pull her into my arms. 'It's not, I'm sorry.'

My heart is racing but in the best way possible.

She's not angry anymore, but she's still hurting.

'I thought it was clear, but it wasn't and I'm sorry.' She tries to pry out of my arms, and look into my eyes. 'I just don't get why you let me talk about kids if you didn't want them in the first place.'

'Because I want you to be happy.' I stumble forward, desperately wanting to hold her in my arms again.

'How much did you have to drink?' She asks as she helps me to the bed. I'm able to walk just fine, but I just want to be close to her. 'Just a couple of glasses.'

She walks over to the closet and goes in while I wait for her on the edge of the bed, trying to find the right words. 'How did the meeting go?'

'I don't want to talk about that stupid meeting, Valentina.' It just feels stupid, a waste of time. 'What do you want to talk about then?'

She walks back into the bedroom with some trousers, and she throws them at me. 'What happened.'

She freezes on the spot and keeps her eyes on mine, wondering what's going through my head just as much as I do with her right now.

Because she's unreadable.

I quickly change into the clothes she gave me and watch as she keeps her eye on my every move.

'I... Valentina, I-' I can't form a sentence, I can't find the right words when it comes to this shit. Again.

'Rio, you don't have to-' 'I care about you, Valentina.' I get up from the bed and walk over to her, taking just two big steps to be near her again. 'I care about you a lot.'

'I know you do.' She says, a faint smile playing on those luscious lips of hers, 'You killed a bunch of people to prove it.'

'No, I mean- yes. But, I care about you.' I say, hoping, no, praying that she gets what I'm trying to say here. 'I care about you too.' She says as I take her hand in mine, feeling something warm rush through my whole body again.

'I care about you, but not like I care about Leon or Celine or the Barsetti's or even North.' I mumble as I lean down a bit, almost brushing my lips against hers.

It's like I'm trying to torture myself. 'I care about you a lot, Valentina.'

The smile on her lips turns bigger and brighter, making my heart swell again. 'You love me?' She asks, cautiously waiting for me to react.

I should say it, but somehow I can't, so instead, I nod, hoping that it's enough for now. Even though she deserves so much more than a simple nod.

I didn't think her smile could get any bigger as she wraps her arms around me and hugs me tightly, right before she pulls me over to the bed.

'I love you too, Rafael.' Her words warm every cell in my body again, melting away the heaviness that I felt earlier.

I wrap my arms around her waist and place my head on her stomach, feeling her soft and perfect skin against my cheek.

I could lay like this for the rest of my life and die peacefully, but there's so much more I could do to her to make her feel like she's in heaven.

'I need you more than I want you.' It's the few glasses I had that allow me to talk to her like this, 'I don't want to hurt you, Valentina.'

'You're not hurting me, Rio.' She says, brushing her hand through my hair.

I can't help but nestle into her chest, enjoying her hand going through my hair as I take a deep breath.

'I hurt you with my words.' I try to look up, but my head feels too heavy, 'I didn't mean to.'

'I know, I just didn't see it coming.' She says, sounding a little uncertain herself. 'Why don't you want kids?'

Her question stings a little, but I know she needs a reason for all of this.

'I'm going to be like Luciano.' Her hand stops moving but I still feel her hand in my hair, and I tilt my head a little. 'I'm already turning into him on every other aspect, and I don't want to act like him with kids.'

'You're not like your father, Rafael.'

'Please don't call him that.' I state, making her look into my eyes again, 'He's not my father.'

I don't want to be hard on her about it, but he's not my father.

He might be my father by blood, but he's not my father by choice.

'You're nothing like him, Rafael.' She says instead, her hand slowly circling my head again. 'I know you won't be like him if we ever have kids.'

'We should get married first.' I mumble as I slowly drag myself up so that my head is on her chest. 'Why?' 'Because marriage and then kids.'

She chuckles, her chest vibrating as she does, and lifts my head up a little, 'There's a lot of things we did before marrying, Rafael.'

Oh yes, we did...

'But I agree, we should probably wait until after the wedding.' She continues to rub my hair and it's making me a bit sleepy. 'I'll have kids with you if you want them, Valentina.' I say as I slowly close my eyes.

'No.' She says, making me look at her again. Fuck I want to fuck her right now, 'If we only have kids because I want them, you'll hate us in the end.'

'I could never hate you.' We've been telling each other we hate each other more than once, but I never hated her. I could never hate her. 'We're not having kids if I'm the only one who wants them.'

She'll turn out hating me if I won't let her have kids, and that's the last thing I want right now.

'Why not?' I ask as I nestle in her chest again. 'Because it's not fair to you.'

'I want you to be happy, Valentina.' She leans down and kisses my head, giving me a hard time containing the smile creeping up my face. 'I'm happy with you.' Fuck...

I wonder where she gets the courage from, because she's not even drunk.

I wish I had her courage to talk about shit like this.

'Convince me to have kids with you.' I whisper as I look up at her. A playful smile plays on those delicious lips of hers, and I can't help but want to taste them again. 'I don't want us to have kids just because I want them, I want us to have kids because we both want them.'

'So make me want to have kids, Valentina.' I can see the determination in her eyes and fear it a little.

She's going to give it her all to convince me to have kids with her and I secretly pray to God that she fails, because I don't want kids.

But at the same time, I know I'll give her all she wants.

Because I love her...

'I want to show you that you're not like Luciano and that you will be a great father.' She whispers right before kissing me on the lips. I fight the urge to rip off her clothes and make her feel how much I want her right now, and enjoy the kiss she's granting me. 'I just know it.' Fuck.

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A/N: IT WILL BE LEYA'S MISSION TO MAKE HIM WANT KIDSSSSS

Any names? Boy and girl?

I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCHHHHH!!! AAHHHH!!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment! It keeps me goingggg!!

I'm also sorry that this chapter is kinda short, I barely had time to write this week but I'll make it up to you guys soon!!

I'll see you guys in the next chapter!! HAVE AN AMAZING DAY/NIGHT MY LOVES <3