{TRIGGER WARNING! EXPLICIT CONTENT! DO NOT READ IF YOU CAN'T HANDLE IT, THANK YOU! Otherwise, enjoy!}



'So do you need anything else? Like any other information?' I ask as I walk through the hall, heading back to my office.

'No, I have to wait for the hospital to send her files over and I'm set.' Morales answers with an optimistic tone. 'Okay good, then we'll see you in a few days.'

I hang up the phone and open the door, watching as Valentina is seated in my chair, behind my desk.

Her lips curl up just a little as she keeps her eyes on me. 'What are you doing in here?'

'I wanted to see what you were doing,' She starts, leaning back a little, 'and when I got here, it was empty.'

'I had some stuff in town and a phone call to make, but how was the hospital?'

She sighs deeply and I can tell that something's bothering her at the thought of it.

'They took some blood and talked about a lot of shit that didn't matter at all.' She says as I move over to her, watching as her tiny body barely fills half of my chair, 'They basically told us to give her some pills and make sure she rests a lot.'

'That's not a bad thing.' She shakes her head and takes a shaky breath, fear forming in her eyes. 'It's not good either.'

So far, Ariana has been doing good. She's tired a lot, but that's it. She still eats, she doesn't throw up, and she doesn't get dizzy.

She's just tired.

'What do you mean?' I ask as I move to her side of the desk, leaning against it as she turns the chair a little.

'It feels like they're trying to prepare her for death instead of actually helping her.' Her legs brush against mine and I can't help but want to touch her soft skin again, 'And I might be overreacting, but I just- I don't know...'

'We have that appointment with Morales after the wedding.' I say, trying to calm her down even though it's probably impossible.

'I know, but I'm just worried that she won't be able to do anything either.' She continues to mumble, taking my hand in hers.

'We just have to wait and find out.' I say as I stare at our hands, wondering how I can make her feel less stressed.

She nods and closes her eyes, leaning her head back as she takes a deep breath.

Unable to take my eyes off of her, I wonder what's going through her head. It's much more than just this.

'At what time are you leaving?' She asks, keeping her eyes closed. 'Leonardo said he was coming to get me as soon as he wants to leave, but that shouldn't be until early tomorrow morning.'

'What are you going to do exactly?' I smile a little, wondering if she's thinking the worst already. 'I don't know what he has in mind, what about you?'

'Neveah said it's a surprise, so I have no clue either.' North...

'This is our last night together as a couple, isn't it?' She asks as she finally opens her eyes and turns her head back to me.

I nod and watch as she gets up from the chair, following her to the door.

'Tonight the last night you will be a Velez.' She leans closer and looks up at me, 'And you still need to get that punishment.'

Her eyes widen for a second and she freezes on the spot, but I can see the excitement in her eyes.

She wants to be punished.

And it might get her out of her head for now.

'Come with me.' I take her hand and lead the way to the red room, feeling her soft hand in mine. 'Rio, I don't think-' 'Don't lie to me.'

She wants this, I can tell she does. She just doesn't want to admit it because of everything going on with her mother.

'You need this.'

'Not as much as you do apparently.' I stop and feel her clash against my back before I slowly turn around to face her.

We're already down the stairs, standing in the dark hall leading to where I want her to be.

'What did you just say?' I ask, knowing what she said.

I just want to see if she's brave enough to say it again.

Something sparks through her eyes and I can't help but enjoy the heat rushing down my spine because of it. 'You heard me.'

I fight the smile creeping up my face and pull her with me instead, trying to nudge her towards the room.

She walks into the room and takes a seat on the edge of the bed, her face towards me, and smiles. 'What now?'

'Do you really want to know?' She nods at my question and I watch as her lips part a little.

I lean down, putting my knee on the bed, and watch as she leans back as far as possible.

Her eyes are pinned to my hand as I slowly lift it to the hem of her shirt.

I take off her shirt, revealing her black seethrough bra.

Her breasts are pressed together and I want to release them. I want to touch them, kiss them, to make her feel good.

I hook my fingers around the edge of her jeans, slowly pulling them down as I feel her warm skin on my fingers.

'Turn around.' I say as I pull her jeans all the way down until it's at her ankles. She slowly flips around, trying to kick off her jeans as she lays flat on her stomach. 'On your knees.'

She bends her knees, pushing herself up just a little.

I walk to the nightstand and take out the rope hidden in one of the drawers, before moving closer to tie her wrists to the headboard of the bed.

'Do you really have to tie me up?' She asks, looking up at me as I make sure she's tied up the right way. 'Don't act like you don't like it.'

Her eyes widen for a split second and I notice her cheeks turning a little red.

She should be able to turn around if she wanted to, especially if it gets too much.

Twenty-one strikes...

'Count with me.' She nods her head and presses her chest onto the mattress below her, her back arching perfectly. 'Every time you tremble or hesitate, I'll restart.'

I watch as she grips the rope attached to the headboard, her knuckles turning lighter. 'Understood?'

'Yes.' She breathes, bracing herself for her punishment.

I know she was waiting for me to punish her. She has been waiting ever since, but it never felt right.

I remove my belt from my waist and fold it to the right length, before watching her body in front of me.

Perfection.

I pull my hand back and listen to the leather slashing her skin, watching as she jerks at the sudden pain rushing through her.

'Count.' I state, waiting for her to say something, but she doesn't. 'Valentina.'

'One.' She says as she slowly loosens her grip on the rope. I strike again, watching as her hands grip the rope tighter at the strike of my belt. 'Two.'

I strike again, watching as the leather slashes against her skin, and listen to her whimper. 'Three.'

She almost trembled, she almost messed up.

But she takes a deep breath and readies herself for the next. 'Four.'

Her ass starts turning pink and I wonder if she'll have bruises once I'm done with her.

She had those once... When I started teaching her about all of this, she had bruises once. And God do I want her to be marked again.

Not that anyone would see. It would just be me.

She would be marked for only me to see, marked as mine and no one else's.

I strike again, watching as her whole body jerks forward again. 'Five.'

'Don't move.' I say, pulling her body back a little.

I watch as her knees tremble just a little, wondering if she'll hold. 'If you fall, I'll restart as well.'

'Please,' She pulls herself up by pulling on the rope and looks back at me, 'Just finish me.'

Oh... I will...

I strike again and watch as she bites her lip at the pain, 'Six.'

Every strike makes her body jerk a little and I can tell that she's fighting the urge to collapse and cave in.

'Fuck.' She mumbles when my belt hits her ass for the nineteenth time. Almost...

I move my arm back to strike again, but stop when I see her ass. Her cheeks are red and seem to be burning on the inside. Should I stop?

'Keep going.' She grunts as she pulls herself up and notices that I'm staring at what I did. 'Two more.'

I can't help but feel pride wash over me as I strike again and she just takes it.

My woman handles this shit the best she can. And she doesn't fucking back down.

'Twenty.' She grits out, probably ripping the sheets she's trying to hold onto instead.

I strike again and watch as my belt marks her skin, leaving a red line across her cheeks. 'Twenty-one.'

She stays on her knees for two more seconds, before dropping down on the bed, burying her face into the pillows underneath her.

I let go of the belt and listen to it drop on the floor, before climbing on the bed and untying her from the bedframe.

'Are you okay?' I ask as I hover my hand over the bruises, waiting for her to say something. 'Mhm.'

I slowly lower my hand on the marks and hear her trying to keep in her groans.

Her skin burns against the palm of my hand and can't help but feel something warm rush through my entire body.

'Spread your legs for me.' She struggles to do as I say and looks over her shoulder. 'You're not done with me yet?'

'I'll never be done with you.'

She smiles as I spread her legs a bit further apart and tries to get back on her knees.

I pull my pants down and kick them to the side of the room, before climbing back on the bed.

She's still spread out in front of me, her body a sight that I'll never get tired of, and I can't help but like the fact that she's not tapping out yet.

I push myself inside of her, watching as she squirms underneath me, and inhale slowly.

I will never get enough of this.

Her hands grasp for the sheets and I watch as her knuckles slowly turn white as I ease myself in and out of her.

She wants me to go fast, she wants me to ruin her even more, and my mind is telling me to give in to what she wants, but at the same time I know that she's tired.

And I don't want her to pass out.

'Rafael.' She moans as I pull her a bit closer. 'Mhm?' I ask as I fight the urge to just take her like I always do. 'Please, go faster.'

I shake my head and grab the back of her neck, before pulling her even closer.

I want to feel her body collide with mine, I want to make her feel every inch of me, to give her pleasure like never before.

'Shit.' She mutters as I lean over and stroke her clit.

I take my time, feeling every inch of her just like she can feel every inch of me, leaving kisses on her warm and soft skin so that my lips will never forget this moment, all while she moans for me.

The familiar knot starts forming in my stomach and I fight the urge to fasten my pace, marking her neck as my own.

I keep thrusting myself in and out of her and enjoy those beautiful sounds coming out of her.

'Rio-' 'Come for me, baby.' She doesn't hesitate, not even after the slow pace I kept up, and neither do I.

I push myself deep inside of her and explode, the world going blank for at least five seconds, before I get off her and watch as her legs tremble from her orgasm.

'Tell me what you're thinking?' I need to know what's going through her mind.

She stays silent for a long time and tries to roll over, but stays put when she realizes it's too much for her.

I lay down next to her and let my fingers trail down her soft skin.

'I'm wondering how I'm going to sit down tomorrow.' She sounds muffled because she's still pressing her face into the pillows.

'You will be able to sit just fine.' I chuckle as I pull her a bit closer.

'Did Neveah say anything about what you guys are going to do tomorrow?'

She shakes her head as she presses her face against my chest. 'She said it was a surprise.' Surprise...

'Has Leon said anything about your day?' I chuckle and watch as she tries to look up at me. 'He only told me that I'm not allowed to see you as soon as they come and get me.'

She frowns and snorts when she notices the confusion on my face. 'Neveah said the same thing.'

They'll have to plan the best day ever for me not to go back to her, and even then I doubt it will be enough to keep me from going back to her.

'Do we really have to do this?' I ask as everything settles in.

We won't see each other tomorrow, or so they say, and I honestly don't see the point. I just want to get married and skip the whole party.

'What do you mean?'

'We don't have to do the whole bachelor and bachelorette party, do we?' She chuckles and slowly starts rubbing my chest.

She's tired.

'It's part of the wedding experience and you only get married once, right?' I nod and watch her hand as she continues to draw circles on my skin.

Yes. I will only get married once, because I'll only give my heart to one person and that person is laying on top of me, gently rubbing my chest as she dozes off to sleep.

She's the only girl that has ever played my heart in the best way possible.

She's the best player to have ever played with my heart, the only player I'll give my messed-up heart to.

I mean, I would've never in a million years thought about marrying someone if I hadn't met her.

But without trying she compelled me, she took every part of me and made me need her more than air.

After watching her sleep for what feels like forever, but less than three seconds at the same time, I get out of bed and head down the stairs to see who's down there.

Because I heard the front door open not so long ago.

'Yes- of course, I need it by tomorrow morning though?' I can hear North from the foyer and walk towards the kitchen, where she's putting something in the fridge, with her phone between her shoulder and her ear, 'Yes! Amazing, thank you so much! I will be there at six tomorrow morning, thank you!'

She hangs up the phone and moves all around the room, making sure everything is set for whatever it is she's planning on doing tomorrow.

'What are you doing?' North almost drops whatever it is she's holding, before turning around to face me. 'Are you trying to kill me?'

'It's a promise I made, remember?' I joke as I stumble towards the counter to look at everything she's trying to hide now that I'm here. 'Oh shut up.'

'Where are you taking her?' I ask, watching as North struggles to drag two bags towards the hall.

I try peeking at what's inside, but all I see are bowls and a bunch of confetti cannons. What the-

'I am not telling you.' She says, quickly putting away the stuff and walking back to the kitchen. 'You are going to tell me where you're taking her.'

'So you can follow us and break the wedding rule, no thank you.' She states as she takes a seat on one of the chairs and goes through a list on her phone, 'Plus, can we please have a moment with each other before you take her away on your honeymoon.'

We were uncertain about even going on a honeymoon at all, but somehow Brandon and Isabelle convinced her into going away for a while.

It means there will be a lot of responsibilities for Leon and Marco, but I know they'll deal with it.

'You guys have enough time after we return,' Her mood drops and she looks up from her phone, 'Oh wait, you're leaving.'

She rolls her eyes and tries to focus back on her phone, and I should probably let her be, but I'm enjoying this too much.

'What, you are leaving right?' I ask, watching as she fights the urge to throw her phone at me. 'I am.' Yeah right...

I know everyone's convinced she's leaving, she even explained where they're going to Valentina, who told me all about it, but I'm having a hard time believing that she's actually leaving.

And if it wasn't for Valentina or Leonardo, I honestly couldn't care less.

But everything will be different if she does actually leaves.

I just feel like she'll change her mind at the wedding or an hour before their departure.

'We'll see about that.' She continues to scroll through her phone and smiles a little. 'If this is your way of making me stay, it's not really working.'

'Why would I want you to stay in the first place?' I ask, curious as to how anything I said made her think that. 'Because you're going to miss me.'

I can't help but chuckle at her statement and walk over to the fridge to grab something to drink. 'You're delusional.'

'Just admit that you might miss me and I might change my mind.'

'I honestly don't care what you do as long as you don't hurt anyone in the process.' I know Leon might go and sulk about it for a while, but I have no idea how it will affect Valentina.

North is her best friend and they've been together forever.

She's going to have a hard time adjusting and I just hope she won't hurt because of it.

'I won't hurt Leya, I promise.' She chimes as she places her phone on the table. 'I'm not just talking about her.'

She stops breathing and looks right at me, trying to figure out if I actually just said that or if she just imagined it.

'He broke up with me, and he seems fine with it.' God...

Sometimes I seriously wonder if she's blind.

Sure, he acts all though when she's around, but even an idiot knows that's a facade.

'Are you?' She frowns and looks me up and down, before smiling a little. 'Since when do you care?'

'Since we're friends.' Her smile widens and I can already spot the tears forming in her eyes. 'Don't fucking cry because I said we're friends, god-'

She wipes her face and shakes her head, before grabbing her phone and acting as if nothing happened.

'I'm not, it's just- Onions?' Onions? 'We're in the kitchen after all.' She says as she climbs out of her seat and moves around the kitchen.

'Right... What are you doing here?' She takes a deep breath and grabs a water bottle from the stash. 'What do you mean?'

'It's past midnight and you're at my house.' She takes a big sip of the bottle, before turning back to me. 'It's Leya's house too and you know why.'

The front door opens and she freezes on the spot, her eyes meeting mine. 'Is that-'

'Adriano you have to get your ass out of th-' Leon goes silent as soon as he notices North standing on the other side of the kitchen.

'What's going on in here?' He asks curiously. I roll my eyes and watch as he tries to move closer to the counter, not once looking at North at all.

'None of your business-''We were just talking.' North answers instead, keeping her eyes on him the entire time.

He wants to look at her, I can tell, but he won't allow himself to do it. Because he knows he'll fall for her if he does.

And as he said over fifteen times already, he doesn't want to fall for her if she wants to leave.

'Since when do you two talk?' He asks, still not looking at her.

Whenever Marco or Vincent brought up North, he would interrogate them like a maniac, wondering if she sent them to talk to him, but this is the first time I kind of talked to North about her leaving.

'Just grow up already.' He chuckles and looks me dead in the eye, slowly going insane at the fact that he can't look at her. 'What are you talking about?'

'You know what I'm talking about.'

He shakes his head and takes a step closer, while Neveah clears her throat and takes a step around him to get to the door.

'North.' She freezes on the spot and slowly turns around, her eyes lingering at Leon for a while, before turning to me, 'The others will miss you too, you know.'

I catch a glimpse of Leon and notice him finally looking at her.

But he's not just looking.

He's drowning. Driving himself completely mad by ignoring her.

'I know.' She says as she takes a deep breath and walks out through the door, leaving me with a stunned Leon.

'You're an idiot.' I mumble as I go to grab a water bottle as well. 'What did you guys talk about?'

'None of your business,' I repeat right before taking a sip, 'What are you doing here?'

He blinks a few times and tries to act like I didn't just ask him a question.

'I'm here to get you for our trip.' Trip?

I have no clue what he planned for the next twenty-four hours, but I didn't expect us to travel far.

'Where are we going?' He sighs deeply and looks me up and down. 'Are you ready?'

'Answer the question.' His lips slowly curl up into a grin and I can already feel his annoyance through his eyes.

'I'll answer your question if you answer mine, what did you guys talk about?'

I hear footsteps coming from the foyer and look over Leon's shoulder, right at Marco.

'Where are you guys taking me?' Marco looks between Leon and me, wondering what got us so tense, but I need him to answer my question.

'You haven't told him yet?' He asks a little confused as he moves over to the table and takes a seat. 'He doesn't want to tell me what he talked about with Veah.'

'So?' I point at Marco, to prove a point, and hear Leon grunt softly. 'So? I want to know what they talked about.'

'It's none of your fucking business. Now if you'll excuse me, I want to go sleep next to my fiance and-' Leon grabs my arm and looks at Marco, who walks over to my right side and grabs my other arm, before they both start walking, basically dragging me into the hall.

I easily push them off and listen to them complain about me being deviant, even though I asked them where they're taking me without getting any answer whatsoever.

'Just get in the car so we can go, please Adriano.' He is already getting on my nerves and I wonder if I'm going to survive the entire day with him, but I follow them out of the house and close the door behind me.

Leon's Mercedes is parked in front of the house, looking good as the sun is about to come up again.

'Why at five in the morning?' I ask as I open the passenger seat, but Leon shakes his head and points at the backseat instead.

'Because he has a lot planned for today.' Marco answers as he slips into the passenger seat and closes the door.

'I'm not sitting in the back.' I state, ready to fight Leon for the driver's seat. 'You don't know where we're going, so just go sit in the back.'

'You woke me up to sit in the backseat?'

'Technically, we didn't wake you up.' Marco answers while opening the window even more.

I want to strangle him to death. The same goes for Leon. Fucking hell...

'Just get in.' Leon says as he slams the door when he gets in.

I decide to let it slide for this time, because they probably need me to get somewhere for today, and get in the car, glaring holes into the back of their head as they stare ahead.

'Okay, so first we're going to drive for a couple of hours, but I'm giving you a heads-up. It might be...' Leon thinks about his words for a few seconds, slowly driving away, 'a difficult subject.'

'What are you talking about?' I ask when he slams the gas, racing further and further away from the house. 'You'll see.' Marco chimes mysteriously.

'Remind me to never let you guys surprise me again.'

They chuckle and turn up the music, enjoying the view as it changes from green lands and long fields to cities, and back to green again.

After driving for what feels like forever, I look at my phone to check if I got a text from Valentina.

'No phone, you're not supposed to talk to her.' Leon sneers as he stares at me through the rearview mirror.

'I'm not supposed to see her, I can talk to her if I want.'

'See. Talk. It's all the same thing. No little one for you tonight.' Leon continues, making me roll my eyes.

I don't have to listen to him at all, but I do because I know he won't drop it until I do.

I look out of the window and sigh deeply as we race past some trees.

Trees that are slowly turning into ones I'll never be able to forget.

'What are we doing here?' I ask, feeling Leon's eyes on me through the rearview mirror. 'If you want me to turn around, say the word.'

'No.' I answer as I keep my eyes on the gate surrounding the place we're probably going to. 'Are you sure?'

'Yes.' I swallow the lump down my throat and take a deep breath as the car stops, forcing myself to bite through this.

It's not like I haven't been here last week to see the damage done caused by some reckless teens who started a fire in the neighborhood.

'I hope it's still intact.' Marco chimes, smiling at me. But it's more a pitiful smile than a genuine one.

'This is your big idea?' I ask as he drives up the driveway. 'I just wanted to go over some memories, so yes.'

I force myself to look ahead, instead of out of the window. Because I need to prepare myself to look at the house.

'Adriano, if you don't want to go, we won't.'

I shake my head and look at my cousin, who's still looking at me.

He's probably wondering if I'm ready to go in there again, but he doesn't know I went up here last week to see the damage.

It hurt like hell, as if part of me got burned as well, and god did I want to kill those idiots.

Leon really had to stop me from torturing and making them bleed to death, but they got what they deserved I guess.

'I haven't been here in years.' Marco chimes as he gets out of the car and walks around the car.

I can see him from the corner of my eyes, wondering if I should be doing this again.

Last week I lost it and I killed the guys we needed to interrogate because of someone spying on us, simply because I went by this place.

'Are you ready?' Leon asks, looking over his shoulder to see if I'm okay. 'Stop acting like an idiot and get out.'

I open the door and get out, staring at the house in front of us. It's smaller than a lot of the houses we own, but it is one of the most memorable ones we have.

Our first words, our first steps, and most of our first bruises were made in this house.

This was the house we grew up in. This one and Barletta.

Those two were the places we grew up, where we were formed.

The white walls, sandy red-tiled roof, and bright blue windowsills don't match at all, but it just reminds me of the way it used to be.

'The fire didn't ruin that much.' Leon says as he takes in the burned part of the house.

The damage is indeed nothing too bad, it can be restored, but still. I want to kill those idiots for even thinking about destroying this house.

'It looks fine, a bit newer than the other parts, but fine.' Marco chimes as he gives me a little nudge. 'What do you think?'

'I told them to make it less noticeable, but I guess you can't really duplicate the mess we made.' You can see a slightly different shade of paint on the walls, but I guess it's fine like this.

'You came by here before?' I nod at Leon's question and notice him frown, 'When?'

'When I killed those guys.' He rolls his eyes and turns back to the house, taking a deep breath, before he starts walking.

'And you're the one who told us we needed their answers.'

Marco chuckles and walks after him, leaving me outside for just a second longer.

Because I need to prepare myself for the rest of this.

I follow them inside and look at the new floor in the small foyer. The rug, the chandelier, the little table in the corner, and the curtains are all new.

The fire didn't destroy the first painting ever made, and I'm glad it didn't.

We all kiss our hand and press it against the small handprints on the wall, taking it all in as a bunch of different colored prints are all over the canvas.

Small hands, those of children who had no clue what was going on, and their parents who tried their best to make them believe nothing was wrong.

'We should come here more often.' Marco chimes as he looks around the new foyer.

'It's not big enough,' Leon snorts and shakes his head, 'We need at least four more rooms.'

'Norman, North, and Vince are leaving.' I state, knowing that we'll still need another room.

I notice Leon tense for a second and can't help but roll my eyes at it, before looking up the stairs.

The house is empty and completely silent, nothing like it used to be.

There used to be people talking every minute of the day, music playing in the kitchen, children running around the house and the grounds surrounding it, and cars rolling up around dinnertime every day.

'I forgot this was hanging here.' I turn to Marco's voice and notice him walking into the living room.

Leon and I follow behind, taking in everything that we haven't seen in such a long time.

At least not like this.

Because the last time I was here, I was trying to get out as quickly as possible.

But now... Now we're here to... I don't even know why we're here.

'We should visit this place more often though.' Leon says as he takes a look around.

The couch, the rugs, the table, the paintings, the bright colors, and the stains we were never able to get out are all still here.

And it looks exactly the same.

As if we could just go and play like the idiots we were.

But it feels wrong. It feels like we're too dirty to even be in here.

Like we rolled in the fields and weren't allowed to touch or do anything before we take a shower, just like it used to be.

But these stains won't come off.

We're too fucked up now.

'I wanted to take her here.' I state as I look around the room, my throat closing in on me.

'Why didn't you?' Leon asks as he stares at the old family painting on the wall. 'She's busy with work.'

'Work you gave her.' Marco chimes as he glides his hand over the couch. 'She's working for you again?'

'She wanted to keep herself busy and I needed to focus on other stuff.' I say as I stare at the painting as well.

Luciano Curzio, the man that was nothing to me if it wasn't for my mother.

She looks... happy... and alive. Something I didn't look at when she was here.

She's glowing, making Luciano seem like a whole different person than he used to be.

And my uncle and aunt... God...

'Anche a me mancano.' Leon says as he steps over to me, still facing the painting.

We were barely able to sit when these paintings were made, but we looked so innocent.

Now I know a baby doesn't look the exact same when they're all grown up, but I don't even remember looking that innocent.

So fragile and blind.

We look like we needed to be protected by a shield but instead, we got thrown into this mess and now we have to live with it.

'You should still take Leya here.' Marco says as he makes his way over to us as well, 'She'll love it here.'

'Maybe.' I say as I take a deep breath and take it all in.

'You should. That way you can tell her how we basically locked ourselves outside for the entire day because we didn't listen to your mom when she said that the handle didn't work.'

Marco snorts and looks over at me and Leon. 'Or when Leon opened the door and gave you a bloody nose because he didn't know you were waiting on the other side.'

I roll my eyes, unable to keep my laughter in as I remember all those things happening.

Good memories.

The ones I do want to remember this house by.

Not the ones I don't.

The ones where I sneaked down the stairs to watch my mother on the floor, laying in a pool of her own blood.

I remember her barely wearing anything, her clothes slashed by knife and bullet wounds.

And then- Fuck no.

It feels like I'm back in that moment, as if everything is closing in on me again, as if I'm slowly losing my mind again.

'Adriano?' Leon's touch startles me and catches my full attention, but I feel like I can't breathe.

'I can't- breathe.' I choke, trying to calm my mind from spiraling. 'Fuck-' 'Come on.'

Marco grabs my arm and walks through the back door, leading to the big fields we used to run around, and starts breathing like an idiot.

'Inhale four, hold for five, exhale four.' I follow his advice and slowly feel my lungs fill with air as I hear the door close behind us. 'I'm sorry, I should've known this was a bad idea.'

I shake my head and continue to breathe.

One. Two. Three. Four. Hold.

'It's fine.' I say as I give him a nudge towards the lake, 'I want to be here.'

I want to dig up those old memories since my new life is starting tomorrow.

'Are you sure?' Leon asks again, making me want to strangle him even more.

'How do you even know about that breathing thing?' I ask, looking at Marco now.

'Isabelle.' He answers as he stays behind us, probably thinking we're going to throw him in the lake again.

'Isabelle and you are pretty close, huh?' Leon asks, smirking as he looks at Marco as well. 'We're not, trust me.' Right...

'You seem pretty hot and bothered just talking about her.' Leon continues, making him shake his head. 'I'm not.'

'You do seem a little warm.' I say, getting what Leon was trying to hint at.

And before Marco gets the hint as well, we grab his arms and legs and carry him over to the edge of the lake.

He squirms and tries to fight out of our grip, but we simply throw him into the lake like it's nothing, watching as he disappears into the water for a good six seconds, before coming up again.

He's covered in moss and looks us dead in the eyes.

'I hate you guys so much!' He shouts as he splashes some water at us. 'You really seemed like you needed to cool down.' Leon jokes, taking out his phone to take some pictures, while I can't help but laugh at the scene playing out in front of me.

'Be careful.' I say when Leon gets too close to the edge. It's the perfect opportunity to shove him in, 'You might fall.'

'Don't you-' I give him a small nudge, grinning as he tumbles in as well. 'Adriano!'

'That's what you get for not allowing me to text Valentina.' I say as I head back to the house, 'Hurry up, I'm hungry.'

I can hear them mutter something as I head back inside, making my way to the kitchen.

It's empty, of course, but I can just smell the cakes my mom and aunt used to make in this kitchen.

After lingering around the house for a few minutes, I hear the front door open and look at the doorway.

'Ready to go?' Marco asks, dressed in different clothes already.

I nod and follow him through the front door, towards Leon's car.

'Where are you taking me now?' He chuckles as he starts the car and starts driving again, making me want to strangle him.

I wrap my arm around his neck and pull him back just a little, while Marco tries to keep the steering wheel straight.

'I'm getting tired of this game so just tell me where-' 'You wanted food right?!' He squirms.

I slowly let go of him and sit back in my seat, eager to look at my phone to see if she texted or called me while we were at the house.

But there's nothing, meaning she's probably enjoying herself. Right?

When we make it to the small town near the house, we enter the first restaurant we see and take a seat.

We take our order and talk about a bunch of stuff we remember from this small town, but it's not much.

'Did you get anything back on Lucas?' Leon asks when the waiter places our drinks on the table. 'Lucas Wilber?'

'Lucas Rosewood.' Who the fuck is- 'Rosewood?'

Leon inhales slowly, glancing at Marco, who is staring at his phone, before turning back to me. 'Hunter's son?'

'He has a son?' I ask curiously, wondering when that asshole convinced a woman to conceive his child. 'His ex-fiance, Melinda Rosewood, gave birth to him a few days before we got Leya back.'

Leon's explanation doesn't make any sense.

'How long have you known?' I ask, keeping my eyes on the table in front of me.

'I told Marco to tell you as soon as we got Leya back.' Leon says as he looks at the menu.

I turn to him and frown, 'And why didn't you tell me yourself?'

'You weren't really talking to me, and I figured he would tell you.' He replies as if he didn't have any other option at all.

We both look at Marco, who's awkwardly looking at his phone. 'Barsetti?'

'I forgot.' He admits, finally putting his phone away. 'Of course you did.'

'What's that supposed to mean?' I tip my glass back and let the liquor glide down my throat.

'Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about.'

'Can we please not do this right now?' Leon asks, looking at us both.

'You have been lacking ever since Norman stayed with us.' I say, completely ignoring Leon and keeping my eyes on Marco.

'Do not blame this on her.' For god's sake...

'I'm not blaming it on her, trust me.' I continue, watching as he finally looks at me.

'What's your deal with her?' He asks, suddenly sounding defensive.

'She's distracting you.' I answer honestly.

'She is not.' Bullshit.

'Guys...' Leonardo mumbles as people around us start staring.

He smiles at them, awkwardly trying to make it less obvious that we're arguing at this table, but it's impossible.

'Look I don't care about her like that okay? So just drop it.' He mutters the last part and reaches for his phone again.

'Are you sure you don't?'

'I don't.' He states, his tone hard and clear, indicating that he does.

'Then you wouldn't mind if we send her away, right?'

Leon stiffens in his seat, looking right at me, but I keep my eyes on Marco, trying to see a flash of fear in his eyes.

Over the years he has been getting better at hiding his emotions from me. But I always find out the truth.

'Look,' He starts, moving to the edge of his seat, 'I don't care what you do to her, but don't do it because you think I care. She doesn't deserve it and she's leaving with Neveah and Vincent anyways.'

'Oh god, can we please not talk about that and just enjoy this day?' Leon intervenes right before the waitress places our plates on the table.

'I agree with Leon, we should enjoy our last day as single men together.' Or what's left of the day... 'I feel like it's a miracle you haven't contacted Leya yet.'

'What do you mean?' I ask as I take a bite. 'She's not contacting you since I left a note saying she'll see you tomorrow, but you not calling or texting her is something new.'

I don't call or text her during the day, because she's in the same house most of the time.

But I can't get over what he just said.

'You left a note?' He nods and empties his glass, before looking at me. 'I did, right before we left.'

'In our room?' He nods again, as if there's nothing wrong with that. 'You went into our room? The one where she was sleeping?'

Leon sighs deeply, while Marco's face turns with confusion. 'I did?'

I want to fucking kill him.

'Don't you think that's a little invading?' His frown deepens and when he realizes what I'm hinting at, he rolls his eyes.

'So that's what this is about? You're scared I'm taking Leya from you?'

He wouldn't even fucking dare... But he did.

Once.

When I messed up.

'I don't want you near her, especially when she's fucking sleeping.' I say, holding onto my fork for dear life, fighting the urge to stab him with the knife on the table. 'I just went in there to leave a note.'

'You could've left the note in the kitchen or you could've sent her a text.'

'Guys, please.' Leonardo says warningly, making me place my fork back on the table.

I was hungry when we entered this tent, but now I'm nauseous, feeling like I ate a whole book or something, too full to even think, but ready to kill someone.

And that someone is sitting right in front of me, someone that is supposed to be my friend.

'I think I'm ready to head home.' I want to go and do absolutely nothing with my fiance, the woman I'm going to marry tomorrow.

'But-' 'I'm done here.' I say as I get up and walk out of there.

As soon as I'm outside, I reach for my phone and call Valentina. I want to cancel these stupid parties and just lay in bed with her for the rest of the day.

But the call instantly goes to voicemail. Meaning she probably turned off her phone.

I dial North and wait for her to pick up, which takes some time. When she finally picks up, I can hear music and shouting in the background. But it's just Brandon and... Norman?

'Hello?' North says, moving away from all the noise so that she can actually hear me, 'What's up?'

'Where are you guys?' If I tell her I want to talk to Valentina or that I want to cancel both parties, I know she'll stop me.

'I won't tell you, enjoy your day and let us enjoy ours, bye!' She gives me no time to reply and hangs up the phone, almost making me throw mine on the ground.

I take a walk around town to clear my mind and notice all these kids running around, wearing paint on their faces.

When I make it back to the restaurant, I notice Marco and Leon waiting outside with a paper bag.

Leon shoves it into my hands and heads to the car, not saying a word as Marco and I silently follow him there. '

He starts driving, all the way back to Carmona, but stops when we make it to Diamond Night.

'What are you-' 'You need to grow up.' He chimes in the exact tone I did earlier, jumping out of the car and heading in.

I stay seated and sigh deeply, wondering if I could get him to give me the keys somehow, so that I can go back to the house.

'I'm sorry.' Marco says after a moment of silence, slowly turning to look at me. 'Just shut up before I shoot you.' I say as I get out of the car and head to the entrance.

Even though I don't exactly know the bouncers at the door, they let me go through just like they did Leon, and dip their heads as a greeting.

I do the same and walk into the packed club, searching for my cousin.

'Hello, bachelor!' Killian chimes as he walks over to me, giving me a nudge towards one of the booths.

Leon is seated, already taking a shot out of the line on the table, and grunts when he sees me. 'Finally decided to act like an adult?'

'Give me the keys, I'm going home.' They all look at me with wide eyes, while Marco slips next to Vincent and takes a shot as well. 'You're not going home yet.'

'Just enjoy your last night as a free man with us, come on!' Killian chimes, pulling me onto the couch.

I roll my eyes and move away from him, trying to get back up.

'I need more drinks.' Leon says, already done with the line of shots and ready to get some more. 'Coming?'

I shake my head at him and watch as he stumbles over to the bar, followed by Marco who hasn't said a word ever since he took a seat.

'Wait for me!' Killian chimes overly excited, reminding me of a drunk Brandon.

Or just Brandon in general.

'Why are they acting like you won't be able to do shit once you marry Leya?' Vince asks as he smiles at me. 'They're all idiots, honestly.'

I take a look around, following the guys as they head to the bar for some drinks, and notice a blond girl walking down a set of stairs near the bar.

I know that blond girl.

It's Norman.

But if she's here then-

I look around again, trying to find the others in their group, even looking up the next set of floors, before stopping on the one I'm looking for.

She's looking right at me, leaning over the railing as if she owns the place already.

Because she will own it.

She will own all of it by this time tomorrow.

All the hotels, restaurants, bars- everything I own will be hers.

I will be hers.

My eyes stick to her lips. And all I can do is watch while she sips from her drink, something bright pink, not looking away once.

I am a fool to think that she'll only own me after the wedding.

Because Cataleya Valentina Velez owns every inch of me already.

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A/N: Lowkey wanted him to run into North instead, but oh well...

I hope you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to vote and comment and I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCHHHHHH!

Btw I'm in France right now so I wom't be very active for like almost two weeks (I'll still post don't worryyyyy!)

I hope you have a wonderful day/night babyyyyy!! See you in the next chapter!!