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



'When will she wake up?' A soft voice whispers. It sounds like a small girl. Like... Jade.

'We don't know yet.' That's Celine for sure, 'It might take a while, but she's going to be okay.' What is she doing here?

I want to move. I want to open my eyes. I want to talk.

But my body is too heavy, my eyelids seem to be glued shut, my throat is sore, and every inch of my body hurts.

I can hear them walk around the room, slowly moving farther away from me as their voices seem to disappear.

A door closes and I try to force my muscles to work with me here.

But they protest, a wave of pain crashing into me at the thought of moving the slightest bit.

Why does it hurt so much? I don't remember getting beat up this badly.

Sure, they did try to catch me, but I was quicker. I killed them before they could get to me. Right?

So why does it feel like I should be dying? Why does it feel like I am dying?

I try to take a deep breath, forcing my lungs to let the cold air sting for just a second, and let out a soft groan.

The room I'm in is silent. Dead silent.

Am I alone? Where are Isabelle and Veah? Did we get Rio out of there?

It feels like there's a new book added to the huge stash of books that are weighing on my head, making my brain feel like it's being squished by all of them.

I need something for the pain. I need to move, talk, open my fucking eyes, and see where everyone is.

But my body is too heavy. My head is pounding too hard. And I can't remember how this all happened.

I fight the pain rushing through my head and try to remember what happened.

I killed that guy in front of the door after he dragged Isa into that room, and then what?

The back of my head hurts as if the memory brings back the feeling, and I feel my muscles tense all at once.

An attack from behind. Someone hit me in the back of my head with something hard.

Flashes of Rio being tortured flash in front of my eyes, making my body hurt even more. He cut him. He whipped him. He hit him.

But he was unconscious... Did he make it out too?

I take another deep breath, feeling my lungs hurt a bit less this time, and wait for a sound to return in the room.

But nothing changes.

I stay flat on whatever I'm laying on, realizing that a soft blanket is covering my body. The sheets feel fresh and clean, but the room smells a little bitter.

Like a hospital.

I need to move... I let my arms rest on the bed, but try to lift my finger just a tiny bit. A groan escapes my sore throat as I struggle on my own, but I almost scream when I realize that I'm able to lift my finger.

It hurts too much.

As if I'm being tossed into a fire to burn. As if my skin is slowly going up in flames of pain, the fire ready to consume me whole.

I wait for the pain to subside and when it finally does, I attempt to open my eyes. I need to see where I am and if someone's in the same room as me.

But it's too much pain and I almost pass out because of it.

No, God please don't. I don't have time to faint. I need to get up and get out of here before-

'Stay with me- Cataleya.' Rio's voice swirls through my head, slowly breaking through what's left of my brain. 'Squeeze my hand.'

I don't know why, but I follow his order, wishing that he would be actually holding my hand and notice that I was here. That I was somewhat conscious.

But my hand is empty apart from the sheets I'm holding onto.

I groan when I hear his voice fade, wanting to have him here by my side. Wanting to know if he's okay. Wanting to kill him myself for leaving me the way he did. But most of all I just want to hold him.

A door opens somewhere in the room and I can hear Veah's voice before I feel the bed dipping to my right.

'Is she okay?' I try moving my hand to let her know that I'm awake, but she doesn't notice. 'You can't come in here.' That's... Marco?

'I don't fucking care-' Someone's touching my hand, gently placing theirs on mine, and I try to move even the slightest bit.

But nothing happens. It's as if my body is made out of cement. Unmovable and cold.

'Neveah. Get out.' Marco's voice is deep and I can tell he's annoyed, but I don't get why Veah isn't allowed in here.

I want her here. I want her to stay so that she'll be here if I'm able to gather the strength again.

'I am not going anywhere.' She says, holding onto my hand as if she can sense what I'm thinking. 'Neveah, don't make me do this.'

Marco sounds conflicted and I wonder what happened while I was out.

'You don't have-' She stops mid-sentence, her hands slowly leaving mine, and I panic as I hear people move around the room.

Open your eyes...

'What are you doing in here?' Even though I'm unable to move or speak, my skin runs cold at Leon's voice.

I have never heard him talk this cold and distant before. He almost sounds exactly like Rio, but he's not.

'She was alone.' More footsteps go around the room, making my heart race, 'She shouldn't be alone.'

'You're not allowed in here and you know that.' It's clear someone, probably Leon, is struggling to keep Veah away from me. But why?

I want to say that it's fine, that I want her here, but everything feels heavy as my head continues to pound even worse with each attempt I make.

'I don't care, I'm not leaving her.' The room goes silent as I feel someone move closer to my bed again. It's Veah.

'Neveah, I'm warning you.' God... I bet Veah is doubting if she should get out or not, I honestly would too, because Leon's voice is terrifying when he's like this.

'But she-' She takes a deep breath and lifts her hand as I can hear her walk away from the bed again, is she- 'Please just let me stay with her...'

Marco never left the room, but he hasn't said a word since Leon entered. He has not made a single sound.

'No.' Leon's cold dismissal makes my headache stop for a split second, 'Now get out, Neveah.'

Not Veah. Not cara. Not Neveah in the way he usually says it. Just Neveah.

Cold and emotionless. As if they're complete strangers.

'I am not-' 'Marco.' He's a Curzio. His voice is cold and heartless, even towards the one he loves more than anything in the world.

'Take her out of this room.' I can hear Marco mumble something, but can't make out what is coming out of his mouth before I hear Veah scoff.

'Can't take me out yourself?' She asks, testing her already ruined limits.

I understand that Leon is angry, he has every right to be, but why isn't she allowed in the room when I'm still knocked out?

It's not like we'll be able to find another way to escape, I mean, what would we even need it for?

'Don't test my patience, Neveah.' He keeps repeating her name in a cold tone. As if he's trying to set a boundary between them.

A wall. A wall that Rio had and sometimes still has.

Leon never had that. Not towards Veah. And it's all because of me...

I went with it. I told her that it would be okay. I said- 'Only if you stop testing mine.'

No... I never wanted this to happen, especially to them.

'She's my best friend and I am not leaving her.' She states, moving around the room.

Another set of footsteps moves closer to us as well and before I can hear someone talk, Neveah starts grunting, 'Let go of me.' What the fuck is going on?

'We're leaving.' No. Wait!

I try to move or speak up, but nothing happens yet again. 'Let go!'

The bed jerks a little, making me wonder who is pulling who, but that quickly stops when another step of footsteps moves closer as well.

'Tiago, don't you dare!' Everyone goes silent and I can only hear heavy breathing around the room.

'I know that you're mad at me, but this isn't fair. Someone needs to be by her side! She's probably going to be in a lot of pain when she wakes up.' Neveah tries to protest.

'And who's fault is that?' Mine... I don't get why he's blaming her for this, because it's not her fault.

I decided to go with the plan, it was my own decision, so he shouldn't blame her.

She asked me if it was something I would want, and I agreed. It was me who left the kitchen and killed those men, not her.

I try making a sound, but my throat suddenly shuts off again.

Veah stays silent, probably blaming her for what's happening, and I never wanted to kick Leon as much as I do now.

'Get out, before I drag you out, Neveah.' No, please don't...

I want her here when I wake up. I want to talk to her and ask if she's okay. I want her to tell me what the fuck is going on, it will either be her or Rio.

Rio and I need to talk, I know that, but I'm not ready to have that conversation while my head is pounding.

So right now I want my best friend.

Just stay... Please...

'I hate you.' She sneers, placing her hand on mine again. She's not backing down and I've never felt so mean and loved at the same time, without saying a word.

'I bet you do.' I can hear him step closer and feel the bed dip just a tiny bit, meaning she's probably leaning on the bed, 'Get out.'

He's so close and my fingers ache to reach out to him and just make him stop talking.

'I-' Her hand disappears and none of them are saying another thing. Where are they?

The only thing I hear is the door opening and closing again, making my heart rate pick up. Did they just- Am I alone?

I fight my body, silently cussing at myself for letting my body get this weak by a simple cut, and try to scream with my last breath.

But it's too much.

Everything hurts and even though I'm laying down, everything is spinning, my non-existent vision blurring behind my eyelids.

And then everything just stops as darkness takes over completely.

When I'm able to feel and hear my surroundings again, I try opening my eyes. This time they do open.

I'm met by dim lights hanging above my head and close my eyes at the sudden brightness in my vision.

The headache worsens, making me wonder if it stopped while I blacked out, and my body shudders at the sudden pain.

I take a deep breath and try to move my hands, almost laughing at the fact that everything works fine now.

It still hurts, but I can move.

I push myself up just a little and look around the room.

I'm definitely in a hospital room. The room is almost all white and I'm attached to a bunch of machines on the wall behind me.

The beeping is making my head pound even more and I groan as I turn to the door on the right. Where is everyone?

I know that they left, and I know I was alone before I blacked out, but where is everyone now?

My eyes glide over the room, watching every tiny detail, from the slightly opened window to the boring picture on the wall, back to the blanket that's covering my body.

'You're awake.' I jolt and turn to the voice, my body aching because of the sudden movement, and let relief wash over me when I see it's Leon, 'I'll go get Adriano.' So he's here?

Without waiting for a reply, he strides towards the door across the room, making my heart race for some reason.

'Wait!' I try to shout, but it comes out as a whisper.

But he heard me. He stopped.

My throat is dry and hoarse, it hurts to even breathe, and I don't want him to get Rio. Not yet.

'Can I get some water, please?' His shoulders go up and down slowly as I wait for him to decide.

I need more time to face Rio, he must be fuming, but I don't have the strength to face him right now.

'You're lucky the twins slept peacefully last night.' He grunts as he moves closer to the bed and reaches over to the right side.

He pulls a bottle of water out of one of the drawers and opens it before handing it to me. I sit up and try to ignore the pain in my body as I take the bottle.

'Take these too.' He opens another drawer and pulls out a bottle of pills, before handing me three, 'It will help with the pain.'

I take a big gulp of water and let it slowly slide down my throat, the pain slowly subsiding as the water cools everything down.

I take the pills and quickly swallow them, downing them with another sip of water.

'Is everyone okay?' I ask once my mouth is empty, turning my head towards Leon.

I know Marco, Veah, Celine, and Victoria are okay. At least they sounded okay. I haven't heard anything about Isabelle or Brandon. Or Rafael...

Leon's eyes are filled with worry and anger and fear. And I hate it. 'Everyone's fine.' He mutters, closing all the drawers before he turns back to me.

'What the fuck were you thinking?' He asks, seeming completely exhausted, 'Going into his house?'

'I needed to get him out of there.' I respond, not knowing how he expected me to just sit there and do nothing.

'I was working on that.' He says, the anger taking over in his eyes, 'You just needed to wait.'

'You weren't doing shit, at least not that you told me, so I had to take matters into my own hands.' I don't want to fight with him, but he can not blame me for what I did.

'So you thought locking me into a room and going to Brazil was going to get him back?' I cringe at his loud voice, his words seem to vibrate in my head.

'It did.' We got him back, he's safe. Right? He has to be.

'At what cost?' He asks, his voice softening as he realizes that shouting won't fix anything.

'Nobody died.' A deep chuckle erupts from his throat and I frown as he starts pacing around the room.

'You could've died.' I groan as I push myself up a bit more so that I'm sitting up entirely. 'But I didn't.'

'Cataleya,' He stops pacing and walks over to the end of my bed, pinching his index finger and thumb together without making them touch, 'You were this close to dying.'

It felt like I did. Just for a moment.

I thought I was gone, lost in a dark pit I couldn't get out of.

Until I heard Victoria's voice.

'Adriano has been all over the place, Neveah has been crying, Celine can barely sleep, and I-' He stops himself from finishing his sentence, but he doesn't have to.

He's breathing ragged and he looks pained even thinking about it. He was scared...

'How long was I out for?' I whisper softly. 'Two weeks.' He replies and my heart stops at his answer.

Two weeks. Fourteen days.

'We didn't know if you were going to wake up, all because you wanted to act irrationally.' Irrationally...

'Leon, I just needed to get him out of there, you would've done the same for-' 'You should've talked to me about it instead of locking me up in a room.' He intervenes, his eyes filled with anger again.

'And do what? Wait for you to return?' I ask, sounding a little annoyed.

I get that he's concerned, and I get that they were worried, but I am alive. We're all alive.

'We both know you wouldn't take us with you.' He keeps his eyes on mine, not saying or doing anything to tell me that I'm wrong.

He wouldn't have taken us and he could've died too.

'So you betrayed me because I wouldn't take you to the enemy, is that it?' I roll my eyes and shake my head, ignoring the pain rushing down my neck, and sigh, 'I didn't want to betray you, but there was no other way you would let us go.'

'So you went with Veah's plan.' His eyes end on my hands and he frowns when he sees me holding onto the sheets.

I didn't know I was doing that myself and quickly let go of the blanket. 'It was my idea.'

'There's no need to lie, she told me what happened.' Veah...

'Don't be mad at her.' I don't know why I'm even trying. It's clear he's mad at her. Mad at us both.

We went behind his back. We locked him in a room and went to the enemy to get Rafael back.

He didn't know if we were going to make it out and by the time we go there, he was too late.

'She just-' 'Almost got you both killed?' It hurts to hear him talk like this, but I know he's hurt. I get that he's hurt.

'I'm sorry.' His eyes meet mine and I can't help the tears forming in my eyes. It's like he hates me for what I did.

But he hates Veah more for doing this to all of us, even though it's not her fault.

'No, you're not.' He states, taking a step back. 'I am.'

'Would you do it again?' He asks as he slowly heads for the door, making my heart race again. 'What?'

'Would you,' He stops walking and turns back to me, 'do it again?'

'Differently.' I answer, making him grin to himself.

'No, you wouldn't.' He turns away from me and slowly opens the door, 'That's exactly why you're a Curzio.'

'Leon-' He closes the door, leaving me all alone in this room again.

I push the blanket off and gasp as I see my legs. Stitches cross over my legs, from left to right, up and down.

It looks horrible.

I try moving to the edge of the bed and take deep breaths, trying not to faint again.

'Come on.' I push myself to the edge and ready my feet to touch the ground, slowly lifting myself off the bed.

As soon as my feet touch the tiles on the ground, I feel something cold rush through my body as I push my weight onto my legs.

It hurts, but I have to push through. I'm not going to keep laying in bed for the rest of this day, I need to find Veah.

I need to talk to her.

I take a deep breath before attempting to take the first step, but my legs are too weak and I end up falling like a complete idiot.

'Leya!' I didn't hear the door open, but I hear Veah's voice before I spot her as I lay on the ground.

She rushes over to me and slowly lifts me back up, before carrying me back to the bed. I groan and lay back down, hating myself for being stupid enough to think that it would work.

'What were you thinking?' She asks, sounding annoyed already. 'I wanted to see you.'

'You- Why would- are you okay?' I nod and smile at her, happy that she's okay. She has a small cut on her lip, but it seems to be almost completely healed.

'Where are we?' I ask as she moves to the other side of the bed, keeping her eyes on me as if I might fall apart any second.

'The island.' What? I look back at her, almost getting whiplash because of the fast movement, and groan because of the pain.

The pills need to kick in faster...

'They finished it a week ago because Rio wanted somewhere to keep you safe.' She explains as she hands me the bottle of water that fell on the ground. 'He's been keeping to himself, only Marco and Tiago know some parts, but he's trying to keep tabs on Jayson so that he can go after him.'

'Nadora is still alive?' I figured they killed him in Brazil, but I guess that wasn't their priority.

'We know his exact whereabouts and are ready to attack, Rio just wanted to be here when you would wake up.' Yet he's not...

I close my eyes and take a deep breath, before looking around the room again.

We wanted a little hospital on the island. Just in case something ever happened.

Celine gave us a list of things that needed to be in here and I remember writing it all down. This is all of the shit she was talking about.

It feels like we're in a hospital.

'I'm so sorry Leya.' Veah mumbles as she takes my hand in hers. Her hand is warm and feels soft against mine, but she's shaking, 'I'm so so sorry.'

'Veah, it's-' 'I know I keep dragging you into things and this- You almost died.' I squeeze her hand, making her look at me with teary eyes. 'I should've gone with you, I should've-'

'They would've killed you if you even thought about staying in the kitchen with me.' She shakes her head, quickly wiping a tear away, 'Besides, I'm the one who left the kitchen and killed everyone. It's all my fault we got caught.'

'Why didn't you tell me you're pregnant?' Her question makes my skin crawl and I can't help but feel something rush through me as she pulls her hand out of mine.

The baby... Did I- No. She said you are. So everything's fine, right?

I slowly wrap my hands around my stomach, for some reason waiting for something to kick or move even though I'm not that far along yet.

'Is the baby okay?' She nods and takes a step back, slowly pacing around just like Leon did.

'The baby is fine, you're uterus is made out of steel apparently, but why- Why didn't you tell me?'

'I knew you would freak out, you wouldn't let me go and-' 'You're right. I wouldn't.' She stops pacing and takes a deep breath, before turning to me.

'You could've lost the baby, Cataleya.' My heart drops to my stomach and I suddenly feel nauseous at that thought, 'How could you not tell me?'

Her words hurt more than I thought they would, but I don't blame her.

She lost two babies before. She knows how much it hurts. She doesn't want me to go through that.

And it almost happened.

'And I fucking let you come with me, how stupid could I be?' She chuckles to herself and takes a shaky breath.

'Neveah...'

'Cataleya, I don't know what I would've done if you or the baby had died.' She whispers as she makes her way back to my side.

I take her hand and try to keep in the groans of pain as I pull her closer. 'I'm sorry for scaring you.'

She wraps her arms around me and gently hugs me, trying not to cry as she holds me in her arms.

I lean back a bit and move to the side of the bed before pulling her closer. She climbs into bed and holds onto me as she slowly brushes her hand over my arm. 'I promise you won't get rid of me that easily.'

'We traveled to the other side of the world and got into the enemy's house, I wouldn't call it easy.' She states, making me laugh even though it hurts.

'We still did it and to be honest, it wasn't that hard.' I taunt, making her laugh as well.

I wrap my arms around her a bit tighter, glad to know that she's okay and not angry at me for not doing what I was supposed to do.

'I think Leon hates me.' I mutter after a moment of silence. She chuckles and looks up at me, trying to keep her weight off of me as much as she can. 'Trust me, he only hates me right now.'

'You two will be fine, right?' I don't know how they have been apart from the fight I heard, but I hope they'll be fine. They have to be.

'I'm just glad you're okay.' She whispers as she places her head on my shoulder again.

I shake my head and lift her face to meet my gaze, 'That's not-'

The door swings open and Veah instantly jumps up as we meet Rio's eyes.

He's breathing fast, as if he ran as fast as he could to come and see me, and steps into the room.

His eyes are glued to mine but he doesn't say a word. And neither do I.

He looks exhausted and underfed, but apart from that, he's okay. He doesn't have any visible bruises or scars so far and I'm glad that he's okay.

His eyes are dark and warm at the same time. He seems angry with me, probably thinking of all the ways he could keep me locked up somewhere.

But he also seems relieved that I'm alive.

His gaze slowly turns to Neveah, who's standing by the side of my bed like she just got caught stealing.

'What are you doing here?' He asks, his voice deep and demanding. 'I was checking up on her-' 'I told you, you are not allowed in here.'

'Why?' I ask, making them both turn to me.

Leon walks in behind Rio, but stays close to the door, glaring at Neveah as if she just committed the worst crime to exist.

'North, get out.' Rio commands, not once taking his eyes off me.

Neveah takes a deep breath and looks at me with a sorry look on her face, making me shake my head.

I take her hand in mine and keep her close, not wanting her to leave just yet.

My head is pounding and I'm scared. I know I fucked up and I know I scared everyone, but I can't do this right now.

At least not alone.

And since Veah is the only one not angry with me right now, I need her here.

Neveah looks at our hands, before slowly looking up at my face and frowning. I nod and squeeze her hand softly, trying to let her know that I need her, but she already gets what I'm trying to say and straightens her back as she turns to Rio.

'North.' Rio warns, taking a step forward, 'I'm not asking you again.'

Even though he's on the other side of the room, he seems so close.

I can see his face clearly, the dark circles under his eyes, the anger going through his body.

It's all so clear, yet he's too far for me to touch him.

'I want her to stay.' He inhales slowly, before turning to the door.

'Neveah, come with me.' Leon says, clearly being forced to do so. Neveah tenses a bit, but shakes her head, making my heart swell.

For a second I debate if I should let her go or not, but she seems determined and I know Rio is doing this on purpose.

He knows that she will be weak for him. Or so he thought.

'I'm not leaving her.' She says, keeping her eyes on him as he steps closer as well. 'Come with me, now.'

'No.' She sounds hurt but stays strong as she holds my hand.

'Don't make me drag you out here, North.' I turn back to Rio, who looks angrier than before.

'Rafael, I want her here.' For a second, just a second, it looks like he's changing his mind. Like he will allow her to stick by my side.

But as quickly as the doubt filled his eyes, it disappears. And he turns even angrier. 'Get her out of here or I will.'

Leon moves past Rio and swiftly makes his way to Neveah. He takes her arms and pulls her after him while she holds onto my hand as long as she can.

She starts fighting back, but he's stronger and not caring about hurting her at this point. 'Let go of me!'

It reminds me of the moment I was unconscious. It's exactly like it.

She lets go of my hand, but I lean over and try to reach out to pull her back, my body hurting at every move I make, and I try to pull her closer.

In one swift move, Rio is on the other side of the bed, grabbing my arm to stop me from reaching out to her.

'I want her here.' He ignores me and keeps his eyes on Leon, waiting for him to do something about Neveah, but she keeps fighting.

'Rio, please!'

I stop fighting and turn to him, trying to make him look at me for just a second, but he doesn't move.

It's like he's made out of steel. Unmovable and cold.

'Take her, now.' He says, making something in Leon switch. He lifts Veah off the ground and carries her through the door, leaving all the doors open so that he can just take her out of there.

I can hear her struggle down the hall until a door closes and her struggle disappears.

My heart is racing as I turn back to Rio, fear filling my heart for some reason, but his touch feels warm and pulls me closer.

'Why isn't she allowed in here?' I ask as my throat suddenly feels sore again.

He removes his hands from my arms and I can feel the cold rushing in on the exact spot his hand was on. It sends shivers down my spine, but I won't back down from this.

'Answer me.' He stays silent and takes a step back, keeping his eyes on mine.

He's so close yet so far away. So caring yet cold.

'Why?' I repeat as he takes a deep breath.

He takes a step closer and pulls the blanket off my legs and looks at the stitches. This...

'I will go and kill Jayson now that we still have his location.' He says as he keeps his eyes on my legs in pure disgust.

I can't tell if he's disgusted by the fact that it got this far or because my legs are ruined now, but it stings worse than my headaches.

'What are you-' 'You will stay on the island with the others until I return.' He continues as if my words don't matter right now.

'Rafael!' I ignore the pain rushing through my throat and watch as he stops by the door, 'I got you out of his hands and now you're going back?'

'I'm going to kill him.' His voice is dark and sadistic, making me want to cry in fear.

He's leaving. He's going back to Nadora after I fought to get him back. Why the fuck is this happening?

'You will stay on the island and away from North until I dealt with her.' Dealt with her?

'What are you talking about?' I hate that my legs hurt too much to walk because I want to go after him. 'It doesn't concern you.'

He looks over his shoulder, his eyes locked on the stitches across my legs, and says, 'You will listen to my orders for once in your life.'

And with those words hanging in the air, he walks out and slams the door behind him.

I grab the bottle of water and throw it at the door, wishing that it would somehow go through it and knock him out so that he would stay here.

But of course, that doesn't happen.

And now I'm left in bed without any water.

After waiting what feels like hours, the door finally opens and Brandon appears with a tray filled with food.

'I figured you would be hungry.' He says, trying to sound cheerful but failing miserably.

He doesn't sound angry or annoyed, just hurt and worried.

'You're not mad at me?' I ask as he moves closer and glances at my legs, before placing the tray on the table to my right.

He picks up the blanket from the ground and quickly covers me, before rolling the table closer.

'You and the baby are both okay, I don't have a reason to be angry anymore.' He says as he heads to the couch on the left side of the room, 'Eat up, there's a lot of catching up we need to do.'

I nod and push myself up as I roll the table even closer. It's filled with fruit and sandwiches, making my mouth water.

I didn't realize I was this hungry before.

'Okay, so where do I start?' He taps his chin as if he's thinking about all the things that has happened while I was out, making me wonder what he could possibly be thinking about.

'After finding out you three disappeared, it didn't take long to put two and two together. We went after you and heard that you ended up in the hospital already. Rio was pissed at everyone for failing to keep you in the house, but he was mostly angry at Neveah. She told everyone what happened and he blames her for everything, so that's why she's not allowed near you.' Idiot...

If only he knew what really happened.

'He doesn't trust her around you.' He says as he glances over at me, making sure I eat the freshly cut apples and strawberries. 'We went to the island after a few days, because we needed a safe place to stay at while you were in a coma.' Two weeks...

'Celine and Kai got a bit closer while you were out, Celine says it's because of the hormones. Marco has been trying to talk to Isabelle and keeping tabs on you, making sure you're okay and all. Veah and Leon have been fighting most of the time and I don't think I've seen Leon this mad at someone before. And Rio has been locking himself in the office dome thingy, just to make sure he wouldn't lose sight of Nadora while he waited for you to wake up.'

I nod and finish the glass of orange juice, before turning back to him. 'What happened to Alessio?'

He smiles to himself and looks at the platter, waiting for me to eat something else. I grab a waffle and bite into it, enjoying the sweet taste on my tongue as I wait for him to answer.

'Rio sent him away and said that he never wants to see his face again.' Fuck. I told him I would help him with his situation with Rio, but I only made it worse.

'Where did he go?' I ask as I cover my mouth with my hand. 'Back to his family.'

I feel bad for Alessio, he only helped because he wanted to get Rio out too. He never intended this would happen, none of us did, so it's not fair that Rio just sent him away.

I promised both Isabelle and Alessio to help them with their situation, yet here I am. Two weeks in a coma, unable to do shit.

'What about you?' I ask after a moment of silence.

I need something happy, something fresh. Brandon always has something fun to tell me, either his designs or crazy customers, it's always fun.

'Nothing much. I'm still waiting for my things to arrive so that I can work from here for as long as we're here.' He says as he moves to the edge of his seat. 'Is Killian here too?'

I know they were on a break, but that was a while back. He should be here with him, and maybe he is.

'No.' He whispers, suddenly sounding pained. 'Did something happen?' Is Killian dead?

'We broke up.' What? He nods at my shocked expression and takes a deep breath before he jumps to his feet and walks to the edge of my bed. 'He said he needed a break from me because he was grieving his friend, so I kept my distance and allowed him some space for himself.'

I nod and take a bite out of one of the sandwiches as he continues, 'I gave him space so he could heal, and he decided to screw me over by fucking this other bitch while I was gone.'

I stop chewing and turn back to him, feeling bad I even started this topic in the first place.

'Her name was Molly for god's sake.' He chuckles to himself, before looking at the sandwich on my plate, 'It seems like Molly's are out to ruin us.'

I slowly pick it back up and take another bite. 'He told me about it and we met up, he begged me for forgiveness, but I just couldn't do it. I was too hurt and now-' He inhales sharply, his eyes glossy with tears.

'I am not a second option and I will not allow someone to walk all over me if I'm just trying to be there for them.' I smile at him and move the table out of the way to make room for him to sit.

He walks around the bed and quickly wipes his tears away as he takes a seat. 'You're so strong.'

'Bad bitches don't cry over cheaters.' He says, trying to hold back his tears.

I take his hand and nod, a soft smile on my lips. 'But it's okay if they cry about something that they lost, which in this case is a person.'

'A future.' He whispers as the tears stream down his face. I pull him closer and let him cry for a second. 'I wanted a future with him, I saw a future with him.'

'So you're allowed to cry.' I whisper as I rub his back, feeling his tears wet my shirt, which is clearly one of Rafael's now that I notice it.

'I'm glad you're okay.' He says once he's done crying about Killian. I nod and give him a nudge, 'I am too.'

'Finish your plate, I'll be right back.' I nod and watch as he walks out of the room, before I finish the sandwiches and fruit.

A few minutes later, he returns with crutches that look too old to be used. 'You should have a look around the island, it's amazing.'

I move to the edge of the bed and take the clutches, putting my weight on the dusty sticks, and try moving around.

My body hurts, but it's manageable.

'Quick learner.' Brandon chimes as he takes the tray and heads for the door.

I'm not even half as fast as he is, but I manage to follow him through the door and through the hall.

There are four other rooms in this building, because according to Celine, three rooms should be enough.

We make our way to the door leading outside and as soon as we do, the warm sun greets my skin, making me take a deep breath.

My lungs fill with fresh air and I can smell the beach all the way over here.

We're a little higher up, but I can see the ocean from up here, and I take a look around.

There are a bunch of different houses around the island, some far away, while others are just around the corner.

I turn to the cave on our right and smile when I realize what it is. It was supposed to be a training cave, just like the one on the other island, but Marco really wanted it to be a prison.

'You can look around, call me if you need anything!' Brandon hands me a phone and I put it in the pocket of the shorts I'm wearing.

Let's see who got the cave...

I make my way into the cave, opening the heavy doors that lead to another dark room.

It's filled with gym equipment. I smile to myself as I look around the room, staring at the rough walls and the big window on the ceiling.

This is way better than the cave at Hunter's island, but I didn't expect anything else.

I take a look around, wanting to use most of the equipment as soon as possible. I'll need to work out again.

After looking around and checking everything out, I walk out of the cave and head down the path.

Celine took the best location for the little hospital she wanted, not too high up, but not directly at the beach either.

I walk down, to one of the houses on the beach.

Isabelle is staring at me through one of the windows, a soft smile on her lips as she looks down at me.

I move closer and wave at her, watching as she disappears and reappears on the balcony.

'You're finally awake!' She shouts, leaning over the glass railing.

I nod and look at the water, before turning back to her. 'Are you okay?'

'I'll manage, but you better keep your end of our deal!' Make Rio let her go...

'I will.' I have to make him let her go somehow. 'Good.' She nods and looks at the horizon too, 'I'm glad you're okay, Leya.'

She heads back inside, making me wonder why she's locking herself in that house if Rio is gone.

But when I turn around, I notice Marco behind me.

I smile and nod at him before I walk to the path leading up to one of the other houses.

The main house is big, with dark wood and glass covering most of the walls, in the middle of the woods.

It's amazing.

I can see Veah through one of the huge windows and frown when I notice her shouting at Leon.

He's simply standing there, trying to look unfazed, but he's hurting too. Shit...

I make my way to the front door and get inside, following their voices to get to wherever it is they're fighting, and make my way up the stairs.

As I get to the last step, I realize something. Rio is going alone...

'You can't just keep me away from her!' Veah shouts, making me wish this all would just stop. 'I will.'

'Why? She wanted me there and you know it.' I look around the corner and see them standing very close to each other.

I can't tell if they're going to kiss or kill each other, but it feels wrong to watch.

'Because you almost got the both of you killed and I can't let that happen again.' He replies, slowly walks past her, over to me.

Veah turns around, following his gaze, and gasps for air when she sees me.

'You need to rest, you shouldn't be moving.' Leon says while Veah tries to move closer, 'Did Celine give you more meds?'

A baby starts crying in the distance, making all of us go silent for a bit, until Neveah turns around and walks to the room the crying is coming from.

'Can you please stop fighting?' All this walking and talking made me tired, but I want to fix this first.

'What's going on between Neveah and I is none of your concern.' Leon says, sounding just like Rio again.

'Don't say that, you two are my best friends.' I say as I take a few steps closer, 'You shouldn't be fighting about what happened, because everyone is fine.'

He takes a deep breath and looks down at my legs, making me wonder why everyone keeps looking at them, even though I know why.

I have scars now. I got hurt badly and those stitches will forever be a reminder, but I'm alive.

I will live through this.

'She did what she had to because she wanted to be a good friend. She wanted me to be happy.'

'Are you?' He asks, slowly lifting his gaze to meet mine, 'Are you happy, Cataleya?'

'I will be once everything is dealt with.' Including talking to Rio.

'Good luck with that,' He says as he walks past me, back down the stairs.

He stops and I can only see his head as he does, before he slowly turns around to face me, 'Do not talk to her, little one.'

'Why not?' I know Rio told me not to, but I don't care about that right now. He's just going crazy and wants to keep me safe, but Neveah isn't dangerous. She won't kill me.

'Because Adriano won't get angry at you or me.' It takes a few seconds to understand what he's trying to say, but when it sinks in, I stumble back a little.

'Go rest, little one.' Leon says as he turns away again, 'you need it.'

Rio won't come after him or me. He'll come after Neveah.

I turn around, facing the door Veah just walked through, and think about it for a second.

I should. She's my friend and she stood up for me when they tried to keep her away from me.

But then again, I shouldn't. Because it will only get her in more trouble with everyone else. Including the father of her children and the love of her life.

I take a deep breath and walk down to the other side of the house, entering one of the bedrooms, before shutting the door.

My heart is racing and I feel sick to my stomach, but I lock the door and look around the room.

It's a bedroom with an ensuite and a big balcony with a beautiful view of the beach. I drop down on the big bed and lay flat on the bed, staring at the ceiling for god knows how long, as I wait for Rio's return.

I'll talk to him and make him see that this is stupid. He doesn't have to keep Neveah away from me in order to keep me safe.

Once it's dark, I change into one of Rio's shirts hanging in the closet and climb back into bed.

I'm too exhausted to deal with my hair or face right now, so I'll deal with that in the morning.

I fight the sleep and glance at the door from time to time.

The waves outside make me sleepier by the second, but I can't shake off the feeling of something going wrong with Rio.

I turn to the door and watch as it slowly opens, the fear disappearing when I realize who it is.

My eyes stick to the man stepping into the room and I wait for the lights to turn on, but he keeps them off as he heads over to the bed.

Climbing on top of me like he's starved.

He pulls the sheets down, leaving me feeling bare, even though I'm wearing clothes.

'You-' Rio's lips meet mine and all the words leave my mind as fire rushes through my body.

He presses me into the mattress, his hand lowering to my panties and I let out a soft moan against his lips.

'I hate you so much.' He whispers as his lips slowly go down my neck. He rips my shirt with his free hand to gain access to more of my skin.

His lips touch every inch of my skin, making all the pain I felt earlier disappear into thin air.

As if it never happened.

'How could you-' He bites down on my shoulder, making me arch up from the bed, making me lean closer to him, 'be so thoughtless?'

I drag my hands to the hem of his shirt and slowly push his shirt up until my hands are flat against his chest.

'So deviant?' He continues, moving my panties to the side, 'So fucking dangerous?'

My arms feel tired, but not tired enough to pull him closer. I want to get rid of the layers between us and feel his skin against mine.

I want to shout at him for what he did earlier and make him understand that he can never do any of that again, but I want him inside of me while I do.

My hands struggle to push his pants down, but he quickly shoves it down just far enough to get rid of his clothes.

He slides into me in one swift move, making me lean into him more. 'I hate you too.' I groan as he leans back to look at me.

'Oh yeah?' He asks as he lifts me up by wrapping his arms around me and moving me up and down on his dick.

'Mhm...' Is all I'm able to bring out as I nod my head and let our bodies melt together.

'I hate the way you think you can control me.' I say, trying to imprint the way his hands feel on my waist.

'And I hate the way you don't listen to anything I say.' He moans against my skin, making me gasp for air as he sinks his teeth into my shoulder.

I want to let my hands through his hair, but he quickly grabs my wrists and pulls them behind my back, keeping me from touching him.

He pulls my body closer to his, making me sit on top of him as he keeps my arms behind me, 'I hate the way you hurt me.'

His breath warms my chest as he goes harder and deeper, keeping a tight grip on my wrists. 'I hate the way you scare the shit out of me.'

Fuck. His moans in my neck are driving me insane. The way he's holding me, so tender yet rough, I want all of him.

'I scared you?' Something rumbles through his chest as he flips us over, ending with me on top of him. 'Shut up.'

He lifts me up and pushes his waist off the bed, drilling me from underneath.

Each stroke hard and perfect, making my toes curl from pleasure.

'Fuck- I hate yo-' His hands wrap around my neck as he continues to keep going at the same pace. 'Show me how much you hate me, Valentina.'

My neck rolls back as my orgasm builds up in my stomach, my heart on the verge of exploding.

'Look at me.' He says, his voice dark and demanding again, 'Look at me and show me how much you hate me.'

I force my head down, keeping my eyes on his as he squeezes my throat just a little, making the pleasure rise by the second.

My muscles tense as I try to keep my eyes on his and can feel him fill me up with each stroke.

'Just like that.' He moans as my orgasm washes over me, my body shaking as he continues to thrust in and out of me from beneath.

A wave of pain rushes through me, but it quickly disappears as he comes too, filling me up just the way I want him to.

He lowers me on top of him and wraps his arms around me tightly, keeping himself buried between my legs as we catch our breath.

'Don't ever do that shit again.' He whispers as his hand makes its way underneath my shirt, gently rubbing my back.

'If you won't make me have to.' I say as he takes a deep breath, making me chuckle as I look up at him. 'Plus, you're so slow.'

He frowns and looks down at me, the hatred I saw in his beautiful eyes completely dissolved.

'It took you three months to find me, while it took me only two days.' I joke, suddenly feeling more naked than before.

I press my face against his chest and let it all wash over me. It's like I'm finally able to let my guard down, knowing that I'm safer in his arms than anywhere else.

And he just holds me while I cry on his chest, whispering sweet nothing's into my ear as he rubs my back oh so gently.

This is the man I love...

----

A/N: Everyone is fine! Nadora is dealt with! And we are all happy! Kinda...

What will happen to Neveah and Tiago? Or to Isabelle? Will she be able to get out?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it, let me know what you think in the comments and don't forget to vote!

I hope to see you guys in the next chapter!

Have an amazing day/night my loves <3