Since Rio decided that it would be a good idea to wake everyone up and get them on the ship at seven in the morning, without explaining anything to them at all, I understand why everyone's a bit annoyed today.

'Tell me why we're traveling before the sun has fully risen?' Brandon asks, yawning as he drops into one of the chairs.

'We're going to Spain for a few days to deal with some issues.' Rio explains, making me roll my eyes.

He did say he had to deal with some issues in Spain too, but the main reason we're going with the whole group is because of my family.

They want to see everyone again and I miss my mother.

'Where are we staying?' Celine asks as she looks at me. She knows Rio won't give away as much as I will.

'We're staying with my mom, I really miss her so I figured we could all go and stay near her.' She smiles at me and looks back at Rio, who's looking at me like I just ruined something big.

'I bet she misses you too since it has been a while.' Leon chimes in an attempt to defuse the sudden risen tension.

'Trust me,' I say, peeling my eyes off my husband, 'She's more excited to meet the twins.'

Everyone chuckles before we all turn back to Rio who's still looking at me.

'Anything else, or can I go back to bed?' Brandon asks as he shoves his seat back. 'Marcello asked us all to have lunch with him, and he wanted all the women to attend.' What?

That's news to me.

Rio did have to get out of bed to take Marcello's call, but he didn't tell me that Marcello wanted to have lunch with us.

'Good to know, now if one of you wakes me up within the next five hours, I will make sure it will be the last thing you do!' Brandon chimes as he makes his way to one of the bedrooms on this boat.

'I'm glad we get to see your mom again, Leya.' I turn to Veah and return her smile as she sways Emiliano from side to side.

I have a lot of talking to do, especially with my mom.

'I'm not going to Marcello.' We all turn to the other side of the table and look at Veah.

'Neveah-' 'He wants to speak to you girls, so yes, you will go to that party.' Rio states, slowly bringing a glass of water to his lips.

I turn back to Veah and wonder why she wouldn't want to go out again. Especially now that we're finally off the island for a while.

'If he wants to speak to me, we can meet separately, I'm not leaving my kids alone in this house.'

I'm so proud that she's so devoted to her children and nod, before looking back at my husband.

'Marcello doesn't have time to meet up separately.' He says, keeping his eyes on her as if it has become his number one mission to get her to that party.

'Plus, I'll be staying home to keep watch.' My eyes flash to Marco and I almost smile.

'And how did that work out last time?' She asks, staring at him, 'Hunter got out on the island, who says he won't get out now? In the same house?'

'She has a point.' Celine mutters, leaning closer to look at Marco, 'I'm not going either.'

'We can probably leave the kids at Leya's family, right?'

I know they certainly wouldn't mind, but that's not the point they're trying to make.

It's insane to think that Hunter will simply be rotting in a cell in the basement, but they don't trust him in the same house with their kids. No matter how much security.

'My mom needs rest and she'll worry too much dealing with four kids.' She said she has been doing better, but I think taking care of a toddler, a kid, and two babies might be too much for her.

'Plus, Ariana is not a daycare. Celine and I will stay home and you guys can go.' Neveah says, slowly looking back at Rio, 'If Marcello wants to talk to us, he can come meet us at the house.'

'You-' 'They can stay at home and spend time with their children, we'll go and explain to Marcello that they couldn't make it because of the circumstances.'

Rio's eyes are fixated on me and I'm unsure if he's about to kill me if I breathe the wrong way, or if he wants everyone to get out so that he can fight about this with me.

I told him to lay back on Veah and since Celine has been dealing with a lot of stuff lately, she could use some extra time with her son.

'I would like to talk to my wife.' Is all he says, keeping his eyes on me as if no one else in the room exists.

He's waiting for them to leave, which takes longer than it should- or then I want it too, but as soon as they're all gone, he gets up.

'You really like messing with me, don't you?' He asks as I look up at him, feeling as tiny as ever now that I'm seated.

'You said you would let her be.' He nods and reaches out to me, slowly moving his hand to the back of my head and pulling me in. 'Letting her be does not mean she doesn't have to follow the rules.'

'This wasn't really a rule though, was it?' He clicks his tongue and massages the back of my head, making me heat up as he caresses my skull.

'She doesn't get a free pass from Marcello.'

'Marcello can come to us.' The only reason I'll be going to the lunch is to be close to Rio.

Because I would much rather go to my mother than go to lunch with one of Rio's friends, but at the same time I want to see how Marcello's doing too.

'Trust me, I don't want her there either, but Marcello does.' I shrug and lean into his touch, slowly pressing my lips on his as he pulls me off my chair and places me on the table.

'It will be a small gathering, so everything will be fine-' 'If she doesn't want to, she won't.' I mumble, before kissing him again.

He presses his body against mine and pulls me closer at my waist.

'Rafael.' I whisper between kisses as he slowly tries to undo the buttons of my shirt, 'This boat is big, but it's not that big.'

He groans and lets his hand slip to my chest, leaving a trail of fire wherever his fingers linger.

'I don't care.' He whispers against my skin, making my toes curl.

I shouldn't want this. I shouldn't want to do anything with him while anyone could just walk in at any given moment.

But I can't seem to stop him either.

'You should.' He inhales slowly, either to take in my scent or to control himself. 'Why?'

'Because I don't want someone walking in here and finding us half-naked on the table.' His lips curl up as he cups my face with his big hands and slowly plants another kiss on my lips.

It's soft, sensual, and sweet, making my heart leap as he looks down at me again.

'I would make sure it's the last thing they'll see.' He whispers as he presses his head against mine. 'I bet you would.'

He nods as if he's trying to convince me he would, not knowing that I believe every word he said, and watches me contently as I get up from the table.

'I have to check up with Celine, so I'll see you later?' He nods and reaches out to me, quickly pulling me in his arms and kissing me again.

I smile and walk towards Celine's room, or at least the room that she put Leroy to sleep in, and gently knock on the door.

'Come in!' Kai chimes and I open the door.

He's moving around the room with little Leroy in his arms while making weird faces, and turns around to face me.

'How can I help you?' Celine stumbles out of the bathroom and smiles as she notices me, 'She's here for me.'

Kai turns towards Celine and grins, 'How are you so sure of that?'

Celine walks over to them and looks up at Kai.

'She would never talk to you willingly and she said she would come by.' She taunts as she taps her finger on Leroy's nose, making him giggle.

He has grown a lot over the past weeks, it's insane.

'You would talk to me willingly, right?' Kai looks at me over his shoulder, waiting for me to respond so that he can rub it in Celine's face.

I didn't really have the time to talk to him lately, but that's because he has been busy with their son, making sure that Celine has everything she needs, and the work he gets from Marco.

'I would, but that's not why I'm here.' I reply honestly, making Celine smile even brighter.

'Told you,' She chimes, before giving him a quick kiss and walking over to me, 'Can you stay with him for a while, I'll be back soon.'

'Marco wanted me to work on-' 'You can't work while we're on the boat, so I don't want to hear it.' She continues before she pulls me back into the hall and continues walking.

I don't know where she's taking me, but I follow along.

She stops in front of the last door at the end of the hallway and slowly opens it.

It's a small room with a lot of windows and two couches across from one another.

There's a laptop, notepad, and pen placed on one of the couches, and I slowly turn back to Celine.

'Please, take a seat.' She says as she points at the couches.

I get in and sit down, resting my back after a long day of walking and standing up straight.

'Is everything okay?' She nods and quickly walks to the couch across from me.

'I'm just going to ask you some questions, regarding the incident and your pregnancy.' Oh right...

She did tell me she wanted to keep everything in check since I lost a lot of blood, but we never really talked about it after.

Celine grabs the notepad and pen and starts writing.

'So how have you been feeling?' I shrug and smile at her, not knowing how to answer her question.

Because I've been fine, a bit more tired and hungry lately, but I don't think that's because of the pregnancy or the incident.

It's because of the issues with Rio and Veah and everything that came with it.

I couldn't walk on my own for a few days and sometimes my legs hurt because of the amount of time I've been walking or standing.

I was dependent on others and I hated it.

'I need more than that.' She says, giving me a soft smile as she looks into my eyes.

'I've been tired and a little hungry, but I think it's because of the movement and lack of nutrition.'

She nods and waits for something else, but that's it. 'No morning sickness?'

'Not really?' She nods again and smiles at me.

'What about your hormones?' She asks as she moves to the edge of her seat, 'that includes sexdrive as well.'

My eyes widen a bit, but I'm able to contain the gasp ready to leave my throat and shake my head. 'Not more than usual.' I think...

'Although...' She shakes her head, laughing to herself at what I just said, 'I don't know, I think it's not more than usual or- you know what I mean.'

'I'm just glad you two found each other.' She says as she tries to make it less awkward.

'So am I.' I mumble, wondering what he's up to as we speak.

'Okay, so about the tiring part, you need to take it a bit slower. You need more sleep, it's good for healing and the baby.' If only Rio wouldn't be dropping his full body onto me every night...

No. I like sleeping in the same bed as him. I love the way he's holding me every night, it makes me sleep better.

But he stopped for a while because he was avoiding me with the whole Neveah thing.

'I will sleep more.' Or at least try to.

'And you should eat more foods to help heal your body and make sure the baby will have enough food. Keep in mind, you're feeding two bodies, not just one.' Right.

My hands ache to touch my stomach even though there's barely a bump there. Shouldn't there be something already?

'How far along are you?' Celine asks, probably sensing my concerns regarding my belly.

'Ten weeks since I found out.' I say a bit hesitantly.

Two out of those ten weeks was when I was in a coma and I don't know what the other doctors had to say about the pregnancy, but Celine told me everything was going fine.

'You have at least two more weeks before you start showing, but you might be a late bloomer like me and not show until the last few months.' Right.

She didn't have a bump for most of her pregnancy either.

'So you'll eat and rest more?' She asks as she leans back in her seat. 'I'll try.'

'That's good. Tomorrow we'll go to the hospital to do an ultrasound to make sure that everything is going alright, okay?'

I nod and feel my phone vibrate in my back pocket.

I look at the screen and notice a bunch of texts from Brandon. Just as I'm about to reply to them, he starts calling.

'You can pick up, we'll talk more tomorrow.' Celine says, turning to laptop she just opened. 'Thank you, I'll go see what's up with him.'

She nods and focuses on everything going on with her notes as I walk out of the room and quickly pick up.

'Cataleya, please tell Neveah that she should come with us!' Brandon shouts over the phone, making me pull my phone back to not get a headache.

'She doesn't want to so just let her be, please?' He sighs and rambles on, trying to convince me that she should come.

I feel like she should, but only if she wants to.

'Brandon.' I warn as I walk back to the deck, hoping to find him there.

'Fine. Where are you? I want to get you ready since we have about two hours.' I smile to myself and walk up the stairs, feeling my skin tighten as I walk up the steps.

It stings a little, but not enough to make me stop.

'What happened to going to sleep for five hours and not being bothered?' He chuckles and closes a door on his side of the phone. 'Duty calls.'

I look at the top of the stairs and notice Brandon standing in the middle, smiling as he looks at me. 'So let me help you get ready, please?'

'Fine with me.' He rushes down the steps, grabs my arm, and pulls me down the stairs as he rushes back to his room.

When we get to the master bedroom, he pushes me into the bathroom so that I can take a shower first.

And even though I haven't done much today, I feel absolutely disgusting.

I take off my clothes and catch my reflection in the mirror, suddenly feeling weirded out by the scars on my legs.

Rio told me he liked them since it meant that I saved him, but I hate them.

It's like they stained my legs, a reminder of how stupid we were to go in there and just try to get him back, even though it worked.

I hate it.

I quickly take a shower, before washing my hair and scrubbing off the access shampoo and conditioner.

As soon as I'm done, I wrap a towel around my chest, making sure it's long enough for my legs to be covered.

I don't want to look at the scars.

I want them to disappear.

'Almost done?' Brandon's voice startles me.

For a moment I forgot that he was waiting in the other room.

I walk to the door and stick my hand out, 'Can you give me my underwear.'

'Here you go.' He hands me a black strapless bodysuit, making my heart race at the sight of it.

It's completely made out of lace. Apart from the breasts, everything is seethrough.

'Do you really think- 'Just put it on.' Brandon chimes as he moves around the room.

I sigh deeply and look at it once more, before drying myself a bit more and putting some lotion on my body.

Once I'm done with most of my routine, I look back at the bodysuit and take a deep breath.

One day... And as soon as we're home, I'll take it off.

I put it on, wrapping the towel around my legs this time, and head back into the bedroom.

'Took you long enough.' He complains, pushing himself off the bed he was laying on, 'The others left already.'

'They did?' He nods and heads over to the little vanity against the wall. 'They needed to talk to Marcello before we got there, I don't know why.'

The dress hanging from the mirror catches my eye and I stare at it for a few seconds.

It's a long dusty rose-colored dress, with a layered skirt that takes up a lot of space. It's not what he usually gives me to wear, but it's perfect as usual.

'I didn't want the little Curzio to get squeezed to death, but if you want-' 'I love it.' I say as I head to the chair in front of the vanity.

Brandon smiles proudly and starts working on my hair and makeup, while he tells me about stupid things he and Marco did when they were little.

Once he's done with me, he disappears to get ready himself, and I look at myself in the mirror.

As usual, Brandon's dress makes me feel like an absolute princess.

The dress doesn't fit as tight as all the other dresses I've worn, but it's exactly perfect.

'You look good.' Isabelle says as she leans against the frame of the door.

She's wearing a sparkly champange colored dress that sticks to her figure like glue. Something I'm more used to...

'You do too.' Isa has never been ashamed of her body, but I don't remember her wearing something like this ever before.

'Do you think they have good food?' Isa asks as I follow her into the hall, 'Because I'm kind of hungry.'

I laugh and hook my arm around hers as we walk up the stairs and towards the bridge.

We're already at the docks, a limousine waiting for us on land.

'Hello miss Norman and miss Curzio,' A shiver runs down my spine and I can feel the heat pooling in my stomach, 'I'm Felice and I will drive you to the location.'

Felice opens the door and bows a little, helping Isa into the car first.

I smile at her and thank her as she helps me get my dress inside as well before she closes the door.

'So this Marcello guy is rich as well?' Isa asks curiously, staring at the sparkly roof and champagne on the side of the couches we're sitting on.

'Everyone you'll meet from now on is.' I remember feeling out of place at first, I sometimes still think that I am, but I have kind of gotten used to all of the money-flaunting and expensive stuff.

'It can be a bit much, but you should be fine.'

The door opens and we look at Felice as she smiles at us.

'Sometimes I hate Brandon.' Veah mutters as she gets into the limo as well. I frown and look as Brandon jumps in behind her.

She's wearing a pastel blue dress that almost looks identical to Isa's, just a little less glitter.

Isabelle smiles at the both of them, before turning back to the phone on her lap.

'There's no need to lie, you love me every hour of the day.' He chimes, making sure that my layered skirt is perfect even though we're sitting in a car and it's probably going to move around when we get out.

'He forced me to come as well.' Veah explains as Brandon turns to her hair since it's apparently out of place.

'I didn't force her... I just... convinced her.' She rolls her eyes and looks out the window, back at the house.

'What did he do?' Isabelle asks curiously, while Veah glares at Brandon. 'He told Victoria he wouldn't make her a dress if she wouldn't convince me.'

'Brandon-' 'Victoria's dress was already made and I was going to give it to her one way or the other, I just really wanted Veah to join us today.' He explains, giving me a soft smile.

'And it didn't help that Tiago wants me to come as well.' I turn back to Veah and notice how her cheeks are starting to turn a bit red.

'I bet he didn't have to do a lot to convince you.' I joke, making her laugh.

'Where are the others?' She asks when the engine starts.

'They already left, something about meeting up with Marcello before we arrived.' Brandon explains as he takes out his phone and starts taking pictures.

He keeps talking for the rest of the drive, telling us how hard he had to work to finish all these dresses on time, even though they were already finished and he just felt like adding a billion things last minute.

And as soon as we arrive, we wait for the door to open.

We all get out of the car and look ahead, noticing a mansion in front of us.

The marble pillars hug every corner at the front and the big windows make me wonder why it's almost impossible to actually see shit from outside.

It looks like there's nothing inside, but I can hear people talking.

'So this Marcello dude wants to see me too?' Isa asks, gaping at the house in front of us.

Brandon nods and clears his throat, 'All the women.' He repeats in the exact same tone as Rio said it.

I roll my eyes and hook my arm around his as he leads the way.

Veah and Isa follow right behind us as we get to the big wooden doors. 'Miss Curzio, mister Barsetti, miss North, and miss Norman. Welcome.'

I smile at the man as he opens the door and peek inside.

We walk through the doors and enter a room that feels like it's in another world.

Everyone looks dressed for a masquerade ball or something, all the women wear light dresses while all the men wear black suits, and the place is decorated with plants, flowers, and lights.

'Look at that!' Isabelle whispers excitedly, pulling us towards a fountain to our right.

A half-naked man dances on top of the fountain, balancing a platter of some kind of appetizer on his foot.

She takes one of the platter and smiles at the man, before glancing around the room.

Rio said it was going to be a small gathering, it is smaller than the others we've been to, but it's definitely not small.

There are over a hundred people in the room. And that's if I'm not including guests or entertainers.

'Of course, Marcello picked this place.' We follow Brandon to the other side of the room and I notice a flight of stairs going further down.

More guests are gathered down there, most of them holding a glass of champagne while they talk to the person across from them.

I look at a few guests downstairs and take in the scenery. It feels like a dream.

A group of dancers twirls around us, before dancing their way down the stairs.

I follow them and end up staring at Leonardo and Rafael.

They're downstairs. Talking to two women.

And one of them is very touchy with Rafael.

'I need a drink.' Brandon mutters, slowly letting go of me as he turns to the others.

Veah and Isabelle both stare at him as I try to keep my focus on what's happening downstairs.

Who is she? I don't know why I care, because I know he wouldn't cheat on me. Definitely not since he knows that I would be here too.

But why is she all over him?

'So none of you will come and drink with me?' Brandon asks, sounding disappointed. I rip my eyes off of the scene downstairs and look at Brandon.

'I shouldn't be drinking.' He nods and turns to the other girls, giving me time to look at what's happening downstairs.

She places her hand on his shoulder and steps closer, saying something that makes both Leon and him laugh hysterically. What is-

'What about you two?' Brandon asks.

'I want to be alert, so no thank you.' He sighs at Veah's response and turns to Isa for help, but she's too busy looking at everything around us.

Sometimes I forget that she has probably never done most of the stuff we're doing now, but even for all of us, this is a lot.

Marcello went all out, again.

'Fine, I'll go alone then. But don't ask me for anything!' He scoffs and walks back to the other side of the room.

'I don't think we've met before.' We turn towards a man who approaches us just as Brandon leaves to get another drink.

I look at the man in front of me and try to place him somewhere to see if I've met him before. But I clearly haven't.

He has brown eyes and short blond hair, looking very out of place in his dark green suit since every other man in the room is wearing a black one.

'We haven't.' He eyes Isabelle up and down, before turning to me, not once blinking an eye at Veah who almost steps in between us like some shield.

Something about this man feels off.

'My name is Austin, what a pleasure to bump into such gorgeous women like you.' Oh god...

I take a quick glance at Veah, who smiles at me before turning back to Austin who's probably waiting on our names.

'I'm Cataleya, and these are my friends, Isabelle and Neveah.' Austin nods impressed, before moving a bit closer.

'Did you three come alone or did you bring any company?' I take a quick glance around the room, trying to catch another glimpse of Rio somewhere downstairs, but he's nowhere in sight.

At least not right now.

I do see Leon right where they were just talking, but he's too busy talking to someone else to even notice us.

'Should it matter?' Isabelle asks, making Austin nod as he takes a sip from his drink, 'Why?'

'Because it would change your role here.' Role?

I turn back to face Austin and take him all in just one more time.

He smells nice, that's for sure, but he sounds too conceited.

'And what role would we have if we came alone?' I ask, tilting my head up to keep eye contact with him.

I can see the side of his lip curl up the slightest bit, making my skin crawl in disgust, but keep a straight face.

'I bet you would love to find out, wouldn't you.' I don't get how he can be so open about this, especially when he knows that my friends are right by my side.

I can't help but smile as I wave my hand in front of his face, making sure he sees the ring on my finger, but not making it too obvious either.

'I don't think my husband would like that.' And neither would I...

Austin scoffs and rolls his eyes, before he throws his arms back, gesturing to the space around him. 'Where is he? Maybe we should ask?'

People around us start muttering and staring, making me feel bad because we're causing a scene.

'I don't think you want to do that.' I know for a fact that Rio would kill him.

Not for trying to make a move on me, if that's even what he's doing, but for talking to me the way he did.

'Really?' He asks, tipping the rest of his champagne back, 'Who are you married to then?'

'Shouldn't matter.' I reply, wanting to turn away.

But Austin steps closer and grins at me, 'Tell me.'

'She shouldn't have to, Hayes.' Austin's eyes widen and I turn to the person behind him.

Marcello walks over to us, being greeted by some of his other guests, and glares at Austin like he would murder him any second.

'But if you would like to know so badly,' Marcello turns to the stairway on our right and nods at Rafael who's walking up the stairs with a glass of champagne in his hand, 'That's him right there.'

Rio makes his way over to me, slipping his arm around my waist before he turns to Austin and Marcello across from us.

I just know that Isa and Veah are grinning like crazy, and can't help but feel good because of all of this.

'What did you want to ask him again?' I ask as I watch Austin's face turn almost as red as a tomato.

'Nothing.' Austing quickly says as he takes a step back, fear in his eyes as he notices Rio's hand on my waist, 'I didn't know.'

He tries to take another step away from us but bumps into two men dressed in completely dark blue suits.

'Take him away.' Marcello orders, making the two men nod before they grab Austin by his arms and drag him to the front door.

'Are you okay? Did he hurt you?' Rio asks, his hand flat on my stomach as if he can feel anything by doing so.

'We're fine.'

I watch the men drag Austin out until they're out of sight and turn back to the others, but meet a woman's gaze instead.

Her eyes are emerald green and she has dark brown straight hair, full lips, and a beautiful body.

She's the woman he was talking to downstairs.

'What a pleasure to meet you.' She chimes, holding out her hand.

I shake her hand and lean more into Rio, because she eyes him up and down as she pulls her hand back.

'Valerie, this is my wife, Cataleya.' He says, making my heart race for some reason.

She nods, not once looking my way as she speaks again, 'She's cute.' Cute...

I wrap my arm around Rio's waist, drawing her attention back to me, and smile at the man I love, before looking at her. 'It's nice to meet you.'

She inhales slowly, before nodding and looking at Rio again.

'We'll have to talk some more when you have time.' She chimes, her voice filled with something dark and twisted.

I almost smack her across the face for looking at my husband the way she's doing but swallow my pride and keep on a straight front.

'If I ever get time off.' Rio jokes, a chuckle rumbling to him, 'We sure need to catch up on what Emilio has been doing all this time.' Emilio?

I wait for her to leave, but she takes her sweet time, and turn back to Rio as soon as she's completely out of sight.

'You look-' 'Who is she?' I can't help it and feel absolutely insane for even asking, but I just know she wants something from him.

I don't care if its romantically or financially, she wants my husband.

He raises a brow and grins to himself, before pulling me closer. 'Why do you want to know?'

'She wants something.' I reply honestly, not wanting to lie to him, 'I don't want you to get used.'

'Is that all?' He leads me towards a door and waits for the staff to open it for us.

'Answer the question.' I mumble as he leads me onto an empty balcony.

White roses are used as decoration for almost everything at this place, but it's fitting.

'Are you jealous, Valentina?' I take a step away from him and sigh deeply as I lean over the railing, staring down at the ocean in the distance.

'Why would I be jealous, I was just asking a question.'

'Valentina-' 'Answer the question, please.' I don't know why it matters this much, but I can't stop thinking about it.

It's taking over my mind and it's driving me insane.

'She's just an old family friend.' He says, staying right in the middle of the balcony, but something's off.

He's keeping something from me.

'Just a friend?' I look at him and notice the slight frown on his face, 'Did you two ever... You know?'

'We have.' He admits, making my heart race. 'And she wants to rekindle that...'

'That's not-' 'She was all over you, don't act like you didn't notice.' I sound annoyed, but I feel angrier toward her.

She clearly knew about me, since he introduced me as his wife, yet she kept on eyeing him.

'I didn't notice.' He states, taking a step closer.

I roll my eyes and step away from the railing, trying to keep my distance from him.

If he gets too close he's going to trap me in his arms and I know I won't be able to fight with him then.

'Then you must be blind.' This is something new to me.

I didn't mind if he talked to other women before, so why should I care now?

'She wasn't trying to do anything, Valentina.' Valentina... I shake my head and take another step away from him.

'She clearly was, you just didn't see it.'

'Maybe because I was worried about Austin Hayes being near my wife?' He says, making my heart race when he mentions me as his wife.

'Well, you didn't care about that when you were talking to her downstairs and she was getting a little touchy.'

His frown deepens and before he says another word, he starts grinning again.

I want to wipe that grin off his face and leave him on this balcony all on his own, simply because he doesn't get it.

'So I'm not allowed to be touched by other women?'

'Would you like it if I let Marco touch me?' I wouldn't, but I need him to understand.

Something in his eyes changes and I take another step back when he takes one forward.

'That's different.'

'How is that different?' I ask, hoping that the music inside is loud enough so that others won't hear us out here.

'Because he's in love with you.' He sneers, taking another step forward.

I try to step back, but I'm at the end of the balcony, the railing poking into my back. 'She clearly wants you too.'

'It shouldn't matter.' I swear to fucking God!

'And why not?' I ask, readying myself for his touch since he's close enough to reach out to me.

'Because I don't love her.' Did he just- 'I love you.'

My heart explodes into a million pieces and I can't help but gasp for air, my knees feeling weak.

He catches me and looks at my face, shocked that he finally confessed his love for me.

But I can't stop smiling and kiss him deeply, before letting him wrap his arms around me.

He said it. He finally fucking said what I've been waiting for the entire time.

'Say it again.' I whisper against his lips, letting all the annoyance melt at his touch.

He smiles, his cheeks burning with shame, even though he should be proud.

'Please?'

'I love you, Cataleya.' Fucking hell...

If we weren't at this stupid lunch, I would've- 'Get those thoughts out of your head, Valentina.'

His lips brush against my neck before he slowly presses his lips against my skin, 'We should head back inside, they wanted to start with the food.'

He takes a step back and holds out his hand, waiting for me to take it so that we can go back inside.

I want to stay up here for a little longer, just the two of us, and soak up this moment, but I know that someone will come and get us if we don't go now.

So I take his hand and let him lead the way.

Everyone is seated at a huge table, with only two seats empty. Two seats near Marcello, of course.

'I was wondering where you went.' Veah whispers as I sit down across from her.

She eyes me up and down, before frowning at Rio as if we just commit a crime.

'All good?' I nod and turn to Marcello who gets up from his chair, lifting his glass in the air.

'Here you go.' A butler says, handing me a glass filled with something pink and sparkly.

'I can't drink-' 'That's juice, Marcello knows that you're pregnant.' Rio whispers as he takes the glass from the butler and hands it to me.

He gets one as well, making my heart swell.

He said he loved me and he's not drinking today.

'Thank you everyone for making time in your busy schedule to spend time with me.' Marcello starts, making everyone go silent immediately.

'I'm glad all of you could make it and wanted to let you know that your presence is truly appreciated.'

Everyone listens to Marcello as if they're a bunch of bees, craving the honey coming ot of his mouth as he speaks.

'It has been a hectic couple of months, but somehow we're still standing here. Together.'

Marcello glances at all the guests in the room and despite there being so many, it feels like he's trying to connect with every one of them individually even though he barely takes two seconds to look at all of them.

'The love and strength we get from one another is great enough to keep us protected, that and god's strength are the only three reasons we're here today.'

I can hear some people mumble on the other side of the table, but keep my eyes on Marcello.

'So let's raise a glass to god, love, and strength.' Everyone raises their glass, including me, and follows Marcello's steps as he takes the first sip.

It's indeed juice. Strawberry juice.

Marcello sits back down and the table is filled with food.

Everyone starts eating and talking, making my head swirl with emotions as I try to focus on the food and what people are saying around me.

'Thank you for inviting us.' Neveah chimes as she takes another sip of her juice.

'I've been wanting to see you guys, it feels like decades since I've spoken to any of you.'

'It has barely been a month, Nicholas.' Rio jokes, making Marcello chuckle.

'I said it feels like decades, not that it has been.' He retorts, before turning to me, 'I hope you like the party, it's kind of for the new family member which nobody know's about yet.'

I smile and try to finish my plate so that I won't be as hungry later on.

'It's amazing, but you really didn't have to.'

'Marcello loves to throw parties, he'll use every little thing as an excuse to have one.' Brandon chimes, gracing us with a warm smile.

'That is very true, Brandon. But I know you would come to every one of my parties given the chance.' Marcello states, making Brandon nod.

'They're the best.'

After talking and eating for over an hour, everyone starts heading downstairs again.

Just as Rio and I were about to head down as well, I can hear someone cog a gun behind us and turn around.

Austin returned, wearing the same suit he was wearing before, and points his gun at Rio.

Rio nudges me to the side and keeps his eyes on Austin, while people around us start pulling guns as well.

'How did he get in here?' Isabelle asks, holding me back just enough.

She must know that I want to jump in front of him if he even moves an inch, but I remind myself that I'm pregnant this time and look around for anyone else.

Leon is pointing a gun at Austin, but someone else is pointing a gun at Leon.

The same goes for Marco, Brandon, some of Marcello's men, and other people around us.

'I thought if you weren't as bad as they said you were, I wouldn't do all of this.' Austin says, slowly taking a step forward.

Isabelle grabs my arm and pulls me closer to her, sensing my eagerness to beat the shit out of Austin.

If they shoot Austin, others will die and he might still shoot Rio on his way down.

'But you're just a conceited piece of shit!' He shouts, making the music suddenly stop.

'Listen up everyone!' The crowd goes silent as they circle around us in fear, wanting to hear what he has to say, 'Martin Steel wants his cousin back.'

Martin Steel...

'He has no idea where he is, but he will do anything to get him back.' Austin says, trying to scare everyone around us.

Because some of the guests here have been at our wedding. I don't recognize them exactly, but I know that they were there.

They know how it went down, so they probably know we have him.

They won't hesitate to rat us out if Austin is telling the truth.

'This is just the beginning.' He pulls the trigger, shooting straight through Rio's chest, and all hell breaks lose.

I can hear guns blaring left and right, but drop to my knees and look at my husband who's reaching for his gun.

Despite his wound, he shoots around, striking everyone who was pointing a gun at one of us just two seconds ago.

Bodies drop left and right, but no women are harmed.

Just men.

'Get out of here!' I hear Leon shout just as people start running.

I crawl towards Rio and place my hand on his chest, feeling my hand soak with his blood.

It hurts, like someone is peeling of my skin where his blood touched it.

'Rio-' 'Get out. You have to-' He groans and drops further down, almost getting shot again.

Marco quickly shoots the man aiming his gun at my husband and quickly glances around to search for another enemy.

Blood stains his white undershirt and I try to keep the panic from taking over.

He's losing a lot of blood and he's losing it fast.

'Valentina, you have to go.' He groans, trying to shove me away.

But he's too weak. He's in too much pain. He lost too much blood.

I shake my head and grab his arm, trying to help him up so that we can get out of here.

'I am not leaving you.' He wants to oppose but I throw his arm around my shoulder and try to hoist him up as high as I can.

Having a tall husband is fun and all, but he's at least three times my weight and I'm not that strong.

Veah rushes to the other side of Rio, her dress bloodied and torn in some places, but she's okay.

She throws Rio's arm around her shoulder and helps me drag him out of there.

People shoot at us, but we're able to get out before they do.

As soon as we're outside and near a car, we realize that most of the people inside ran away already.

'Stay right here.' Veah runs back inside and as much as I want to go after her, Rio groans as he drops right next to the car.

I kneel down and look at the wound, realizing that his white shirt isn't white anymore. 'Go.'

'No.' I mumble as tears prick in my eyes.

This can't be happening. How is this happening?

'Stay with me okay, please.' I can't stop the blood flowing out of his wound and the scarlet stain seems to become bigger and bigger by the second.

'Rafael, please stay with me, okay?'

He groans as he places his hand on mine and I hate the way he sounds.

Pained and... Dying...

'We were just doing so good, I mean-' I choke on my words and see his lips curl up so I shake my head, 'I just got you back. This isn't-'

'Stick with Leonardo, okay?' I shake my head and press my hand on his mouth to keep him from going on.

I don't want to hear it. I don't want to believe it.

It's simply not happening.

'I'm sticking with you.'

He tilts his head to the side and groans as blood gushes out of his wound, making me wonder how long we have left.

'Go.' He coughs, 'Get out of here before they-' 'Adriano!'

I turn around and see Leon rushing down the stairs.

Marco and Leon are bleeding too, but Isa, Brandon, and Veah are fine.

Leon helps Rio off the ground and looks at me, all I do is nod as I wipe my face.

His blood sticks to my skin, burning into it as if it's supposed to mark me, and I blink away the tears.

'We need to-' 'Get in.' I rush to the other side of the car and feel my body go numb as everyone tries to fight for a spot somewhere in the cars that are left.

The entire drive, which takes about ten minutes, feels like years. It feels like he's dead, his body cold and limb in my arms, but as soon as we get to the hospital, I panic.

They take him through a bunch of doors and I want to run after him and just sit by his side until he's all stitched up and fine.

'Leya... Here.' Isa, who's completely fine, hands me a bottle of water.

I look at it and shake my head, not wanting to eat or drink anything right now.

'You have to drink something, Ley.' I look up at Veah, who has been sitting by my side ever since I sat down in this empty hall.

'My husband just got shot and this,' I point at my dress, hands, and face, 'Is all the blood he lost, I don't know if he's still alive since they're taking long as hell, so no. I don't need to drink something right now!'

I don't want to be snarly, I don't want to be mean, but I can't take this.

Veah nods and leans back, staring as a group of doctors walk through the hall.

Leon, Brandon, and Marco are making phone calls, trying to see who else is left to get to the hospital so that they'll have to explain what happened.

We can't get the cops involved.

'Get me a car.' Neveah looks at me with wide eyes as Isabelle starts running around to get me the keys to a car.

'Cataleya I don't think you should be driving in this state.' She says, wrapping her arm around me. I slip out of her touch and shake my head. 'Please- Just- Get me a car.'

Isabelle runs back with car keys in her hand and pulls me off the bench.

'Where do you think you're going?' Neveah stops us at the door and keeps her eyes on me. 'I'm going to handle this.'

I fight the urge to throw up because of the hospital smell.

'Cataleya you-' 'Let me handle this.' I say, shoving her out of my way.

She rolls her eyes and runs after us, out of the hospital.

Even outside, I still feel like puking my guts out.

'Cataleya stop!' I turn around and look at my best friend, begging her to let me do this.

To let me handle this.

'I'm driving.' Something washes over me.

Gratitude.

I'm grateful that she's letting me do this, that she's helping me with handling this my own way.

'Give her the keys and let's go.' Isabelle throws the keys at Neveah and heads towards the car that lights up.

I jump in the passenger seat and watch as Neveah starts the car and almost immediately starts driving off the parking lot. 'Where are we going?'

'The house. I need to do something first.' Neveah looks at me before focusing on the road again.

She knows what I mean by that.

But Isabelle doesn't and simply nods, thinking it will be a quick stop before we head to the real deal.

It kind of is, but I don't think she'll want to come with us after what I'm about to do.

As soon as we get to the house, before Neveah can even turn off the car, I jump out and rush to the door, almost kicking it in as I run inside.

'What are we-' I ignore Isabelle and run straight to the room on the other side of the house.

The room where you can only hear screams if you're close enough.

I open the door and look at the smiling enemy.

Hunter Steel.

Before I process what he says, before he can even finish whatever he was about to say, I slam my fist into his face, making blood splash out of his mouth.

'Cataleya!' Isabelle and Neveah rush after me, both having different reactions.

Neveah looks proud, leaning against a wall near the door, while Isabelle looks a bit panicked.

'Long time no see, little bee.' Hunter chimes, spitting some blood to his right, before facing me again.

I hit him again and again, just like in training, but this time with my real strength, with my real anger, with my entire fucking soul.

My only goal is to hurt him.

I want to hurt him so that he can feel how much I'm hurting right now.

But I doubt I'm that strong.

I just want to crush his bones, one by one, because that's how I feel right now.

Broken.

Absolutely broken.

'You hit just like him.' He coughs, making my blood boil even more than it already is.

'Tell me where he is.' I sneer, pulling him up at his collar.

He simply grins at me and I can't help but hit him again.

'Where is he!?' I shout, kicking at him since he's on the ground already.

He doesn't even try to fight back.

All he does is grin.

'Cataleya stop!' Isabelle pulls me back, tears streaming down her face, 'You're killing him!'

'That's the point!' I shout, lunging at Hunter again.

He doesn't even fucking flinch and starts laughing like a maniac.

'I can't let you kill him.'

I turn to Isabelle and look at her.

She's sincere, honestly ready to stop me if I try to kill Hunter in any way possible.

'Why not?' Neveah asks from the other side of the room.

She seemed pretty pleased to see me finally exploding on Hunter.

'He's my best friend.' Isabelle whispers, keeping her eyes on me, 'He saved me.'

'He let his uncle do that to you and you won't let me kill him?'

She shakes her head and wipes her eyes, before stepping back.

'He locked you on that island for months, yet you won't let me kill him?'

She lowers her gaze and shakes her head.

'He's a monster!' When she looks up at me again, something faded from her eyes.

'Isabelle don't-' Neveah steps closer to him, striking him in the face with all her strength. 'Shut up you piece of shit.'

'Do it.' Isabelle mumbles, handing me the gun that was on the table across the room. 'Kill him.'

I grab the gun and turn back to Hunter with all the anger I have.

'You won't kill me.' I slam the back of the gun against his face and load it, just like I was thought to.

'I'll kill everyone involved.' He chuckles and looks at me again, blood dripping down his face.

'Even Noah?' Noah... He wouldn't let me out of that room. He just let Hunter do his thing whenever he wanted. 'Even Adam?'

The same goes for him. I barely know Adam, but he let Hunter go and do as he pleased.

'Even Jordan? Damian? Ben?' As if I'm supposed to care about any of them...

'All of them.' I say, keeping my aim steady.

'What about Jade?' He asks, her name cutting through me like a knife.

I almost drop the gun, almost...

'You ruined your chance of survival when you killed her.' Hunter is someone who doesn't like people knowing how he feels.

He hates it when people can tell what he's feeling without him having to say it.

He wants to control what people think and see of him.

But he's failing miserably at hiding his fears right now.

Because Hunter Steel knows he won't make it out of here.

'What do you mean?' He asks, trying to keep the fear out of his voice even though it's clearly there.

'She would've been the only reason I would've kept you alive.' I state, not once moving my arm away from his face as I speak.

It's the truth, I wouldn't even think about killing Hunter like this if Jade would be here.

I wouldn't do that to her, no matter how much her life would be better without her fucked up family involved, I wouldn't.

'They'll come after you.' He says, smirking as blood drips from his mouth.

'Let them try.'

I pull the trigger, not flinching, not taking my eyes off of him, not even gasping for air as the bullet shoots through his skull, not even letting him catch another breath as he drops to the floor.

Dead.

Hunter Steel is finally dead.

And I've never felt so free, yet caged, at the same time.

He won't be able to haunt me, to ruin my life, ever again.

But Rio...

If Rio dies, I'll-

Someone's phone rings and I drop the gun, looking at my hands, before turning to Neveah.

She looks at me, waiting for me to break like I did the last time I killed someone in front of her.

But I don't.

I won't.

Not after this.

'Neveah, your phone.' Isabelle says, wiping her tears as she slowly steps away from us, keeping her eyes on Hunter's dead body.

Neveah picks up her phone and brings it to her ear.

'What is it?' She asks, not even asking who it is first.

I can hear loud screaming from the other side of the phone. It's Leon.

My heart starts racing and run to the corner of the room because I feel the bile moving up my throat.

I let everything out.

I cry, I puke, I scream, I break.

No. No. He can't. No.

Maybe he's not dead yet. Maybe- No.

'Calm down! We're at the house.' She says, moving closer to me.

She rubs my back and listens to Leon while I try to keep my breathing steady.

'What?' Her eyes widen and I can't keep it in anymore.

I pull the phone out of her hands and bring it to my ear. 'Leon- Please tell me-'

I look at Neveah and wipe my mouth, trying to keep it all in for just enough seconds to hear what Leon is saying.

My heart stops as he says the next words.

'He's alive.'

----

A/N: Bruh... I keep posting late... You guys must hate me for this, but I'm sorry! THIS CHAPTER IS LONG SO IT KINDA MAKES UP FOR IT? IDK

Let me know what you guys thought in the comments! I love all your comments and can't wait for them in this chapter as well!

I love you guys and I hope to see you in the next chapter!

Have a lovely day/night my love <3