LOGINWhen Liviana Santora takes her sister's place in an arranged marriage with Blaze Castelli, it isn't only her last name that changes, it's everything she's ever known ⏤ her life, her mind, her heart and soul ⏤ her idea of love. But could the same be said about Blaze?
View MoreTime.
It was a funny thing. Confusing and scary, dreadful.
For some, it was much more positive than that. They found hope in time.
"Time heals all wounds."
They looked forward to the next day ⏤ the next week ⏤ month ⏤ year, and so on.
They anticipated getting older and the change that time would bring them. The wisdom and knowledge ⏤ the experiences they would have in that time, the ones you're told to enjoy because they happen in the best years of your life and time flies, so you're supposed to enjoy it while it lasts.
Liviana never knew what the hell those people were talking about.
"Time flies," yet her days dragged on until she gave up and ended them early, crawling into her bed at merely 6pm just to make it feel like the day was over and she had made it.
"Time heals all wounds," but why hadn't it healed hers? She still sat in pain, waiting for it to lessen with each passing day, but it never did. If anything, it only hurt worse.
Time is something Liviana hated. She loathed the whole idea of it. The fear, the hope, the pressure of it. Everything.
It wasn't until she met Blaze Castelli that she understood what everyone talked about, how they warned her to not waste time, as it's something you can never get back.
She wished she had listened.
Now, as she sat in this cold, empty room, bloodied and broken, she wished that she hadn't wasted that year on things that, looking back, seemed so minor compared to what she was going through now.
She wished that instead of arguments, she would have just apologized and held him close, like everytime was the last.
Instead of ignoring his existence, she would have told him how much she appreciated him, and how much he had done for her in their short time together.
She wished that instead of 'I hate you', she could tell him how much she loves him, that there was nothing he could ever do to make her truly hate him.
But she didn't, and now it was too late, because she never knew if she would see him again.
Time was something Liviana hated, but it was also something she took for granted.
And now it seems as though her time is running out.
"What the hell was that about?"It's the first thing Liviana hears through her haze, flinching where she stood perched up against a wall, head bowing in an effort to keep herself hidden behind a curtain of her hair - as if that could protect her from the situation that surrounded her or the people, whose eyes she can feel piercing through her every couple of seconds. It isn't until she hears the question - hears their voices - that Liviana begins to relax ever so slightly, feeling those sharp eyes flit away from her, offering her a moment of relief. It's short-lived when, suddenly, there's a hand on her shoulder and she's being spun around and her hearts dropping all over again, eyes blowing wide in a split second of panic when she's hit with the thought of 'not again' until her eyes meet his - her husband's, and the shriek she could feel bubbling up in her throat dies in favor of releasing a thankful sigh. She didn't think she could ever be happier to see the man than she was in tha
"Blaze!"He could recognize that voice anywhere - could pick it out of a million in his sleep if he had to - and the moment he hears it, he runs. He practically jumps out of the chair he was in as if it were on fire, his feet moving faster than he could think. "Armani?!" He shouts, darting for the door and chasing after the sound - after an answer. "Where are you? What's wrong?"He steps out into the hallway, head snapping in both directions before he see's something - some sort of commotion - at the end of the hall that has him rushing off before his wife can even ask what's going on. Livi frowns, watching him go with a pit of dread in her stomach. Oh God... what could possibly be wrong now?She doesn't give herself time to wonder - time to overthink or worry too much and let her cowardice get the best of her - before she's rushing after him, asking, "where is he?" As she goes, following her husband into battle blindly, just like she promised him she would. Just like she always fear
Silence pierced the room after his outburst, and somehow the quiet was louder than those venomous words he was spitting at her moments before - loud, unfiltered, and in equal parts both thoughtful and thoughtless, and the worst of all? They were somewhat true. And it was that raw, damn near brutal honesty that left Liviana rattled into silence, unable to speak as her mind quickly began dissecting his each and every word.The way he called her thoughtless, careless, and a damn near train wreck. How he compared her to a helpless child - lost, confused, and reliant - someone that he always had to rescue from situations that could’ve been avoided had she only used her brain - something he knew never turned off, yet remained completely useless, just as she did. The way he called her a damsel in distress who needed constant saving from herself and so, of course, he, her husband, would get burdened with the task. The way he deemed her responsible for every single thing that’s gone wrong in t
The siblings seem to come to an agreement rather quickly, agreeing to spend the next hour or so on their owns in order to find some sort of understanding and patience, perhaps even a little empathy, that they would be able to reapproach the situation with whenever their parents said they should. "Deal." Is all they say before they part ways - Leona marching off toward the kitchen on her own while Armani and Violet scurry toward the staircase to, no doubt, return to their sleeping quarters - the only private place someone had in this house of chaos. And when Blaze follows their lead, wrapping an arm around his own wife's shoulders and whisking her away, leading her down a dimly lit corridor and away from Amara, the only Castelli who remained in that hall - lost, alone, and full of regret. Silence seems to swallow the so-called "home" whole and the family is enveloped in the darkness of their despair, one thought left to pick at each and every one of their minds. Where the hell did the
"Okay, you know what-" Elara cuts herself off with a sharp sigh, sucking in a deep breath a moment later as if she was doing everything she could to remain calm and keep her composure, to keep whatever patience she had left. To do so, she decides - much like her husband - that she's had enough. "That's it! I've had it!"Lucius frowns, watching his wife turn around with a face of something between fury and heartbreak. Clearly she was at war with not only herself, but everyone else. And she was losing all around. He could hardly stand the sight of it - her pain, that torn up look on her face that told a million little tales of sorrow - and he quickly steps in to aid her, rushing down the steps and to her side. "What is it, mi Amor? Are you all right?" He meets her at the bottom, having practically flown down the stairs at a lightning speed no human had ever seen, let alone achieved, and places a gentle hand on her back, walking with her toward the main kitchen."No!" She shakes her head
Blaze and Liviana were stuck, held hostage under his own mother's scrutinizing gaze and an insatiable need for her kids' reconciliation.It was a matter that three of them insisted had nothing to do with her, and so she shouldn't be meddling. Elara should mind her own business. Her youngest child said otherwise.Amara was practically weeping when she curled into her mother's side, tucking herself under the safety of the arm that doesn't hesitate to wrap itself around her shoulders and pull her close. She leans into the touch, practically melting into a puddle of tears as she cries and asks Elara for her help. Begs and pleads for her not to leave, to protect her like she always promised she would, having sworn she'd never let anyone hurt her because what else was a mother's job for if not to protect her children?Well, Elara wasn't sure. She couldn't fathom what could ever be more important to a parent than their children's well-being, even if that child happened to be somewhat of an u






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