Achilles’ Point of View:I couldn’t convince myself to follow her when she left my room. If I were honest, I wanted to—so badly, but I didn’t have it in me. I couldn’t face her after what I had said to her. I fell back on the bed. Did I really just fuck things up with the love of my life over some money? But it wasn’t about money, was it? I just wanted—I was just not used to people doing things like that. I was not used to forgiving. I’ve always been alone in things like these, and it just seemed… outrageous, at the moment, that she would do something like that. Sometimes, her words seemed to be true. Maybe I was my father, cause at times like these—I could see him in me. Carlos entered my room moments after she left. “What’d you say to send her crying like that?” His words made me feel even worse. I sat up and looked at him with a helpless expression. He had supported me so much in my relationship with Bella, and now how was I supposed to tell him how wildly I had fucked it up i
Achilles’ Point of View:I stopped in front of her apartment. As I got out of the car, I grabbed her apartment keys—I had a copy, obviously, and entered inside.The place was rather dim. She wasn’t in the living room, so I looked around. Finally I noticed the lights up in a room, and the door was slightly open. I looked inside and found her curled up, sitting down and sobbing. The room was all messed up, as if she had thrown some stuff around earlier.It feels almost worse to come and apologise, as if I deserve it. But I had to.I knocked on the door and she looked at me with a sudden flinch before exhaling. Immediately breaking contact, she looked down as I entered the room.“Bella, I… I—”“Out, Achilles.” She whispered, almost inaudible as she continued looking down. Her voice shivered as her eyes roamed over her bed. Seeing her in that condition made me want to leave and never come back, but maybe an apology could make things easier for her too.“I… just—just listen to me, please.”
Achilles’ Point of View:“Hello, Mr. Achilles Roman. This is the Kansas City Hospital. Ms. Isabelle Smith has been in a bad accident off of 6th Street and she has been admitted in the City Hospital. Please visit her as soon as possible along with any other family.”As soon as the person’s voice was interpreted by my brain, I looked at Carlos, dumbfounded. Before he could say anything, I ran back to my car half-breathed and he apparently ran too, as we got inside and I drove to the Kansas City Hospital.I parked the car in a hurry and headed towards the building. The hospital was crowded when we reached the gates. Stumbling through and pushing everyone aside, we went
Achilles’ Point of View:“Who—Who are you?” Her voice was soothing, yet her expressions were overwhelmingly worrisome.I stared at her while my heart skipped a beat. Seeing her in the state—forgetting everything, lying on the hospital bed with her bones broken, and helpless—made me feel unreal. I couldn’t even react to her situation and her calm expressions made it worse.I turned around to see Carlos standing with his expressions sad as he observed the both of us. His eyes turned toward me.“I can’t do this,” I whispered to him before leaving but he followed me.“Stop it, Achilles.” He said, his voice tired and a little frustrated.“What? What do you want me to do, Carlos?” I let out a sharp breath. “She doesn’t—she doesn’t remember anything!”“I know.”“So? I’m—I’m not coming back in her life, okay? She has a blessing by forgetting me.”“You’re so fucking stupid, Achilles. So you’re gonna walk away right now? When she needs you?” He took a step toward me and looked at me with part-d
Achilles’ Point of View:I went inside her ward after the conversation with Carlos, and looked at Isabelle—who seemed to be more confused as ever. She looked at me with caution, her eyes wandering off in conflict as to whether to trust me or not. Maybe walking out like I did without even telling her anything wasn’t the best idea. Although, it was time to make this right.“Uh,” I said as I took a seat beside her—a little away, but close enough to speak slowly and still be audible: “I am Achilles, your—your friend.”“Oh,” She whispered. “And that—that guy earlier?”“He’s Carlos, also your friend. Well, actually, he’s my best friend, but you two get along.”She nodded, understanding. There was little understanding on my part though—because everything that I knew about memory loss after a brain trauma screamed that she’d probably be agitated, confused, furious, or aggressive. Although, she was relatively very calm and collected.“Um, so…” She exhaled. “Well, awkward, but who am I?”I let
Achilles’ Point of View:I went to the bar with Carlos. It was a little far from the hospital, but still a decent place to sit down and have a conversation. The smell of cigarettes, stale beer and whiskey hit my nose as soon as I entered, sending me into an instant state of relief.“Two beers, please,” Carlos said to the bartender as we sat down in front of the counter.Apparently, Carlos had also made sure that no paparazzi could spot us as this place was a little secluded. If he wasn’t here, I probably would make headlines everyday—and not for good things.The man nodded, and started mixing drinks. I looked over at Carlos who exhaled as he pushed one of the glasses toward me.“You must be tired.”“Yeah, well,” I picked it up. “It’s not like there’s anything else to do.”“Hmm,” He agreed as we took a sip.“Well, I couldn’t help but notice,” I said as the conversations replayed in my mind, “You were talking to me as if you knew the situation really personally. Did something happen in
Achilles’ Point of View:The next morning, I woke up earlier than I wanted to. It was still 5:46 AM, but I knew better than to sleep for another hour. Instead, I went to take a shower and then check on Carlos.I knocked on his door but apparently, he was still asleep. So, I decided to go to Isabella instead, writing a text that he should come over whenever he could.The ride to the hospital in the early morning of 6:24 AM was really quiet and peaceful. I parked in the parking lot, heading inside and to Bella’s cabin.To my surprise, she was awake and staring at the ceiling when I entered.“Hey Isabelle,” I said as I took a seat beside her.Her eyes shifted toward me. She looked at me from top to bottom, as if analysing me for the first time—and a look of confusion washed over her face.“You’re…?”Oh, was this the case when she would forget stuff again and again? Well, here we go then.I exhaled. “Achilles. Uh, we’re friends.”“Oh,” She stole her eyes away again and drove herself in th
Achilles’ Point of View:As soon as Carlos left, I looked around the hallway. A lot of other people were here now—just bringing water, or food, or coffee for their loved ones. Their smiles were evident, some of them fake while others were happy to just have the opportunity to take care of their loved ones.A loud breath escaped my life. I had no one now, and it was no one’s fault. I was given the chance to have the best friend anyone could ask for—to have the best lover I didn’t really ever deserve, and I fucked it all up for no reason.I always thought I knew what I wanted in my life. Since the start, when I—when I saw the world through the black. It wasn’t grey to me like it is to most people, it was pure jet black. I saw first-hand what it was like to have a shitty family, what it was like to just destroy everyone who wanted nothing but to love you. I thought I had learned my lesson when I lost my mother because of how much she loved the monster who I swore to never become.I couldn
Achilles’ Point of View:I went back to my apartment as I made an anonymous tip to the police that somehow the rich billionaire had died. It was already over two hours, and Isabelle was probably waiting for me, so I didn’t want to waste any more time trying to clear up the mess at the mansion. My people had already managed the security tapes and the fingerprints.As soon as I reached my place and went inside, Isabelle ran up to me and hugged me. “Achilles.”“Hey,” I smiled at her. “Everything’s gonna be fine now.”She was confused at my words. I didn’t really know how she would react to this. I mean, she knew I was no saint and I had killed hundreds while working as a mafia leader, but right now I had murdered my own father and without any Mafia influence.But I couldn’t hide it. No more secrets. I had to tell her if I wanted her to trust me.“I killed my father.” Those words rolled out of my tongue, leaving her stunned.Her eyes widened. “What?”“Yes.”She took a few minutes as she st
Achilles’ Point of View:“She didn’t cheat on you, Achilles!” Lucy shouted and my eyes snapped in her direction.“What are you saying?” I asked, my mind fogged by the words she was speaking. I didn’t want to talk about her, or the topic she was speaking on—let alone made me question the reality.“She told me. She told me that Mr. Roman had forced her to say that to you. And I know that I wasn’t supposed to tell you this, but I couldn’t bear to know the truth and still go home to my husband while you didn’t get to go home to your wife. She told me that she had to do it because your father said that if she didn’t, he’d kill you.” She said in one breath as she looked at me.
Isabelle’s Point of View:I looked up and found Lucy standing. She gave me a hand, and helped me stand up. I slowly managed to stand on my feet, still lunging forward like a junkie.“Who—who was the highest bidder? Do you know?” I asked as I was dying to know who I was supposed to be a slave for.She smiled. “No one told me who it was, but whoever it was gave the highest money to the main mafia bank and set you free.”“What?” I thought she was kidding.“Yes,” She smiled again, this time wider. “There was an anonymous message on the table just after the bidding. It was to me, and it said that I should let you know that the highest bidder had
Isabelle’s Point of View:“She gets one wish before fulfilling her punishment, boss,” One of the men pointed out as the guards were dragging me away from the main room, and I saw that it was Romero.I looked over at Achilles who was staring right at me, his face stone cold. “What do you want?” He asked me across the room and I took a deep breath. I didn’t want anything but one thing—and this was probably the last chance I’d get.“I want to talk to Lucy once. In private.”He was confused at my request, but didn’t think about it much. “Let her. I will give you one hour. Her punishment will continue after that,” he looked at his men mid-conversation and then walked out of the room
Isabelle’s Point of View:I was on the ground, barely able to breathe. I didn’t know that hurting him would hurt me so much, I was out of my mind. My heart was shattering with every passing second thinking of the pain I had caused, my tears falling relentlessly.Mr. Roman wouldn’t have asked me to do this without making sure it could be supported by proof. I was sure he did something for that too. Achilles was going to hate me all over again. This time it was going to be even worse. And I… I wouldn’t be able to tell him how much I actually love him and would die for him, and would have to just stand there to take it.God, I had never felt this low in my entire life.It took him three hours—three hours before he knocke
Isabelle’s Point of View:“What’s wrong, Isabelle?” I heard mom say as she came out of the room and caught up with me. I was still in a daze from the conversation with Mr. Roman, cursing his name to the highest degree and replaying the conversation I was supposed to have with Achilles now.“Isabelle?” She called out again, finally getting my attention.“Oh, mom!” I said as my trail of thoughts ended. She looked at me, confused.“Where are you lost? I thought after your talk with Achilles, things would be better, no?” she asked, her voice laced with obvious concern.“Uh…” I exhaled. There was no use telling her what was happenin
Isabelle’s Point of View:After spending three hours of a very… amazing time with Achilles, he told me that he had to go back to the war. This time, it wasn’t as bad as when I heard the first time he left. Obviously, he bid me goodbye in the best way a person can, after meeting with mom and then paying a visit to the basement. It was as if everything was normal again, even though I just sent my husband in one of the most difficult mafia wars.I still couldn’t completely understand what happened. He was suddenly way more angry at me than he normally would be, and then now he was suddenly sorry?I guess I couldn’t judge a man like him against the parameters of a normal person. At the end of the day, I had to admit that I couldn’t be happier that I practically got him back. All my thoughts were killing me, and now it’s been quiet. A silent
Achilles’ Point of View:“Do you want a divorce, Achilles?” Her voice rang in my ears, making my head spin round—and I scoffed.“No! No. What part of ‘I still love you’ screams ‘I want a divorce’ to you?” I said, my breath running out. She opened her eyes and looked at me, her eyes bearing an unreadable expression.“I just—I thought you were letting me down easy. Saying you still—you still loved me but…”“No,” I said and pulled her closer again, holding on to her and trying to reassure her. “God, Isabelle. I love you. No buts. No conditions. No complications.”I could feel her sob against me
Achilles’ Point of View:After thinking for a few minutes, I walked over to Lucy’s room and knocked on her door. She had been here with Isabelle all this time, so she must know her feelings best. I knew I had to apologise to Isabelle, but the more I knew about how she felt, the better it would be.Lucy opened the door, shocked to see me. We barely ever interacted, and if we did, it was to convey a message to someone.“B-boss?” She asked with a little uncertainty and I exhaled.“I need to talk to you about something. Come in my room,” I said as I walked over to my room. I didn’t want to talk to her there because Isabelle might see us but I didn’t wanna barge in her private space either.As we reached my room, it was obvious she was scared and worried about what I wanted to talk about. “Relax. This is about Isabelle.”She nodded slowly, a load of tension leaving her forehead. “Have a seat,” I offered as I sat down on one of the chairs and gestured toward one from across to me.She sat d