Achilles’ Point of View:Sitting alone in Carlos and Josephine's living room, I couldn't believe my eyes. The documents in my hand revealed a truth that hit me like a ton of bricks. My emotions were all over the place—shock, anger, and hurt mingled together in a confusing mix. Carlos, my closest friend, had been diagnosed with cancer months ago, and he hadn't shared a single word about it with any of us.I clenched my fists, struggling to wrap my head around it. How could he keep something so significant hidden from me? Carlos and I had always been there for each other, sharing our highs and lows. And now I found out that he had been carrying this heavy burden in silence.My heart raced as a surge of anger mixed with hurt washed over me. The memories of our time together replayed in my mind—the laughter, the camaraderie. It felt like a betrayal that he had chosen not to confide in me about something this important.I stood up abruptly, the chair scraping against the floor. I couldn’t
Achilles’ Point of View:I rushed to Carlos's side as he collapsed to the ground, his screams of pain echoing in the room. Panic surged through me as I knelt beside him, unsure of what to do. My mind raced, trying to process the sudden turn of events. What was happening to him? I had never seen him in so much pain before. It felt like his life was getting sucked out of him as he couldn’t even keep his eyes open or respond."Carlos, what's wrong?" I asked urgently, my voice laced with worry.He clutched his head, trying to push the pain out of it. "It's… it's the pain," he managed to gasp between labored breaths."Should I call an ambulance?" I asked, my heart pounding. I needed to get him help, and fast."No," he choked out. "It's... it's the cancer. Sometimes the pain... it's unbearable."My heart sank as I heard his words. His words meant that he had felt that kind of pain before, all alone and never told anyone. As much as it hurt me, I needed to focus on him right now. I felt helpl
Achilles’ Point of View:The doctor's words hung in the air like a heavy cloud. The news hit me like a punch to the gut, leaving me breathless. I struggled to process the information—Carlos had only five months left to live. The reality of the situation crashed down on me, and I felt an overwhelming sense of despair."I... I can't believe it," I murmured, my voice barely audible.The doctor's gaze softened as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "I know this is a lot to take in. We're here to provide all the support we can."I nodded, my mind racing as I tried to come to terms with the harsh reality. Five months. It was such a short amount of time, and yet it felt like an eternity. How could someone as vibrant as Carlos be facing such a devastating fate?"Is there anything we can do to prolong his life?" I finally managed to ask.The doctor sighed, his expression sympathetic. "We'll do our best to manage his pain and provide the best possible care. However, given the advanced stage of the
Josephine’s Point of View:The days turned into a bittersweet routine of hospital visits, conversations, and quiet moments by Carlos's side. We learned to cherish every smile, every shared memory, as if it were a precious gem. Carlos's strength remained unwavering, his spirit a beacon of strength even in the face of his illness.As time passed, Isabelle also came to visit Carlos at the hospital. I watched from a distance as they talked, their voices hushed and their expressions serious. There was a certain tension in the air, a lingering unease born from years of misunderstandings and hurt feelings. But as I saw Isabelle's hand reach out to touch Carlos's, I could sense that something was shifting between them. It was a small gesture, but it spoke volumes about the changes taking place. Achilles told me about their fight, so it was nice to see them get along.The three of us spent hours together in that hospital room, reminiscing about the past and talking about the future. It was a s
Achilles’ Point of View:The room was filled with anticipation as I answered the ringing phone, my tone hopeful. "Hello, doctor. Is everything okay?"I watched as my expression shifted from curiosity to shock within seconds, my grip on the phone tightening. The doctor's voice on the other end seemed distant, the words hitting me like a freight train. "Mr. Roman? This is Mr. Diaz’s doctor. We’re very sorry to inform you that Mr. Diaz committed suicide some time ago. He had left…"The message faded into thin air as the phone slipped from my fingers and fell to the ground with a dull thud. The silence that followed was suffocating, the weight of the words echoing in the room like a deafening scream. It couldn't be real. It couldn't.Time seemed to slow down, each passing second stretching into an eternity of disbelief. I stumbled back, my legs giving way as I sank into a nearby chair. My face went pale, my hands trembling uncontrollably. "No... no, this can't be happening." I said, my vo
Achilles’ Point of View:As the days went by, the weight of Carlos's absence hung over us like a dark cloud. The funeral had been a blur of tears, hugs, and condolences from well-wishers who couldn't possibly understand the depth of our grief. Isabelle and Josephine stood by my side, their presence a small comfort in the midst of the overwhelming pain.After the funeral, Josephine withdrew into herself, her grief a palpable force that seemed to consume her. She spoke less, smiled less, and the light in her eyes had dimmed. It hurt to see her like this, knowing that she was carrying her own burden of sorrow while trying to make sense of what had happened to Carlos. She was strong, but even the strongest of us had their breaking point.Isabelle and I did our best to be there for her, to offer support and love, but there was a wall she had built around herself that we couldn't seem to breach. We respected her space while silently hoping that she would open up to us when she was ready. I
Isabella’s Point of View:I was making coffee when I heard Achilles enter the house. Turning around, I took the cup and walked up to him. He looked really tired, so I offered it to him.“No, uh…” He looked at me, his eyes containing atleast a couple of emotions I hadn’t seen in a little while. “I need to tell you something.”“What’s up?” I asked worried as I gestured to him to sit down at the couch, and took a seat myself.He exhaled after taking a moment. “Josephine found something.”“What?” I asked, confused and curious.He took out a letter from his pocket and handed it over to me. I opened it and my eyes hovered over the written letters. As soon as I completed reading it, my breath became shaky from his memories.“Achilles…” I whispered and looked up.He took it back and kept it in his back pocket. “He wants us to move on so that’s what we’ll do.”“Achilles, you—uh, you can’t… deal with this like this.”“Like how?” He looked back and scoffed, “You don’t think I should move on?”“Y
Isabella’s Point of View:I tried to steady my breathing as I looked at the caller ID “Mr. Roman”. I knew I probably should pick it up, but I kept it down and decided to ignore it. My voice wouldn’t even come out at this moment as my throat was constricted with tears.As it rang again after a couple of minutes, I had no choice but to answer. I knew better than to do anything which would potentially anger him.After gathering myself together, I picked it up and wiped my tears.“Hello, Isabelle,” His voice rang in my ears like a nightmare came to life.I closed my eyes and took a breath. “What do you want?” My voice was slightly hoarse, but mostly cold.“Oh, you don’t seem to be in the best mood.”I scoffed softly but didn’t reply. After a moment, he continued.“Well, I would like you to tell me where Achilles is. I’ve been trying to look for him since last week but with no luck.”“Even if I knew where he was, I wouldn’t tell you,” I whispered, slightly frustrated. “It was rather naive
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