Before she knew it, and much faster than either cared to acknowledge, two hours had flown by and the two were soon forced to sit and face the intimidating discussion that, in all honesty, they couldn’t have dreaded more.Their morning had come to an end and there was no more running from it, no more avoiding their responsibility. They had matters to attend to, people to see and to discuss - people to punish.In order to place blame and punish anyone, there was a conversation to be had, precautions they needed to take. And so, for better or for worse, Liviana and Blaze sat down and got to work.At least, they tried to. But it turned out to be something much easier said than done, and even Blaze found himself struggling to strike up the conversation.The two sat quietly, the surrounding air packed with the tension of all those things that have gone unsaid. Questions, answers, accusations, and everything in between.Yet, despite the lingering words lost between them, neither could seem t
Time. 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 loath
"I can't do it Livi. I have to go ⏤ I have to run." "No, you can't!" "I do." Emilia says, cupping her little sister's cheek, a sad smile gracing her lips. "And I need you to let me." "But what about me? A- And Tino?" Liviana stutters out excuses, trying to find a reason for her sister to stay. "You can't leave us here. We won't make it. We need you." "You don't need me." Emilia assures. "You never did. You're strong Livi, you always have been. The only thing I did was remind you." "And I need you to keep reminding me." "You don't." She shakes her head, pulling the girl into a hug when the tears start to fall. "You don't need me, Livi, you never have. If anything, I needed you." "Then why are you leaving me?" Liviana cries, burying her face into her sister's shoulder as she holds onto her tightly, as if it was the last hug they would ever have. As far as she knew, it was. "I'm not leaving you. I'm leaving them." She corrects. "I can't marry a man I've never met. I can't marry s
"He's here." The words Liviana Santora had been anticipating all week, ever since she made the deal of marrying Blaze in place of her sister, just so Emilia could be free. Livi had spent the past seven days preparing for this moment, the moment she would meet the man she was to spend the rest of her life with. But despite all the time she took to in convincing herself everything would be fine, she still couldn't help but panic at her brother's words. He was here. Blaze Castelli ⏤ her fiance ⏤ the man she was marrying in only a few days, and the one she hadn't met yet. How was she supposed to marry a man she's never even met? Well, she figured they had the rest of their lives to get to know each other. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe Emilia was wrong and this wouldn't be the thing to end her life ⏤ maybe it was the thing that would finally start it. "Take a deep breath." Tino advised, placing his hands on her shoulders, trying to comfort her in any way he could, though he wasn'
The two families sat at the large dining table together, Liviana placed between Leona and Tino, sitting across from Blaze, who still refused to acknowledge her existence. Silence surrounded them and so far, no one dared to break it. Liviana sat nervously in her seat, lip pulled between her teeth as her eyes traveled over the new faces surrounding her, anxiously awaiting to see who would speak first. She didn't have to wait long. "The food is lovely." Elara compliments, looking over the Santora's in question. "Who made it?" "The chef." Alonso answers. Elara nods. "Well, they did a wonderful job." Drusilla nods with a smile, quietly agreeing with her, though says nothing else ⏤ about to allow the silence to return. But Elara wouldn't let that happen. "So, Liviana, tell us about yourself." She says, asking a question when Livi draws a blank. "How old were you again?" "I'm twenty-four." Comes Liviana's answer, still clearly uncomfortable as she only glances up at her, focusing her
Dinner ended soon after that, when Elara brought up the possibility of Liviana becoming the next mafia queen.Conversation died down and as soon as their dishes were empty, everyone rushed off in desperation of getting away from the tension that just kept getting thicker with each passing second, suffocating them all slowly.“Blaze, Liviana, could you follow us up to the office, please?” Alonzo requests, his respectful side coming out for their guests. It was a tone rarely heard within the four walls of the Santora’s home, not unless there was someone Alonzo and Drusilla wanted to impress.Liviana ducks her head, giving a curt nod as she pushes out of her seat, following her parents and the three Castelli’s out of the dining room, leaving the rest behind to mingle.“You have a lovely home.” Elara compliments as they walk the halls leading to Alonzo’s office.“Thank you, Elara. We try our best to keep it perfect.” Drusilla says, glancing back at her daughter with a judgemental glint in
One night. Ten hours. Six hundred minutes.The amount of time left before Liviana would be walking down the aisle and into the arms of her new life, when she would say “I do” and kiss the lips of the stranger she would spend her life with, building a life together for nothing more than their parents’ businesses.A marriage being built on lies.But it wasn’t just the marriage, it was her whole life. How was she supposed to live in a world where nothing was real? Nothing is true or significant. Not even now.Her entire life she had been hiding behind a curtain of perfection, hung by her parents, who would flash their pretty smiles to deceive everyone and distract from their flaws and the secrets hidden behind their dazzling eyes.That has always been her life, and she was tired of it. Tired of living behind the curtains and witnessing all the horror they’ve managed to hide for too long. She was tired. And she wished she could have escaped the false world they painted, but instead, she t
The evening was spent sipping on fancy champagne glasses and complimenting the expensive booze while picking at the platters of fruits, vegetables and cheese the waiters carried around to serve the room full of people who were practically famous, and not all just for business reasons.It was a room full of dangerous people, one’s known to be involved with crime and others simply suspected, but there were very few guests with a certain innocence, who were either clueless or reckless enough to have befriended these people. It was hard to spot a guest with that title of innocence, though. Next to impossible, really. Which is why a good number of people in the room were also dressed in uniforms that read “security”, standing out from the sea of women dressed in lavish dresses with faces full of makeup and jewelry to match, and the men in dapper suits who sported just as expensive accessories as watches and rings.Everyone was trying to outdo the next person, showing off how much they had,
Before she knew it, and much faster than either cared to acknowledge, two hours had flown by and the two were soon forced to sit and face the intimidating discussion that, in all honesty, they couldn’t have dreaded more.Their morning had come to an end and there was no more running from it, no more avoiding their responsibility. They had matters to attend to, people to see and to discuss - people to punish.In order to place blame and punish anyone, there was a conversation to be had, precautions they needed to take. And so, for better or for worse, Liviana and Blaze sat down and got to work.At least, they tried to. But it turned out to be something much easier said than done, and even Blaze found himself struggling to strike up the conversation.The two sat quietly, the surrounding air packed with the tension of all those things that have gone unsaid. Questions, answers, accusations, and everything in between.Yet, despite the lingering words lost between them, neither could seem t
The night that started off as slow was anything but the moment her emotions started to roll. What started off as questionary, awkward, soon turned into something worse, something vulnerable. And that was her undoing.Livi hated it. Hated the feeling, the way it all unraveled, how she let it. She hated it so much that she began to feel as though she preferred the tension to the sensitivity, almost wanting to cling to it like some sort of shield, as if that could protect her from what was coming, what needed to be said, done.Of course, it couldn't. It all came crumpling down before she had so much as a chance to harvest it, use it. And then, just like that, she found herself back in his arms, the one place she shouldn't be, exactly where she didn't deserve to be.Being held by him was a luxury she almost couldn't afford. The safety he offered her, the comfort and the understanding, the pure kindness that came with the action of being wrapped up in his essence, was nearly too much. Much
One night.It was a deal Liviana made with herself, intending to enjoy the last bit of her husbands whiskey before climbing into the bed she prayed she would never have to leave - the outside world was just too dreadful and she couldn't handle the thought of having to face it again. So, for as long as she was allowed to, she was going to avoid it. She was going to crawl into bed and hide under the covers, and wait for the moment she could retreat into the world of her dreams.Fortunately, that moment was forced to wait when her husband decided to join her. He had strutted into the room with that sour question, "are you okay?" And in all honesty, she wasn't. She knew it, and he knew it too. He knew because he was just as exhausted as she was, just as miserable. And nothing sounded better than to drown in it with her by his side, washing down the bitter taste with a glass of whiskey and letting the sound of her voice drown out his woes. It was the perfect ending to a perfectly awful day
"You owe me."The words ring loudly in her head like some kind of siren, a warning and a reminder of her worst mistakes. And it was all because of one stupid party.Little Livi's heart drops and she's leaping toward her sister once again at the feeling, latching onto the older girl who offers a sense of safety despite her earlier harshness.Emilia is quick to return the sentiment, her free hand coming to rest over Liviana's that holds tightly onto her arm. She pulls her closer, the two taking a swift step back as she does so."Oh, my God- Dad!" Emilia gasps, wide eyes locking onto her dad's dark ones. She could already see it in there. The way the cogs spun in his brain, the anger that lurked beneath the green, something that she was sure was doing nothing more than fueling on some ridiculous plan, some way to spin this in his favor.Of course, she was right."What's going on here?" Alonzo questions, eyes bouncing between the two teenaged girls with a cold, calculating gaze. It was sh
The sound of the alarm blared loudly through the home, the sisters practically jumping out of their skin at the sound."The hell is that?" Liviana complains, hand moving to grip at her at the side of her head, where the throbbing only gets worse. The noise wasn't helping her haze at all."I don't know," Emilia murmurs, head twisting and turning in an attempt to catch the cause of the sound. She couldn't see anything out of place or hear a sound aside from the ringing of the security system echoing through the deserted halls."Whatever it is, make it stop!"The sound of her sister's whines has Emilia huffing, rolling her eyes at the show of her mess of priorities. "No," she replies simply, watching as the girl's face twists in confusion at the response."Why not?!" The pout resting on her lips was almost priceless, looking like a little kid who had just been told that they couldn't have their way. "It's loud, and- and it hurts! And worse? It's annoying!""It is." Emilia doesn't disagre
Creeping in through the window was a task that she could hardly handle sober, but after all those drinks she downed, she couldn't do it with her best effort."Livi- Livi!" Emilia whisper-shouts, hauling the girl up from the floor when she takes a tumble through the frame, nearly landing on her face from such a fall. "Hey, are you okay?"For a second, she's quiet, not speaking a word as her sister drags her to her feet, only huffing and puffing as she goes. Then, finally, she nods. "Yeah," she breathes, and all Emilia can do is frown. She wasn't convinced."Are you sure?" She asks, concern written across her face as she reaches out to touch her sister's, gently pushing the dark hair out of her eyes to get a better look at her. "You hit the ground pretty hard-""Fine- it's fine," she says, brushing it off with a small laugh. "I'm fine!"From behind her, Tino scoffs. "You don't sound fine." He couldn't help but disagree.Emilia hums, hating to agree with their brother - more so, hating t
"Alonzo?"The sound of his knuckles knocking harshly on the wood echoes loudly through the vacant hallway, startling Liviana, who lingers behind her husband, with its volume."You don't have to break it down, you know?" She mumbles the warning to her husband, who doesn't even spare her a glance. Instead, he does it again, his knuckles bouncing off the door even harsher this time than it had the last."Open up! We know you're in there!"A sigh can be heard on the other side, accompanied by some shuffling."We can hear you, you little-""Dad?" Livi calls out to him softly, cutting off her husband's shouts of anger and nudging him aside as she does so. "Are you okay in there?" She asks, pressing a hand and an ear to the door. "We know you're there, okay? We can hear you, and we need you to open up.""What for?" Alonzo calls after a beat of silence passes between the three. "I'm busy!""Oh, yeah? With what?" Blaze presses, banging his fist against the wood over his wife's head, causing th
"What is he doing here?"Liviana is met with the question the second she slips into the room, her footsteps faltering at the sound. The raven spins around, eyes catching on her husband, who sits in the darkened corner of their bedroom. "Oh- Blaze," she breathes out his name, pressing a hand to her chest at the suddenness of his question. She hadn't expected him to be here, waiting. If anything, she thought he would have left - ran. "You scared me," Livi mutters, sighing at the thought. "Again..."This time, Blaze doesn't bother with an apology, instead, he pushes for an answer. "Well?" He asks, repeating the question. "What's he doing here?""I..." Liviana trails, clicking the door shut behind her and venturing slowly inside, hating to admit that she hadn't asked. The feeling of her husband's prying eyes pulls the disappointing answer from her before she has a chance to think of something better, shrugging as she says, "I don't know yet."Hearing this, Blaze frowns, repeating the answ
"Well, here we are!" Liviana announces, pausing outside of the closed door and pulling the man to a stop. "Your new bedroom," she says, cracking the door open and insisting he take a look for himself. "What do you think?""Wow," Luka mutters, strolling inside with a hum and a quick look around. "Nice place you've got here, Liv. Looks like it's fit for a king."She couldn't help but chuckle at his words. "Because it is," she tells, reminding the man of who it was built for. And Blaze Castelli would accept nothing but the best for himself and his wife. They deserved a nice place to call their home, and he made sure that that's exactly what they got. She could see the irritation flash across his face at the reminder, and she has to refrain from sighing as she switches from what seemed to be a sensitive topic. "So... do you like it?"Luka shrugs, eyes cast away from her own as he scans the bedroom he deemed his own. "Yeah," he answers after a moment of wonder. "I think that I do.""You th