A safe haven. That’s what Liviana realized this plane ride was. A stop in heaven before arriving in hell - if hell was disguised as a beautiful island, a private paradise. Which, in her case, it was.Liviana lays in her bed, in this beautiful room she had been given in one of the four large vacation homes that the Castelli’s had built on their island, and apparently, this one was specially made for her and Blaze, because every married couple deserves their own private space, even when on a vacation. Liviana was still trying to grasp the thought of it being tradition for every married Castelli to get their own home as a wedding gift, as if Elara and Lucius were giving one final gift after a life of taking care of their children who were their problem no more, a house acting as a college fund would for a young adult going off into the world for the first time alone. It was a strange, expensive gesture, one she never would have dreamed she would be on the receiving end of, yet here she
“It’s about time you call.”Liviana chuckles, a soft noise as she nods in agreement. “Yeah, I know.”“Where’ve you been? I haven’t heard from you since you left.”“I know, I’m sorry.” She sighs. “I’ve just been... busy, I guess.”“Too busy to call your own brother?” Tino scoffs. “That’s just mean.”Liviana scoffs a laugh, nodding as she agrees. “Yeah, I’m just so mean. Neglecting my poor baby brother.” The sarcasm was clear in her tone as the siblings share a laugh. “So, what are you up to?” He asks. “What’s been keeping your schedule so packed that you couldn’t even take time out of your oh so busy day to call your favorite sibling?”Liviana chuckles. “I don’t know if I’d call you my favorite sibling.” She teases the boy, who immediately scoffs in defense.“Who else would be the favorite? Emilia?” He scoffs again at the thought. “No way.”Liviana couldn’t help the way her smile faltered at the mention of their sister, but she’s quick to shake it off, forcing a laugh. “Well, you got
Liviana had always heard that flashback come at the worst times. Something happens, a loud noise that takes you back to a certain moment, or perhaps someone says a phrase that is so painfully familiar that it makes the one that replays in the back of your mind a hundred times a day so loud it’s impossible to ignore, it just keeps going, getting louder and louder until finally, you snap, and you’re ready to do anything to make it stop.Only when you’re triggered, there’s nothing to make it stop. Suddenly, you can’t breathe. You’re swarmed by all those memories you tried so hard to forget and you get trapped in the middle, stuck in your head as the trauma eats you alive. They did always say remembering things you don’t want to remember hurts. Livi didn’t understand until now, as she stares down the barrel of a gun with her husband on the other end, only in her head, it wasn’t Blaze behind the weapon; it was another man, one who haunted the absolute worst of her dreams, ones that couldn
Nearing thirteen hours in the kitchen, and Liviana was finally done. Placing the last dish of the first two courses onto the table, she steps back and places her hands on her hips, taking in all of her hard work that took up a good chunk of the large mahogany dining table. A smile of satisfaction forms slowly and she nods, pleased with the turnout. She hums. “Not bad.” She says, spinning on her heels and pausing as she finds another presence behind her. A small gasp escapes her lips as she startles. With a hand on her hip and another on her chest, she blows out a breath. “Don’t you think you’ve scared me enough for one day?”“Sure.” Blaze chuckles, shrugging as he approaches. “But perhaps I enjoy scaring you.”“Perhaps? I think it’s obvious that you do.” She rolls her eyes, watching him round the table and inspect the dishes. “What...” She trails, clearing her throat to get rid of the nerves that were so clearly present in her voice. “It looks good, doesn’t it?”The man nods, pullin
Days had passed since the surprise apology. The sun had come and gone and with the light the giant ball of fire had brought; it hadn’t just warmed the weather, but that of her soul. And, dare she say, that warmth had started to melt the ice around her husband’s chilly heart.Since the dinner, the energy in not only the vacation home but between the newlyweds had shifted. The house was no longer cold and empty, no dark cloud looming over them while Blaze stormed through the house to make his presence known with the obnoxious slamming of doors which played like alarm bells for the wife who stayed hidden alone in her room, walking around on eggshells in the house that was supposedly half hers, despite the way she acted as if she was nothing more than an unwanted guest, tiptoeing the lonely halls like a shadow. Now the shadow pressed to the wall has stepped out, and she wasn’t so scared that she felt she had to be a ghost in her own home. Liviana started to walk freely, and with cordial s
Liviana sat waiting for over an hour.She had gone from pacing the house as she listened to the running water to sitting at the table, leg bouncing with anticipation until she realized she still needed to reheat the food, using it as a distraction as she watched the numbers on the microwave go down, time running out.She couldn’t help but wonder if that timer was just for the food, or if it was representing something else in her mind. Perhaps her patience, her kindness? The limit of the night? She had no clue. She just knew time was running out.The timer goes off and she sighs, pulling the plate of food out and placing it in the oven, hoping that it would still be warm by the time Blaze came downstairs, if he ever did. At this point, she was seriously doubting if he would.It was forty minutes later, minutes filled with pacing and picking at the cooling food off of her plate before finally giving up and slouching back on the couch as she debated her options.One, go knock on his door
It was bright and early when Liviana was awoken by one of the maids, Georgia, who had informed her the plane would be taking off in two hours, at 8am sharp. She laid there for another twenty minutes, eyes unable to stay open after a night of stressful overthinking to add to the late night and arguments. With tears shed and a headache that overwhelmed the anxiety flowing through her veins with that of pain, Liviana was exhausted.So when she pulled herself out of bed, prying her body from her cozy bed to start getting ready, she was just about ready to call it a miracle. And then her phone rang. With a huff, the girl trudges back around the side of her bed, pulling the charger out of her phone and letting the cord fall to the floor as she swipes accept, not bothering to read the caller ID when she brings the phone up to her ear and greets the person through a yawn.“Sounds like someone’s tired.”“Morning Tino.” “So, I hear you’re going home today?”“To The Castelli’s home, yes.” She
Liviana was in shock through dinner. The elaborate, expensive gift had done its job in surprising her well past a limit of processing, putting her into a mode of autopilot through most of the meal, only beginning to fall out of it when dinner was over and it was time for the family to leave and let them explore their new home while they returned to their own.Violet could see the worry built into Livi’s eyes as she walks them to the door, silent as ever as her head twists and turns, looking around as they move. The blonde stops, a hand on Livi’s wrist pulling her back and separating them from the rest of the group as she asks what was wrong.“Nothing.” Liviana denies, sighing when Violet gives her a pointed look and asks if she really expected her to believe that. “It’s just... You gave me a house!” Violet frowns, a shake of her head as she asks if she didn’t like it.“No, it’s not... Of course I like it, it’s a beautiful house- but it can’t even be called a house. It’s a mansion. An
"Why are you here?" Luka repeats the tired question, face to face with his supposed best friend who, at this point, he wasn't sure he recognized. Are they even best friends anymore? Could he even call them that? He would always be hers, but... could he call her his? God, he hoped so.Liviana narrows her eyes, refraining from an eye roll as she finds herself right back where she started. When was he going to get it? Could he? Would he ever understand? "Luke, I already told you-""No," Luka denies. "You already lied to me," he corrects. "And now- now I want the truth.""The truth? Oh, my gosh- what are you even talking about?" She stresses. "What makes you think I'm lying, huh?""Because I know you, Liviana!" He says. "I know you, and I know that you don't belong here - that you wouldn't have come if you didn't want to. You have to have a reason.""My sister is my reason!" Livi defends. "I would do anything for Emilia! You know that-""Anything? Really?""Yes!" She nods. "Anything - any
Hours passed by and before anyone knew it, it was 3AM and the party was in full-swing - somehow even crazier than it was before. Liviana almost couldn't believe it, having thought it couldn't have gotten any worse. But of course, she was wrong, and it did - it got worse.Drinks were flowing faster than the blood from her raging heart, and she could hear the wild beat of it drumming loudly in her ears as she danced - or at least tried to dance. Today she had found out that she wasn't such a good dancer, after all. And no amount of ballet lessons had changed that. Mostly, she just jumped around and smiled, calling it dancing as a desperate cover - something her friend had no problem pointing out."Do you even know what you're doing?" Luka wondered, grinning as he watched the girl frolic in the middle of the dance floor, and he just couldn't help himself - he had to tease her, even if only a little, because, otherwise, what kind of friend would he really be?"Of course I do!" She insists
Little Liviana stood tall and alone, pushed to the back of the room while her siblings danced around in the center. Emilia always was better at being the center of attention- she thrived off of the spotlight. And Tino... he lived and breathed to find even the smallest dose of fun. It looked as though they were in their element, having the time of their life. As much as she wanted to leave - even after her touching talk with her sister - she just couldn't bring herself to ruin it for them. So, she stayed.She stayed, sat, waited and listened, watching as the time flew by right in front of her eyes. And then, before she knew it, two more hours had passed, and it was after midnight. It was late, but was it too late? She couldn't be sure. All she had left to do was to hope and pray.The young girl sighs, head tilting to the side as she pries her eyes away from the scene, only to latch on to another. And God, if this one wasn't shocking, she wasn't sure she knew what shocking was anymore.
A young Liviana sat quietly, nervously, in the corner of the over-crowded room, people watching as though her life depended on it. What was she watching for? Not even she was sure. But that didn't stop her from looking.Her green eyes scanned over the crowd with caution, darting around from face to face and person to person. She watches them closely, almost as if she was waiting for something. And in a way, she was. She was looking for clarity, waiting and hoping it would find her and help her make the right choices. Liviana was waiting on her guardian angel to offer some wisdom, but it was clear her angel must have been busy, having failed to provide guidance on each instance as of late. She was beginning to wonder if she even had one anymore... maybe she quit - who knows? Sighing at the thought, she tilts her head back, resting it against the wall and allowing herself a short break. Her eyes fall shut, and for a moment, she just thinks - listens. She just is. The air was hot, thic
Little Liviana stood tall and alone, pushed to the back of the room while her siblings danced around in the center. Emilia always was better at being the center of attention- she thrived off of the spotlight. And Tino... he lived and breathed to find even the smallest dose of fun. It looked as though they were in their element, having the time of their life. As much as she wanted to leave - even after her touching talk with her sister - she just couldn't bring herself to ruin it for them. So, she stayed.She stayed, sat, waited and listened, watching as the time flew by right in front of her eyes. And then, before she knew it, two more hours had passed and it was after midnight. It was late, but was it too late? She couldn't be sure. All she had left to do was to hope and pray.The young girl sighs, head tilting to the side as she pries her eyes away from the scene, only to latch on to another. And God, if this one wasn't shocking, she wasn't sure she knew what shocking was anymore.F
The set of the three Santora siblings approaches the lively house with caution. "Is this it?" Liviana asks, stopping to stare up at the place that was practically bursting at the seams with people. She couldn't believe she was here. She never thought they would actually make it - she hoped Emilia was more reasonable, and prayed she would come to her senses. And yet, here they were. They finally made it."Yeah," Emilia mutters, a smile stretching widely across her lips as she takes in the view behind her. It was everything she could have ever hoped it'd be. It was the perfect picture - practically ripped right out of the movies. And God, she couldn't wait to join in. "Come on! Let's go!"Suddenly, the girl is surging forward and rushing up the stairs, calling for her siblings to follow her in what they could only imagine being an overcrowded, overstimulating mess. It was safe to say that Liviana and Tino were nowhere near as excited as their sister was. "Wait!" Livi calls, taking a st
"How much farther?" A young Liviana questioned, trailing behind her siblings and dragging her feet with her dread. "I thought you said it wasn't far-""Because it's not," Emilia insists. "It's just up ahead.""Are you sure?" She asks, unsure of herself as well as her sister. Emilia didn't seem to know what she was doing, and it scared Liviana. Why did she agree to this?Emilia huffs, nodding. "Yes, Liviana. I'm sure," she says. "Just trust me, alright? I know what I'm doing."Did she? Liviana couldn't be sure, and she wasn't sure she wanted to stick around to find out. Was this really worth it? She didn't think so. "You know," Liviana clears her throat, skipping a step to catch up to her siblings. "It's not too late.""Too late?" Tino echoes. "Too late for what?""Too late to turn back-"At this, Emilia comes to a halt and whips around to face her sister. "Go back?" She asks, her eyebrows knitting together as she asks, "what do you mean turn back?""I mean that it's not too late to ba
Young Liviana sat quietly on her bed, her head hanging low in her hands as her mind spun. What was she doing? What was she supposed to do?Her mind was running in circles, replaying those dreadful conversations over and over again and forcing her to face the questions she hated to have to answer. Which one of her siblings would she stand by? Emilia or Ben? Who did she trust more?The thought alone was upsetting, and she couldn't bring herself to answer it. How could she ever choose between the two? They were both her biggest protectors - in their own ways - and she needed them. How was she expected to pick a side and betray the two people she loved most in the world? It was an impossible decision, and she couldn't wrap her head around it. Emilia or Ben? Her sister or her brother? Her head or her heart?"Fuck," she curses, eyes squeezing tightly shut at the sharp pain she feels shooting through her temple. The question itself sounded difficult and painful, but it felt worse than she
Liviana stood thoughtfully before her mirror, examining her reflection closely as she slowly put herself together.It started with the makeup - her sister's special touch, as Emilia insisted they must look their best - though her version of the best varied from that of their mothers. She had never worn a mask so dark.Next were the clothes - clothes she would never call her own, as she couldn't even call them comfortable."Do I really have to wear this?" She asks, pulling at the bottom of the short black dress in a poor, pointless attempt at making it longer. She had never worn anything so small. "It's basically a shirt-"Emilia rolls her eyes from behind the girl, calling her dramatic. "It's not that short," she disagrees. "And besides, it's pretty.""It is kinda pretty," Livi doesn't deny it, muttering to herself about how nice it looked. "But it's too short, Emilia. It's not for me, okay? It's too... different.""Different is good!" Emilia argues. "It's, like, the whole point, Livi