WIDOW'S PLIGHT

He wasn't happy, what man would, after his fiancé's dead husband resurrected and destroyed the only place he called home.

“I'm going to finish what I started mateo!” He thundered.

“He is going to kill us if we don't move fast” Serena shrieked as she hastened her steps down the rocky slope.

I saw Mateo trying to signal Julius but he was too far away to see what was happening.

Did he not hear the gunshot?

“Serena you need to go over Ariana, you need to get help from Julius”

Mateo said.

“No!” I exclaimed, “I just got her out i'm not putting her in danger Mateo” I disagreed holding on to her tighter.

“Ariana there is no other way! Let me go! Look, he is coming!” Serena exclaimed, jerking her hand free.

She pulled herself gently from the wall and in one swoop she went over me to the other side with Mateo helping her safely cross over.

“Go! Tell him to get up here,” I heard Mateo instruct her.

She nodded and continued gliding down the wall this time a little faster.

“I'm going to hold him off here, get behind me Ariana!” he said.

“no, he is shooting you on sight! you stay behind me, he won't kill you with me standing in front of you” I replied.

He looked at me again, the same way he did earlier.

This strange new feeling I get when he stares hopelessly into my eyes.

Made me wonder if there was a little bit of goodness in his dark soul.

“I can't let you do that Ariana..” he said softly before touching my belly.

“I can't take chances, he is my only hope for my father’s name to live on”

He declared.

Even though I was angry, I was furious inside, I knew this could end up badly for us.

Silvio was close.

And I had to protect him, Mateo…

 the father of my child... I have to try.

“You remember when I poured that coffee on you?” I asked, and he gave a small laugh.

“Yeah, your epic fails at an attempt to humiliate me,” he laughed.

I laughed too, I glanced over to see Silvio had almost reached us.

“Let me protect you this time,” I said softly touching his bruised chin.

I wondered what must happened between him and Silvio to make them this way.

None of them wanted to back down, determined to destroy the other.

He nodded and stood very close to me, my entire torso blocking him from Silvio's line of sight.

Not before long he reached us, he was panting, and all that gliding had sucked up the air from his lungs.

“ my father always warned me Massimo was a dealing snake, I just knew he’d fuck up a simple deal” he laughed.

“You are making this into a pattern Mateo, hiding behind women” he smiled before taking a breath, the gun firmly in his grasp.

“First, it was Chiara, and now Ariana, come on, it's starting to look pathetic old friend” he mentioned.

There it is again! My friend Chiara…

Something happened with her and I never got the full story.

He sold me for a billion Dollars just to keep that secret.

I heard Mateo laugh behind me, “oh im not worried, they keep coming to me, I do what I always do Silvio, I take” he said

And that resonated with me, it was cold, and it grew doubt in my mind.

“So many fucking women, Mateo, so many fucking women in the world for your depravity, so many whores and bitches you cant finish fucking counting and you chose to fuck the one I wanted, like always” he mentioned in fury.

Then he laughed waving his gun in the air.

“Someone with a brain might think you are doing this to spite me or get my attention, is this to get my attention mate? Are you in love with me?” he asked, his brows furrowed in concern.

“Get over yourself Silvio, id sooner fuck a rat in the mouth, look its nothing personal, I've tried to tell you that, but you are hell-bent on proving yourself to me as a worthy rival” he laughed again and I could tell that irritated Silvio.

“Stop!” I exclaimed loudly, “Just stop both of you!”.

“I can't take this anymore, this incessant haunt for me! I can't! I never wanted this! Silvio, you need to let me go, both of you need to let me go!” I exclaimed again.

“Ariana, listen…” Mateo started.

“No! You listen! You both listen, look at where we are, on top of a fucking cliff, and you both are fighting over who gets me! What the hell is wrong with you men, for people who rule the world you guys do dumb shit for really dumb shit! It's 2023 damn it! Women can say no!” I yelled at the top of my lungs

Hoping it would sink in.

“This mouth of yours” Silvio Exclaimed.

“You are both behaving like two fucking Gorrilas, we had sex Silvio, im an adult, he didnt rape me, I wanted to, you need to get over it, and let me go,” I said.

I watched his face change from anger to shock and then a look of instant disgust followed.

And then his face went still.

I couldn't read his face anymore, so I went with a soft approach to his humane side.

“I'm impure, and even if your family was tolerating this and hiding the existence of my child, they can't anymore, the whole of Italy knows now! Everyone is expecting you to hang my head on your wall!” I paused.

 “Silvio, we can't be together, I'm already married to this asshole” I finally said.

“I can't be your wife, someone else suited to be Signora Argento is out there waiting for you, I'm not the one” I concluded and waited for his reaction.

The wind blew against at us heavily as we stood there, screaming at the top of our lungs.

“Well, I can't process that Ariana, I really can't, you belong to me, it's signed in blood, and your husband knew that when he fucked you” he started.

“I've tried to be merciful, do it the modern way, but you keep proving to me time and again why I should have your spirit broken, make you submit to me the old way” he mentioned.

I froze in horror, I realised I didnt know who this man was all along.

“Im not letting you take her back to Massimo’s” Mateo said putting his hand around me.

That sparked a burst of anger in Silvio and he growled as he lunged at us, he grabbed my hand and pulled violently.

“You have started a war Mateo” he declared.

Mateo pulled me to him, I went back and forth with them as I tried to steady myself on the rock.

At that moment I thought of my child.

I realized that I have to save myself.

 With every strength I could muster, I pushed Silvio away from me and he lost his balance and tipped over.

“Fuck!” I heard Mateo shriek, Silvio had grabbed onto him and he was falling over.

I quickly grabbed his hand before he could fall completely.

I couldn't hold The weight of the two men, as I was losing my grip.

“Im taking you with me you bastard!” I heard Silvio laugh.

“Hold on!”

“Well, what the hell Ariana” my scared husband grinned.

“I think I've fallen in love with you,” he said.

Almost immediately he kissed my lips softly and gently pushed my hand away before falling off the cliff, into the deep blue sea.

“MATEO!!!”