LILY’s POV
“Loving someone is giving them the power to break your heart, but trusting them not to.”― Julianne Moore
I palm the mug of hot tea with both my hands, trying to keep warm against the chilly draft that breezes across the night sky. Breathing in the steam from my tea, I look up at the moon and wonder what mother, Rose and Thomas are doing. Are they sleeping already? I miss them.
“A penny for your thoughts?”
Kane’s voice breaks my train of thoughts and my head rears back from the kitchen window to face him. He has a glass of red wine in his hand and is dressed in a dark blue robe clinched at the waist by a satin sheath.
The corners of my lips lift at the sight of him. It is good to see him moving about after all the slashing he endured during the fight. Placing my mug down on the kitchen countertop, I walk over to him and place both hands on his robe, pulling them tighter to
LILY’s POV “The truth is not always beautiful, nor beautiful words the truth.” ―Lao Tzu I should have known. The signs were glaringly obvious, hidden in plain sight. It was just that no one in the family ever talked about Rose’s OCD, no one in the family ever brought it to light. The frequent handwashing, the need for symmetry in her laundry, the endless combing of her hair, the refusal to touch anything ‘dirty’….now that I think back, Ian is right. But Rose never hurt anyone. “Luke and I saw Rose and little Thomas at your father’s grave one evening when we were still back at Tussano. They didn’t see us but she kept shifting the stake’s position in the soil, muttering over and over that it was this or that was the best position. And when she was done, she had your brother wipe the stake repeatedly, saying that it was unclean. Your brother was crying, it seemed like he wanted to go home and sleep but she had
KANE’s POV “Each betrayal beings with a trust.” – Martin Luther I twist my body to take a better look at my back. It is gruesome, marred by scars from yesteryears’ battles and most recently from the fire in the warehouse and the wound courtesy of Iroshi. I clench my jaw as I slip into a plain shirt, trying to ignore the phantom pains that gnaw at my back. A gentle knock comes at my door and for a moment, my heart soars and all pain is forgotten. Has Lily come to bid me goodbye again? That girl must miss me already. I chuckle and stretch my arms, wincing slightly as I walk towards the door. Doctor Antonio was right, had the blade gone an inch deeper, it would have been ‘sayonara’ for me. But upon opening my bedroom door, I am greeted not by the sight of a chestnut-haired beauty. Rather the woman who stands before me is a blonde in a body fitting blue dress and the smile fades from my face. It is Rose. “Kane!” She smiles.
LILY’s POV “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.” ―Sun Tzu,The Art of War The warehouse is dark as it is cold with only a few swinging overhead lamps to give light to the place. I stand next to Russo as one of our men yanks open one of the many wooden crates around to reveal stacked firearms and weaponry ranging from the lightweight Smith and Wesson, Colt M1911 and sawed-off shotguns to heavyweights like the military Browning automatic rifles. Russo whistles and rubs his hands together like a little boy awaiting his birthday present. “Time to check these babies out.” He takes one of the guns out, cocks it and aims it at a practice target far off at the end of the warehouse. The gunshot rings out loud and proud, echoing around and he nods, placing the gun back in the crate. Russo is happy with what he sees. Our supplier flashes us his not so pearly whites and leers at me. “S
LILY’s POV “Mafia is a process, not a thing. Mafia is a form of clan cooperation to which its individual members pledge a lifelong commitment to. Friendship, connections, family ties, trust, loyalty, obedience… this was the glue that held us together.” –Joe Bonanno I am faced with the most beautiful view before me. A sunset by the beach with gentle waves cradling the shore before they retreat and come back once more. Propping my elbows on the sand I lean my head back and look up at the evening sky where a flock of birds fly in unison heading home. The ocean is everything I want to be, powerful, wild and free. I wish Kane were here. I wonder if he thinks of me as often as I think of him? “Beer?” Russo breaks my train of thoughts and plops down on the sand beside me, tossing over a bottle of beer my way without even waiting for my reply. I catch it with two hands. Russo sits cross-legged on the sandy
KANE’s POVI throw my glass against the wall, shattering it into pieces. It splinters to the ground and I turn around with a growl, facing the woman before me. It is Rose and she is naked. On my bed. In my room.She holds my blanket to her body and trembles as she cries.“Kane…” she calls out with mascara running down her eyes. “I surrendered myself to you, I gave you my all…you touched me, you wanted me –"“Get out,” I hiss, pointing towards the door. She shakes her head in defiance. My fingers curl into fists. It takes all my willpower not to storm towards her and wring my hands around her filthy neck. How dare she?“GET OUT!!!!!” I bellow and this time, she drops the blanket like a hot coal and scrambles out of the room, stopping only to pick up her garments strewn all over the floor.Fuck.I head over to my side table and grab the bottle of Dr Antonio&rsq
LILY’s POV‘Someone I loved once gave me a box full of darkness. It took me years to understand that this too, was a gift.’ - Mary OliverFather used to say that when change happens, you can feel it in the wind. It is as if the breeze itself carries a message along with it as it glides through the air and caresses your skin, whispering secrets into your ear. I used to laugh at that. I used to tease father about his overly imaginative mind. But now I know it to be true. Something has changed.Kane has changed.I sense it the moment I set foot in the mansion. The air is thicker, the place is quieter and Kane, he does not meet my eyes.Russo doesn’t seem to notice it though, the man practically prances into the mansion and gives Kane the biggest bear hug ever.“Boss! All the ammunition and weaponry have been accounted for,” Russo chirps happily away oblivious to the fact t
LILY’s POV “It took me a long time and a lot of heartache to realize that just because you love someone doesn’t mean they deserve it.” –Steve Maraboli TWO WEEKS LATER I cannot face him. Even after two weeks, I am still unable to face him. It wasn’t his fault, I know that. I’d be a fool not to, but every time I see Kane, all I can think about is how his body became one with Rose’s. All I can hear are her soft moans against his lips as their bodies became drenched in the heat of passion. And all I can feel is the pain that stemmed from my sister’s betrayal. Damn you, Rose. I went back to see her two weeks ago, right after I found out about them. But she would not come out of her room. Mother said Rose had locked herself the moment she reached home, refusing to eat and drink. So I stayed, I stayed until the sun went down and the moon had risen high into the midnight sky. By then, everyone el
LILY’s POV The room has become deathly quiet, so much so that I can even hear Ian’s light rhythmic breathing. Mr Seymour sits across from me, his face now a paler shade than before. He leans forward and gulps nervously. “Tell me about the murder.” He nods, twisting his fingers into knots. So he begins, his voice penetrating my soul, allowing me a glimpse into what the man had witnessed by the Drava River weeks ago. And as his tale unravels, I come to a realization that Sergio, the monster is still alive. Breathe, Lily, breathe. My hands begin to shake and I quickly slide them under my thighs. I do not want anyone to see how scared petrified I am of this revelation. I had suspected it all along, so why does the news still frighten me? “Sergio faked his death,” Ian whispers, the stress in his voice mirroring how I feel inside. I nod. Indeed he did. I take in a deep breath…I need to get a grip on myself. “Did he s
“We’ll meet again. Don’t know where, don’t know when, but I know we’ll meet again, some sunny day.” —Vera LynnLILY’s POVThe instant seems frozen in eternity. I hear the blast of explosion from the pistol and a thud is heard.And then a wail.It is Wendy’s.I open my eyes, not realizing that I had closed them earlier and see Kane holding the child in his arms. There is blood on his shirt. He had wrestled the gun out of her hand and she had shot him.“Kane!” I yell, running towards him only for Rose to swing the pistol in my direction.“Stay back! Don’t move!” she screams. She seems confused, scared even. The blood on Kane’s shirt blossoms like a red rose.“I shot Kane….” she whispers, her fingers start to tremble. Her eye remains fixated on the pistol in her hands and she looks as if
ROSE’s POVMOMENTS BEFORE ROSE’S SCREAMS.Night has come and I sit in front of my dressing table, combing my hair but I cannot concentrate. Is this the tenth or eleventh stroke?It is too noisy downstairs, I am unable to concentrate.Then I hear them laugh; Lily, Kane and even that annoying Russo. I know they are laughing at me, they’re all hiding in the study room talking about me and plotting to get rid of me. My hand grips the brush so hard that my knuckles turn white.Wicked…they’re all wicked people.Wendy starts to cry in her rib and my head snaps in her direction. I just fed her, why is she crying again?“Shut up!” I yell at her but she too does not listen to me. No one respects me.“Shut UP!” I yell again, throwing the comb at the crib. It lands at the side of the crib, breaks into two and drops onto the flood with a thud. Wendy’s wails escalate to the point w
“It may take a year or it might take a day, but what’s meant to be will always find its way.” —UnknownLILY’s POVI walk towards Kane ever so cautiously, taking one step at a time. And with each step that I take, I tell myself that this is not a dream. Kane called out my name.This is reality.I stop in front of the mahogany desk he is sitting at and he looks up from the paper he is scribbling on. Our eyes meet and my heart starts to pound with a mixture of both joy and fear. Do I go to him or do I stay? What if it wasn’t my name he had called out? What if the physiotherapist heard wrongly?Kane drops his pen and stands up, towering over me. I had forgotten how tall he is.“Lily…” he says my name and at that instant, my walls come crumbling down. Tears line my eyes and my lips quiver.“You remember me?” I whisper. I can barely breat
“The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting.” — Sun Tzu,The Art of WarLILY’s POVThere is no point arguing with Rose. It’s like talking to a brick wall. I don’t want to risk another innocent life either. One doctor’s death was enough, the thought of Dr Chase’s grieving grandfather is more than enough to stop me from pressing on with the paternity test.I close my eyes briefly and pinch the bridge of my bode between my thumb and index finger. Ian comes out of the room and leans against the corridor wall next to where I stand. He does not speak, he merely places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a gentle squeeze.We stay like that for a very long time before Ian finally speaks. “So what next?”I sigh. “We wait, we wait for Kane to truly awaken.”*****The wait is a long one. Days tu
“So brief a time we have to stay, along this dear familiar way. It seems to me we should be kind, to those whose lives touch yours and mine.The hands that help us who may know, how soon the long, long way must go? And might we not their faults forgive, and make them happy while they live? So many faults in life there are, we need not go to seek them far. But time is short and you and I might let the little faults go by.And seek for what is true and kind, in those whose lives touch yours and mine. It seems to the better way, then why not friend, begin today?” – Anonymous. LILY’s POV I stand at the edge of Kane’s hospital bed as a physician tends to him. My feet tap nervously on the ground and my fingers dig into my palm as I stare at Kane who lays motionless with his eyes fixated on the ceiling. The physician is shining a mini torchlight into his eyes and calling out his name. “
LILY’s POV“A strong person is not the one who doesn’t cry. A strong person is one who is quiet and sheds tears for a moment and then picks up the sword and fights again.” - UnknownI stare at Kane’s unconscious form, gently stroking his fingers as I lay my head on his bed.“Please, wake up Kane. I need you.”But of course, he doesn’t. This isn’t like some movies where the male lead wakes up, kisses his beloved and they live happily ever after. This is real…and I hate it.The door to Kane’s private room opens and I do not have to turn to know who it is.“Lily.” It is Ian. He is here to pick me up.I sit up and give Kane a peck on his forehead but he does not stir. Sighing, I stand up and straighten my blouse.Then I turn to face Ian and say, “Let’s go.”I need to see Rose. I have an inkling she was
LILY’s POVThe hour is late and the casino is doing well. It is a full house tonight with patrons all abuzz with excitement as they enjoy drinks and try their lady luck at the gambling table. I should be happy, money is rolling in.But I am not.Instead, what fills my heart is a sense of dreaded anticipation. I stand in my office with the lights down low as I drum my fingers against the full-length glass that overlooks the gambling den.Three days ago, Dr Chase had done a swab on Rose and sent her DNA to the hospital lab for analysis to determine if the unborn child truly belongs to Kane. If all goes well, I should be expecting a call from Dr Chase any time now.I turn away from the glass window and look at the plain white clock hanging on the wall. The second-hand ticks away all too slowly, as if it is taunting me.I sigh. I hate waiting.The phone rings and I jump. Clenching my jaw, I walk towards the phone ever so cautiously.
CHAPTER 61“One lie has the power to tarnish a thousand truths”– Al DavidLILY's POVOnce upon a time, I championed a vision. A vision where life would be full of smiles and handshakes, a vision where life would be only a bed of roses. And as a child, I had told father of my dreams to live such a life and he would always laugh in return, ruffling my hair before stooping to my then childish height and tell me, “Lily, have you forgotten that even a bed of roses will have thorns?”Father was right. There is no such thing as a perfect world full of happily ever after. Worlds like that exist only in fairy tales. The time for dreaming is over and I need to wake up.I need to wake up and realize that life is while life may not have turned out the way I wanted it to, I must stay strong.It has been an agonizingly long week and Kane has yet to awaken. I will not go into the night, I
LILY's POV “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ―Lao Tzu The room falls silent and every pair of eyes in the room follow my steps when I make my way to the head of the table. I stop there with my feet rooted to the ground and let the silence hang as my eyes roam the room, returning everyone’s gaze. Some of the men nod at me wordlessly, giving me the assurance that they stand by me; others avert their gazes when my eyes meet theirs, they do not trust me. Then I see Russo and Ian, their eyes tell me everything. They believe in me. Even Big Bob whom I thought would side Tore gives me a fist pump and a smile. In doing so, I am filled with a feeling of both gratitude and confidence. I am filled with hope. I am filled with a surge of both gratitude and confidence. “Gentlemen, we stand here victorious against the traitor Sergio who paid the ultimate price for his betrayal. We