Chapter Three

“Eat.” I ignore him, twirling my spoon. His face twists and he looks me dead in the eye.

“Feed yourself out of your own free will or I will make you.” He stresses out clenching his jaw. I didn't need a second later to begin to eat because I knew he wouldn't hesitate to cause me pain if he wanted to.

A few minutes later, there's a loud chatter from the living room and an elegant woman with dark black bangs emerges and charges straight for me.

“You fucking bitch, how dare you have no shame and show up now of all times.” I recognize her loud annoying voice as belonging to my sister in law. Before anyone blinks she throws my glass of drink all over me and grabs my hair from behind.

“You must have some nerve abandoning my brother for years and returning when he's this close to my moving on, you whore.” She yells in my face, demonstrating with her fingers before slapping me hard across my cheek.

Anger, that's all I feel, all the pent of frustration of being back here against my will and the memories that fill this place, the humiliation and tolerating her and Rino just letting it all happen by being a bystander. I will no longer let her get away with abusing me verbally, emotionally or physically. I'll never be able to run away anymore so I better start introducing the family to a new me. So when I pounce on her I don't slap her, I punch her hard.

We struggle with pulling her hair and dragging her across the room with her loud screaming and someone pulling me away from her.

“Don't flatter yourself Micah, I’d be most happy if your brother would move on also.” I yell at her as she stares at me in shock, I look back to see it was Louis pulling me back and I shrug out of his grip roughly.

“Put your hands on me again, and I will do irreparable damages to your pretty face.” I turn to leave the room and Rino still sits there eating with a stupid smirk on his face like this is some sort of entertainment, sick bastard.

“Is this some sort of joke to you?” I ask him, I don't know where I get the confidence from but seeing him comfortably seated with a smirk on skyrocks my anger through the room.

“Is this some sort of fucking joke to you?” I scream at him, moving to hit him on the arm when he continues to ignore my outburst.

“Freya.” Louis warns from behind me but I ignore him and all I see is red. I snatch a gun from one of the bodyguards close by and point it at Rino and I hear Micah’s loud gasp.

“Freya drop the fucking gun.” Louis calls again, this time with an edge to his voice.

“Do you know what I went through in this house? I was in pain, I was suffocating, I was scared, I was alone and I needed you but you were never here, yes I did abandon you but you abandoned me first, and I don't regret it, I would do it a 100 times over if I get the chance.” I say feeling like I'm going insane.

Rino’s spoon loudly clinks onto his plate as he finally looks up at me with dark eyes. He stands and slowly walks towards me till his chest is touching my gun.

“So what? You are angry, get it over with, pull the trigger.” There's anger in his dark, luminous voice and with his closeness, I realize my whole body is shaking and the gun in my hand is trembling but I hold on tightly to it.

“Brother.” Louis calls again angrily and Rino raises his hand to shut him up.

“Pull the fucking trigger wife.” Rino says looking me dead in the eye.

I can't kill him, I'll hate myself for the rest of my life and besides I'd be dead a few seconds after, who can even guarantee my safety after I just pointed a gun at the beloved mafia King, son and brother, if only he could have been a beloved husband too. Uncontrollable tears and laughter fill me and I turn the gun over and point it to my throat.

Rino's eyes flashes with something strange as he closes his eyes and inhales deeply like he's trying to restrain himself.

“Put the gun down Freya.” He commands.

“I'm getting it over with like you said.” I close my eyes ready to pull the trigger but someone from behind me holds on to my shoulder and hand with the gun.

“Careful Louis.” I hear Rino shout and screams follow as the gun fires at the chandelier upwards.

“Freya.” I hear Rino collecting me from the arms of Louis. “Freya baby, Oh God, stay still.” His voice is so soft but his face looms dark with anger and worry, his hands red and I realize, the whole of me feels very heavy, I can't move or speak so I struggle.

“My baby.” I whisper, “my child needs-” darkness feels me before I can finish.

it's true when they say that in those last final moments, all you will remember and feel is regret, great bone crushing regret.

~~~~~~

“Freya?”

“Freya?” 

“Freyaaa!!!” I wake up screaming, and it takes a full moment to realize I'm the one screaming with Rino on top of trying to hold me down.

“You're okay, shhh,” he says, carefully rubbing my arms to calm me. 

“What happened.?” All the memories start flooding in and I try to push away from him but the pain in my neck won't let me.

“Your neck was slightly grazed by the bullet but it will heal after a few days.” Rino informs me before standing to leave.

“Do you know how much I really want to hate you too? What happened to Grace was your doing and then you ran and now you lie and say you ran because of me, I know I lacked as a husband but I gave you everything you could ever need, you knew the conditions of our marriage before we got married.” His back still to me before slamming the door on his way out. This is the most he has said to me with any real emotion in all the years I have known him and he wouldn't even look at me.