It had been over a week since Rhea's funeral, and since that day, neither Nicole nor Salvatore slept in the same room, the mafia boss waiting for her verdict. He had his wife sleep in their bedroom while he had initially slept in Stephen's room until the American went back to his apartment and he shifted onto the recliner in the twin's nursery. Both husband and wife didn't talk to each other, no matter how much the Mafia Boss wanted to, he knew she needed her time and space after everything that happened.
A part of Nicole still blamed Salvatore, and his words would constantly be swimming through her mind. How her drugging him behind his back triggered unpleasant memories, and how if she did begin to hate him, the only plausible solution was a divorce and she spent entire days just lying in bed and not doing anything.
And she didn't know if she wanted to separate from him...
Salvatore stood d
Grief is not spontaneous or random.It's the smallest things which set it off: the reminiscing of the past, minor similarities between the deceased and a stranger, or just an old face which reminds you of them.It's always the smallest things which have the biggest impact.You feel your heartache like someone is squeezing it from inside your chest, your entire face gets warm, and your stomach drops to your feet; you are unable to stand right because you feel light-headed and your knees are shaking. Your hand trembles and your head pounds. A lump forms in your throat, your vision blurs as the tears spring forth and the next thing you know, you're crying because of how much their presence meant to you, because you see that look on the faces of the people around you, and you can see how lifeless their eyes look, how much pain they are in by the monotony of their features, and it hurts, knowing
November had come and gone, as had December and January; and spring had just come into full bloom as May rolled around. Salvatore had spent 2 months with a therapist, who then deemed him well enough to discontinue the sessions, and halfway through his first month, Nicole joined a 12-week PTSD group council which helped her immensely in overcoming the trauma of her mother's death.With spring rolling around, the weather lifted to that warmer notes and the flowers bloomed. In all that expanse of green, they have the courage to be anything else, to stand out with a beauty that draws people close. The flowers command a strength, a fragility, a vibrancy, a soft fragrance. They come as children do, boldly unique, born to grow in their own way. They come as the kind of smiles that reach the eyes. They come to help us to see with our hearts, for a love is a light that turns cold reason into an ever-branching and deeply rooted joy.
The warmth of the sun wasn't too harsh to stay indoors, and a slight chill loomed in the air with the gentle breeze that caressed the leaves on the tree. Salvatore sat on one of the garden chairs, his blazer draped over the back as he sat leaning forward, lost in thought. Across from him was his elder brother, Arsenio, a finger to his temple in contemplation and looking between them at the marble and steel chest set the latter had gifted the former on his 29th birthday.His hand hovered over the chessboard, looking around at his possible moves before Salvatore took hold of his rook and moved it across the board to be in place of Arsenio's knight."Check," The mafia boss stated and put the white tile to the side."I found you," The voice had Salvatore look up before a smile split across his face to see his wife making her way to him, dressed in a plain white loose-fitted A-line dress with but
The first thing Salvatore registered upon regaining consciousness was the pounding against his forehead, the ache having him scrunch his eyebrows together before groaning. Then everything hit him all at once: the strong smell of the disinfectant, the sheets beneath his fingertips and the needle in the back of his hand, the mask over his mouth, and the sweat beading his forehead with the light bleeding in through his closed lids.Struggling to open his eyes, he grunted at how heavy they felt and how difficult it was for him to get his body working again like a computer rebooting. It took him a while, but eventually, he managed to open them, bringing his hand up to shield them from the brightness, a figure looming over him suddenly, their faces blurred and their voices muffled. Pulling the oxygen mask off him, he tried to speak, but his throat was parched and he couldn't manage to get a sound across.Apparently, the p
The day Salvatore asked the old team to get back, his current men knew it meant trouble. The very next day, all 5 men showed up with haircuts,shaven faces or trimmed beards, and in their freshly pressed suits, ready to get back to work.Gun and Hulk decided they will work with the recruits, train them and drill it into their minds that you follow orders. Alberto chose to work with the patrol officers, see how well their aim was and how quick they reacted under pressure. Sean helped Piero with the investigation as best as he could, while Major opted to stay in Salvatore's vicinity, working alongside Tazio and talking to Stephen who had been forced to live in the estate now – not that it bothered him, given that he would be treated like royalty.They all had been trying to figure out where Nicole was, trying to trace her phone, watching and re-watching the video feeds in case they had missed something. It
Nicole remembered how confused she felt when she had woken up in a room that wasn't her own. And her bewilderment had just grown exponentially to see herself dressed in the attire she had worn to the gala. Stumbling out of the bed, she had looked around herself, the room was scarcely furnished, with a wooden platform bed in the center, a wardrobe to her right along with a door leading to the bath, and a window to her left.Gathering her dress in her hands, she looked out, surprised to find it being dark, but her body was awake like it was morning. Walking towards the door, she tried turning it, finding it to be locked."Hey!" Nicole banged on the door with her fist. "Let me out!"The moment she had awoken she had realized she was kidnapped, and she had to wonder what happened to Salvatore, remembering the way he had stopped breathing. Knowing she had no way out, she settled back on the bed,
Nicole did not know how long she had been locked away in that holding cell. She did not know what date it was, nor what time it was, but there were two things she was most certain of. One, her husband would come and find her soon; and two, she had a friend.Davide had proven to be quite trustworthy.She had been hesitant at first, but he kept talking to her, and she had been so deprived of human interaction of late that she took what she could get. He had the day duty with her four days of a week, and every time when he came to guard her, he'd bring one game or another and always had the most fascinating stories to share. Nicole laughed every once in a while and sometimes told him stories about herself, granted he didn't know who she was or whom she's married to, and he was very content with not prying.Davide had warmed up to her as well.She felt like a little sist
Rushing down the flight of stairs, Salvatore stepped out into the late October chill as their breath fogged up. Guards creating a circle with their guns pointed at the suit-clad man kneeling on the grass with his hands behind his head and breathing heavily.The man had brown hair that fell into his beady black eyes, a hooked nose with a jutting square jaw and had a rather pale complexion – either that or he was terrified."Who are you?" Salvatore stepped forward and clenched the ring in his palm, the guards stepping to the side with their guns poised."I need to see Salvatore Regnante," He looked up at him, causing the Mafia Boss to raise his eyebrows, realizing he had no idea who Salvatore was. "Please," He pleaded in desperation."Why do you need to see him?""I...God..." He choked out. "They took the ring and I-"