There would be many words to describe Roman Cecilio, but one would be: malicious. Don of the Italian Mafia with no remorse, but what happens when he meets a woman and her daughter?
Jasmine Torres shelters her daughter from any and all harm, hiding...
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I've never been an anxious waiter, maybe when Ansley was taken and of course, my time at Alejandro's but other than those times I remained calm.
Except now, I'm nearly ripping my nails off and putting a dent into the floor with my bouncing leg as I wait for Roman to get back.
He's a big man, I know this so why am I so worried? Maybe I'm scared that he won't come back just like Ansley didn't.
Is this my life now? Scared to leave the estate in fear of not returning. Mourning over the death of my daughter. Spending my time by sleeping or crying the days away.
I'm by myself, even though Luis offered to stay with me but I told him to go to bed. What a stupid mistake. The airy halls that was once filled with Ansley's laughter and squeals are silent. Mocking me in ways no one can see.
Roman told me that when Vladimir is dead, we will have a funeral for her but I'm not sure I can do it. I mean, your child is supposed to be your greatest love and if you bury her, what does that make her? Your greatest pain.
That isn't something I want to remember her as. I want her to be the baby I raised; kind and sweet, loving and caring. She was the cutest baby with her oversized brown puppy eyes and a little smile always gracing her lips.
I look down the hall once more. If I think hard enough, I can almost see her running down the hall while laugh as Roman chases her. I've told him countless times not to do that.
I gasp when the front door opens with a loud bang and Roman is the first one who enters with people trailing behind him. My eyes widen at the amount of blood on him, making me run towards him.
"Are you hurt?" I ask, searching his body for injuries as my eyes involuntarily fill with tears.
"It's not mine, mama." He tells me, holding me tightly to his body and despite the blood, I relax into him.
I sigh in relief as I cup his face in my hands and he watches me with sorrow, knowing the only reason as to why I'm acting like this.
"I'm okay." He whispers, kissing my forehead as I nod rapidly, trying to calm my nerves.
This is my life now; worrying about everything, living in a constant state of fear for the unknown, being over emotional about everything, keeping the ones I love close.
"He's dead. Vladimir is dead." He tells me, making my chin tremble as a wave of new tears covers my eyes.
Good. Now I know, my daughters death has been avenged. Although, it doesn't change anything about the way I feel.
"Jasmine."
I turn my head towards the voice. Tanner stands in front of us almost awkwardly, even he's covered in blood. I haven't talked to Tanner since the explosion and I feel bad about it but I didn't want to leave Roman's or Luis's side.
"Are you okay?" I ask, scanning his body for injuries as well, not leaving Roman's grip.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just a couple scratches, nothing I can't handle." He tries to crack a smile, making me internally grimace.
"I'm sorry, Tanner." I say, frowning. I should say a lot more than a pathetic 'I'm sorry' but I don't know what else to say without becoming a crying mess and making it more awkward.
"It's okay. I'm sorry, Jasmine." He says with a frown of his own. Is he the same way? Probably not but maybe that's a good thing. I wouldn't want him to feel the same way I do. I wouldn't wish this on anyone.
"It's okay." I tell him before burying my face into Roman's chest, trying to breathe in his scent but it's masked over with the smell of blood.
"I know, mama. Let's go take a shower." ——————————————————————— Waking up but with Luis in my arms instead of Roman. He must've had to go do something and got Luis to come in here.
I sit up, running a hand through my tangled hair as I fix Roman's shirt on my body. His clothes makes me feel slightly better.
Luis groans and flips over, away from the sliver of light that pours in from a crack in the curtain in front of the large window. I watch him, feeling the warmth in my chest and trying to smile at it. I used to be able to smile at it.
I give up and leave the room to find Roman. Although, I don't know where he could be so I check his office first and thankfully he's in there.
"What are you doing?" I ask quietly, making him look up at me. He rolls his chair back and offers me his lap, which I take graciously.
"Some paperwork regarding Vladimir's death. His son is going to try to take over but I'll only allow it if he becomes an ally. I don't want another war to happen with them." He tells me as I tuck my head into his neck, his hand slipping underneath my shirt to rub my bare back.
"Did he say anything about Ansley?" I merely whispered, feeling him stiffen slightly.
"No, the asshole only begged for mercy." Roman scoffs as I chew on the inside of my cheek. I don't know why I thought he would.
"When do you want to have her funeral?" He asks quietly, making the air leave my lungs and my chest hurt. It isn't his fault though. He just wants me to have closure.
I shrug. "Is there even a body?" I ask, frowning and although he can't see it, he can feel it. He raises one of his shoulders to push my head up so he can look at me.
"Yes, it's not pretty though." He tells me cautiously. I don't want him to think he has to walk on eggshells around me. It isn't fair to him.
"Oh." I mumble, looking at my messed up nails. "Whenever you can have the funeral is fine." I tell him.
"We'll do it tomorrow." ——————————————————————— "Mom, you need to eat something." Luis tries but all it does is deepen my frown.
Am I that much of a burden? Is this why they treat me like this? It feels like I'm in a mental hospital. Even-
I've never thought like this before. Everything is new to me. I'm finding my own likes and dislikes without her. I've always liked whatever she liked because I didn't have time to worry about what I liked nor did it matter to me. I just wanted her happy.
Is she happy? She must be at peace wherever she is. At least that's what I'll believe. I don't want to think of anything else.
"Let her breathe, Luis. I'll get her to eat something tonight, I don't think she'll be able to eat tomorrow." He tries to tell Luis quietly and without me hearing but the room is so silent, I can hear a shoe being scraped across the floor by someone at the end of the table.
Will I be able to eat? Will this give me the closure Roman wants for me? What if he leaves me because of the I'm acting? Oh, god. I don't know what I'd do them.
