Living Out A Lie

Is There Turning Back..?

'We pull into the parking garage, I hesitantly spot Luigi, getting his flask from his jacket in the car. I take a secret shortcut toward the labs. It was a tunnel my father had built.'

"Luigi.." Amber said Luigi had hit his head on the roof of the car upon hearing his name as he was about to turn

"Son of a bitch!" Luigi said, rubbing his head turning to face his sister

"Nice to see you too." Amber said

"I can see that you've come alone." Luigi said

"No, I came here with Bella. You called the both of us in." Amber said

"If you came here with Bella, then where is she, Amber?" Luigi asked

"She was here a second ago. She must be in the lab." Amber said

"I have a funny feeling that Bella's been avoiding me. I've barely seen her since the wedding." Luigi said

"She was called in for the night shift at the lab, of course you've barely seen her since your wedding." Amber said

"I think Trace is in on it. Bella seduced our doorman into telling her when I'm not in the building." Luigi said

"He's been helping Bella cope since Pavi died, and if Bella were cheating on you, she could certainly do better than our doorman." Amber said, chuckling

"They're both hiding something. He told me he never saw her and said she was here in her office. Being the concerned husband I am, I swing by her office and saw that she wasn't there." Luigi said

'I dig around in my purse for the key to my office, I unlock the door, lifting my head, seeing Pavi standing at my desk. I jump in surprise. I drop my purse in shock at the sight of him.'

"I don't believe it.. Pavi?" I asked

"Hello, Bella." Pavi said

"I have to be-- this is a dream." I said

"Bella, it's me." Pavi said

"If you are Pavi, what are the names of our daughters?" I asked

"Rottina, Magdelena and Marni Largo." Pavi answered

"What are the names of your in-laws? " I asked

"Gina and Stefano Antonucci." Pavi said

"My full name..?" I asked

"Isabella Carmen Stefania Largo-Antonucci." Pavi said

"What was one of many attempts I tried to get out of my wedding to Luigi?" I asked

"You wore a Repo suit before I tackled you to the ground, moments before you revealed yourself." Pavi said

"My God.. it's really you." I said, running into his arms

"Did they say what our next child will be?" Pavi asked, gently placing his hand on my slight growing bump

"I haven't checked yet." I said

"I heard you married my brother." Pavi said

"If you can even call it a marriage. I've been avoiding him since our sham of a wedding." I said

"Then why do you stay with him? I came all this way to find and get you back. So we can be a real family." Pavi said

"I didn't have a choice; I stayed with him to keep myself and the girls fed, clothed and off the street. And to keep myself alive. He threatened to send a Repo Man to come and take my heart if I ever left him.." I said

"Blackmail.." Pavi paused

"It was either Luigi or my death. I just got our girls back. I didn't want to be the mother who abandoned her daughters, leaving them with a monster for an uncle. God knows what he would do to them if that happened." I said, clutching Pavi frightened

‘A tear falls from my face onto his jacket, he raises my chin to meet his eyes, takes his index finger and gently flicks the tear from my eye. Luigi strolls by my office, looking through the glass door, takes his flask, throwing it at the door. I scream as it shoots through the glass, Pavi pulls me down, shielding my body so I don’t get hit by the shards. The shards crunch beneath my shoes as Pavi lifts me up. I look at Luigi, filled with rage, I charge at him, slapping him across the face.’

"What the hell was that about? You could have put us in the hospital. What in God's name were you thinking?!" I asked

"Pavi.." Luigi said

"Surprised to see me, brother?" Pavi asked

"You were gone for six years. Bella and I searched every inch of the Island. We never found you." Luigi said, placing his hand on my shoulderblade

"So help me, Luigi Largo, if you don't take your hand off my shoulder, you'll be wiping yourself with one of your knives." I said

"I haven't seen you in six months, you are my wife, and you will do as I say otherwise, I'll cut your heart out of your chest myself." Luigi said, softly tracing the outline of my chest with his blade

"Go ahead. Drive that knife into my chest.. If I die, you'll have Pavi and Amber to deal with." I said

"You are mine.." Luigi said

"She never was.. even when she was engaged to you, she was mine." Pavi said

"You were gone for six years, she came to her senses and agreed to marry me after realizing she had always been in love with me." Luigi said

"I married you to stay out of debt. And to keep myself and the girls from living on the streets." I said

"Our daughters will be relieved to see their uncle isn't dead. We have our fourth child on the way.." Luigi said

"Marni, Rottie and Maggi Largo are not yours, they're Pavi's. The fourth child is his too." I said

"That's impossible.. How did you--? Pavi disappeared before this one came along. That kid has to be mine." Luigi said

"Do you really think I would trust you put a possible mini-monster inside me? Besides, I would never willingly give you my body." I said

"Oh, but you will. Unless of course, you want anything to happen to your precious little girls." Luigi said

"You leave my girls out of this. This argument doesn't concern them." I said

'Luigi steps toward me, moving a large strand of hair behind my shoulder with the tip of his knife. I shudder at the cold touch of steel brushing over my shoulder. I glare at him angrily, backing away, while pushing his arm aside.'

"I took them from you once, I will take them again. And this time, neither of you will find us, unless.." Luigi pauses

"Unless what?" I asked, looking over at him angrily

"I will leave Pavi and the girls alone.. ..if Bella comes back and makes up for the wedding night we missed." Luigi said, slinking and hovering behind me

'Pavi and I turn to face each other in shock, Luigi grabs me by the wrist, pulling me to his chest. The blade of his knife ever so close to my chest.'

"So, Bella. You come back and consummate our union and I promise not to harm a hair on Pavi, or your girls' heads. Do we have a deal?" Luigi asked, raising the blade down toward my chest

'Though the steel is cold, I don't flinch. I stare at Pavi with great pain and sadness in my eyes. With a deep breath, I turn to face Luigi, forcing myself to say what I longed I would never have to say.'

"Luigi, you have a deal." I choked out

"I knew you would come to your senses. Now, if you'll excuse us, Pavi. Bella and I have a late honeymoon to get to. Tell Amber to keep an eye on the brats." Luigi said

'I watch Pavi fall to his knees as Luigi and I disappear within the halls of the GeneCo building.. I was about to surrender my body to the one man I have grown to hate; my second husband and sworn enemy.'

~End of Chapter Two~