𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 - 𝐐𝐔𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐒𝐒𝐄𝐍𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐃𝐘𝐍𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐘 𝐎𝐍𝐄 - 𝟏𝟖+

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Will do," I poked my tongue out again, my cheeks already hurting with laughter.

"Come on, Ann, anything but that,"

"No," I huffed, facing away from him.

"Fine, I give up," Riccardo smiled, helping me untangle my limbs from the sheets.

"Now I believe I promised you a lesson," Riccardo got up, then offered me his hand, I took it, and he pulled me down the bed carefully, moving my shoes towards me with his feet. "You're going to have to faster than that, little girl,"

"I'm not little, Ricky."

"Okay, big girl, come on now," He chuckled, and started walking as I followed him out of the room towards the gym I wasn't allowed in by myself.

* * *

Waking up feeling nostalgic was a rarity I'd learned to appreciate over the years, especially since Rick had been limited to echoes of memories inside my mind. I cherished it whenever he visited me in my dreams, thinking of it as a sign that he was still with me. I never wanted to forget his beautiful face, but for years I'd struggled to forget the night his features were no longer pretty, rather distorted in pain. I just wanted to commemorate him as my playful brother who'd been taken from me so soon.

Now when I thought of him, what saddened me more than losing him was that he had so much life ahead of him, yet he never got to live it. He wasn't truly dead though, he was alive in my memories and he would be for as long as I'd live. I reached for the drawer on my nightstand and pulled it open. Rick's necklace sat there, still the same as the day he gave it to me, except it didn't have the blood that'd been dripping off it that night. I wrapped my fingers around the anchor delicately and brushed my lips against it before I placed it back in the drawer and pushed it closed. Sighing, I got off the bed for breakfast, already dreading the conversation I was going to have with my father. Once upon a time, I used to love mornings, especially since all of us would eat together, however, over the years my father had poisoned my leisure time with his pernicious ambitions.

As the void in my stomach grew, so did my unease with the whole situation, and this time not even the warm water from the shower could untangle the knots in my body. After a quick shower, I towel dried my hair, dressed in my jeans and a tank-top, and made my way downstairs. I knew papa wouldn't like these clothes, and this little rebellion made me more gleeful than it was supposed to.

I walked through the empty corridors, suddenly remembering all the times I'd ran through them with either one of my parents or Rick chasing me. It felt like when he died, the hearts of all the residents of this mansion did too, leaving just emptiness behind. Now all that was left was a posh exterior that'd long since been shattered to pieces.

Papa was sitting at the head of the table, holding a cup of tea against his mouth as he took a brief sip and placed it down, the wristwatch I'd watched mama clasp around his wrist years ago glinting under the fine lights of the room. He grimaced as his gaze slid over my frame, from my flats to my clothes and damp hair, and somehow that little moment of reproach made me feel guilty when a minute ago I'd been pleased with my defiance.

"I'm glad you decided to join me, Andrea"

"Are you?" I muttered under my breath and took my seat at his left, feeling his gaze on me.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I scoffed, clearly, he'd forgotten he wasn't there when I needed a father, and despite my internal longing for his affection, I couldn't bring myself to let go of my anger especially since he wasn't trying.

I feared even an earthquake wouldn't jerk his dead conscience awake.

I'd wanted to know what had happened at his meeting, however, the answer terrified me. I'd learned not to seek answers I wasn't ready to hear, but when would someone ever be ready to know their life was no longer theirs.