-Vincent-
*4 hours earlier*
Emilia sat on the edge of her hospital bed, swinging her feet back and forth as she watched me get everything in order so that we could finally go home. She had been given the okay to finally be discharged after the many weeks spent inside of the hospital. Her wounds had healed weeks ago, but Doctor Fields wanted to keep her longer to observe her mental state.
It was bad when she didn't want to see Mrs. Hart or take her medication. She was becoming a borderline insomniac from her poor sleeping habits and she would wake up screaming and crying whenever she did fall asleep. But she's been doing better now. She has been willingly wanting to go see Mrs. Hart and had started taking Zoloft to cope with her post traumatic stress disorder.
"Ready?" I questioned, throwing the hospital bags over my shoulder as she nodded her head. I walked over to her, holding out my hand as she laced her fingers between mine and hopped down from her bed.
"You know I can carry a few things, right?" She said with a small giggle, my eyes flickering down to her as I grinned, ignoring her offer as we headed out of the room. She swung our arms back and forth as we made our way down the hall, and she slowly came to a stop as she stared at her mothers room.
"Do you want to say goodbye?" I questioned as she averted her eyes from her door, staring back up at me as she thought about her decision for a moment. I sensed hesitation in her movements before she gave me a small nod as I released her hand. I stayed back as she headed off to her mothers room.
I watched them as they exchanged a few words before Emilia bent down to give her a small hug. She pulled away from her as her mother gave her a small wave before she exited her room, walking towards me with a soft smile on her face. I looked past her and at her mother as she waved at me before I heard Emilia let out a huff of air.
"Everything okay?" I asked. She nodded her head as she took in a deep breath before lacing her fingers back through mine as we began walking again. She had a look of trouble on her face, but I didn't question it. I brought her hand up to my lips as we made our way towards the exit.
-
Getting out of the car, I closed the door behind me as I rushed to open the passenger door for Emilia. She tried to beat me to it, but she was too slow. I gave her a sly smirk, pulling it open for her as she groaned at me.
"Vincent, I'm perfectly capable of opening a door for myself." She sighed, shaking her head and I threw the bags over my shoulder before sweeping her off of her feet as I carried her bridal style.
She let out a yelp as she gripped onto me tightly before I kicked the car door closed, rushing for the front doors. She giggled the whole way up the steps, and I pushed open the front doors as I felt relieved to finally be home and not somewhere inside of a cramped hospital room.
I closed the door behind us as she continued to giggle. Setting her down on the floor, she playfully slapped my chest, and I bent down, placing a kiss on the side of her head.
"Welcome back lovebirds." We both looked up at Salvatore who was walking in our direction and I completely froze in place as my eyes connected with his. The only thing I could think about as I stared at him was the video of watching his father die.
He was staring at me suspiciously, and I came to the realization that I was still frozen. Snapping out of my trance, I cleared my throat and gave him a small grin as I pat him on the back awkwardly.
"What?" He questioned, staring at me skeptically. I opened my mouth to just say the words, yet nothing came out. Clearing my throat, I shook my head.
"Nothing. I'll tell you later." I responded, bending down to pick up Emilia's bags that I had set down on the floor. If I told him, it would just be like when he was younger all over again. He finds out about his mother's death, and not even full year later, he finds out about his father's. He may have hid it well, but I knew that finding out that Bruno was behind his mothers death hit him harder than he projected. I wasn't sure how much more bad news he could take.
Leaving him to stand there, I headed up for the bedroom as I followed in Emilia's trail. She walked up the stairs quickly, eager to lay back down inside of our bed. She pushed open the door as she stopped to take everything in before she walked over to the bed and plopped down on top of it.
"I missed this place." She whispered, staring up at the ceiling as I set down her bags before shutting the door. She looked over at me, sitting up as she gave me a frown.
"What's wrong?" She questioned, my eyes shifting towards her as I shook my head. I gave her a small smile as I walked over towards her before placing a kiss on her cheek.
"Nothings wrong." I responded, not wanting her to worry about anything except for herself.
"Does this have something to do with why you're being weird with Salvatore?" She asked. I hadn't even realized that it was visible that I was being weird around him. Nor did I think that I was being weird in the first place. I gave her a single nod.
"Is there something that you're keeping from him?" She asked, my head nodding again as I dropped down onto the bed next to her. I ran my hand down my face in agitation before pinching the bridge of my nose.
"What is it?" She asked, flipping onto her stomach as she gave me her full attention while running her hand through my hair. I turned to look at her while she stared at me in concern.
"The other night I was looking through the flash drive that your father had left for me, and I came across security footage that he must have gotten from our cameras back at my childhood home. It was a video of Bruno killing my uncle after he found out about what he did to our mothers." I said, and she let out a small gasp as she sat up, staring down at me with shock.
"Oh my god," she whispered, cupping her hand over her mouth as her eyes grew concerned. I nodded my head as I clenched my jaw. She placed her hand on my cheek, trying to comfort me, but I wasn't the one who was going to be in need of it.
Sure, seeing my uncle also die was rough, but I was able to manage. Omar was a great uncle to me, but he was an even better father to Salvatore. They were inseparable to say the least.
"Vincent, you have to tell him." She said. I nodded my head, already knowing.
"I know." I whispered. She stared down at me with a certain sadness to her eyes as she ran her hands through my hair. She rest her cheek on my forehead after pressing her lips to them first as I continued to stare at the ceiling.
"I know." I repeated.
-
Pushing open the bedroom door, I set my keys down on the top of the dresser before closing the bedroom door behind me. I looked at the bed, searching for Emilia in the spot that I had left her in earlier when she fell asleep. Frowning when I didn't see her, I called out her name.
"Emilia," I called out again after I didn't hear an answer. I headed for the bathroom where the orange glow of the lighting could be seen from under the door. The sound of the bathtub running littered my ear drums, and the eerie familiarity of this situation made my heart drop.
"Emilia!" I yelled, pushing open the bathroom door as my eyes quickly scanned the room for her. I seen her jolt in her position as she was bent over the side of the tub, pouring bubbles into the water as she stared at me with widened eyes.
"What?! What happened?!" She yelled frantically, her eyes flickering with panic as she reached over to shut off the water. I released a deep breath of relief as I realized she was okay before shaking my head.
"Why didn't you answer me? I was calling for you." I asked, and she looked around the bathroom in a small confusion as her eyebrows pulled together in the most adorable way possible.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't hear you. I can, um, I can leave the door cracked from now on if you want-"
"No, that won't be necessary. I was just worried about you. That's all." I cut her off, running my hand through my hair before watching her as she set the bottle back down on the counter. I walked over to give her a kiss, pulling her in for a hug afterwards. I could finally relax once I felt her heart beating against my chest.
"Vince, you're crushing me." She groaned and I let go of her before she laughed softly. Deciding to leave the bathroom so that she could enjoy her bubble bath in peace, I turned around and headed for the door. She grabbed my hand, pulling me back toward her as she stopped me.
"Wait, join me." She suggested, my eyebrows raising at her words before I grinned, closing the bathroom door fully shut. Without hesitation, I placed my hands on the neck of my shirt and pulled it over my head, tossing it to the floor.
"Turn around," she laughed, refusing to take off her clothes and I groaned as I did as she said. I kept my eyes on the ceiling as I shook my head.
"Miele, I've seen you naked probably a million times by now. There's really no point in you covering your body from me. It's burned into my memory forever." I said jokingly as she giggled before the sound of the water splashing filled my ears. I turned to look at her, seeing that she had already gotten in the tub.
"Well what are you waiting for slowpoke? Get in." She said, my lips forming a small smile as I started to unbuckle my belt. She shrieked as she covered her eyes while giggling as I discarded my bottoms. Once I was finished undressing myself, I got in on the opposite side of her. She opened her eyes, staring at me with a smile as I splashed her with the water.
She held her hands up for defense as she splashed me back, getting water in my eye. I covered my eye as I fake winced in pain, closing it as I seen her become worried. She leaned closer towards me with panic in her eyes as she held onto my hand.
"I'm sorry bubba, did I get soap in your eye?" She frowned and I grinned at her, opening my eye as she fell for my trap. Her mouth fell open and I wrapped my arms around her, giving her a series of kisses on her cheek while she laughed at me.
"You faker." She giggled, pushing against me as she tried to get away. I chuckled, pulling my lips away from her as she smiled at me. I tucked her hair away from her face before pecking her lips.
She smiled, scooping a mound of bubbles in her hands before lathering it on my face like a beard. I scrunched my nose as she continued to shape it before she brought her lips back against mine. When she pulled away, it only made me laugh as the soap transferred onto her, giving her a soap beard.
"What?" She frowned, not realizing there was soap all over her face. She brought her hand up to her cheek, touching the soap as she too started to laugh. Shaking my head, I cupped water in my hand before wiping away her soap as she did the same to mine.
I placed a kiss on her forehead before she wrapped her arms around my torso, leaning her head against my left peck as a smile rest on her lips. I rest my chin on the top of her hair, watching as she traced the ink on my skin with her index finger.
She had traced them so many times within the span of knowing me that she didn't even have to look in order to follow the design. She trailed down to my abs before switching her cheek to rest on my right peck as she did the same to the other side. Her eyes followed them all the way down until she came across a new design that I had gotten done over my heart a few days ago.
She stared at it for a moment before she gasped at the angel wings with a halo above them as her eyes skimmed over the date that she told me was the day that she had had the miscarriage. She looked back up at me in shock with her glossy eyes and I gave her a small smile.
"D-did you..." she trailed off quietly, and I nodded my head as I tucked her hair behind her ear. Her lips formed a pout as it started to quiver. The tears that had formed in her eyes leaked out as she wrapped her arms around me, pulling me in for a hug.
I held her closer to me, placing soft kisses on the top of her head as I rubbed her back up and down. She sniffled, looking back down at the tattoo before placing a kiss on her fingers as she pressed it against it.
"I love it." She whispered quietly, tracing her finger over it as I wiped away the stray tear on her face. She huffed out air as she continued to admire it. We sat in a longing silence, enjoying each other's company as she closed her eyes a bit, already memorizing the pattern of the new tattoo.
"Vince," she called out softly after a while of not saying anything, a hum escaping me in response as I looked back down at her. She kept her eyes closed as her eyebrows pulled together.
"What's going to happen to my mother?" She asked as she let out a small sigh. I raised my eyebrows as I stared down at her before taking in a deep breath as I ran my hand through my hair.
"We're going to get her the help that she needs. I know of a very good rehab facility that will provide her all of the proper care, only if she wants it. If she doesn't want help, then there's nothing else that we can do." I responded, her head nodding as she fell silent for a moment.
"She told me she wants to get better." She replied, my hand slowly moving up and down her back as I came to a stop. She looked up at me, resting her chin on my chest as I raised a brow.
"Do you believe her?" I asked. She bit her bottom lip ever so slightly before shrugging her shoulders. "I don't know. She's said it multiple times before, but this time I feel like she really does mean it." She said softly, tearing her gaze away from me as she looked back at the tattoo.
"How come it is easy for you to just push aside all of the things that she's done to you, Emilia? Does it not bother you?" I couldn't help but find myself asking a question I've been dying to know the answer of. She just shrugged her shoulders.
"She's my mom. She may not be a very good one, but she's still my mom." She frowned a bit.
"I also think it's because I kind of understand her now after all these years. My mother is like me in a way. She's been broken before by someone who she thought would love her and care for her no matter what. Instead, Orlando hurt her. He may not have hurt her in ways that Ryan hurt me, but he still hurt her when he left us." She replied.
"That isn't an excuse for what she's done. I know that, but I think that my mother just needs someone to be there for her. Her whole life she's never had anybody else except for me." My eyebrows furrowed as I just stared at her, listening to her speak.
"My mom," she cut herself off with a sigh.
"I watched my mom become worse every day ever since I was little. I watched her fall apart into pieces, and now she just needs someone to help her put those pieces back together again. It's kind of like what you've done for me. You found me when I was at the lowest point in my life, and you helped put me back together again. You're still putting me back together again, and I want to do the same. I want to help her before it's too late, just like you did to me." She added, looking back up at me as I sat in a small amount of silence.
"Just like you saved me." She finished. I didn't really believe Amara a few days ago when she told me what Emilia just said. I just thought she had made that up in order to make me feel better. I still believe that I don't deserve her. I still believe that this world does not deserve someone like her. Someone so brokenly beautiful that even pain couldn't change the love she has chambered away in her heart.
Placing my index finger under her chin, I pressed my lips against hers as I kissed her for what felt like a lifetime. For what I hoped would only be a lifetime until we parted to breathe again. She smiled at me, resting her head back on my chest as she fiddled with my fingers.
-
Pocketing my hands in my slacks, I walked down the stairs where the clamor of men filled my ears as they came in one by one inside of the house. I did a head count on every single person that walked inside of the room and was surprised to see that they had all returned back home in one piece. I assumed that with whatever sketchy plan Salvatore had planned, at least one of them would have died.
Narrowing my eyes at the crowd, I searched them for my father before my eyes fell upon his unconscious body as he was tossed over Steve's shoulder. He did seem dead, but that wasn't Salvatores style. He liked torturing before he killed if given the opportunity.
"Where do you want him?" Steve asked Salvatore as he closed the door. He pointed to the direction of the cellar as he gave him a nod.
"Remove Benny and tie Bruno up extra tight. I want three guards standing outside of his room at all costs. Nobody touches him except for me-"
"And me." I cut him off, entering the room as all of the men turned to look at me. They all gave me a nod before two of them took off after Steve while the others dispersed throughout the house.
"I see you all returned back in one piece." I stated, heading towards Salvatore and Amos eyes widened as if he had remembered something cool.
"Oh man, V. You should've been there. I was ready to blow this guys brains into smithereens and then big guy over here," he said, pointing his thumb over at Salvatore. "Almost got us killed and-"
"Thank you, Amo. But I can handle the rest from here." Salvatore cut him off as he shot him a look. Amo put his hands up in defense before he spotted Danny as he strolled over in his direction.
"Danny, you should have been up close with me . . ." his voice grew fainter the further they walked away from us. I chuckled as I shook my head before my eyes fell upon Salvatore.
"I take it that everything went well." I said, his head nodding in the slightest as he walked over to the steps of the stairs, sitting down on the third step as he sighed.
"Apparently Bruno and Mario had made some sort of deal, and he was under the impression that Danilo and his men were on his side, but it turns out that that wasn't true at all. Before Orlando died, he made a last request to make Bruno suffer. He also said that if Mario were dead and no longer able to lead the mafia, he wanted everything to be handed over to Emilia." He said, my eyebrows raising at his last sentence as I wondered if I were hearing him right.
This was probably Orlando's way of making up for that misogynistic mindset that he had back when he first left Emilia and Jane.
"Now his men are hellbent on protecting her due to it being the last thing Orlando wanted. So, whenever you want to give me your decision on what to do with them, I'll inform Danilo." He said, my hand running down my face as I thought about it.
"I'll talk it over with Emilia." I said, needing to give this more thought. It was an easy decision, but I just wanted to space out everything happening in her life since she's been through so much. I mean she almost died, spent weeks in a hospital, got her mother back, and now she'd be finding out that she has a whole swarm of grown men who are more than willing to take bullets for her.
"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go kill the son of a bitch." He chuckled, beginning to stand up from his spot and I placed my hand on his shoulder to sit him back down. He glanced at my hand, averting his eyes from it as he looked back up at me.
"Okay, what the fuck is up with you? You keep doing weird shit every time you're near me." He said, pushing my hand off of his shoulder as he stood up to his full height.
Emilia's words rang through my head as I tried to build up the motivation to tell him before I clenched my jaw, putting aside my feelings as my emotion fell flat. This was the only way that I could tell him and not be such a fucking wimp about it.
"Bruno killed uncle Omar." I got straight to the point as I seen him freeze while his eyes just stared straight into mine.
"He didn't die on a business trip like Bruno said he did. Uncle Omar found out about what he did to our mothers, and he flipped. Bruno found out that he found out and he killed him." I added as I held his glare. He didn't move. He didn't speak. All he did was stare.
"And you know this how?" He asked, his voice oddly calm as I reached into my pocket and pulled out the flash drive. I extended it out towards him as he took it from my hand, observing it.
"The video is in there." I responded.
For what felt like it could have been hours, I watched him stare at the flash drive as his jaw ticked every so often. Then, his eyes shot up to meet mine, and they were completely unrecognizable.
They weren't his typical cloudy weather gray, but a dark gray of a brewing storm that promised pending chaos and destruction.
"You told me that there wasn't anything else in this drive." He said, forcing himself to keep a calm composure, but I could see his anger slipping past his facade.
"I lied." I replied truthfully, and he let out a laugh that was ridden of any humor as he shook his head at me.
"And you only bothered to tell me now?" He asked, his knuckles turning white as he clenched his fist harder. He was glaring at me like he wanted to murder me, yet he wasn't doing anything about it.
"I was just trying to protect you." I said calmly and he scoffed at me, his jaw ticking. I could see it in his eyes that his sanity was hanging on by a thread as he grew angrier by the second.
Then, his eyes went cold. They became emotionless. And it was in this moment that I knew, he had finally snapped.
♠
Chapter 44! Done! Wooh!
Thank you for reading chapter 44 of Emilia <3
Hope you all enjoyed this chapter!!