''You have to marry his daughter'' My dad tells me and I freeze at his words. 'Is he for real?'
''I can't, you know I am with Haley'' I tell him seeing the devastation in his face.
''I know son, but if you want to take their mafia you have to, at least for a couple of months while all the papers get signed and everything is put under our name.'' My dad tells me, but still a couple of months? That's a long time to be married to someone you don't even know.
''I don't know dad -'' I go to say when I get interrupted.
''Do it.'' Me and my dad look to see who it was, and of course it was no other that Haley.
''What?'' I ask her and she slowly enters the room and my heart breaks at her sad face.
''Do it, it's only a few months right? And you get to take over a mafia and make your own mafia bigger and better'' She says thinking as a mafia leader not as a human, which was the correct way for mafia to grow and keep up the appearance but it was mentally draining for the soul to give up life for what, money? Power?
''You will have to leave Haley and the girl will need to move in so it looks more realistic'' My dad says with a quite voice knowing it was hurting him to break us up but he also was thinking as a leader and knew what this alliance could bring to our mafia. I look at Haley and see tears wanting to form in her eyes but she has put a brave face on and tries to be strong for me.
''I'll leave'' Haley says with her voice breaking while she doesn't break eye contact with me.
''Don't do this Haley'' I beg her to not hurt herself and me.
''No, you have to do this, these guys are your family and they are counting on you. Who am I, you have only known me for a month, you don't get to give up on your mafia family for me.'' She states.
My dad stands up and leaves giving me and Haley some space. I walk over to her and take her in my arms. As soon as I hug her, her tears start to fall down like a waterfall making my shirt wet, I've never seen her this broken and it broke me, I wanted to take her pain away, I hated seeing her this way.
''Amore please don't make me do this'' I whisper to her, begging for her to just ask me to choose her and not to go trough with this agreement but I know she cared too much about me and my friends who's life was all about mafia and she would rather die than let anything happen to us.
She sobs in my chest digging her nails in my back trying to feel me up. And then suddenly the tears stop and she pulls away. She looks in my eyes with hers red and full of pain. Pain that I was causing.
''I'm gonna go pack my bags and buy a plane ticket'' She tells me and walks out of the room emotionless.
I turn around and push everything that was on my desk to the ground, I trash the room hoping it would make me feel better but it doesn't. I sit on the floor grabbing my head and pulling my hair trying to distract the pain I felt in my chest. I don't want her to leave, for her to hurt.
Haley's POV:
I go into once called our bedroom and slide down the wall as I break into tears. I've never felt pain like this, even when George left me it didn't feel that bad, yeah it hurt, but this. This was killing me and I couldn't see tomorrow or any other day after that. I had decided I was gonna go home, I won't be able to be here in Europe, feel so close to him but know there was another girl he was getting married to even if it was an arranged marriage. I had to put an ocean between us.
I hear Paulina scream somewhere in the hallway at her husband, I guess she had found out what was happening.
I get up and open my laptop, I look at nearest flight to New York and The closest one was tomorrow so I book it, not believing I was actually going home. I got my hopes up, because I already had started imagining my life here in Italy with Riccardo.
As I sit on the bed looking at my ticket I had bought the door opens and devastated Riccardo enters. I jump up and run to him hugging him as hard as I can, knowing this could be one of the last times I get to hug him.
''I promise you I will come after you just as soon as all of this is over'' Riccardo promises me.
I take his face in my hand and caress his cheek as he tries to fill up on my touch leaning his head into my hand.
''Promise me you will give this girl a chance, maybe she will be nice and beautiful and maybe you can love her some day and all of this won't be a waste of time'' I tell him not wanting to put himself in restrain because of me.
''Don't say that'' Riccardo begs as he buries his head in my neck hugging me tightly.
''I will never love anyone else'' He whispers quietly almost as not wanting me to hear, and my heart feels fine for a second realizing he might love me but then it starts to hurt again knowing that tomorrow's morning was the last morning we will have together, at least for a long time.
He kisses me with so much love, trying to remember my lips, the way they taste the way they feel. His hands touch each part of my body as if it was a map he was trying to memorize. It pained me that I had to leave. It hurt even more knowing there will be another girl in my place very very soon.
That night we made love to each other as if it was the last time.
Next morning
It was starting to get light outside as the morning sun was coming up. Me and Riccardo didn't sleep, we tried to soak up each other as much as we could. I was cuddling him my face on his chest and my hands drawing pictures on his abs. His hands caressing my back knowing that the hardest goodbye had come and we only had few hours left, which might be the last.
After the sun had fully risen we both got up and got dressed. I wore blue jeans and a black top that let my back show. For the first time I saw Riccardo in jeans. Blue jeans and a knitted sweater, as simple as the outfit was he still made it look expensive and hot. I helped him put on his watch he had taken off for the night. We looked up at each other not saying a word and only wrapping our hand around each other and hugging taking in each others scent.
He then pulls away and pulls out a small velvet box from his nightstand and hands it to me.
''I want you to have this, so you know, no matter where you are, a piece of me is always with you'' He says as I open the box and pull out a gold bracelet with few little charms, I let a tear slip at the though of the sweet gesture and I go to hug him.
''Thank you, I will never take it off'' I whisper into his ear and then pull away letting him put the bracelet around my wrist.
We both make our way downstairs to the kitchen, the whole time holding hands. As we walk in the kitchen everyone's eye's go to us and I look to see their sad faces. Riccardo sits down and pulls me into his lap with my cup of coffee that I was holding, as that was the only thing my body would approve of right now. I couldn't even think about food.
Riccardo's hand never leaving my back that he was holding me to have more support while sitting and as well to feel my skin that he soon would not feel anymore.
No one dared to say anything to us as they saw we wouldn't want to answer anyway. I could see Bella's heart break at the sigh and she stood up to walk out of the room following her mother who was crying at the sight of what was happening. Aureliano was the only one not here, I guess as he felt guilty for what was happening.
Then Dante spoke up but not the words that we wanted to hear.
''It's time, the driver is waiting outside, I'm sorry guys'' He tells us and leaves the kitchen.
I fell tears starting to go down my face and I hug Riccardo so tight that I pushed out all the breath out of him,but he just returned the hug knowing this was the last one until we meet again, some day or some other life.
We both get up and walk to the car, Riccardo carrying all my bags and a suitcase. I go to hug Bella as she was the closest friend I have ever had and I made her promise to call me at least once a month. But I also made her promise that she would not speak of her brother with me.
I wave goodbye to everyone and get into the car and I am pulled into Riccardos embrace that doesn't let go until we make it to the airport.
He comes with me helping with my bags and just as we are by the security line that was it. After this point I would go on my way and he on his. He hugs me tight kissing me making sure I know how much I mean to him.
''Until we meet again, Haley'' He says with the saddest face I have ever seen.
''Until we meet again, Riccardo'' I repeat his words hoping it was true, that we indeed would meet again one day.
I give him one last kiss goodbye and then we pull away holding our hands as long as they reach and then I watch as he walks away. I see him looking back at me before he disappears into a crowd of people. And then I remember the saying I once heard.
'If a person looks back at the other person when leaving, it means they will meet again'