"You will never always be motivated, so you must learn to always be disciplined"
A/N: Vittorio's full name is Vittorio Antonio Rossi, don't get confused because his mother tends to call him by his middle name. Or even "Toni".
~ . ~
four years earlier
I kiss her on the cheek and sit her down on the sofa, massaging her shoulders as she sits in front of me.
"Tell me what's on your mind, bella." I say softly.
[translation: beautiful]
She fiddles with her hair, and doesn't respond as if she never even heard what I had said.
I turn her face towards me, worried what's wrong with her. "Are you alright, baby?"
She finally snaps out of her thoughts and looks at me. "Y-yes of course! I was just stressed about our moving to this new house. That's all."
I don't buy what she says, but I don't push her further just in case she might get mad so I let her have her space.
I nod my head. "You don't need to worry about that. Give me all your stress and I'll carry it for you. You just worry about what dress you're going to wear tomorrow to meet my parents." I say with a smile, showing my deep dimple that's on one side of my face.
She lifts the corner of her lip up as if to smile, but it's doesn't reach her eyes. They don't light up like they usually do when she smiles at me.
There's something going on in her head and it breaks my heart that I can't do anything about it to fix it for her. I just hope she'll be able to tell me eventually.
She hesitantly gets up and walks upstairs to our bedroom and I sigh, watching her leave.
*****
I wake up to the sting of the sun rays seeping through the curtains that are blowing away from the window from the cool breeze that passes through.
I turn over under my sheets and lay an arm out to hold her but as I turn, I feel nothing under me. My eyes still closed but my brows furrow in confusion. I open one eye and see that no one lays beside me and I quickly sit up. "Bella?" I call out.
Maybe she's making breakfast? It's weird, I'm normally the one to do that though.
I get out from under the duvet and put my clothes on quickly.
I walk fast down the stairs and go towards the kitchen but straight ahead of me, there's a letter stuck with a magnet on the fridge door.
My breaths go uneasy and fast, unsure what to do. I grab the letter from the fridge and see it titled 'my dearest love'.
What the fuck?
I rip open the envelope and toss it aside, with it probably falling on the floor. I start reading it;
*
Dear Vittorio, my love.
I know that you are probably confused as to what happened with me this morning since I know you always wake up before me and make sure that I'm awake after so you can cook us breakfast.
I want you to understand that anything I say has nothing to do with how I feel about you and you have done absolutely nothing wrong. I just got confused after two days ago, my best friend came back in town after a few years and I think that triggered some old feelings I had for him before he left and before I had even met you.
The night before, when I was at that party and you were at your conference he was with me. We both went back to his place both blackout drunk and he kissed me. I didn't push him away.
I don't know what happened in that moment but I knew immediately it was wrong and I could never do that to you. Whatever was going through in my mind was chaotic because I did sleep with him that night and I will never forgive myself for that. I know you won't either but I just needed to tell you, I'm too chicken to do it in person.
I was doing some thinking and if I had those thoughts of Ryan while me and you were together, I knew something was wrong with me and I couldn't bare to keep giving you that pain so I know that this is the moment where I had to leave.
I packed everything. If you didn't see this, I gave Camilo a similar letter to pass on to you but if you see this then you don't need to read that one, it's all the same.
I feel like I just need to be myself and find out what I truly want before I come begging for your forgiveness and ask for us to be back together. I understand your frustration and you may never want to forgive me, but I just had to let you know how I felt.
Don't ask where I'm going, and don't bother calling my parents or my friends because I asked them not to tell you just for the pure fact that I'm not ready to see you yet. I changed my number as well.
I hope you read this and understand this in my shoes, but I hope that all anger aside you find some way to forgive me.
I do still love you,
Arabella
*
My hand start trembling as I sat and read the whole thing. I don't even understand what I'm meant to do.
How the fuck could she just leave me like that after all the years I've been with her?
This isn't right.
My lip quivers as my breaths shorten. I put my head in my hands and lean my elbows on the counter in front of me as I sit on the bar stool.
It's like the whole world came crashing down on me and reality hit me in the face. She was the only girl I truly loved.
*********************
One year later
I grab my laptop from the coffee table and place it on my lap to work on instead of having to lean over because that's uncomfortable, and carry on writing out my emails.
My mom brings me a plate of her legendary pasta and leaves it in front of me. "Here you go Antonio. fai una pausa, mangia."
[translation: take a break, eat up]
I smile weakly at her. "Grazie, mama."
I turn back to my laptop and just as I was about to carry on, the doorbell rings.
I move the laptop to the side and get up walking towards the door. Much to my surprise, nobody's at the door.
I glance down just as I was closing the door, to see a child no more than around two years old sleeping in a small rocking seat with a letter on its stomach.
My brows furrowed and I crouch down to open the letter;
Vittorio,
I haven't reached out to you for a long time but this is absolutely mandatory.
The day I left you, I figured out I was pregnant. My initial thought was that I must have read the test wrong but I redid it three times over and it all came back positive.
I've done as much as I could to raise this baby without you, but I think it's should be your turn since you are her father.
Love,
Arabella
Okay, what the fuck is going on?
I created this thing?
Well no fucking shit.
Whatever.
I look back at the child and my mum comes behind me, peeking over my shoulder and gasps.
She covers her mouth with a hand, "il povero bambino! è tuo toni?"
[translation: the poor child! Is it yours Toni?]
I sigh and pass her the letter. "Sì."
She skims over it and shakes her head. "That irresponsible witch!" She starts off, I try interrupting but she cuts me off, "I don't understand how she could abandon a child like this. No mother in their right mind would have the sick idea of doing that." She complains.
I take the child in, and my mother agrees to keep it with her since my place isn't going to be big enough for it and I can't take care of her on my own.
**********************
*end of flashbacks*
I arrive at my parents' house with Camilo, since he doesn't need to be on duty caring for Rayne and Nailea at this moment.
Also because he's my closest friend.
I have a spare key to my their house so I unlock the front door, "I'm here mama!" I yell.
I close the door behind me and hear little feet pattering on the floor.
I visit my daughter as much as possible, but with everything that's been happening it's been a little difficult.
Todays her birthday so I had to see her, with balloons of course.
"Daddy! Sei a casa!" She says, her tiny angel voice echoing because of the empty space.
[translation: you're home!]
She beams at me as sees the balloons in my hand and stops running to hugs my legs. I smile down at her and crouch so I can hug her properly, but she tackles me in a tight bear hug causing me to almost topple over onto the ground.
She looks up and sees Camilo standing with his hands in his pockets. She gasps. "Papà, you bought me a boyfriend for my birthday? Best present ever."
I roll my eyes at her remark. "Chiara love, you only just turned five. Don't get too ahead of yourself." I warn.
Camilo laughs and crouches to her level. "Happy birthday, Chiara. Your father has told me a lot about you." He says, giving her small hand a light kiss.
She blushes a little, "I love you already, you can be my prince. Come on." She grabs his big hand and drags him to her toy room.
My mother finally comes out of the kitchen just as I stand up and greets me while giving me a hug.
I kiss her on the cheek and go to where Chiara kidnapped Camilo.
They play for a while and I scroll through my messages on my phone looking for anything important that happened at work today.
Camilo comes and sits next to me on the couch, taking a deep breath. "You're daughter is one energetic child. I'll give her that."
I nod. "She gets that from me."
He looks at me as if I just announced the world was ending. "You? Dude, you just said that with the straightest face ever." He shakes his head.
I shrug and go turn my phone off, putting the tv on so we could watch some movie.
Camilo groans beside me. "What's on your mind? Is Rayne eating at it again?" I ask.
His head rests on the back of the sofa and his neck turns so that his head is facing me. "I want to take her to the gala, but she's my responsibility. Not my date."
That man has definitely fallen for her.
Too bad the brother got her first.
Yes, he told me all about his little walk-in to a full blown porno right in front of him.
I'm kidding. I'm very supportive for him.
This is just my way of coping for whatever fucking reason.
I sigh. "Look, just wait a couple months and hopefully you won't need to take care of her anymore. The Russian mafia won't back down until they find them. Nailea and Rayne don't know that they're both going to be in danger if they get spotted by them. They don't even know who they are." I say quietly with all seriousness.
He shakes his head. "I just wish I could kill those bastards myself."
I nod in agreement.
Me and you both, Camilo.
I look over my shoulder. "Chiara! Get your coat on, we're going to the park."
******
We get to the park and she runs off to find some squirrels that she's been collecting nuts for.
Me and Camilo sit on the bench taking about God knows what.
"I'm just saying. If you were to have three hot girls in one room you would most definitely-"
I hear a very familiar laugh and turn my attention away from Camilo.
Near the opposite side of us across the apparatus of the park, sat Rayne and Nailea laughing at something that Rayne was looking at on her phone.
What the hell are they doing here?
"Daddy! This boy keeps chasing me and putting leaves in my hair." Chiara pouts and stomps her foot on the ground.
"Who is it, angel?" I stand up and look around at the kids.
She points to the child under the slide who's sitting on the floor and playing with rocks.
I walk over to him. "Hey, you. Is it true you're chasing my daughter?"
He looks up at me and sticks his tongue out, running away.
Kids, man.
I see him running towards Nailea.
Is that her son? What?
Camilo sees them and his eyes widen, following me as we approach them.
Nailea finally looks up at me and notices me with Chiara. Her eyebrows shoot up, she stays silent for quite a while.
"You have a daughter?"
"You have a son?"
We both say, at the exact same time.
"Yes I have a daughter. That's your son?" I ask.
She rolls her eyes. "No, he's my old neighbour's kid. I babysit him sometimes."
She looks at Chiara and kneels down. "Hello little one. Rhys here told me what he did and he said he felt bad for chasing you. Have something to say to her Rhys?" Nailea says, turning to the kid who now I know is called Rhys.
The kid looks at his shoes with his hands clasped together behind him, rocking back and forth.
Nailea raises one eyebrow. "Rhys."
He finally looks up and sighs. "Sorry, I guess." He mutters looking away.
Chiara folds her arms and looks him up and down. "You got a bad attitude." She snaps.
Rhys' eyebrows are knitted together and he also crosses his arms. "Well, you're really pretty." He says confidently.
Chiara gawks at him and takes his hand. "Come on lover boy, we need to play together now." She drags him and they go play on the slide.
Lover? What the fuck?
I look to see a calm Rayne and a nervous-wreck Camilo chatting by the bench. Then I look back at Nailea who stares at me.
"You admiring me, or are you looking for something love?" I ask tilting my head to the side slightly.
She rolls her eyes and sighs. "No. Just thinking how a beautiful girl like that was created half by someone as ugly as you."
I shake my head and poke my tongue and run it along the inside of my cheek. "Jealousy doesn't look good on you."
She scoffs at me. "Jealous of what? A five year old? How low do you think of me?" She teases.
I roll my eyes and look at Chiara. "She's my whole world, you know."
"Is her mother still in the picture?" Nailea asks subtly, looking at the ground avoiding my eyes.
"Wouldn't you like to know?" I tease, "Nah, she's not."
Jealousy might actually suit her after all.
"How's your leg?" I ask.
She looks down at it, moving it about. "Much better. I even got up from my comfortable position to makes myself a chicken wrap. Delicious."
I manage to keep in my smile and just nod, "Okay."
"You don't always have to be so uptight." She snaps, "You act like everyone around you mean absolutely nothing." She just shakes her head and walks off to grab Rhys.
What if I want her to hate me, on purpose?
What if I just don't want her to be in danger because of me?
I'm not being selfish.
Am I?
____________________________
A U T H O R N O T E
Helloo, this was more of a chance for you to get to know Vittorio and a bit about his past.
Part of a Mafia! Crazy, am I right?
You might see his mafia side soon.
Let me just say, he's more than just a part of it.
Next chapter will be in Rayne's POV so watch out for that.
See ya next week,
Rue