Life is a mysterious mix of beautiful, challenging, and painful experiences. No one can predict how it will unfold and we don't always understand why it unfolds the way it does.
The pain in my chest has become a constant thing, suffocating me and making all my body ache with grief. I can't move or breathe without feeling that pain.
The mansion is currently in a state of melancholy. Everyone can't seem to get over what happened weeks ago.
Sometimes I think my purpose on this earth is to come and suffer. I haven't felt a single ounce of peace since Layla died. I've forgotten how it feels to be happy or content. I move around the house on autopilot.
The children are aware of what happened except Becca and Bianca. It hurts so bad when she asks me when her sister is going to come back. I tell her it's soon when it's never.
Leonardo has been the unconsolable one among us. When Nora died, it felt like a part of him died along with her. He feels disconnected without his twin around. I'm at a loss of what to do to comfort him.
I felt so helpless.
I strolled over to his bedroom and knocked on the door. As usual, he doesn't answer so I twist the door knob and walked into the dark room. Turning on the light, the first thing I see is Leo sitting cross legged on his bed while hugging a picture of his sister to his chest.
He still hasn't stopped crying.
I approached his bed and sat on the spot next to him. I wrap my arms around his shoulder and pull him closer to my chest in a comforting embrace. I feel a single drop of his tears land on my lap.
"She's gone, mom. And it's all my fault." He whispered in a hoarse tone.
My lungs tightened making it hard for me to breathe. "It's not your fault, Leo. What makes you say that?"
He pulls away from me and dropped the framed picture between his intertwined legs, "You told me to take care of her and I failed. I couldn't protect her, mom. Why did she have to leave us? Do you think she's upset with me?"
Tears stung my eyes threatening to fall. I didn't know what to say. He blames himself for his sister's death and I don't think that guilt will be going away anytime soon.
They protected each other. It's always been like that between twins. They had a special bond like their lives were intertwined just like me and Armando.
"Your sister wouldn't want you to cry, Leo." I say instead of it's gonna be okay. It's never gonna be okay. My daughter is dead and now we're all suffering, grieving her death.
He doesn't say anything. He just continues to cry. I couldn't help but cry along with him.
"Go take your bath and come downstairs for breakfast, okay?" I said to him, using the pad of my thumb to wipe the tears under his eyes. I run my fingers though his hair to try and tame the messy strands.
He nods his head and place the picture of Nora on his bedside table before stripping and making his way into the bathroom.
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and began to make his bed, placing the pillows in the right position. When I'm done, I walked out of his bedroom and sauntered over to mine.
I suddenly became nauseous. The room was consumed with darkness and the windows were shut. The only source of light that gave me a clear view of my surroundings was the light of dawn that seeped into the room through the French doors that led to the balcony.
My stomach twisted in knots when my eyes caught him sitting on the bed with his back pressed to the headboard. He had been in that same position since I woke up. I doubt he slept throughout the night.
My heart broke all over again just watching him stare off into nothingness, his eyes void of any emotion. He looked empty and drained of life. Blade hadn't eaten anything in the past two days. I've tried all I could to persuade him but he blatantly refused to eat.
All he did was sit there and stare like nothing in the world mattered to him anymore.
"You should have let me die that night." He whispered in a monotonous tone. His words hitting me like a brick wall. He repeated those words like a broken record anytime we got the chance to talk.
I didn't even realize I was crying until I felt a certain wetness roll down my cheeks. "I would save you over and over again regardless of what you say. You being dead would have killed me."
I would never forget that dreadful night.
Even though I was a crying mess on the floor, I knew the exact moment Blade stood up and walked away without another word. This was very similar to the time Layla died. After the doctor delivered the news, he stormed out of the hospital to an unknown location.
This time, it felt different.
I had an uneasy feeling stirring in the pit of my stomach.
I told Camilla I was going to the bathroom and she should watch over Leo who was devastated about his sister's death. I didn't wait for her reply before going after Blade.
When I rounded the hallway and walked down the stairs, he had already disappeared. I felt my heart clench in fear. I was starting to hyperventilate. I gripped the railing and continued to race down the stairs hoping I hadn't lost him.
My eyes darted quickly around the busy hospital before making my way towards the exit. Right on time, I catch a glimpse of his SUV driving out of sight. I had no way of getting to him because we both drove to the hospital together.
Luckily for me, a cab passed by. I opened the door and got into the backseat.
"Where to ma'am?" He asked politely.
"Just drive." I rushed out my words while trying to calm down my racing heart. He stepped on the gas and did as I said.
While he was driving, I looked out the window at the cars on the road, hoping to see a certain one. It's quite difficult to see through the darkness of the night but the streetlights helped. Then I saw his SUV driving far ahead of us.
I tapped frantically on the driver's shoulder, "What ever you do, don't loose that car." I emphasised each word slowly. He swallowed hard and nods his head, knowing how desperate and serious I was.
My eyebrows scrunched together in confusion when I realized we were approaching St. Angelo bridge. My heartbeat accelerated in apprehension. I bit down hard on my lip as he suddenly pulled up and got out of his SUV.
"Hurry up!!" I yelled at the poor man who flinched at my tone but did what I said nonetheless.
Blade stared long and hard at the water, and like I was seeing things, he jumped. The cab came to a halt next to the SUV and I flew out, ignoring the driver when he asked for his money.
I had no cash with me. I was still dressed from the birthday party and my phone wasn't with me either.
"Blade!!!" I screamed, watching how his body disappeared into the water. I pushed my hair away from my forehead and took off my heels. Tossing it to the road, I dived in while holding my breath. The air felt hot and painful to breathe in.
When I hit the water, I rose back up to the surface to take in a deep breath before swimming around to look for him. The water was icy cold and gave me goosebumps. I hollowed my cheek and avoided inhaling the water.
Then I caught his body sinking to the deepest part of the water.
My hand felt weak from the force I'm using to swim. Reaching one arm forward, I bring it back down and used my cupped hands to push the water behind me, swimming towards the bottom.
I felt cramps around my body but I kept on pushing through. I finally got to him and cradled his face between my hands. He was unconscious. Without wasting much time, I wrapped one arm around his waist and used the other to paddle us back to the top.
His weight made it hard to swim. My lungs tightened because of lack of oxygen. It wouldn't take a matter of time before I passed out. I needed to get him out of the water before he drowned completely.
Ignoring the cramps, I forced myself to swim back up to the top while keeping a steady grip around his waist. The longer I swam up, the moonlight became clearer.
Almost there, I silently mumbled to give myself hope.
I wanted to cry so bad. Seeing Blade like this broke my heart into a million pieces. Then I reached the top. I inhaled the fresh air to loosen the tightness in my lungs. After that, I swam with him towards the underside of the bridge.
Lifting him up first so he laid on the rocks, I got out of the water and crawled next to his side. I wiped the water from my ears and brushed away the wet stands of hair from his forehead.
I couldn't stop crying.
I shook away my thoughts and pinched his nose, taking a deep breath, I connected my mouth to his to create an airtight seal before breathing into him, watching his body closely to see any sign of life.
I pulled back to see no changes and took another breath, "Come on, Blade. Please wake up!! Don't you fucking die on me."
My tears dropped onto his face as I pinched his nose shut again and repeated the same process. He still didn't wake up. I cried out in frustration and continued to try all I could to revive him.
When I pulled back again, he let out a cough, spurting out a couple of water from his mouth. I watched with glossy eyes as he started to breathe again after the coughing fit.
Slowly, his eyes slowly fluttered open to reveal his beautiful stormy grey eyes.
"Baby..." I whispered, running my fingers through his wet hair.
He stared at me for a while before shutting his eyes again. I would think he died but his chest rose and fell from his steady breathing. I hugged him and buried my face into his neck, crying my heart out.
"Thank Goodness you're alive." I whispered in a cracked voice.
I didn't know how to keep him warm. We were both soaking wet. I rub my hands up and down his suit covered body to try and provide some sort of warmth.
Then I felt something in his pocket.
Sniffling, I reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. It was wet from the water. I placed it next to me to dry out so I would use it later to call for help.
I leaned my head on his chest and hugged him tight.
"I would rather be a dead man, Sienna." Blade mumbled.
I sniffle and angrily wiped the tears away with the back of my hand. Blade was starting to get me upset. He was being selfish about all this. "Enough okay!" I yelled and his eyes snapped to meet mine in shock at my tone, "Stop being selfish. I know you're hurting and trust me, I feel worse. Asia was my daughter too. Every damn day I wished she was still here with us. I loved her just as much as you loved her. This isn't the end of the world, Blade. We still have Leo, Becca and Raphael. Who would help me take care of them when you're gone?"
Blade doesn't answer. He looks away from me and stared down at his hands instead.
"They need you. I need you." My voice gradually became soft and gentle, "You being dead would kill me. We can't leave our children alone in this world. They would suffer and grow up to hate us. Do you want that?"
He shook his head with a tear rolling down his cheek. My heart constricted against my ribcage at the sight. I sighed and slowly made my way over to him.
"Let's get through this together, Blade. We all need you." I whispered, leaning my head on his shoulder. Then I felt him grip my thighs and pulled me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me in a tight embrace afraid if he let go, I might disappear.
"I'm sorry." He buried his face in the crook of my neck and began to cry.
"It's okay." I felt my eyes well up with tears.
"Don't you ever doubt my love for you, okay?" He pressed his lips to the side of my neck that was wet from his tears and tightened his arms around me.
"Okay." I whispered.
~•~
I couldn't let Blade die. He might be a figment of my imagination but I love him. He's my favorite character.
Hope y'all are satisfied with the epilogue and how everything turned out minus Nora's death?
I've decided to write two bonus chapters. One would be about how Matilde (Camilla's mother) died and Franco and Azzurra's wedding. It won't be anytime soon though. I have to take a quick break from writing.
This book has finally been marked complete!!! I'm so happy for completing yet another book.
This is the end of Blade and Sienna's journey. They would make an appearance in Leonardo's book which will be the only Spin-off.
I'm gonna write;
Franco and Azzurra's book
Niccolò and Isabel's book
Diego and Harmony's book. Hopefully.
Love you all❤❤