I can hear the thundering sound of my heartbeat in my ears. I'm sure the whole world can hear it by the way it is beating.
Thump, thump, thump, thump.
My chest rapidly moves up and down as I stare at the gun that is pointed at me. Shit, shit, shit. I slowly raise my shaky hands up, showing him that I'm not going to try anything.
But my heart nearly stops when he moves the gun away from me only to point it at the side of his head. Tears swell his eyes as he looks at me with betrayal and anger.
No.
"Joseph, please, don't," I whisper, my lip quivering as his finger goes to the trigger. He doesn't pull it but he carelessly leaves it there.
"Do you love him?" He asks hoarsely and I shake my head, swallowing the huge lump in my throat.
"Do you love me?" He clenches his jaw, gripping the handle of the gun harder.
"I...I..." I try to find the right words but I can't seem to form a sentence, not with the way he is staring at me.
"Do you love me?" He grits through his teeth and pushes the gun barrel harder onto his head.
"I-I don't know," my voice breaks as a tear rolls down my face.
He briefly closes his eyes and lets out a deep breath. "If you don't love me then there is no point of living anymore," he says in a low tone, his finger slowly pulling down on the trigger.
"I love you!" I slightly raise my voice and he stops himself from pulling the trigger completely. "I love you," I repeat those words again, my voice coming out brittle.
I should scream.
I can scream and someone will come running to save me.
But I also know once they see him they will shoot him without hesitation.
Joseph would probably do the same too.
And I want to end this without any type of violence.
He puts the gun down and walks towards me. I instinctively take a step back but he grabs my arm hard, pulling me to him.
"I knew you still loved me," he whispers, placing his forehead against mine.
I wince at his grip, trying to push away from him but he doesn't let me. "J-Joseph," I choke out in pain and he hushes me.
"Don't be afraid, mariposa," he kisses the top of my head and my stomach churns in disgust. "I'm here now," he slowly loosens his grip on my arm and I exhale in relief. (Butterfly)
I need to keep him calm.
Because I know he will hurt me if I say the wrong thing.
"I...I knew you would come," I calmly move my hands to his face, caressing his cheeks.
He leans into my touch while tucking his gun back into his pants. "I would never leave you, never," he breathes out and I nod my head.
A few noises are heard from afar, they sound like they are coming from the house. Joseph snaps his head up, cautiously looking behind me. "We have to leave," his face grows serious and my eyebrows furrow.
"W-Where?" I nervously ask, trying my best not to panic. I don't like the thought of being alone with him.
"Somewhere they can't find us. Somewhere we can be together without worrying about your father or your fiancé," he says with hatred and I hesitantly nod my head.
Gain his trust and then escape.
"Are you sure they won't find us?" I ask and he grabs my hand, beginning to lead us past the bushes that surround the shed.
"I'm sure," he quickly says as he starts to run through the bushes, dragging me with him.
My feet begin to hurt as I try to keep up with him but it's hard since I'm wearing heels.
Multiple stems from the bushes scratch my arms and dirty my dress as we run through them.
We finally make it to the huge hedge border that separates my house from the road. Without giving me a warning, we run through it, causing a small tear in my dress from the branches of the tall green hedges.
Once we make it through, we stop to catch our breath. My eyes move to the long empty road and see that Joseph's motorcycle is parked on the side of it.
I move my hand up to my necklace, grabbing the silver rose pendant that Ivan gave me and pressing down on the white diamond that's in the middle.
Please find me.
I know we are on weird terms right now but he told me if I pushed this button he would come running.
"Are you okay, mariposa?" He exhales and I nod, giving him a close-lipped smile. "Come, we have to hurry," he says, dragging me towards his motorcycle.
I discreetly look behind me, hoping, no praying, that Ivan is already tracking me. Or that someone has noticed that I'm gone.
I sit behind Joseph, wrapping my arms around him as he starts the engine, revving it before speeding off.
The eerie sound of the wind overpowers the sound of the motorcycle, making me feel extremely tense.
And as I look up at the night sky, I notice that there aren't any stars, only gray clouds.
Like if a storm is coming.
Please find me, Ivan, please.
Joseph unlocks the front door to his father's garage, opening it and ushering me inside.
I wrap my arms around myself as I step inside the cold empty garage. There's only one light on in the back and I'm pretty sure it's where Joseph's station is.
Joseph comes behind me and places a kiss on the side of my head. "Come on," he puts his hand on my lower back, nudging me to walk towards the light.
The dreadful quietness in here sends several shivers down my spine. As we walk in silence, I look around my surroundings trying to note how many exits and windows there are. I have to look for an escape.
My palms begin to sweat and my heart begins to beat even faster. I have the knife that Luca gave me but I will use it only if I have to.
We stop in front of his station where an old blue car is parked. He removes his hand from my back and walks towards the trunk of the car, opening it and taking out two duffel bags.
"Where are we going?" I quietly ask. He slams the trunk shut and I involuntarily flinch.
"Do you not trust me?" He takes his time in lifting his head up to glare at me and I instantly shake my head.
He's angry.
"I-I just want to k-know that's all," I stutter, rubbing my arms to calm myself down.
A scary and taunting chuckle escapes his mouth as he aggressively runs a hand through his hair. "You want to leave me, don't you?" I take a slow step back once I notice the crazed look in his eyes.
"N-No," I swallow harshly, taking another step back. He drops the bags to the floor and strides towards me, placing his hands on top of mine so I can't unwrap them from my arms.
"You want to go back to them, don't you? Back to him?" He grits through his teeth and tightens his grip on me, tears begin to feel my vision as I frantically shake my head.
"Joseph, stop y-you're hurting m-me," my lip quivers and he clenches his jaw.
"I'm the only one who truly loves you, the only one who hasn't lied to you," he spits and I fight against his grip, desperately trying to get myself out of his hold.
"Let me go, please," I beg but he doesn't listen to me.
"They have made you look like a fool, Lina," he angrily says and my head slightly tilts back, my eyebrows furrowing at his words.
Those words sound so familiar.
"Your father and the rest of them claim they love and want to protect you but all they do is hurt you," he continues and my eyes blink multiple times as his words repeat themselves in my head. I've heard them before.
"It's the people who claim they want to protect you that hurt you the most, angel."
"Don't you realize that you are living a fucking lie, Lina! They don't love you the way I do. No one will love you the way I do," he raises his voice and my blood runs cold once the realization starts to hit.
"You are living a lie."
It's him.
"I-It's you," I breathily whisper and his grip falters as he looks at me confused.
"What are you talking about?" He exhales deeply, never removing his hands from me.
This whole time I thought it wasn't him.
But I was wrong.
"The notes, the roses, the phone calls...it's you," I say in disbelief and he stays silent, slowly putting his forehead on mine.
"Mariposa, I love you. You are everything to me and all I want is for us to be together. To go far away where no one can bother us," his voice is now soft, way different from how it was a minute ago. (Butterfly)
Fuck, he isn't denying it.
I have to leave.
I have to leave now.
Now that his grip is loose, I take this opportunity to unwrap my arms from myself, letting them hang down my side. "All I want is to protect you and love you. Don't you want that?" He says, staring into my eyes.
One of my hands discreetly goes under my dress, moving up to the thigh holster where my knife is. "Don't you want to be happy?" He gently asks me and I carefully slide my knife out, keeping my hand under my dress.
"No," my voice is stern as I look him straight in the eyes.
His head pulls away from me, looking at me as if I just hit him. Confusion, pain, anger, all those emotions are passing through his light brown eyes. "What...what did you just say?" He roughly asks and I grip the handle of the knife, ready to use it.
"I don't want to be with you and I don't love you anymore," I tell him, keeping my voice strong and never breaking eye contact.
"Stabbing someone on their side won't necessarily kill them but it will slow them down." Luca's words play through my mind.
His eyes grow dark with rage and he raises his hand ready to slap me across my face but I swiftly stab him on his side just below his ribs before he has the chance to hit me.
He groans loudly as I take the knife out of him, his blood trickles down the knife and onto my hand.
Without a second thought I push him as hard as I can, causing him to fall back on his tool chest, taking it down with him.
As soon as I see him down on the floor, I run back to where we entered from. I don't remember him locking that door.
Please be open, please be open.
"Lina!" He yells from a distance and it only urges me to run faster. "You fucking bitch!" His voice booms throughout the entire garage.
My heart is palpitating against my chest as I finally make it to the front door.
I push on the handle, trying to open it but it won't budge. Fuck. I try again, pushing my whole body against it, but it doesn't open. No, no, no. "Shit," my voice cracks and I look behind me to see if he's coming.
I have to find another way.
"You won't leave me," he growls and this time his voice sounds closer.
I grip the knife tighter and run to where all the tires are. "All I have ever done is love you and this is how you fucking repay me," he scoffs and I force myself into a small space between two stacks of tires.
I slide off my heels, deciding to walk barefoot so he doesn't hear my footsteps. There was a huge window that was partially open near the back but I won't move, not until I can hear how close he is.
"I don't understand why you would rather stay here than leave with me," he spits and I wipe my blood stained hand on my dress.
"I mean your father is a liar and not to mention he doesn't even love you. You're a constant reminder of what he lost, of what he never truly had." My eyes begin to fill with tears at his hurtful words.
Hurtful but true.
"And don't get me started with your fiancé. You know he's killed many people, right? Him and his whole fucking family are murderers," he chuckles without humor and my eyes widen.
So, the rumors are true.
His footsteps sound closer and I slowly lift myself up from the ground, grabbing onto the tires so I don't fall.
"You're going to marry a ruthless cold-hearted killer, but you don't have to if you leave with me right now," he coughs and I slide out of the small space, tiptoeing away towards the back while continuously looking around me.
I hear the stack of tires fall down the ground followed by multiple loud curses from his mouth and I take that as my cue to run.
I'm almost there.
I'm almost there.
My head snaps behind me, trying to see if he's following me but I don't see or hear him anywhere.
I keep looking behind me as I continue to run but I gasp when I bump into something solid. My knife falls out of my hand at the impact and my eyes widen in fear once I notice that it's Joseph I bumped into.
The side of his shirt is covered in blood and his chest is rising up and down. My body begins to tremble as I hesitantly look up at him.
He gives me a chilling smile before pushing me down on the ground. I wince as my head hits the cement floor.
He walks to me and I place my hand on my forehead, feeling slightly dizzy but I have to fight. I have to get out of here.
From the corner of my eye I can see that my knife isn't that far from me. I try to reach for it but Joseph steps on my hand, a pained scream escapes my lips.
"I didn't want to hurt you, Lina," he spits and keeps his foot on my hand as he reaches down to pick up my knife.
I use my other hand to punch his leg but my hits aren't doing anything to him. Tears spill from my eyes at the stinging pain of my hand and the throbbing of my head.
"Joseph, please," I choke out and he lifts his foot off of my hand. I deeply exhale as I weakly push myself away from him.
He inspects my knife with an amused look on his face. "I can't believe you stabbed me, mariposa. I never thought you had it in you," he laughs and I turn my body away from him, getting ready to get up and run but he pushes me onto my back again.
I yell, hoping that someone can hear me while repeatedly slapping his arms as he gets on top of me, firmly placing his knees on either side of my legs so I don't move them.
"Joseph, I love you, please," I tell him, praying that those words will have an effect on him but he grabs both of my wrists with one hand, pinning them above me.
"You are making me do this, Lina," he grits through his teeth as he lifts the knife up.
I squirm and shuffle my feet against the floor, fighting to escape his hold. Please, not like this, please. "If I can't have you then no one will," his eyes are teary as he stares at me with anger and a hint of sadness.
His hand begins to move down but a small cry leaves my lips at the blaring sound of a gunshot. My eyes quickly move over to Joseph's shoulder, seeing a red stain spreading on his shirt.
Oh my god.
He shouts and his grip on my wrists falters, allowing me to free them from him. Another gunshot resonates through the room, this time hitting Joseph's chest.
His hand drops down to his side and his eyes begin to slowly flutter. My lip quivers at the sight of him.
He begins to fall forward and I jolt back, making sure he doesn't land on me. His body drops to the floor and I shuffle even farther from him.
My heart won't stop racing and I keep inhaling short breaths.
I slowly look behind me to see Nathan with a gun in his hand, pointing it straight at Joseph, ready to fire it again.
His eyes are cold, void of any emotion. They are so cold, so dark and yet it looks like they are burning holes through Joseph's body.
He looks terrifying.
Behind him is Ivan and Luca, staring at me with worry in their eyes. A sob of relief leaves my mouth and Ivan rushes to my side, taking off his jacket and putting it over me. "Are you hurt?" He panics, frantically looking at my appearance and I slowly shake my head.
I look back at Joseph and see him extending his bloody hand towards me. "Lina, I-I'm so sorry," he coughs and my body begins to tremble again.
I force myself to look away from him and Ivan pulls me into a tight hug, comforting me. "Llévame a la casa, por favor," I cry onto his shirt. (Take me home, please)
I didn't want it to end like this.
"Sh, we'll leave right now, mija," Ivan's voice is merely a whisper as he caresses the back of my head.
I fist his shirt, snuggling my head further onto his chest as I begin to cry harder. "Pulisci questo," I hear Nathan sternly tell someone from a distance. (Clean this up)
Ivan gently gets up from the ground, holding me close to him. "I'll take her back, stay with Luca," Nathan's voice comes from beside Ivan.
Ivan stays silent, never letting me go. "¿Quieres ir con el?" He asks and I nod my head against his chest. (Do you want to go with him?)
I feel Nathan place one of his arms under my thighs while the other wraps around my back, lifting me into his arms. "Starà bene con me," he tells Ivan before walking away. (She will be fine with me)
I wrap my arms around his neck, placing my head on his shoulder. "Lina," I can hear Joseph's voice from a distance but it's followed by another gunshot.
I shudder in Nathan's arms and my heart sinks.
He's dead.
He's dead because of me.
Nathan's arms tighten around me. "Avrei potuto perderti, mia cara," he says softly as I keep my eyes closed, quietly crying on his shoulder. (I could have lost you)
My body won't stop shaking but at least my heart beat is slowing down. Being in his arms is comforting. I feel safe...relieved.
But I can't get the image of Joseph's dying body out of my head.
He said he was sorry.
Did he mean it?
I shuffle my head to the crook of his neck, crying even more. "Sh, you're safe, Lina. You're safe," he whispers, placing a kiss on top of my head.
I can hear the sound of a car door being opened and he carefully enters the car, making sure to not let me go from his arms.
I tighten my arms around his neck, inhaling his smoky cinnamon scent that gives me a little comfort.
He begins to rub my back while his other hand brings my legs closer to his body. I feel like I should tell him something.
He needs an explanation.
But I can't find the right words.
He continues to rub my back, softly whispering words to me in his native tongue.
The car comes to a stop and I feel the breeze hit me as we get off the car. I slowly flutter my eyes open, looking at my house as we walk towards the front door.
"M-My head hurts," I mumble and he holds me tighter.
"We're almost inside, baby," he softly tells me and I mindlessly nod my head, feeling my eyelids close again.
I can hear him open the door and step inside. The light of the room makes me shut my eyes tighter. All I want to do is sleep and cry.
"Lina?" Elena's frightened voice is followed by hurried footsteps. I'm assuming she's coming down the stairs. "Mija! Oh my god! What happened?" Her voice is closer this time.
"Where's her room?" Nathan asks her, ignoring her questions.
"I-Is she alright? Please, what happened?" Elena raises her voice in desperation.
"She needs to rest. Where is her room?" He sternly asks her.
"U-Upstairs, I-I'll show you," she sniffles and I hear her run upstairs while Nathan follows her.
The sound of a door opening catches my attention. I open my eyes again to see that we are finally in my room.
I can vaguely hear Elena saying something to Nathan but I can't make out any words. I feel so sleepy.
Nathan carefully places me on my bed, touching my cheek before pulling away.
Incoherent words leave Nathan's mouth and Elena's.
I groan, nestling my head on my pillow as I feel myself drift away to sleep.
࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎࿎
𝖯𝗈𝗈𝗋 𝖫𝗂𝗇𝖺🥹
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