James' POV:
"I genuinely thought you wouldn't show up. You sounded pretty scared on the phone so forgive me for doubting you".
He walked out from the dark trees with his sinister smirk that sent shivers down my spine. His aura was even more frightening than before. He was stronger, taller than I had last seen him. But I held my head high showing no fear. I did not come this far to be overthrown by a woman beating coward.
"Wasn't that the first thing you taught me. Fear makes you a coward".
"Wow, you actually learnt something from me". He chuckled shaking his head at me.
"I learnt a lot of things from you. I learnt what not to be". And it was true. I observed my father around my mother, around his friends and even public citizens. I vowed to never become like him.
"Isn't that ironic considering how you met your wife". My fists clenched tightly by my side hearing him speak of Isabella. I knew that Chase was the one who told him everything. And that only gave him more to play on.
"From what I heard, you, my son forced an innocent woman into marriage at gun point I believe. Now, what would your sweet mother say about that?".
"Don't speak of my mother" I growled out menacingly.
"Oh come on James, be real. You swore to never be like me and look at you, you're exactly like me and you know it".
"I am nothing like you and never will be".
"Says the man who forced a woman into marriage, abused her, chained her up like an animal and from what Chase told me, almost raped her". He stared at me smiling menacingly for he knew he hit a dark part of my life that I never wanted to think about again.
"Yes. I did those things and I'm far from proud of it. I resent myself for it. But at least I have a conscience. You on the other hand enjoyed being a sick bastard. Slapping children, torturing your men when they failed you and beating a pregnant woman when she stepped out of line".
"You knew your mother was pregnant when she died?".
"Of course I did. We spent time together, something you hated doing. I was going to have a baby sister, but you stole that from me. And you stole mum from me". Anthony shook his head and walked towards me, the moonlight radiating off his face.
"You want to know why I hated spending time with you and your mother. There's so much you don't know son. And it's funny because your wife was in a similar situation. I was forced into an arranged marriage with your mother".
My heart sank. Truthfully, I'm no better than him.
"W-What?"
"You heard me. I was forced into a loveless marriage all because my father, your grandfather wanted to join mafia forces to make one powerful mafia. And to show how much I hated it, I made her life hell" he snickered.
"Don't you think she would've hated it just as much as you?" I growled out angry at him attempting to justify his actions because of it.
"Of course she did. But she tried to make things work between us. Tried to convince me of getting use to this new lifestyle. But I wasn't going to give up my old lifestyle just because of a legal marriage document".
"So why didn't you fight against it? Instead of beating her you should've thrown your fist at the people that forced you into marriage".
"Do you really think I'd be stupid to go against my father? No. I refused to give up my freedom to settle with her. So I made her life hell. Anyway, enough about me, let's talk about how my wimpy son who loved baking and admired his mother turned dark and sinister. What happened? Did your mother's death bring out your dark side?" He smirked wickedly at me knowing fully well that he was getting me angrier and angrier by the second.
"You knew how much she meant to me and you took her away from me. So of course killing the one person I loved would turn me angry and cold".
"She wanted to take the heir to the mafia away from this lifestyle and that couldn't happen, so she had to die". I watched, my body shaking uncontrollably as he simply shrugged his shoulders dumbly.
"I should've reigned in my anger and shot you in the head whilst I had the chance" I growled out not wanting to talk to the bastard any more.
"You really should have. But unfortunately for you, you're a lousy aim. But I'm sure you're desperate to know more, especially as it involves Damien".
I stared down at the ground wondering how it was possible for Damien to be connected to Anthony. Did they join forces?
"So as you know I went into hiding to heal and recover. Soon after I received word that you had taken over the mafia and was now in charge of all my businesses. You clearly thought I was dead, which was not the case. I got in contact with another small gang and joined forces. That's where I met Damien, what a lovely kid".
"Lovely kid? He's a bloody psychopath. No wonder you two got along well. So you joined his gang I assume?".
"We joined forces and unfortunately to my dismay I wasn't granted control over that mafia. We had a leader, he was wise and smart but he was missing the evil and sadistic element. That's when I met Damien. He was thirsty for blood and hungry for revenge. So we arranged for the boss to become involved in an 'accident' and then Damien took over the mafia with me as his second and guidance".
Fuck, this is bad. He would've told him all about Isabella.
"And that's when you came in. The two gangs happened to become recent rivals and to my amusement it happened to be your gang. But then we received even better news that made everything more exciting. Your innocent little wife was Damien's ex girlfriend. Damien told me so much about her and it happened to be the icing on the cake when we found out that she had been forcefully married by you, my son".
"I did some awful things, I admit that, but the things Damien did to Isabella are beyond belief. He abused her, sexually assaulted her, isolated her and-"
"Sounds familiar" he snickered in the corner.
Guilt swarmed my body. He was right. I am no different. I did some unforgivable things to Isabella and I would always resent myself for the things I did to her.
"You chained her up like an animal, forced her into marriage at gunpoint, you're no different. And the poor innocent girl wanted nothing more than to escape the harsh life you dragged her into. And Chase, he turned his back on the mafia and you and was willing to help free Isabella from this life, but you stopped that".
My hands tightened into fists as I remembered back to the moment of his ultimate betrayal. It hurt seeing Chase, my best friend and trusted second in command not only let her escape, but fell for her as she did for him. It hurt, but after all the things I did to her who could blame her. At least he had morals, unlike the man he's become recently.
"Whatever happened to bros before hoes. You were dumb not to pull the trigger on Chase. You knew he wouldn't give up on Isabella that easily. But you let your emotions get the better of you. And now look where it's got you".
He walked up closer towards me, his eyes dark and cunning, his face full of amusement as he stared down at my trembling body.
"You've lost your best friend over a woman, isn't that sad?" He rested his large hand on my shoulder and stared at me with anticipation waiting for my answer.
"If he was my best friend he wouldn't have done the things he's done". My teeth gritted together painfully as I confidently stared my father down in complete silence.
"I only had to do them because of what you've done James". Another voice rung out from the peace and quiet of the forest. He was here too. I expected my father to go back on his word. And of all people, it had to be Chase.
The bushes behind me rustled loudly and I spun round with haste, adrenaline pumping through my veins like a drug. And there he stood. Reciprocating the same smirk my father currently wore. I could tell from his demeanour that he didn't care about the consequences of his actions, in fact, it seemed as if he was proud of what he did.
"You bastard!" I rushed forward to greet Chase with my fist, but my father grabbed my upper arm harshly and restrained me.
"Yes, lose control. That's what you're so good at". I took a few deep breaths calming myself down for the sake of this situation but kept a deathly stare on Chase. In some ways I felt that Chase was worse than my father.
"I'm the bastard? I'm not the one who forced a woman into marriage. I'm not the one who tortured her friend. I'm not the one who abused her. And I'm also not the one who is currently manipulating her".
"I'm doing it to protect her. If she finds out the hell she's gone through it could make her mentally unstable or worse".
"Bullshit. You're doing this for your own self gain. She's absolutely clueless to your lies and deceit and I think what you're doing is wrong. You're taking advantage of her damn vulnerability. Let's not forget who's responsible for all of this".
"Damien is responsible for it. He beat her and almost killed her-".
"BECAUSE OF YOU! If you hadn't of seen her, taken her, forced her into marriage then she wouldn't be in this situation. She'd be happy and at peace after finally getting away from the hell of a life she endured before she met you".
A tense silence invaded the once peaceful wood, but now I was more on edge than ever before.
"You see, Chase here is angry. He's angry that she's falling hopelessly in love with your facade. He's angry that she's forgotten him. That's why it was so easy getting him on my side. Me, Chase and Damien".
"Don't you see what sort of shit you've got into. How do you think Isabella would feel if she found out you were working with the man that scarred her? Do you think she'd like you then? Do you think she'd like you after finding out you killed our dog?".
"No, she'd hate me. But we do what we must for those we love. And I don't regret any of it. Funny, you should've seen the way Milo got excited when I came into his room. Bless him, his tail wagging as I loaded my gun before pointing it at his head and-"
I had enough. Launching myself at Chase I knocked him to the ground and started throwing my fists down in a mad rage. His betrayal, his actions, every thought flooded through my mind only fuelling the violent punches.
Chase lay almost unrecognisable on the ground staring up at the starless sky. Perhaps he felt guilt. Or perhaps he knew Anthony would step in. But as I glanced back at him he remained in his spot with his hands inside his jacket pockets.
I turned back to Chase and inflicted several more punches before shoving my hand into my pocket and grabbing the handle of my fully loaded gun. I was straddling Chase grasping his neck with one hand and the gun pressed against his forehead. My heart beat was increasing to dangerous levels. But I couldn't care. This could be my chance to get rid of him once and for all.
"Yes, that's it. Pull the trigger. Don't you want to get revenge for all the wrong things he's done. He did the ultimate betrayal James. He killed Milo, he killed Jessica just to silence her. He doesn't love Isabella, he just wants to possess her. He is jealous and wants you dead. Kill him before it's too late and he kills you". My father's voice got louder and louder as I could feel his presence come up behind me. I stared down at Chase who looked at Anthony with a confused expression. He looked hurt and scared.
"You're right, he betrayed me, he's done so many bad things, but he isn't you". I swiftly turned around before anyone could blink and shot my father in both legs making him collapse to his knees.
I stood up off Chase and turned to face the bastard clutching his legs on the floor. He let out loud cries and stared off into the trees, probably in hopes his men would fire, but no one came.
"Y-you little b-bitch". The old man shakily reached into his pocket and attempted to pull out his gun, but failed miserably.
"Thank you father for giving me a second chance. This time, I won't miss".
His eyes widened as my sank in, but before he could utter a word or move, my finger squeezed the trigger and a loud boom rang out silencing the sick man forever. He collapsed to the floor with a single bullet wound to the head. The man who caused my endless nightmares was gone. He could no longer hurt me.
I stared down at his bloodied body with no emotion. I should be feeling happy and relieved, but I wasn't.
Small coughs and splutters came out from the half dead man behind me as he gasped for breath. I could hear him stand to his feet before hearing the click of the gun.
Even though I could feel his wrath and anger coming off him as he held the gun, I didn't turn to face him or even acknowledge his presence, for I lost the ability to care. I was done fighting. I was done killing. I didn't want this life anymore. I wanted to be at peace with my love, Isabella.
"Go ahead Chase. I don't care anymore".
I could hear light footsteps walking towards me as I continued to stare down at my dead father.
No child should have to murder their father. He did have his moments when I did consider him to be a good father, but he was too sinister and evil to let him live. I couldn't leave a loose end like him untied. He had to die after what he did to my mother, after what he did to me, after everything he did to try and break Isabella and I up. And especially working with the man who hurt Isabella so much.
"Fight back you coward". Chase butted the end of the gun on the back of my head causing me to fall forward in front of my father, but I wasn't going to. I had lost all hope, lost all energy.
"Kill me Chase, you've got the perfect chance. Kill me for what I did to Isabella. What I did was wrong, incredibly wrong. But for the first time we got a clean slate I wanted to show her who I could truly be. I never tried to manipulate her. I just wanted to be a decent man and I'm glad to have experienced true love with her. It was the best moment of my life".
I pushed myself off the ground and stood up to face Chase who was holding the gun shakily at my head.
"I'm sorry Chase, but I won't kill you, even after the things you've done to both of us. She knows you killed her dog and was there when you killed Jessica. Also how do you think she'd feel if she found out that you were working alongside the man who hurt her?. She knows the man you've become. I guess that's your punishment to know that she wouldn't go back to you if she got her memories back. But like I said I won't kill you".
Chase's eyes filled with rage hearing my words and yelled out in pain and frustration.
"Why not?" He yelled back.
"Because I'm done with killing. I'm done with being the bad guy. I want out of this mafia lifestyle. I killed my damn father for fucks sake. I don't want anymore blood on my hands. I want to live a peaceful life with Isabella".
Chase continued to stare at me intensely with the gun pointed at my head. His hands trembled uncontrollably and his eyes wavered as if he was deep in turmoil about the next actions he would take.
"Go ahead Chase, get on with it" my voice was calm and steady showing that I wasn't afraid of death. Perhaps I'd reunite with my mother and tell her all about the wonderful woman I came to love so much.
I stared up at Chase not showing any fear. He shook uncontrollably as he continued to point the gun at my head, anger, uncertainty and fear swarmed through him like an unstoppable river. I closed my eyes and let out a deep breath as I thought back to the time in the little house in the countryside with Isabella and Milo by my side. I was ready to accept my fate. I wanted this, I didn't deserve Isabella, not at all. A love doomed from the start. Once I was dead and gone she would know the truth and hopefully move on and find true love. I didn't deserve her. I never would.
BANG
Isabella's POV:
"Ow my head".
My body felt incredibly heavy as if I had done an intense workout, but it had only been a deep slumber. I stared at my side eager to see my hunk of a man, but he wasn't there.
Perhaps he's making breakfast
I crawled out of bed and got myself dressed in some tracksuit bottoms and an oversized T-shirt. Tying my hair up with a scrunchie I trudged out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, but James was nowhere to be seen.
"James?"
Silence. It's as if he hasn't been here so quite some time. Perhaps he's out of the safe room and upstairs.
I need to see him.
I knew James wanted me to stay in the safe room, but I was on edge about something. I needed James to be near me.
I won't be long.
Quietly creeping up the stairs I unlocked the latch of the door and slowly opened it hoping not the grab too much attention.
Poking my head out I was relieved to see that the large hall was empty. Not a soul in sight.
Stepping out of the safe room I closed the door gently behind me and began to walk towards James' office. The hallways were suspiciously quiet but felt overwhelming empty.
Maybe he went away on business.
I came up to his office door and knocked on it gently, but there was no response.
Spinning round on the balls of my feet I turned around and headed to the staircase, but I instantly stopped in my tracks when I heard what seemed to be a man groaning in pain. I'd once walked past this door under the stairs before and heard the same noise, but never questioned it. But curiosity got the better of me.
I noticed a set of keys next to the door sitting on a little table. Grabbing the keys I played around with them in the lock not knowing which one fitted the door. The man's groans got louder causing me to panic. Perhaps he was trapped down there.
After failing with 3 keys, the 4th one finally fit and turned in the lock. The bolt clicked open and I pushed down on the handle not wanting to waste anymore time.
The door swung open revealing a very dark room with a staircase leading down into another dark room. Shutting the door behind me I carefully stepped down the stairs hoping not the trip down the stone steps.
After reaching the bottom I looked up to see several doors. The man who I came down to help suddenly yelled out in pain.
I recognised that voice.
"I'm coming". I fumbled around with more keys and to my relief the door opened straight away with the first key.
The door swung open and I let out a loud gasp seeing a bloodied man tied down to a chair. His head was hung low staring at the floor. I couldn't see his face.
But as the door slammed shut, the man slowly looked up, and as our eyes met my heart started beating 100mph.
"D-Damien?"
Ugh, I feel this chapter sucked. 😔 struggling so much with this writers block. Close to giving up, but I won't. I'm going to try writing some of my other books and get back to this story ASAP.
Need help.
Do you want Chase to die? Or live. Please send me your thoughts and opinions through private message as I'm at war with myself.
Hehe. DRAMA. I love drama. So much happened.
Anthony is dead!
I am struggling so bad with writers block. If anyone has any ideas of what they want to see in upcoming chapters or about certain characters please message me as I'm struggling so much so that I deleted around 800 words.
Huge shoutout to just4_me for helping me try to get over my writers block. xoxo
But what of Chase and James?
What do you think is going to happen? Who got shot? Did someone die?
And, Isabella found Damien in James' basement. What do you think will happen?
Hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Sorry for any errors or mistakes.
Love Mic xoxo