Hello guys long time no see! I hope everyone is staying safe and practicing SOCIAL DISTANCING during this insane and scary times. If people reading this are deeply affected during this time I hope you're doing well and I'm wishing you all the best and sending prayers to everyone during this time! I know updates are slow but quarantine has really put a halt in everything in my life especially with writing. I'm trying my best. Love you all
-A.N
Damien's eyes bulged bigger than humanly possible at my request. If my mind wasn't so clear I would think I was going insane myself but I was sure of my idea. I leave for New York in two days and I don't want to go to New York with the worry of my relationship bringing me down. Dominic had a week to think about his decision and I don't know what decision he made. It's not fair to my girls or myself that I will be spending my trip waiting for Dominic to show up. It wasn't fair to Dominic to give him an ultimatum. So in the true Vincenzo spirit, I am going to do a big gesture and surprise him on his own turf to show him how serious I am to make things work.
Damien leaving tonight is a blessing in disguise. I'm already packed and ready for New York and we leave in two days. I get one in a half days to talk to Dominic and get one final effort before leaving on my trip. It may be the last minute but a last minute impulsive action is the best option I have. Telling mama or my friends that I'm thinking of going to Genoa to see Dominic, they might talk me out of it or make me lose my edge. I've gained a lot of confidence since my leaving and it's time to put it into use!
Damiens plane was smaller than Dominics but it was still very spacious enough for his pilot, co-pilot, 3 guards, and 4 flight attendants. Once we were buckled in, the plane took off. I sat in the far corner away from Damien and his men; I wanted a clear mind during this short trip. Every time the pilot would announce our destination time, my heart would skip a beat. My palms were sweating heavily, and my legs couldn't shake any harder. My nerves were getting the best of me. I don't know what I'm going to see when I get back. Dominic sounded...broken on the phone. I can only imagine what he looks like. To think that I caused him pain hurts me. No matter our issues; two wrongs don't make a right.
....
The flight was short but it felt like forever. As the seat belt light flashed above us I knew we were close to landing. I watched through the window as the plane made its way towards a private sector at the Genoa Airport. The same sector we landed when I first came to be with Dominic. Months ago I was forced to be here, dragged away from my family. Now I'm forcing Damien to fly me back...how the tables have turned!
Once the pilot has announced our safe landing, I waited for Damien and his men to get up before I followed them off the plane. There was a long black limo waiting by the stairs of the plane.
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Damien asked as we walked towards the limo.
"Any certainty or doubt went out the window when I boarded the plane. But it needs to be done. I'm taking control of my life and it starts with this."
Damien held my hand as I climbed into the limo. I crawled the farthest seat away from the door so there was room for him and his men. Damien was the last man to enter the car. Once he closed the door he picked up the telephone attached to the door of the car that gave him instant contact to the driver. He whispered Dominics address through the receiver and hung up quickly.
The entire drive was agony. The silence in the car made the thoughts in my head sound like my mind was screaming at me. So many different thoughts and voices ran through my head at once. I could hear my friends, mama, my brother, and Dominics voice playing and endless loop in my head. It's too much. But just as the car came to the halt so did the voices.
"We've arrived." The intercom in the car buzzed.
Damien looked outside the window before taking a glance at me. There was no going back now.
I didn't wait for his men to climb out the car. I crawled on the floor towards the door and pushed my way through. We were parked at the front entrance. A few of Dominics men were standing by the side of the house, watching the car. Once we made eye contact their eyes slowly widen. They can't believe I'm here either.
I didn't wait for Damien or Dominics men to approach me. With the confidence I managed to save during this trip, I made it up the stairs and through the front door. Of course leave it to Dominic to leave the front door wide open. Foolish man.
I walked through the house with such bravery, like these men wouldn't shoot me by mistake. After everything, his workers probably think I'm a ghost because there would be no possible way I would come back to the house willingly.
I walked into every room downstairs looking for Dominic. The house was surprisingly quiet. No maids, or guards were seen in the living room, dining room, or lounge area of the home. When I entered the kitchen I saw a familiar silhouette standing by the fridge. Her back was turned to me but I knew who she was.
"Liliana?" I called out from the kitchen entrance. She turned around quickly. Her eyes widen as she dropped the plastic bowl she held in her hands. Wet batter spilt everywhere but her attention was directed at me. Soon she walked towards me and pulled me into a tight hug.
Liliana seemed tired more than usual. The bags under her eyes were dark and prominent. She seemed weak. I guess she's been working extra hard keeping the house in order since I left.
"Alessandra...you're back! What...why...does Dominic know you're here?!" She Saïd shocked. She pulled away from our tight embrace to look at me. A smile formed on her pale face as she took me in.
"It's a long story but I'm here to make things right for once. Where is he?"
"Oh honey...he hasn't been good. Not at all. We're worried about him."
"I know. I messed up by leaving. I need to make things right."
"He's in his room; the private room. It's password protected now. The code is 783162. Please be careful. He's not himself anymore."
I smiled at Lilliana before stepping out of her arms. I walked upstairs and down the path towards Dominics private quarters. I stopped once I saw the gold door at the end of the corridor. I felt the voices coming back. I took a deep breath. Slowly I walked towards the door. I placed my ear gently on the door to listen for any sounds but all i heard was silence. There was no light shining under the door which meant the lights were off and the curtains were closed shut. He's sitting In the dark?
The keypad to unlock the door was on the wall beside the door. Nervously I entered the code.
7-8-3-1-6-2. Click.
The door unlocked and open slightly. I pushed through the door. What I saw instantly broke me down.
As I walked inside, I was surrounded by darkness like I expected. The curtains were changed to black heavy drapes and they blocked any type of sun from coming in. The room wreaked of scotch and vodka. From the small dim light in the corner I could see the pile of empty scotch bottles by his side of the bed. My heart stopped at I looked at the corner of the room where his desk was. The desk light was on but the badly lit lightbulb only revealed a shadowy figure. It was Dominic. His head was hung low with a large glass of scotch in his right hand. Papers were scattered around his desk and his laptop was smashed to millions of pieces against the floor across from his desk. His left hand tapped furiously against the wooden desk.
"Dominic."
Dominic stood up quickly and drew his gun from his waistband and pointed it at me. With fear I turned on the light switch beside the door so he could see me. He flinched at the light and rubbed his eyes before looking back at me. He lowered his gun slowly as he processed me.
He lifted the scotch from the table and poured out the contents into the waste basket by the desk.
"You've got so fucked up you're seeing shit again. Nice job Dominic." He slurs.
"I wish this was a hallucination. What happened to you?! I thought you were getting your life in order?" I took a step forward once Dominic skunked back into his chair and placed his gun inside his desk.
"Even in my dreams you nag me."
"I'm not a dream. I asked Damien to fly me back here so I can talk to you in person."
"And why in the world would you do that?" Dominic head slanted back against his chair. He closed his eyes, refusing to look at me.
"The ultimatum wasn't right but you trying to end us isn't right either. We've been going by this all wrong Dominic. I'm here to really fix this. Fix us. Or at least fix you again. This place wreaks Dominic! When is the last time you left your room?"
"Since our phone call... I've been deciding what to do."
"Have you decided?"
"Nope. I poured some scotch to help me relax and well....here we are."
I sighed deeply. This is quite a mess we got ourselves into. Who know our issues would cause this much turmoil.
Taking a deep breath, I made my way towards the desk. I walked behind Dominic and pulled his chair out slowly from the desk. He didn't flinch or open his eyes as I took his hands and pulled him out the chair. He was incredibly drunk so he leaned on me as we made our way towards the bathroom. I had him lean against the wall by the door as I turned on the shower. There was no point of having a conversation until he was cleaned and had something to eat. I waited for the water to get warm before walking back to Dominic. I unbuttoned his shirt and removed it from his body. I tried to removed his belt but his hands stopped me.
He moved his eyes slightly down to look at me. That's when I saw the pain. His eyes were dark and filled with pain. The beautiful eyes I fell for all those years ago were replaced by dark scary orbs. The bags under his eyes were much worse than what I've seen on liliana. He mustn't have slept in days. His cheeks were hallow and clung to his face for dear life. Colour didn't exist on his face. Paleness covered his skin from head to toe. This wasn't the big scary man I knew. All I saw was a broken boy. It was like looking at a corpse. A shell of a man I once knew.
"You're not real. You wouldn't come back here."
"And yet here I am. Take a shower. Brush your teeth, take care of yourself. I'm going to the kitchen to get you something other than scotch." I took his hands and walked him towards the shower. I handed him a towel of the rack by the shower and left him alone to do his business.
I went downstairs to get food for Dominic and talked to Liliana before going back to the room. She filled me in on his recent relapse after our phone call. I guess the ultimatum was too much to bare. He hasn't been out of his room in days and has barely eaten anything while up there. He would only eat if a bottle of scotch or vodka would be served on the side. The man was a pain.
I took the chicken noddle and bread Liliana has prepared on a tray and headed back to the room.
My surprise, Dominic was out of the shower and he looked someone alive. Colour wasn't fully restored on his skin but his eyes seemed less dark and he looked more alert then before. He managed to change into dark grey sweats and a black tight long sleeve shirt.
He watched me intensely as I entered the room with food. I placed the food on his desk and pulled his chair out for him to sit. He walked over carefully and sat down. I pushed him into his desk and walked over to the other side to watch him eat.
He didn't take a bite until I sat down in the chairs in front of the desk.
"Why are you here?"
"I'm here to do what's right."
"No. Go back to Milan."
"Dominic I know I messed up. I won't even try to blame anything one you because that's all I've done since I got here. We were both put into this situation we didn't want to be in. We both have our own demons to handle. But I do want to want to put our all into this. The right and honest way. No secret plans, no bringing up the past. Just us as we should have done."
"You look happy." He mutters as he plays with his soup.
"Looks can be deceiving. I had this whole big speech prepared for when I saw you and now I don't know what to say...." I muttered sadly.
There were no words to explain how I'm feeling.
"You've said enough. When do you go back?"
"I'm not leaving. I have the New York trip planned in two days so until then I'm staying here to fix us. I'm serious Dominic. I've blamed you for so long as the monster in my life. I only now realize what my words did to you. What my leaving has done to you."
"The moment you left my world stopped. I did so many fucked up things but I didn't think my fuck up was enough to make you leave." He dropped the spoon and looked me straight in the eye.
"As much as it hurts you to hear but I needed to leave. I needed to heal myself. Two damage people can't be in a healthy relationship let alone marriage! It was the scariest thing to do but it made me confient. It made me stronger. I can understand now what you meant about me taking over the world. Demanding power. I can see why you crave it."
"Getting a job at one of the most high end real estate agencies in Italy is impressive."
So he had been checking up on me.
"Damien likes to fill me in on your life." He answered my mental accusation.
"I want us to start at the beginning. Normal beginning. Dating or courting whatever it's called nowadays. I went to get to know you and vice versa."
"Date? The fuck do I look like?"
"You look like a shell of once a strong powerful mafia leader. Dominic please, I'm not going away until you give us a chance. If it means missing my trip I'll do that. It's time for me to be the pushy one. I'm not leaving. So finish eating and we are going downstairs to bring some order back into this house."
I hope everyone is happy with the update