WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SENSITIVE TOPICS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED.
!IMPORTANT A/N AT THE END!
• • •
A Revelation
~
June 2013
New York, New York
Six Years Ago. . .
Lilly's P.O.V.
Afternoon.
Vera was hysterically crying as Norah was comforting her, all while trying to figure out what the hell happened to her.
I woke up a bit later into the afternoon when I saw dozen of missed calls from Norah and an unknown number, finding out to be Vera.
I remember I left without a word, the girl I hooked up with. She was fast asleep in bed as I fled to Norah's.
It had been one week since the unknown incident, leaving Vera in the dark. She was unaware of what happened to her that night, and a part of her was afraid to find out.
She hadn't seen her boyfriend, Matteo, since the party. She had been calling and texting him nonstop, yet there was no answer. It was as if he disappeared off the face of the planet.
Norah and I were going out of our minds trying to figure what happened to her. There were so many scenarios that could've happened, and some we were afraid to admit.
I was sitting on my bed, scrolling through social media, and ignored my work considering the second semester was ending in a couple of weeks.
My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to send a message to Tania, the one I was interested in. As I hit send, the message wouldn't deliver. I rolled my eyes and huffed, realizing she blocked me thinking we were just a one-night-stand.
As I was checking my homepage, a video had been sent to me. I tapped on the notification which took me to a group chat with more than a few people. My eyebrows furrowed as I saw the thumbnail of the video. I couldn't make out what it was, so I clicked on it.
I gasped, dropping my phone as anger spiked through me. Vera was drugged, out of consciousness as I see a couple of students surrounding her vulnerable body.
I couldn't make out of the guy hovering over her, but I recognized the skull tattoo on his forearm. I grabbed my things before running out of my room. I remembered hearing my mother ask where I was going, but I'd already left.
I couldn't remember what was going through my mind other than trying to figure out why did that happen to Vera. I bit my lip as I frantically called Norah, repeatedly until she picked up.
Her voice seemed groggy as if she was just awakened. Once the words left my lips, her tone came to life.
We agreed to meet at Vera's house, wondering how she was holding up.
I tried calling her as well, but no response. It wasn't too long before I pulled into her driveway though. I rushed inside, heading immediately to her bedroom.
There I saw her on her bed with a bottle of gin and lemonade. Her ocean-blue eyes met mine. I remember feeling chills down my spine as I saw the emptiness in them. She had no emotion, it was blank.
I heard footsteps paddle up to her bedroom.
"Why?" Vera murmured, looking up at me and Norah.
I sat next to Vera, embracing her into my arms. A strong waft of alcohol swarmed around her. I could tell she was an absolute mess.
Her body was still covered in bruises. I pulled away, cupping her cheek as tears fell onto them. She grasped my wrist and squeezed it.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Norah taking the gin away from Vera's grasp. She cleaned lightly around Vera's bed as I comforted her.
"Have you watched it?" I murmured, afraid to ask her. She bit her lip and shook her head. I let out a relieved sigh.
"Don't," I whispered, squeezing her hand. She sniffled and shook her head again. "No. I need to know."
I began to protest, worried for her wellbeing. "Vera, you won't be able to handle it. Consider it, please." Norah suggested, joining us on the bed.
More tears fell onto Vera's cheek. "You aren't in the right state of mind. Take a small nap. We're both here." Norah suggested, assuring her of our presence.
It didn't take a lot of time for Vera to fall asleep. Once I and Norah made sure she was in deep slumber, we slipped off her bed, walking out into the hallway to talk.
"I keep replaying the video in my head," I murmured, hugging myself. "What the fuck do we do?" I asked, gripping my temples.
Norah pursed her lips, looking down as she stayed quiet. It was as if she wanted to say something.
"What?" I asked.
She shook her head. "It's stupid, but we have to, Lilly." She whispered, looking up at me with worried eyes.
My eyebrows furrowed. "What are you talking about?"
She sighed, biting her lip. "We need to tell her parents." She suggested, picking at her nails.
My eyes widened and I shook my head. "We can't!" I immediately whispered harshly. "She'll kill us."
Norah shook her head. "But you know they're going to fix this. You know it's the right thing. We can't do this alone." She mumbled.
I sighed, gripping my forehead.
"Hey, you two!" I turned around, seeing Mrs. Bernacelli walking towards us with a broad smile. She embraced us. "How are you? What are you guys doing here?"
I didn't answer. I couldn't. I tried to, but nothing came out of my mouth. She noticed our reaction before her smile disappeared. "Are you two alright?" Mrs. Bernacelli asked with concern laced through her voice.
I glanced at Norah before she nodded lightly. I sighed and shook my head.
"Is it okay if we can talk to you in private?" I asked, afraid to approach the upcoming situation.
She nodded hesitantly before pulling us away further down the corridor.
I glanced back at Ezio who's eyebrows were furrowed. He was occasionally clenching his jaw as he was leaning against my car.
I let out a shaky sigh. "I remember like it was yesterday, Ezio. It was terrifying." I managed to say. I looked up at the sky, observing the twinkling stars starting to emerge into the blue.
I saw the fear in her mother's eyes. I could tell she was trying to keep it together but this caught her by surprise.
Norah and I knew everything was about to get messy. A lot of things would be out in the open that most people didn't know about.
For the next few days, it had been uneventful. To be honest with you, I can't remember how me and Vera ended up where we were, but it was bad to say the least.
One moment I was trying to sneak into her boyfriend's dorm room, then suddenly I'm in a dark warehouse-like room, restrained someone's arm.
I struggled against Gavin, his best friend, as I saw Matteo approach Vera's feared figure. She tried to stand tall and high, to be confident, but I knew deep down she was terrified.
She was terrified of the man she once loved, her boyfriend.
"Let me go, you sick bastard!" I screamed, attempting to elbow Gavin, but he didn't say anything. He readjusted his grip on me, holding me harder against him.
I knew I was going to be bruised by the strength he had.
Matteo rolled his eyes as he took a glimpse of me. I knew what he wanted to do. He wanted me to watch, but I was helpless, and that sick son of a bitch loved having the power.
His hand grabs out for Vera's throat before she let out a screech. Her hands immediately tried to rip his touch off of her, but he was much stronger.
He pulled her close as I continued to struggle. I felt tears cloud my eyes. It was hard to push them away, but I had to. I knew Vera was naive to his love.
Who wouldn't?
I couldn't blame her. She was blinded by love and I knew she would get herself into something that no one could pull her out of.
"Vera! Stay with me, please!" I shouted, trying to catch her attention.
Matteo waved me off with his other hand. Gavin took the message before covering my lips. I clenched my jaw, wanting to cry my heart out.
I didn't want to admit it, but I was fucking terrified. I didn't know what was coming next, and I didn't want to find out if I had the chance to.
Matteo pulled Vera close to his body. Through my blurry eyes, I can see she was doing little to get out of his grasp. I knew she wasn't capable of escaping, but I wish there was somehow, someway I could save her, if not the both of us.
His tattoo on the back of his hand angered me, reminding me of the video of Vera's unconscious body.
I struggled against Gavin, but again, there was only so much I could do.
"Matteo, please," Vera mumbled as his fingers tightened around her neck.
He rolled his eyes. "Shut the fuck up, bitch. I'm done with your annoying shit."
Matteo grabbed something from his back pocket before revealing what he grabbed out. I began to scream and struggle.
The blade twinkled in the light that peeked through the window. My lips trembled, I was shaking uncontrollably. Gavin muttered something, but I couldn't give two shits about what he was saying. My mind went haywire, nothing to process but saving Vera.
My vision blurred, seeing the room beginning to spin. I let out a cry, a cry for help, for defeat, feeling myself go limp in Gavin's arms. I heard shouting from behind me, startling Gavin as I heard echoes, hearing doors being slammed down.
Flashlights were pointed towards our direction, but that was all I could remember before blacking out.
The last I saw was Vera with a wound on her arm, her blood dripping down her arm as she yelped.
~
September 21st, 2019
Southampton, New York
The Bernacelli Residence
Third P.O.V.
3:58 pm.
Lilly's eyes were focused on the pebbles of concrete in front of her as she and Ezio were seated on the ground, laying against her car.
"When I woke up, me and Vera were in the hospital. Turns out the cops busted in, arrested Gavin and Matteo for kidnapping, attempted murder, sexual assault, and more that I can't recall right now." Lilly continued, picking at her nails.
Ezio sighed from the overwhelming rush he felt. He never expected any of the sort to happen to Vera. She had a talent for hiding it all behind a closed door, he thought.
"I blacked out from a panic attack, and Vera was in another room being treated for her wounds and stuff. It took some time of therapy to heal, and to be truthful, she's still healing but she doesn't like to admit it, neither do I." She mumbled.
There was a moment of silence between the two. Ezio had taken the time to process what Lilly told him, something almost impossible to do. And Lilly had nothing else to say.
She sighed. "I'm not very fond of you but some people deserve second chances, so you better not fuck it up," Lilly added, clenching her jaw as she glanced back at Ezio.
"She deserves true love, and if you can give her that and not fuck with her feelings then I'm all for you two being together."
Ezio nodded, sincerely looking back at Lilly. "I swear to you," He began.
"I'll be the best father, the best man I could ever be."
She raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "You better be, Valentino."
• • •
HI EVERYONE!!!
i want to keep this short even though i was gone for so long! i really hope you enjoyed this chapter because this story is wrapping up and coming to an end soon!!
speaking of, BOOK 2 of the VALENTINO SERIES,
LONGING VALENTINO is posted on my profile!!! please add the story to your library so you'll be notified when i post the cast and first chapter! it will mean so much to me!
thank you so much for all of your guys' support by the way. i don't know if i show enough appreciation but i hope you all know it has helped me through so much tough times! i can't wait to start Book 2 and continue this journey!
let me know your thoughts please! i would love to know your opinions!
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- alli