-"Tell me every terrible thing you ever did, and let me love you anyway."-
_______________________________
3 days later.
To say that they had grown closer was an understatement. They didn't just fuck each other.
They made love.
The scratch marks on his back were red and endless. The bruises on her legs, arms, waist, and throat. The countless hickeys and lovebites seemed to an inch all over her.
The teeth against teeth, skin against skin...low moans and pleasure-filled groans. Raw and pure emotion and devotion bolted through their bodies as they touched one another with ample desire.
Unfiltered love.
~
(Play song now)
Today was the anniversary of what happened 9 years ago.
Well now...10 years ago.
Luca had shut himself in the penthouse all day, not answering any phone calls or leaving the balcony as memories of that night flashed in his eyes. His mother, father, and sister had called to check on him...to check on each other.
After assuring each other that each one of them was fine, he was alone again with his thoughts.
The weather seemed to reflect his mood since it had been raining the whole day. He wished Midnight was here with him, to hug him as he sulked but she had gone to India for business.
She still didn't know what today meant and he didn't know if he could tell her. If he could physically tell her. He knew without a doubt that he could trust her but he wasn't sure if he was able to retell the story.
His heart ached without her but today didn't make it any better. With each passing day he had fallen more in love with her and so did she. He finally forgot about the guilt that had been consuming and crushing him for almost a decade.
The pressure to protect her and to not let any harm come to her was stronger ever since they got close. He was afraid that she was going to end up just like...her.
He was paranoid and felt like his sole purpose was to keep her away from any danger even though she didn't listen. He needed to be with her all the time. He wasn't just being possessive and protective, it was beyond that.
He felt like it could somehow make up for what he failed to do all those years ago.
While those plaguing thoughts ate him alive, he didn't hear the balcony door slide open since all his senses were drowned out by the booming of the thunder. The feel of the cold air hitting his tan face and the smell of dew filling his lungs put him in another world.
He didn't notice a 5'8, feminine figure make its way to nestle into his chest and hug him tight. But when he did realize he smiled for the first time today.
It was his Diavola.
He wrapped her arms around her and inhaled her perfume that instantly soothed him.
"I thought you wouldn't be back for another few days," he whispered as he ran his hands through her silky thick hair. She nuzzled herself in his chest more, finally getting warmth after being in the cold wet air.
Sneaking a glance at his tattoo on the side of his neck, she was reminded of all the hardships that came with being in this kind of life.
Lealtà. Omertà. Famiglia.
That's what the tattoo said and she knew that he had to learn the hard way what those words really meant.
"I couldn't miss today," she mumbled back. For a second he thought she knew but there was no way that was possible. He had threatened every witness with Omertà that day.
"Don't worry, no one told me- but when today is the anniversary that everyone started talking about Wrath, you figure out that today wasn't a good day," she mumbled. He kissed her forehead lovingly as he lifted her jaw and brought his lips to hers gently.
"I love you," he murmured as he pulled away to look into her dark eyes that comforted him every time.
She smiled slightly, showing off those adorable dimples lightly. He tucked a loose piece of her raven hair behind her ear with his large, veiny, tattooed hand.
"I love you too," she responded as she pecked his lips once more. She grabbed his hand and led him inside, away from the chilly air and in front of the lit fireplace.
He took notice of how her skin felt colder than usual he brought her into his chest and hugged her tightly with a worried expression on his face.
"You're freezing. Have you eaten-" he worried before she cut him off by cupping his face in her hands.
"You worry too much. And yes, I did eat but I should be asking you that since you look like you have been out there the whole day," she chastised. He bit his lip, insanely turned on by how hot she looked when she was mad at him.
Her black leggings that hugged her long legs and emphasized her full ass in the best way certainly didn't help his thoughts. And neither did her crop top that showed off her toned waist and perfect breasts. Jealousy clouded his thoughts at the realization that other men saw her like this.
She left no room for argument as she got up to cook him something. He didn't protest since he was craving her cooking since the last time she made something for him.
He followed her around the kitchen, hugging her from behind and resting his chin on her head whenever he could, being extra touchy and indigent for her.
It was hard for her to move around but she didn't mind. She cherished the affection and attention he gave her and it was something she would never get tired of along with the butterflies she got.
He breathed in the heavenly scent and his mouth started to water.
She set down the warm food in front of him and he pulled her onto his lap and started to eat. He practically inhaled it as she played with his hair the whole time.
"You are an angel," he cooed as he ate the last bite.
"I'm pretty sure that's exactly the opposite of what I am," she laughed. He rolled his eyes and kissed her cheek, knowing there was a reason he called her Diavola.
They made their way into his room and he laid on top of her and buried himself in between her breasts as he hugged her tightly on his bed. She massaged his scalp gently, relieving some built-up tension.
It wasn't long before he gave into the darkness, insomnia fading away like his consciousness.
"You failed. You didn't save me," the girl spoke.
"I tried, I'm sorry! Please-" he rushed out. He ran up to the girl but she backed away, making him stop in his tracks.
"It was your fault. I would still be here if you had paid more attention," she stated, her facial expression being comatose. He shook his head as his eyes stormed with a vicious hurricane.
His body started to shake and it was like he lost all control of his body. He looked down at his hands and he was shocked to see that a gun was in his hand.
He unknowingly raised it to the girl and cocked it back, having no authority over his movements. He tried to fight his limbs but he couldn't.
He aimed it at her forehead...and then he pulled the trigger.
He finally fought back control and dropped the gun instantly, not believing his actions. He rushed over to her and watched as she fell into his arms, blood spewing from her mouth and nose as she gasped for air. He wasn't able to cry...he physically couldn't.
The large bullet wound in her head made her ruby red blood trickle down her face, resembling tears. A large lump built in his throat and nothing but guilt and failure ran in his blood.
"You killed me," she uttered before her body fell completely limp in his arms. Her soulless and lifeless eyes stared back at him, judging and ridiculing him.
He woke up abruptly, sweating, and his body rigid. His eyes cleared out to silent waters without waves. Undisturbed yet mysteriously lethal like a dark room. So still but exceedingly chaotic.
The quiet before a storm.
"Hey, hey it's okay. You're okay. I'm here," she comforted, her voice soft and angelic. He instantly knew it was her and hugged her cold frame tighter, his eyes getting more clear and violent. His pupil started shrinking and his iris grew completely sterling instead of his stormy gray.
His body tensed impossibly more showing his defined, sculpted, and large muscles on his body making anyone terrified shitless. His tanned skin paled, showcasing his countless tattoos even more.
She got up slowly, making him get up along with her. She adjusted herself so that she was straddling him and held his jaw. She needed to calm him down and she knew talking to him wasn't going to help now.
She traced her fingers behind his neck and drew small circles on his skin while she kissed his forehead. She put her other hand on his chest and caressed his racing heartbeat. He sank his face into the crook of her neck, her chains cooling his warm face.
He wrapped his strong arms around her small waist, pulling her closer to him.
She wasn't an expert on comforting people. She lost that ability a long time ago, but right now...with him...it just came instinctively.
An instinct that she thought she didn't have anymore.
He felt a sense of clarity and solace with her. A certain calmness that was foreign to him but seemed like he couldn't get enough of it.
It was trust, tranquility, bliss, euphoria...it was just genuine emotion in its purest form.
"I want to tell you. You deserve to know," he mumbled.
"You don't have to," she consoled. He lifted his head from her neck and looked into her dark eyes.
"I want to," he responded. His eyes followed her every movement. He scanned her numb eyes that he learned to see right through if he tried hard enough.
It was like she could make him tell her all of his truths and lies, his deepest and darkest secrets with just one look.
"Her name was Leia," he started. He rested their foreheads together, trying to prevent his voice from breaking. This was the first time he had said her name in 10 years and it felt strange...alien on his tongue.
He released a heavy breath and started to stroke the skin on her bare waist.
"She was my best friend. She thought of me as a brother and I thought of her as a sister," he informed. He closed his eyes shut as flashes of memories hazed his mind.
"She joined the mafia when we were both around fifteen. She was an orphan after a rival gang killed her family with her as the only survivor. She may not have been born into the mafia but she sure did belong there," he told her with admiration in his voice.
"She was a trusted member, coming close to a left hand. Her boyfriend, Fabio was in the Mafia too. I trusted him," he said, his face forming into one of disgust.
"We were all like a family. It was the last time I felt like everything was perfect," he frowned.
"She was happy and had a big heart despite her past. She loved everyone and cared about making everyone happy if it meant putting herself last. And that meant listening to Fabio's every word. But deep down I knew Fabio wasn't who he said he was. I was right," he grimaced, his voice getting impossibly lower and sour.
He held her tighter as if it was the only thing keeping him sane. She put her face into his neck, showing him that she wasn't going anywhere.
"She was too blind to see it and so were the rest of us. So we didn't expect him to kidnap Leia and hold her hostage," he glowered. His fists clenched and his jaw ticked as he remembered that day.
"We found her under gunpoint in a warehouse that was heavily guarded with four hundred guards that were armed," he told.
"We tried to talk Fabio out of it. I wish we wouldn't have wasted our time talking to that douche. It turns out he was never loyal to me. He just used her to get closer to me," he growled.
It was evident that he was still affected by Fabio's betrayal.
"He wanted to take us down by killing me and planned on killing Thea next. We were outnumbered and knew we wouldn't survive," he admitted, closing his eyes.
"Leia felt hurt betrayed and angry. But something she always said was ' family first '. So right when he aimed the gun at me and pulled the trigger, she ran in front of it," he breathed as memories played over in his head.
"It killed her on the spot with the bullet going right in between her eyes," he gulped. He remembered holding her lifeless body in his arms with her blood running down her face like tears just like in his dream.
She knew now why he acted the way he did. Why he was so possessive, and overprotective all the time.
He was trying to make up for the past.
"It was like I couldn't think for myself anymore. I had lost my best friend and it was like my world crumbled down," he confessed.
"I couldn't save her even though I could've if I paid more attention. That night I blacked out and when I was myself again, I found myself surrounded by four hundred dead bodies. I killed them and didn't know it until it was over," he told her, his voice void of any emotion.
Almost four hundred people. Four hundred people that he had killed.
She looked in his eyes for something...and she was unsettled to see the same look that she found in her eyes.
Numbness.
"I stopped talking to Thea for a while because I thought that if I allowed her to be in the mafia that she would end up getting killed. I sent her off to Greece until she was 18 to keep her safe and I shut myself out. I forgot how to live," he disclosed.
"I became ruthless and addicted to the adrenaline of how I felt that night because it was the only way I knew how to cope," he divulged.
(TW! : su*cide)
They may have different trauma's but their souls mirrored one another.
"The guilt was too much and I tried to commit. But Thea stopped me before I had the chance," he gulped. She lifted her head to look at him. His eyes were glossed and welled up to the brim with tears.
She brushed her thumb over his cheek as a single tear fell from his eye. She pulled him close to her neck, realizing that she had never been alone in this lonely world.
"I just fell apart and did anything and everything to numb myself. Whether it was drugs, alcohol, or all of the above...I didn't care as long as I stopped hurting," he continued, his deep velvet voice vibrating her skin.
He felt as if he had someone to talk to about the crazy, dark shit that goes on in his head and she felt the same way.
"I turned into a horrible person. Not showing mercy and not trusting people," he muttered.
"It wasn't your fault. You aren't alone for feeling like this," she mumbled. Those words were so simple yet it was the only thing that he needed to hear. It was so simple but yet it meant the world to him.
All his guilt ended when he met her.
They were each other's escape.
Each other's trust and mercy.
Each other's strongest love and the reason their walls were melted down.
"I feel whole again when you are with me. I don't know what I did to deserve you and I'm the luckiest person on the planet to have you," he told her.
"I'm the lucky one here." She rested their foreheads together again as the pitter-patter of the rain hit his window and thunder roared deafeningly.
He smiled slightly and hugged her tighter. His chest felt lighter like a heavy burden was lifted off of his back, finally allowing him to breathe.
But it won't be long before that feeling would come back for both of them.
~
(A/N): I will not stop with these foreboding sayings hehehehe^^^^