by Elisabeth
I was frozen in place. Someone threatened me? Dragos never fully indulged in telling me about his family. I knew a bit about what happened, and when his father died, he told me things were going to change. Something was bound to happen. Why didn’t I put all of that together? Why didn’t he tell me?
I glanced at his features. Features, I had never forgotten. Yet, every time I took them in, I couldn’t fathom how he appeared to continue to grow more gorgeous. I sighed. Nothing made sense to me anymore. He was shielding me. Dragos chose my life over loving me? What did this all mean? What was I going to do about this? About us? What about his family?
“What did you do, Dragos?” I asked with uncertainty.
He narrowed his eyes, gritting his teeth.
“What I had to do.”
This was not the Dragos that left. That one wasn’t dangerous. Yet, this one, the one whose eyes burned with fury and rage, was the only one present, and I didn’t know how I felt about it.
****
Dragos
I stood there staring at Neema after she asked me that question. I wondered if I was ready to tell her everything I had done. Could I tell her what I went through to be here today?
“What did you do?” she asked me again. This time, there was some fear in her voice, and the expression on her face wasn’t helping either.
“Any and everything to protect what was left of my immediate family and what could’ve been my future family,” I answered.
I was angry now. I shouldn’t have been, but the patient Dragos had been left in Toronto with her. This was a whole new man who got angry easily, expressed his feelings less, and just couldn’t bear the thought of losing someone else.
I sighed.
“Please, Neema…Don’t ask me to tell you things that you could never stomach. Just know that I did what I had to do because I loved you. I protected you because you were everything to me!” I shouted.
Neema shook her head.
“I need some space… and time,” she answered. “I just, I don’t know what to do or say right now. All of this, had you told me, I would’ve,” she started to say.
I interrupted with a deep chuckle.
“You would’ve what?” I questioned her. “All you would’ve done was follow me and put yourself in the line of danger. You would’ve stood right in front of the target and let them pull the trigger.”
She glared at me.
“How do you know that’s what I’d do, Dragos?”
“Because,” I started. “That’s exactly what I did for you. You loved me just as much as I loved you. There is no way that you would’ve been okay with me getting threatened even if you didn’t have the power to change it. You would’ve tried, hayatim. I know you would’ve, and that’s why I did it. That’s why I chose to break your heart for fear that if I told you, you’d break mine even more by sacrificing your life for mine. I could never do that to you or your family. They mean everything to you, and for me to just place them in harm's way, no. Never!”
I didn’t mean to be so angry, but all of the feelings and memories of what I had to do came back full-blown. The kind of resentment that I had to channel in order to lay waste to men, and even women, who were involved in the destruction of my family. My uncle was left alive because I needed him to understand, to listen, and follow the hierarchy. I was his boss, his don, the man that made the decision on his life. I was his god even though that was blasphemy, but I made sure of it. All of those bodies that were either blown up, shot up, or tortured weren’t ever going to leave my subconscious, but I accepted them as they were. They could haunt me and be my penance or punishment. I didn’t will them to disappear. If anything, it reminded me of who I was now and how I got here. This would give me the assurance and the strength that I needed when I had proof about my sister’s death. They’d all suffer. Every single human being involved would. Then, I would be able to lay my demons to rest.
To be continued…
Stay tuned for Healing Words. Healing Hearts.
Available on Preorder Now