by M. D. Melai
“I agree,” Benito said as he studied me. “Dante, Emilio, and Giorgio help take Lucas and Lily, the rest of us will stay and take care of a few things.”
“I don’t want to go yet,” I said. “I want to stay.”
“I don’t think that’s wise, Lily. You really need to see a doctor, and you don’t need to stick around to see what’s going to happen,” Emilio said softly trying to detour my plans.
“Please, I have to stay here. I can do this. I have to be here,” I pleaded with him, before turning to Benito, who had already headed towards James and Viktor.
“Benito,” I called out. “Please let me stay. I deserve to be here after everything I have been through.”
I, at least, got him to turn around and look at me, before he looked past me for a minute. He was silently talking to someone behind me.
“Do you think she can handle it?” Benito finally asked.
“Yes,” a collective amount of voices said at the same time.
Emilio stood on one side of me, and Lucas on the other as we watched Benito walk over and stand in front of Viktor and James. Everyone else, except Dante, who stayed with us, stepped closer to Benito.
“Are you sure you want to see this?” Emilio leaned down and asked me one more time.
“Yes,” I said firmly.
And I was. I had been through hell and back these last three years, and I wasn’t going to walk away in the eleven hour. I was going to see this to the very end—no matter what.
“The two of you,” Benito began, “have caused my family nothing but pain and suffering for more years than I can count. You deserve everything that is coming to the both of you. You grazed the arm of one of my men with a bullet.”
I jumped as two shots were fired, each one grazing an arm of Viktor and James. They both cringed, but didn’t say a word.
“Emilio was shot in the leg twice and the arm once,” Benito continued.
Six more shots rang out—Viktor and James each got two shots in the leg and one in the arm. This time they both yelled out in pain and toppled forward.
Dex and Vinny helped pull each one back up until they were both back on their knees again.
“One of your men shot my brother in the shoulder,” Benito said for Dante, and two more shots were fired, each hitting Viktor and James in the exact spots.
Viktor looked pale as a ghost, but still hadn’t spoken a word. James, on the other hand, had begun to laugh, as if he found this entire situation funny.
Benito was not distracted, though. He continued as if nothing was going on.
“I’m pretty sure you get where this is going. So lastly, Roman and my father each died by your hands—one in the chest, one in the head,” Benito said. “Any last words?” Benito asked, before signaling towards to Emilio and Lucas.
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“He doesn’t want you to see what’s going to happen next,” Lucas said.
“Out of everyone here, I deserve to watch this end,” I said strongly.
When I turned my attention back, James was intently staring at me, a malevolent smile spread across his face.
“I’m not sorry,” he yelled loud enough to make sure I had heard, before he laughed even louder than before.
“Finish it,” Benito spoke, and four bullets flew through the air—one piercing each heart, and one drilling into each head.
It was finally over with. There would be no more running, hiding, or constantly needing protection. My family was still intact, and both Lucas and Emilio were beside me. Nothing was going to take them from me, except myself. I would have to choose.
But I wasn’t at the point to where I had to choose—I had already chosen.
I knew the moment Viktor gave his orders. Our future together flashed before my eyes, and his face was the only thing I could think about. I got my confirmation the moment I saw him. I had finally made up my mind—my heart had found its companion.
“Liliana, are you okay?” a voice called out.
I couldn’t respond. My body could no longer withstand the stress of the beating it had endured, or the blood loss it had sustained. My body suddenly went limp, and then a set of arms wrapped around me.
“Lily!” the voice called out. “Someone get the car! Liliana, stay with me. Lily, open your eyes. Look at me. Please, Lily, don’t leave me. Not yet.”
Those were the last words I heard.
Chapter 26
Three days, a couple bags of saline, antibiotics, two bruised ribs, a minor concussion, a cracked left cheekbone, and countless stitches later, I was finally released from the hospital.
That was a week ago.
The sound of Emilio’s and Dante’s snoring woke me up this morning, along with the smell of bacon cooking.
Emilio, Dante, Violet, and I had been ‘camping’ out in the living room the last week. The first night we had come home I had tried to walk up the stairs, and when I couldn’t, Emilio tried to pick me up and carry me, but I yelled out in pain. I told them I was fine sleeping on the couch by myself, but apparently neither of them was ready to let me out of their sight. At time, their constant hovering was getting to be a little much. It was safe to say that I was ready for my stitches to come out.
Besides my mother, Lucas and Emilio had stayed in the hospital with me—Lucas during the day, and Emilio at night. I still hadn’t told them I had chosen, so I kept my interactions between the two as normal as I could. Telling them in the hospital didn’t seem like the right place, but it was getting harder to contain my feelings.
“Good morning,” Violet said with a smile as she walked over to me. “Need some help?”
“I think I have it,” I said as I pushed myself up slowly. I groaned slightly, sending both Emilio and Dante to their feet.
“I was just trying to get up off the couch,” I mumbled as I held out my hands to Violet in defeat. She reached down, helped me to my feet, and headed back towards the kitchen.
Emilio’s hand greeted me as she walked away, but I waved it off. Every morning he did the same thing, and each time I waved his help away. Mornings were always the worse, because I’d wake up stiff. But as the day went on, the pain faded.
“You’re stubborn,” he said with a sigh.
“This is nothing new,” I said with a smile as I slowly started walking towards the kitchen.
He stayed beside me, matching my steps the entire way. Violet set a cup of coffee in front of me as soon as I sat down at the bar.
“Are you all ready to go back to work today?” I asked with a smile.
“Yes,” Violet said as she put a plate of food in front of me. “Elle and I have to go and take some pictures and measurements today, and we have two consultations. I’m going to have all the phone calls routed to your cell phone today, if that’s okay?”
“Sounds good to me.”
Violet had been working from home this past week, but it was time to hit the pavement again. I would return next week after I had more time to heal and my stitches would be out. I still didn’t look very… appealing.
“And don’t forget Lucas is coming to help you if you need him, until your mother gets out of her appointment,” Violet added.
I had completely forgotten about Lucas coming today. It was a perfect time to talk to him in private. I had so much to tell him.
After breakfast, the three of them headed upstairs to get ready for work, and I quietly and carefully cleaned up the living room before they realized what I was doing. I needed to start getting back into a routine of things.
The hospital and the first couple of days home had been rough. Nightmares consumed me every day after. The bruises and pain didn’t help much, and I stopped looking at my body, because it was a constant reminder. I kept telling myself it wouldn’t always look like Frankenstein. The scarring would always be there, but the stiches would be gone soon, and the redness would fade. The memories, though, would never leave.
I didn’t feel any remorse for the fate Vikt
or and James had met. They deserved it—and much worse. I felt sympathy for Nikolas and Faith, who had lost a father. I had seen them in the hospital once, and had talked to them almost every day. They apologized a million and one times, but Faith had taken what happened to me the hardest. She had been calling me to warn me when my car flipped.
“Okay,” Emilio said, scaring me from my thoughts by making me jump and shriek at the same time.
“Liliana, I’m so sorry,” he said swiftly, making his way to me as footsteps pounded down the stairs.
Violet and Dante came into view before Emilio even made it to me.
“She’s okay,” Emilio said without looking at them. “I accidently scared her.”
“I’m fine,” I said, dismissing them all. “I was just deep in thought. I didn’t hear him.”
All three stood there looking at me like I was about to break.
I had never been more thankful than at that time. The gate alarm went off and Lucas’s face flashed across the screen. I needed a break from them, and they all needed a break from me. They didn’t know it, but they did.
“Anyways,” Emilio said as he put his jacket on. “I will call and check on you in a bit, and if you need anything just send Lucas, okay?”
“Okay,” I said. “I’ll see you when you get home.”
He stood there for a moment staring at me. His eyes searched mine before he kissed me on the forehead, lingering just a moment longer than usual.
“Are you going to tell him today?’ Violet asked, moving to my side.
My second day in the hospital, Violet and I were sitting by ourselves, and I just blurted out my decision to her. She wasn’t surprised, but she was happy and excited. I had told her I would tell them both when the timing was right.
“Which him?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
“Both.”
“Yes.”
“Good,” she said with a smile. “It’s about time. Can’t wait to hear what happens! See you after dinner tonight. Remember Dante and I have reservations!” Violet smiled as she grabbed Dante’s arm and headed out the door.
“Bye,” Dante called as he exited the door, and Lucas walked in.
“Crazy morning?” he asked with a laugh.
“You have no idea,” I said, smiling back. “I’m so glad to see you. You have no idea how much of a break I need from those three.”
“I thought your mom, Adela, and Benito had been helping out?”
“They have been, but you know them—they hover.”
“Yeah, I know.” He grinned at me.
I laughed as I turned to head towards the couch. As soon as I sat down, I patted the seat beside me.
Lucas slowly made his way over and sat beside me. I was still gathering my thoughts when he spoke up.
“You don’t have to tell me, I already know.”
“You do?” I asked.
“I have known for a long time. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. Looking back, there were so many indications, but I ignored them, praying you would change your mind. The moment it really struck me was the night he left you, and I found you crying on the steps outside. You were devastated. You didn’t know it then, but I did. I thought if I just constantly reassured you of my love you would stay with me, but I should have known I could never compete with him.”
“Lucas—,” I started to talk, but he held his finger up to stop me.
“Please,” he said, “let me get this out first.”
I nodded and he continued.
“When you went missing, Emilio went ballistic. I had never seen anyone lose their shit like that. I’ve worked alongside him almost four years now, and those three days you were missing, it broke him in a way I couldn’t even imagine.
“The day we finally found you, Benito told Emilio he couldn’t come in with us, and that he needed to stay outside. He knew Emilio would go in without any thought to his own safety, and Benito told him he wasn’t going to lose him. And that if anything happened to him that you wouldn’t survive it. That’s when I knew,” Lucas said as he took a deep breath, “that everyone else knew it too.”
“I’m so sorry,” I rushed out.
“Don’t be sorry, Lil. Don’t ever be sorry. Even I can’t deny that Emilio loves you. Just know that I love you too.
“And I know you love me, Lil. But the way you look at him—you have never looked at me that way, and that sparkle in your eye you used to get for me is gone. But I’ll be okay.”
“I hope so,” I said with a half-smile as I took his hands in mine. “Lucas, you’re so strong. I do love you, very much, but my heart hasn’t been my own in years. I wish that I would have realized that sooner.
“I overheard a conversation you and Lorenzo had one night, and something you said stuck with me. You said that I was the first person you had loved since your parents. I’m so honored by being that person for you, and I will cherish all our memories together. I hope that we can move past everything and remain friends, because I can’t imagine you not being around and not in my life. You will find someone else, I know you will. You’re so funny, loving, and beautiful inside and out.”
I paused as I let my words really sink in. I had been rehearsing this conversation so many times over the last few days—I just hope that he was really listening.
“Lucas,” I continued, placing my hand on his cheek. “You deserve the chance to find your one day. And when you do, I know that she will be amazing, and you will forget all about me.”
“I’m never going to forget about you, Lily,” he whispered.
“Good, because I won’t forget about you. I want you to be able to find your happiness, Lucas,” I said as I leaned in and kissed his forehead. “You will always be special to me.”
We talked for a little longer, and he told me that he was going to take some time off and go on a vacation. It was something that he really needed—time—time to heal and think about what his next move would be. I hoped that he would stick around, but I understood if he didn’t.
My mother arrived soon after our conversation was ending. I let her inside as I walked him out to say goodbye.
“Thank you for everything, Lucas. Thank you for being there for me when I needed it, and for being the most amazing person I know,” I said as I leaned in and gave him a farewell hug.
We stayed like that for a few more minutes before we released each other. I could feel that this was the last time I would see Lucas for a while. I knew he would return, but I didn’t know when that would be—it could be days, months, or years.
Lucas kissed me on the cheek one last time and got in his car.
“Oh, Lily,” he said, rolling down his window. “Can you tell Emilio I’m going on vacation, but that I will be back? And that if he doesn’t treat you right, I’m going to kick his ass when I return.” He winked at me as he shut his door. I waved goodbye as he turned his car towards the gate and left me.
When I walked into the house, my mother was standing there with her arms wide open. I hadn’t shed a tear, until that moment. And it wasn’t because I regretted my choice, but because I would miss him terribly.
***
“Everything looks perfect, Mamma,” I said as I looked around the house.
After my conversation with Lucas, and my recovering time with my mother, it had been time to get to work. I was excited, nervous, and happy as I helped my mom get Emilio’s favorite dinner made, the house straightened up, and me dressed.
Emilio had called and told us he was on his way home thirty minutes ago, so we knew he would be arriving soon.
“Well, since everything is done, I’m going to get out of here before he gets here,” she said, smiling at me.
“Thanks, Mamma, for everything,” I said giving her a hug.
“You’re welcome,” she said releasing me. “Now, finally tell that boy you love him and put him out of his misery.” She smiled as she grabbed her purse and waved goodbye to me.
As the door shut, I walked into the li
ving room and looked into the mirror one last time. My hair and makeup had been done for the first time in two weeks, and she had helped me into a sleeveless black dress and a pair of flats.
I had wanted to wear pants and a long sleeve shirt, so when I talked to Emilio, he wouldn’t have to look at all my imperfections, but the clothes rubbed my tender wounds too much.
When the gate alarm beeped and Emilio’s face flashed on the TV, my heart stopped before it picked up speed.
I took one last deep breath and smiled at my reflection.
As I stood in the kitchen waiting for Emilio to walk in, a million thoughts ran through my head. I had practiced what I wanted to say to him, but that didn’t guarantee it would all come out right.
When the door knob turned, I didn’t think my heart could beat any faster, and then Emilio walked through the door, and it did. It was like my heart was bursting with happiness.
“Lily, I’m—” He stopped talking as soon as he looked up and saw me standing there. His eyes took me in from the top of my head to the bottom of my feet, before landing back on my face.
“Hi,” I said with a small wave, suddenly feeling nervous.
“You look beautiful,” he said, still standing by the door. He was nervous and his eyes were sad.
“Thank you,” I said as I half-smiled back. I was nervous too.
We were both quiet for a minute before I finally spoke up.
“Emilio, I need to talk to you.” My voice hitched just a little, and his face immediately fell.
“No, Liliana, you can’t do this to me….” He trailed off as his body tensed.
“I’m—,” I tried to start again.
“Please, Lily. I thought I would be able to back away when you made your decision, but I can’t.”
“Em—”
“Liliana, I love you. I promise if you give me just one more chance I will rob heaven and earth to make you happy,” he said as he cuffed my cheek with his hand. “I know I can be—”
“Emilio!” I almost yelled, cutting him off. “Shut up and listen to me.”
He went to open his mouth again, but when he looked into my eyes, he stopped.
“You can be what?” I asked. “Overbearing? Stubborn? A hot head? Sometimes you make me so mad I want to scream, and other times, I want to pull you into my arms and kiss you like it’s the last thing I’ll ever do.