Love To Hate You (EDITING)

thirty five -"What's my real name?"

W I L L O W

"Willow, I—"

"I want an explanation now, Mom. Who is he? Is he your son?"

"Yes," was all she said, and I just stood there staring at her for a while.

"How could you keep such a secret from me? Where is he? Is he dead?"

"No... he's alive. I don't know where he is." She started to cry and looked everywhere but at my eyes.

"What do you mean you don't know where he is? You can't just lose your own son. You're keep—"

"He's your half brother, and I had to send him away to save his life," she said, and I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion. This can't be happening. This is not my life. This is a dream. Yes—this is the baddest dream I've ever had. I'm not like these people. I don't have family dramas. I'm just Willow.

"What do you mean, half brother?"

She let out a sigh and motioned for me to sit beside her. I hesitated for a second before sitting down on the bed, trying to calm myself.

"I never wanted you to find out like this, but I have to tell you everything now," she said, looking into my eyes with such a heavy expression that I couldn't breathe for a second. She's going to tell me something bad—something really, really bad.

"The man you've known as your dad while growing up is not your dad. Your dad is not the good man I told you about. Your dad is a very, very evil man, Willow. And... he's the reason your brother isn't with us right now."

She paused and looked at the photo of Ezra, trying to wipe away her tears, but they kept falling. I hate this.

"I had a boyfriend before meeting your dad. His name was Jordan, and at the time we were living in Italy. We were so in love, and I couldn't go a day without hearing his voice or seeing him. I was so young, Willow. He was my first and last love. Your grandfather never liked Jordan because he wasn't rich, and at the time it was important for daughters of families like ours to marry rich men.

"One day, when I was out with Jordan, your grandfather called me and told me to come home. I was confused because he sounded really happy."

She took a breath before continuing.

"When I got home, there were men outside. They were guarding the door or something and wouldn't even look at me while letting me inside, like it was a sin for them to see me. Inside, there was my father, a young man who looked about the same age as Jordan—just a few years older than me—and another man who looked like his father.

"That was the day I learned your grandfather sold me to that young man. He didn't let me leave the house for weeks until the day of our marriage. I wasn't allowed to go to school or see Jordan. On the day of the wedding, I realized I was pregnant with Jordan's child, and I knew I had to do something—so I ran away."

"I found Jordan and told him everything about the marriage and our baby, so we ran. We ran and ran for months, and before I knew it, I had a beautiful baby boy. I don't know how, but your dad found us. He knew about Jordan and the baby, and he told me he would kill both of them if I didn't go with him.

"While all this was happening, Jordan was out with Ezra. So I went with your dad and left my baby and my only love behind. I wrote Jordan a letter, begging him to take care of our child and leave Italy. I told him to change their names and identities."

I couldn't stop myself from holding her hand, showing her I was there for her—even though I was so angry at her for keeping everything from me.

"So I went with him, and it killed me every single day for years. He hurt me in so many ways. He was in the mafia, and it was important that I obeyed him. He was the king, and I was not the queen—no, I was the prisoner. "

"He would tell me he loved me, but it wasn't love. It was obsession. What kind of man forces the woman he claims to love to abandon her child and threatens to kill that child? If he truly loved me, he would've embraced my son. Instead, he chose to hurt me through my child."

"For years, he threatened to find Jordan and Ezra and kill them if I didn't obey him. He was also jealous that I had a son with Jordan. It wasn't a good look for him to have a wife who already had a child—especially a son. And when we found out I was pregnant by him, he wasn't happy to learn it was a daughter."

My heart sank at her words. She noticed and pulled me into a hug.

"But I didn't care, Willow. You were the thing that kept me alive in that prison. You were my everything—my anchor, my sunshine, my air, my heartbeat. You kept me going."

"So how did you end up here with me, alone for years?" I asked.

"I wasn't always allowed to leave my room. Just because I was married to a rich man in a big mansion didn't mean I was free to walk around like I owned the place. But I was just like you—a rule breaker. I didn't care. "

"One day, I walked out and heard voices behind a door that was slightly open. I peeked inside and saw your dad, a man, a woman, and several of his men. Your dad ordered one of his men to hand him a gun. He shot the man first and forced the woman to watch."

"Her screams still echo in my ears. They smiled while watching her suffer—and then they shot her too. In that moment, something in me snapped. I took you and ran. I didn't take anything with us. I just ran."

"I changed our names, everything, and moved to Springdale—somewhere I knew he wouldn't find us. And he never did."

"What's... your real name?" I asked.

She smiled softly, but I couldn't return it. I was barely holding myself together.

"Marie Bianchi."

"So I'm actually... Italian? And my name isn't Willow?" She nodded.

"What's my real name?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Well, your real name is Noemi Rae Alessi," she said. "But you'll always be Willow Edwards. We're still not safe, and I never want you to meet him. Ever."

I nodded.

"You never mentioned his name," I said. "Not even once."

She froze for a moment before whispering the name I wished I'd never heard.

"Victor. Victor Alessi."

Sorry for the short chapter but I hope you still liked it hehe one shocking thing too ;)

I don't know when the next chapter will be up because I have so much to study but I'll try to post something when I find the time!!

Have an amazing day, lots of love!!!!! <3// D.E