THE DARE | BWWM 18+ (editing)

li - the resurrection of leonardo sorelli

TW: MENTIONS OF SUICIDE AND
RAPE

L E O N A R D O

_________________________

I survived death.

I don't know if that makes me God or Satan but I came back from the dead.

Eleanor is the one who saved me. I called her before to let her know what was going on in case Martello tried to trick her too and she showed up to help. By the time she got to the house, I was practically dead because it was all in flames.

After she carried me out of the house, I was in a coma for two weeks before I opened my eyes. When she told me everything that happened, my first thoughts went to Iris and Bella but Eleanor told me that it'd be better for me to heal and take out Martello unexpectedly.

But I could've never predicted this.

My precious Iris.

The new mafia queen, killing our enemy.

As I pick her up from the ground, I notice the ring on her left hand. My ring.

"I love you," I whisper before kissing her forehead. I proceed to carry her out and take her home.

Home.

It feels good to be back.

~

"Wake up," I sing to a still unconscious Iris.

It's only been about an hour or two since I've been back, but I need her to wake up now. I need to hear her voice. I need to see her smile. I missed her.

I've seen my father and Xavier, and boy were they overjoyed to see me. Xavier hugged me so hard, that he almost reopened my bullet wounds. My father cried when he saw me, but he was happier to see me and Eleanor together in the same room again. I almost forgot that it's been more than a decade since we were all this close to each other.

My papa gave me the news about Bella, and although I am angry that Maria snaked her way into Bella's life this easily, it's on me really. I didn't predict dying, so I didn't think that far ahead. But as soon as Iris wakes up, we will legalize our marriage and I will ask her to adopt Bella as hers. After all, she already is.

"Mhm," Iris groans as she stirs awake and I snap away from my thoughts. She rubs her eyes before slowly opening them.

"Hey baby," I greet her and she looks at me.

"Am I still dreaming?" She whispers to herself.

"No my love," I grab her hand. "It's me, I'm here."

"Leo? Wha-?" She lets out breathlessly and tears are already forming in her eyes. "How is this possible?" She sits up and hugs me.

She feels so good wrapped around me. How I missed her!

"Eleanor pulled me out just in time." I start to explain. "I woke up two weeks later and now I'm here-"

"Wait, two weeks later?" She questions and pulls away from me. "It's been more than a month since you died, or didn't die Leo."

"I know but-" I try to explain myself but she cuts me off.

She stands up from the bed and limps to the side. "But nothing! You didn't think to tell your family that you were alive?"

"I had to stay away principessa," I try to explain. "Faking my death was the only way to catch Martello off guard."

"Faking your death was the only way? Aren't you one of the most feared men alive?" She stands by the doorway with her arms crossed and her eyes fixated on me.

"What do you mean by that?" I question her confused.

She steps closer to me until we're face to face and flashes a sly smile before saying, "I mean that's a pussy move for someone who is supposed to be a big bad devil."

"If you're trying to rile me up Iris, it's not going to work," I reply trying to not react to her statement. I hate when she's right.

"I'm not trying to rile up Leonardo," she says with attitude and scrunches her eyebrows. "I'm just saying that you swore to protect me, and you swore on everything that you would die for me-"

I cut her off. "I did die for you, Iris!" I retort and raise my voice a little.

"No! You went into hiding and you left me! You left me!" She screams at me.

"I'm sorry-" I try to apologize because I don't like knowing that I caused her so much hurt.

"When I needed you the most, you weren't there. They took Bella, and I was depressed. More depressed than a human being should ever be, and I almost kil-" She stops herself.

"You almost what?" I ask in a soft voice and step closer to her because I have an idea of what she was going to say, but I don't want to accept that. It would break me.

"I tried to kill myself because I wanted to be with you so bad. So knowing that you were alive and in hiding feels pretty fucking hypocritical to me." I don't know what to say.

My throat goes dry and my sweaty hands start shaking. It's not until I hear her footsteps as she starts walking away from me that I get snapped back to reality.

"Baby," I call out as I run after her. I catch up to her and grab her wrist. She rips her hand away from me and gives me a death stare. I'm actually kind of scared.

Note to self: never piss off Iris again.

"Leave me alone Leo," she says with tears in her eyes. "I'm tired. I am so tired," she chokes on her sobs.

There is something else going on here.

"What do you mean my love? Talk to me. What's going on?"

"Zane. Amari. All of these people I killed and everyone is just okay with it?" She starts hysterically. "Well, I'm not. How am I supposed to be okay with killing my best friend in the whole world, someone I knew since I was a child! And Zane wanting to rape me and kill me. What the fuck is up with that?" She starts to raise her voice.

"Princess-"

"All of these things are happening and we just let them go. It's haunting me that I don't know why Amari turned on me and I'll never know why because she's dead. Martello tried to blow me up and I still don't know why he hated me so much. Is it me?" She asks with a soft voice. Her eyes are fixated on the ground and it's got me convinced that she's speaking to herself. "Am I the problem? Why do I keep attracting all this darkness in my life?" She whispers.

Has she been holding all of these feelings this entire time?

"Baby you're perfect-"

"Oh, and don't you dare act innocent in all of this! I had my life together before I met you! I had a routine and I was grounded! I let my guard down for you and you abandoned me! You left me all alone!" She blows up and starts to yell.

"What's going on?" My father walks in after hearing all of the commotion.

"Shut up!" She yells at my father who makes an 'oh' face.

"Iris, my love. Let's talk this out okay?" I try to calm her down but it's no help.

"You wanna talk?" She says calmly. "You wanna talk about how you left me?! We buried an empty coffin!" she says with tears in her eyes. "But you were alive! You were only a few hours away while I mourned you!" She yells at me with tears rolling down her face. "I cried for you," her voice gets softer. "I almost died for you Leo," she says as her voice cracks and my heart sinks.

"Princess, I'm sorry," I try to apologize and hold her hand.

She rips her hand from mine and says, "Oh fuck off," before walking away.

"Iris... Baby, please come back," I say calmly as she walks upstairs heading towards the bedroom.

"Fuck you!" She yells and slams the door after her.