Rafael

Chapter 45 - Occhio Per Occhio

Rafael's Pov
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*Flashback*

(10 years ago)

"No way could you pull that off. Just please stop bringing it up, it's getting fucking annoying," Paolo sighed as he took perfect aim at the backboard and then shot the ball as straight as he could.

It bounced off the rim of the net before barreling to the ground, not going into the net as we both had hoped.

"Damn," We both said at the same time because we had been thoroughly invested in the ball making it in.

After all, it would have been an epic three-pointer.

"I just can't live with him anymore, Paolo. I know you don't like hearing this shit but last night I heard my mom crying in the bathroom again. He must have done something to her when I was at school."

I hated school with every fiber of my being, but I also loved it at the same time.

I loved school because my father couldn't hurt me there, but when I was at school, my father had every opportunity to hurt my mother without me getting in the way.

I always fought him with everything I had when he tried to go after my mom.

I couldn't beat him, of course, and most times he ended up beating the shit out of me, but at least my mom would escape his use of brute force that he used to 'discipline' me because he was too tired to bother with her after dealing with me.

 "He's a monster, but you'll be eighteen soon and then you can leave for college."

"He won't let me leave the city for college because how would he control me then? Plus, even if I went somewhere far away, I couldn't leave my mom with him, unprotected. Are you crazy?"

Paolo Fiero, my high school classmate, the only person I trusted enough to talk about my father's abuse with, shrugged as if to say, 'As long as you get out, who the hell cares what happens to anyone else?'

I couldn't think like that, and I didn't know how he could.

I didn't see that he wasn't a true friend until it was too late, even though he had shown all his colors and flaunted them in my face the whole time. 

"Do you think killing someone is easy shit, Rafael? Especially your dad! You know how the Mafia would react!"

I thought of how aggressive the other mafia bosses in New York would be because no one would want to divide Prometheus' large territory equally.

Their greed would probably cause an all-out gang war but I just couldn't find it in myself to care.

I would end up taking it all back when I took over after college anyway.

Nobody cared when my dad carved a heart into my stomach with a knife, just because I said I didn't love him back in front of his cronies.

I was six. 

Nobody knew how he treated people behind closed doors, everybody thought he was the best thing to happen to New York.

"Don't you see? It would be the perfect crime, Paolo! Nobody would even suspect that his own son would be the one to take his miserable life."

I had been wrong about that, I'll admit.

"Fine, say you decide to do it. What's the plan?" He asked, but I could tell he didn't particularly want to hear what I had to say.

I still told him in the end because I couldn't tell Gareth.

He was sheltered from this life and I liked it.