THE BLACK SEA | Gay Novel

Ch 8

TRIGGER WARNING

This chapter contains content that might be troubling to some readers, including, but not limited to depictions of and some references to death, suicide, childhood trauma, and PTSD. Please be mindful of these and other possible triggers, and seek assistance if needed.

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"That was quick," Rosario said as he came down the staircase.

After leaving Farah and Teegan at Brookfield Place, I drove myself to the Potenza's mansion.

"Where's he?" I asked Rosario.

"His bedroom, upstairs," he said as he turned around to lead the way.

We walk to my father's bedroom in silence, giving me time to think about what could my father possibly want from me, if he's dying, can't he just do it peacefully?

Rosario knocks on my father's bedroom door, waiting for my father's approval to go in, he lets himself in and holds the door open for me to go in, once in, he announces my presence to my father and leaves the room, closing the door behind him and locking it.

I frown at his behavior, I can still see the shadow of his feet from underneath the door, illuminated by the hallway's lighting.

I decided to ignore him and instead I'm looking around my father's bedroom, it's the master suite and it's quite a large space, and it's just how my mom left it.

There's a sitting area right as you enter the master suite facing a fireplace and a large flat-screen TV, behind the sitting area there's a king-size bed with a padded velvet headboard, to the left of the bed there's a vanity, and an opening to the walk-in closet and the master bathroom, to the right side of the bed, up against the wall, there's a lounge sofa that my mother used to lay down and read at, hung above it, is a painting of my mom and dad, then in the center of the wall, there are two armchairs facing the open doors balcony, where my father is sitting right now.

"Come and join me, Elia, time is precious when you're dying," my father called coughing towards the end of his sentence.

I blink a few times, remembering why I'm supposed to be here, and sigh, it's no time for replaying childhood memories.

I walk around the sitting area and join my father by the balcony, "what is it this time?" I asked, taking his terrible condition in, during the past month and a half, he had lost a lot of weight, his face looked pale and streaks of my father's usually black-dyed hair, are now grey, showing his real age.

"Nothing important son..." he pauses, "just wanted you here," he breathes deeply in and out.

You wanted me here? I frowned, "what did you do?" I asked sitting at the edge of my chair.

"I took some pills," he coughs, finding it difficult to breathe, "I'm dying anyway, so I'd rather be in control of it," he says.

"You sick bastard" I muttered, Is this why he called me here?

I was probably looking at him intensely because he chuckles, "I know you've grown up, but your hard face is still very innocent and child-like to me," he smiles amused, and sighs in relief, "I'm glad I didn't taint all of your mother's raising," he goes quiet for a while, focusing on his breathing, "I'm s-sorry," he stutters, then he says it again, but this time he whispers "I'm Sorry..." struggling to take his last breaths.

Rosario unlocked the door and walked in with a few of his men, he had his phone out while checking my father's pulse, a beeping sound was coming from it, I listen while I watch him fret over my father's still body, then the peeping on his phone goes flat, and Rosario orders his men to pick my father up and take him away.