Enemies to lovers with a family twist!
Alora Frank has been living her life under the abuse of her mother and father. Hiding secrets and unimaginable pain behind her perfect smile. Except one day she finds her father isn't her father, she had family...
Struggling to suppress the tremors in my hands, the tears welling in my eyes, and the pain gnawing at my heart, I find myself unable to maintain the facade. My heart aches, my tears flow freely, and my hands shake uncontrollably.
My knees buckle, and I slide down the door of my room, instinctively covering my mouth to muffle my sobs. The room seems to close in on me, and I find myself gasping for air. I attempt to stand, but my legs fail me, and I collapse onto my side, gasping for breath. My lungs contract, and my body goes into full panic mode. Everything is happening too quickly.
A soft knock on my door interrupts my thoughts. "Alora neonata (Baby), can I come in?" a gentle voice whispers. But I can't focus on it. I'm still gasping for air. The door creaks open slightly, and I see Luca peeking in. As soon as he spots me, he rushes to my side. He sits down beside me and whispers, "Shh, count with me from 10. You start."
"10," I manage to whisper.
"9," he responds softly.
We continue counting down until we reach one. I'm shaking, but not from the cold. The tears won't stop. "Is it okay if I hug you?" he asks gently, giving me a pleading look. I nod slightly, and he wraps his arms around me. It's a comforting hug, something I've never experienced before. "Breathe with me, listen to my heartbeats," he says, rocking me back and forth. I try to match his breathing rhythm while listening to his heartbeat.
"I just wanted to say that we all really care about you. Some of us might not show it, but we do," he whispers gently, like a soothing lullaby. He starts to hum a song, almost lulling me to sleep, but I quickly sit up to ask, "Why did you come here?" I question him, now that I'm calmer than before.
"I wanted to check on you. Do you like chocolate?" he answers.
"I do like chocolate," I tell him, and he simply smiles at that. "Okay, well this is going to be our little secret. I'm going to make us both a chocolate milkshake, then we can hang out and maybe watch a movie. What do you think?" He asks, and I nod in agreement. With that, he gets up, leaving me alone. But after a short while, there's a knock on my door, and in walks Bruno, holding a bag of chocolates. He walks in and gives me a side hug. "Hey, Tesoro (treasure), how are you?" he asks softly.
"Fine," I respond. Such a word shouldn't exist because am I really fine? Or am I just fine in front of them?
"I bought chocolates for you," he says, giving me a winning smile. His smile is contagious because I find myself smiling in return. "Thanks." He kneels in front of me and holds my hands. "You are so strong and such a badass," he says.
"But what if I'm not? What if I just show everyone that I'm a cold, strong, emotionless person, but in reality, I'm just scared? Scared of getting hurt, scared of attachments." My voice cracks, and tears fill my eyes.
"That's okay. Everyone gets scared because we are humans. So what if you're scared? Being scared doesn't mean you're not strong. A person who doesn't get scared isn't human. A person who hasn't been in pain hasn't lived at all. And a heart that has never been broken isn't a heart," he says, giving me a small, sad smile as his eyes water. I register his words, but when they find out the truth, will they still love me the same? Will they be this caring, or will they be disgusted? Because judgment and disgust are very easy to show, but love and care aren't.
"Well, I have to go. I can stay if you want?" he asks. "It's okay," I whisper. He gives me a hug and walks out. His words replay in my head, along with all the things my mother said. There's a knock on the door, snapping me out of my thoughts. "Come in, Luc- Lorenzo?" I sit there, confused, as Lorenzo and Vincenzo walk in. "Hey, sweetheart, we came to give you candy and snacks," Lorenzo says with a grin, while Vincenzo just gives me a small nod. "Um... thanks," I respond, honestly not knowing what to say.
"Have you been crying?" Vincenzo asks. I look at him, shocked. This has to be the only thing he's said after telling me his name. "Oh my god, love, have you been crying because of Marco? I swear to god, he's going to die by my hand someday," Lorenzo says, getting angry. I made him mad. He's going to hit me now. I start gasping again.
"Shh, amore (Love), it's okay. He isn't mad at you," Vincenzo says calmly, sitting beside me. I try my hardest not to cry again. "I'm sorry, Alora. I can never be mad at you," Lorenzo reassures. They sit close to me for a little while, and then they have to leave as well.
There's a slight knock again, but it's not Luca. Nicolo and Alexander walk in, each holding a bag of gummies. I tilt my head to the side in confusion. The snacks that Vincenzo, Lorenzo, and Bruno brought me are still sitting beside me. "Hey, we came to check on you. Marco is difficult, and I apologize for that," Nicolo says, giving me a smile and handing me both their bags of gummies. After checking on me, I tell them to go and sleep.
Nicolo leaves, but Alexander stays behind. He comes and sits beside me, and we both sit in silence. "Marco didn't mean what he said. He just got angry," Alex says, breaking the silence. "Hmm, does that give him a right?" I respond.
"No, not at all. Being angry never gives someone the right to hurt another person. But that's how people are - some are silent, some are angry. I promise it won't happen again," he says softly. "Yeah," I say. With that, he gets up and leaves. I sit in silence, staring at all the things they gave me. So many questions arise in my mind, but the main one is why? Why are they doing all this? Why are they so nice to me when no one has ever been nice to me? So, I don't know if I should be grateful or suspicious. But perhaps Marco is right. Maybe I am ungrateful. Just then, my door opens, and in walks Luca, finally. "Sorry, I didn't knock. My hands are kind of full at the moment," he says, walking towards me with two milkshakes in his hands.
The milkshakes:
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Now, I comprehend why Luca was delayed. The mere sight of the milkshakes made my mouth water. I swiftly grabbed mine and took a sip, allowing the diverse flavors to perform a delightful dance on my tongue. Each chocolate flavor burst like a firework, making it the most delectable thing I've ever tasted. "Luca, this is truly exceptional," I compliment him. His smile in response is a thank you in itself.
As the night progressed, we engaged in conversation, indulged in snacks. When Luca inquired about the origin of the snacks, my only response was a soft chuckle. We then settled down to watch a movie. I'm unsure of when I succumbed to the call of sleep, but before I did, Luca planted a gentle kiss on my forehead, whispering, "I am genuinely delighted that you're here, Alora, my baby sister. You are the missing piece in our lives." With those comforting words, my mind powered down, and I drifted off into a peaceful slumber.
Author's note
Hayy!! How did you like this chapter? Hoped you enjoyed it.
Quote of the day:
I dress to impress myself.
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