𝓗𝓲𝓼 𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝓡𝓸𝓼𝓮 🥀 ( A Mafia Romance )

𝓢𝓸𝓾𝓷𝓭

"And I'm hearing what you say,
but I just can't make a sound."

Chapter five

"IVORY?"

HIS HUSKY VOICE SOUNDS throughout the room. It sends chills whispering against my skin. My heart picks up, and my eyes begin to water. Please tell me this is all a joke and that I'm a fool for listening to a stranger.

The sound of his phone dropping from my hands makes his eyes snap at me. They land on my face first, and he frowns, taking a steady step off the bed.

"Ma?" He questions lowly, getting out of bed completely. I rise from my crouch on the floor and take a step back. My breath lodges in my throat, and I shake my head, making him stop his steps.

I barely catch the hurt in his eyes before he's looking down at his phone on the floor. He leans down to pick it up, and the screen lights up, reflecting off his beautiful eyes.

The eyes that flicker with multiple emotions as he looks at the number that called him and then up at me. Fear, sadness, and regret being the most potent.

He must know who called him. I think, despite the other thoughts running through my head.

"Please tell me that what he said was all a lie and that you haven't been hiding anything from me."

I knew I was acting on pure emotion and not with my brain. I should listen to him before I assume the worst but it's just the fact that my best friend, the one that I shared my soul with, would keep something from me.

We once made a rule too. Never keep a secret that would affect the other person. This is the first time that rule has been broken.

My voice cracks at the end of those words, and I watch as he takes in a sharp breath. His expression holds so much guilt, almost as much as his next words do.

"I–I can't." His voice wavers, and my heart stops at his words. My body feels empty and lifeless. My mind fights over what to feel first. Should I cry, or should I run and never look back?

This is where I found out and a part of me wished I didn't.

"Wh-What?" My voice breaks, and I feel a tear run down my cheek. So it is true? He lied to me for so long, about something, something so big.

"Please just let me explain." He begs, tears of his own building up in his eyes. I still felt sadness, but anger was looming close. I look up at him, letting my emotions shine through my eyes into his sorrowful orbs.

"You've had years to explain, haven't you? So why should I let you?" I ask softly, despite my anger, tilting my head to the side as the useless tears drip down my cheeks. They fall like numbers.

One

Two

Three

Four

Six 

Eight

Ten

Fifteen

Twenty

And soon I'm a breaking mess. Dominic is holding me as soon as I break, and I let him in even though my mind doesn't want him, my body does. It yearns for his comfort and amenities.

In no time, he's stroking the hair out of my face and wiping my tears away. I don't let the action warm my heart; I don't know if should forgive him even if I don't know what to forgive him for.

"Do you know why I call you Rose?" He asks softly. It's a feathery whisper against my skin, touching my ear lightly. I don't make a sound, and he takes that silence as a no.

"It's because the petals of a rose remind me of how delicate you are. Kindness and love surround you at all times, and you show me every day that there is no one greater than you in this broken world.

The thorns, however, show how brave you are. You stand up for yourself and put anyone in their place if needed. You are my rose, Ivory, and I know I have to tell you the truth, so I will."

He takes a deep breath in, eyes solely focused on mine as he holds onto any hope that is left, and I can't help but stand there and take his words.

He strokes my cheek softly, and I feel my heart break more from the raw sadness in his. "Just promise me you won't leave after."

I shut my eyes, leaning against his chest. The darkness that covers my vision calms me, and I nod my head, not sure if he sees it until he continues.

"I'm not a real football player." He starts, and that alone has me blinking my eyes open in surprise. That can't be true. Dominic has loved football ever since he was a kid—or was that all a lie too?

It was, but not entirely.

I stay silent, not trusting my words.

"But it is something I still love to do." He says.

"So you do love football?" I whisper, and he nods.

"Yes, and I always will, but family business got in the way, and I had to do something I didn't want to do."

"What do you have to do?" I ask, and he wraps his arms around my shoulders, hesitating slightly before saying screw it and hugging me.

"Are you sure you want to know?" He asks, seeming scared to tell me. I nod my head, already preparing myself for what is to come.

"Okay." He whispers. "Do you know what the mafia is?" He questions, and my mind scrambles to remember all the books I've read about that subject.

The mafia is dangerous, and the people that run it are even more. I nod my head, wondering where he is going with this.

"I am the leader of one."

A/N: sorry for the short chapter. It is also fairly bad, my apologies. 🙈💀