𝐈𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐈𝐧 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞 ✔️

29

When I woke up, I rolled over and rubbed my eyes. But instead of getting met with Valerio, all I had was a body dent next to me, and the slight lingering of his cologne.

With my messy brown hair, my feet hit the cold flooring as I exit the bedroom. I call out Valerio's name a few times, my voice echoing off the walls. My eyebrows lower when I'm met with nothing in response.

I hear cooking in the kitchen. Bacon sizzles in a pan and the smell reaches my nose. I let out a sigh when I reach the kitchen and begin to say, "Acting deaf now, are we?"

The second the words leave my mouth, I stop walking, surprised to see that it was Aresius. Not Valerio.

"I'm sorry, I'll note it in my head that when you say Valerio's name, you're actually talking to me," he says sarcastically with a smile. I watch him as he flips the bacon over in the pan.

Aresius looked so good. His black hair was gelled, but a small strand still fell forward. His light blue eyes moved around as he began to put together a plate of breakfast foods. His pale skin was completely smooth, and tattoos covered his arms. I began to think that maybe he would taste better for breakfast, but I blink harshly and force myself to focus. 

"Here you go," he says while sliding the plate toward me, but then his eyebrows tug together once he sees my expression. "What's wrong? Did I cook something in a way you didn't like?"

"No, no, it's not that," I respond quickly while shaking my head. I put my hand on my hip and think for a moment. "It's just, where's Valerio?"

Aresius doesn't answer the question. Instead, he also grabs a muffin and a cup of coffee for me. I think it's to try and make me feel better about what he was about to say. 

"Um," he starts, realizing he had to answer the question, and that no amount of breakfast foods would distract me from it. "He's out. Dealing with your father."

At 9 in the morning, I realize that my dad is going to die today, at the hands of my husband.

It felt as if I had a rock in my stomach. The guilt I felt was weighing me down, I started to feel it physically, so I took a seat on one of the stools. I didn't want this. I didn't want him to die. But he's bringing it upon himself, he knows exactly what the outcome of this would be.

I had to say goodbye to the man that took care of me in the past, for a man that would take care of me for the rest of my life.

But I still felt terrible about this. This is my dad we're talking about. 

I shove a piece of bacon into my mouth. 

"I know how hard this must be," Aresius says softly. "Being stuck in the middle, knowing one of them will end up dead."

I just wish my dad would listen. If my dad called a truce, if he backed off and left Valerio alone, I wouldn't have to lose either of them. Loss is one of the worst things you can ever feel. 

"What's going on in that pretty little mind of yours," Aresius asks. He leans forward on his elbows on the opposite side of the counter, and my lips turn up a little before I bite into a piece of the toast. 

I repeat in a teasing one, "Little? I'll ignore that since I'm sure it's not what you meant. But I don't know, I'm just thinking, grasping at straws trying to think of something that would make my dad stop."

"Oh, I meant little," he teases back, but then speaks in a serious tone. "Is there anything you can think of?"

There was one thing, although I wasn't sure if it would work. 

"There's one thing," I sigh while pushing the plate away from me, no longer having an appetite. "But I don't know. It's a long shot, it probably wouldn't work. I'm just a little worried."