𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐓𝐀𝐊𝐄𝐎𝐕𝐄𝐑 | ✓

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩 𝟐𝟗

I had woken up to find Vivienne asleep, her body intertwined with mine. The warmth of her skin against me. Her warm breath on my chest as she buried her face in my shirt. I gently brush a strand of hair away from her face, taking in the soft features.

My lips twitch into a smile, looking down at her in my arms. And then it hit me — the events of the previous night flooded back into my memory.

I had crumbled in front of her, my composure slipping away as I revealed the secret I had kept hidden for over a decade. In a mere five minutes, I bared my soul to her, confessing everything that had been weighing on me for years.

I couldn't seem to tuck it away anymore. I used to be the best at hiding it — and when it became too much for me, I'd distract myself with work, and unimportant things.

But I don't want to run away from Vivienne. I don't want to distract myself when all I want is right here. I find myself opening up to her in a way that I never thought possible. My guard comes down and my emotions spill out like a little kid. Like I would with my mom. It's both exhilarating and terrifying to be so vulnerable, but with her, it feels safe.

I never spoke about my feelings with my father. He believed crying was weak. I remember the day after she had died, he found me crying and yelled at me. He called me weak and disappointing.

'There's more important things to be dealing with.' he'd yell. 'Stop wasting tears.', 'Get a grip on reality.'

I was seven.

I didn't have anyone after my mother died, and he never wanted to speak of her, refusing to even mention her name.

It pisses me off to admit that I've become just like him, learning to bury my emotions deep down inside. I can still feel the weight of his words, the way they burrowed deep into my soul. He transformed me, moulding me into a reflection of himself. And that's all I know, that's what I thought I had to be, I thought it was right.

As I feel the emotions bubbling to the surface, I quickly reach for my phone, checking for any updates on my current situation. My spare hand still holding Vivienne against me tightly.

Various texts and missed calls from Vito, as well as links to articles of the event that took place nearly two years ago. I scoff, this is unbelievable. Who even was the woman-bashing cunt anyways, he couldn't have been that important. He had it coming.

Vivienne stirs in my arm, causing my eyes to look back down at her. My heart suddenly aches with regret for every decision and move I've made, until the moment I finally agreed to meet her.

Sleeping with random girls? Regret. Had I known of Vivienne's existence, I would've never touched anyone besides her.

Murdering someone? Regret. Now she's in trouble. This'll follow her everywhere she goes, and no matter how much she says she doesn't hate me, she'll probably never look at me the same.