ꕥ 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐓𝐇 𝐋𝐈𝐄𝐒 ꕥ

• CHAPTER 16 •

DARIO'S POV

I get off the elevator and head to Raven's penthouse.

I knock and wait.

"come in!" I hear ravens faint voice.

I enter and close the door behind me.

"oh, Dario How are you?" She asks, looking up from the book she has in her hands.

"I'm good. How about you?" I ask, sitting down on the other couch near the widow.

"What's wrong?" she asks, putting her book aside. She always knows when something is wrong.

"I wanted to ask you something; it's a weird question, but you're the only person I feel like I should talk to about this," I start. She raises her eyebrow and smiles.

"What is it?" she asks. I sit up straight. "Um, how did you know you loved Jackson?" I ask, already regretting it.

She looks at me for a moment and then smiles.

"Well, I'm not sure if you ever heard our story, but it was hate before love." She pauses and smiles at the memory.

"But for me, I feel like hate is love; it's an emotion that blurs your judgment and ignores reality, the true emotion," she says, looking over at me.

"I married Jackson for a purpose; for revenge," she pauses and looks down for a moment.

"Through the process, I slowly lost the hate and surely enough gained love," she says. "I realized that what Jackson was giving me was much better than hate and revenge; I felt at peace with him as the time went by." She pauses and looks out of the window for a few seconds.

She still loves him, and I really hope they work out.

They were the most well-known mafia couples in the underworld.

"It was too late for me to stop my plotting; he found out, and well, it all ended," she says, hurt now evident in her eyes.

"But love is pain, anger, hate, battles, and regret," she says. "Love is beautiful, and it makes you do stupid things for stupid reasons, but it's all for love." she smiles.

"Love gives you tingles and makes you feel things you don't want to feel. Love takes your breath away, makes you a better person, and makes you care," she says.

Aurora makes me feel all of that.

She makes me better.

I love Aurora.

I really do. A lot.

She chuckles. "Now tell me, Dario." She pauses. "Do you love Aurora?" She asks, "I do; I'm sorry; she's your daughter; I wasn't supposed to." She brings her hand up and smiles.

"I wouldn't have chosen you to take care of her if you weren't a good boy; I trust you with her. She says, "All I ask of you is to protect her and not cause her much pain."

"Also, make sure you don't piss Jackson or the guys in my family off because they will not be forgivable," she warns sternly.

"Yes," I say, and she nods her head.

"Now, how do you plan on telling her?" She asks, and I smile.

"I have to think a little more about that," I tell her. "Well, then get to it; she's coming over in a few," she says. I stand up and walk towards the door.

"Thank you, Raven," I tell her as she makes me lean down and give her a hug.

"Everything will go alright, as long as you make choices that benefit both you and Aurora," she says, kissing my head.

"Go on," I smile, and walk out.

She's been like a mother figure to me. My mom wasn't much of a mother when it came to us boys.

I head home to plan a date.

AURORA'S POV

"Momma," I call out for her; she's sitting on the couch drinking coffee.

"Hey, baby," she says, standing and walking towards me with her arms open.

I craved this for so long.

I walk into her arm and let her wrap her arms around me.

"I missed you," I whispered, and me too," she responded.

We let go and headed over to the couch.

"So, tell me, what's on your mind, bug? She asks, looking at me with care and curiosity.

she's beautiful.

She pulls a strand of my hair back behind my ear.

"Mom, I want to know what love is," I ask, and her reaction is weird.

She laughs, shaking her head.

"Mom?" I ask, and she smiles, looking at me.

"Well, honey, love is magical, strong, overpowering, and most importantly, it makes you feel things you don't want to feel." She's staring at me.

RAVEN'S POV

I'm so happy both of these children are in love.

They are good kids, and I know they will end up doing great things together.

It's quite adorable how both of them came to me to ask for the meaning of love.

My daughter looks a lot like me-same eyes, facial features, hair, smile, and laugh.

She has a little of Jackson-the character, the dimple, and the birthmark near the jaw.

She's our beautiful creation. Leonid will always be my little knight in shining armor.

He's humongous now, exactly like Jackson. My boy.

I tell Aurora the same thing I told Dario.

the wheels in her head start spinning. "You love him, don't you?" I ask her, and she smiles.

Nodding her head, she responds. "I do; I really do, momma."

"That's good; ok, everything will turn out," I tell her, as I see a bit of fear in her eyes.

"you promise?" She says, "I can't exactly promise you that, honey, but I can cross my fingers." She smiles and nods her head.

"Don't let fear control your life or decisions; you got this, honey," I tell her, pulling her in for a hug.

"Thank you, mom," she whispers. I kiss her head. I missed her in my arms.

I hope I get the chance to have them for the rest of my life.