My Mafia King

45 | Distracting Me

❤️

ATHENA RUSSO:

I find myself sinking into the couch cushions, my eyes glued to the screen of my phone as I wait for Dante's call. The silence in the room is deafening, broken only by the sound of my heavy breathing.

I wish I could've gone to the hospital with him but I couldn't so I sent Lorenzo with him instead.

As I gaze out of the window, looking out the garden. Each day seems to be colder than the previous one, with the wind picking up and the temperature dropping.

The leaves on the trees have started to change color, and there's a certain crispness in the air that wasn't there before. Winter is slowly but surely making its way here.

I did make sure that Dante wore layers of clothes and jacket that would keep him warm but I still don't want him to catch a cold.

Wait.

Is that Hades?

I stand up and walk closer to the window and see him holding his phone to his ear, on the phone to someone.

It's freezing and he's not even wearing a goddamn jacket. Just a hoodie and sweatpants. What an idiot.

I'm about to grab him a jacket, but then I pause. Why do I even care? Let him freeze.

I sit back down on the couch and hesitantly reach out for my phone. Then, I slowly look back out the window. No, I don't care about him. I shake my head and force myself to look away.

But then I rise from my seat and grab his jacket from the back of the chair as I storm toward the door. I fling the door open and step out, feeling the cool breeze on my face as I hold out his coat toward him. "Hades, take your goddamn coat!"

Hades turns towards me with a bewildered expression on his face and a hint of worry in his eyes. He ends the phone call and approaches me, gently guiding me into the house and closing the door behind him.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke, his voice laced with concern and confusion, "What have I done now?"

I inhale deeply, attempting to steady my nerves. With a quiet voice, I manage to utter, "Just... put on your coat. It's cold."

"Did something happen?" he asks, his eyes on mine. "Is it Dante?"

"No," I mutter, embarrassed. I slowly hand him his jacket. "Nothing happened."

He slowly nods and puts the jacket on. He turns around opens the door and goes back outside.

I watch him for a minute and then quickly walk back to the living room and sit down on the couch.

As I sit in silence, my gaze fixated on the dull wall in front of me, my palms clench the pillow on my lap. A wave of humiliation washes over me. I begin to punch the pillow with all my might, hoping to release the pent-up emotions.

Suddenly my phone rings and I lazily glance over at the screen. My eyes widen and I snatch my phone and quickly answer it. "Dante? How did it go?"

"It's me, Lorenzo," Lorenzo tells me. "The doctors want Dante to stay at the hospital."

I frown, "Has it gotten that bad?"

Lorenzo sighs, "Of course it is. Cancer is not something to neglect. The medical team will monitor him closely as he begins chemotherapy and surgery soon."

I inhale deeply and gather my courage before asking, "Can you tell me if he's going to be okay? I'm really worried about him." The uncertainty and concern in my voice are palpable, as I wait anxiously for the answer.

Lorenzo lets out a light chuckle and assures you, "Don't worry, he's going to be okay. He's stuffing his face with doughnuts that Ares got him— What on earth?"

I lean forward, "What? What happened?"

"Romano is here," he mutters. "I haven't seen that guy in years. He and the twins were best friends in high school."

Oh yeah, Romano. The guy I was secretly messing around with behind everyone's back. I furrow my eyebrows. But why would he be there?

"I remember him. Perhaps he heard about Dante?" I say, voicing my thoughts out loud.

"Weird. I wonder how he knows," Lorenzo says.

"True, we all kinda forgot about him," I mutter.

I hear the sound of the door opening. I glance up and my heart skips a beat as I see Hades walking in. He takes a quick scan of the room and his gaze locks onto me.

I quickly look away, nervous, "I have to go now, but let me know if Dante needs any of his stuff here, I'll get someone to come to send it to you."

"Alright and after things calm down for a bit, we need to talk."

I furrow my eyebrows, "What about—"

He hangs up the call abruptly, I am left staring at my phone screen in utter disbelief. I huff and turn my phone off. I know he's my older brother but he can't just end the call like that.

"Everything okay?" Hades suddenly asks.

I look over at him and watch him take off his jacket. I clear my throat and nod, "Yeah, Dante is going to stay at the hospital and get his treatment now. He's going to be okay."

Hades frowns, "That's good to hear."

"What's wrong?"

"He only stayed for five days," he sighs, "I didn't get to talk to him much since he—" He stops himself from continuing, "Never mind."

"What is it?" I sigh.

"Since he kinda followed you everywhere in the house he kinda kept glaring at me whenever I got close to him. I think he thought I was trying to get close to you but I was just trying to speak to him," he explains, nervously looking at me.

I smile, "I'll talk to him about that, so don't worry. The easiest one to get to know out of my brothers is Ares."

He puts his jacket on again as his phone rings, "One moment Athena," he says before stepping outside and shutting the door behind him.

As I furrow my brows, I can't help but wonder what's keeping him so preoccupied today. It's rather unusual, considering that he's typically quite clingy and eager to learn everything there is to know about me.

For a few minutes, I grow restless and begin fidgeting with my hands. I tap my fingers on the table, trying to pass the time. I sigh, looking out the window, waiting any longer would be useless.

As I get up from the comfortable couch, I feel the weight of my phone in my pocket. My mind should be preoccupied with Dante's well-being and my work, but my mind always starts wandering off to a certain someone.

As I turn my gaze toward the window, I notice Hades leisurely strolling around outside, his phone held tightly in his hand. He seems lost in thought as he moves, his other hand casually tucked away in his pocket.

I force myself to look away. I take each step up the stairs, my thoughts racing as I try to push away my thoughts and maintain my focus.

My phone rings again. I look down at my phone and see Dante's name on my screen. Is it Lorenzo calling from his phone again? I furrow my eyebrows, he just called me a few minutes ago. Did he forget to mention something?

I answer the call, "Lorenzo?"

I hear his breathing heavily, sobbing, "He just— Athena he was okay! He was just fine! Smiling—"

My eyes widen. Ares? He talks so fast, his voice all shaky and I can barely even understand what he's saying.

"Ares, calm down," I quickly say, placing my hand on my forehead, "Take a deep breath and slowly tell me what happened?"

"Dante," he whispers, breathing heavily. "He's dead."