The Mafia's Angel | 18+

𝙏𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙫𝙚

𝘼𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖

✦⋆𓆩✧𓆪⋆✦

I think I've lost the ability to feel.

As I stand with my back facing Ari, Eliana, and Elio, I feel absolutely nothing. The flames reached the sky, climbing up and up and up, making the night sky orange. Each crackle of the stucco made my eyes slide to the noise, mine and Erik's rooms were gone, Lily's was being swallowed by the roaring fire, and Mamma and Papa's was already a pile of ash. I no longer had a home, I had no place to return to. My whole life has just been wiped away. Yet, I felt nothing. No sadness, no grief, no anger. Just nothing.

"What does it mean," I breathed out, turning my head slightly to look at Eliana, "When I don't feel anything anymore?"

"Ariella-"

"Am I ruined?"

I backed away when Ari stepped towards me because he would never let me believe I was ruined, but I needed to hear it from the person who studied psychology, I needed to hear it from someone who wouldn't say things to protect me. "No Ariella," Elianna stepped forward and took my hands in hers, "You've had many major traumas back to back," Boy was that an understatement, "You not feeling anything is just your mind protecting you, when you're ready to feel everything, you'll feel it, but until then you won't feel much."

I turned back to the house, watching twenty-six years of memories be wiped away, every smile, every laugh, every cry had been reduced to ash, the flickering flames swallowing the rest of my pain. A sound from the left made me jump, and I saw Esmeray running towards me, a maid my father had employed, a phone was in her hand and when she stopped, her chest rising and falling in a series of pants, she held the device in front of me, "Tuo fratello," I furrowed my brows, taking the phone from her, "Erik."

I turned my attention back to the burning building, leaning against Ari when he stood behind me, "Salve Erik."

I waited for the berating, for the screaming, for the implication that this was all my fault. But I heard none of it, just muffled cries on the other end of the line, "Nonna, it's okay, I'm checking on her right now," Erik's voice was calm, but I could hear the tremor in his voice, maybe he was scared of losing me after all. "Ella," He breathed out after recognizing he heard my voice, "Please tell me you're not hurt."

"No, I'm okay," I slid one hand down my front to rest on Ari's arm, his lips pressing to the top of my head, "But the house-"

"I don't care about the house, I care about you and your safety," Erik cut in immediately, and I blinked at the sudden care, "Were you in the house?"

"No, I've been staying at Ari's."

"Stay there with him, do not be out of his sight," Erik commanded and I nodded, already convinced that I wasn't leaving Ari's sight, not with the way that he was holding me so tight against his chest, "Ezio is on his way to the house now to assess the damage, to do a full report, I'm catching the first flight back to the states, meet me tomorrow at the penthouse in the city," Erik was talking so fast I feared he was going to pass out, and Nonna's wailing in the background wasn't helping, "I love you Ella, I know I've been crap at telling you."

"Erik, calm down it's fine, bring Nonna with you," He grunted his approval, "Ezio's car is coming up the drive now, I'll meet you at the penthouse tomorrow, just take into account my safety please, the penthouse isn't nearly as guarded as Ari's and these people wanted me dead too, let me stay at Ari's house."

"Deal, I'll see you tomorrow Ariella."

"Goodnight Erik."

Ezio and Ari spoke in hushed tones as I slipped out of his grip and walked to Eliana, who just wrapped me up in her arms, letting the warmth of the blaze keep us together on a chilly summer night. So much has happened, in such a short time, and I thought I would love feeling numb after feeling everything so deeply for so many days but, the feeling made me uneasy. I didn't have stable ground to stand on without my emotions. It was like someone reached inside of me and plucked the feelings right out of their home. Just like me, I suppose. Eliana guided me to a car, Ari slipped in after me and I shifted so I could curl up into his side, letting the familiar comfort of his arms soothe me.