Beneath The Surface

Chapter 44: Echoes of Silence

--- Ace's POV ---

Walking downstairs, I glance at Raven’s bedroom door. She hasn't come out yet. I hope we can pull her out of the dark place she's in. Making my way to the kitchen, I decide to prepare breakfast for her, something light. I also brew some coffee, knowing how she likes it.

Once everything is ready, I plate it all up on a tray and head back upstairs. I noticed last night that when she rejected me too, it wasn't just about Marco. Something more serious must have happened to her in Moscow. She seemed to have crawled into a dark space, and I can only hope we can get her out of it.

I lightly knock on the door but don’t get a response, so I slowly open it. She's lying in bed, completely lost in her own world as she looks out the window. Stepping into the room, I approach the bed and place the tray on the nightstand next to her. Then I sit next to her, but she still doesn't register that I'm there.

Gently, I trace my fingers over her cheek, but she flinches, a reaction I never wanted her to have with me. It confirms my fears that something did happen to her. Instead of pushing her, I gently shush her, saying, "It’s just me."

I continue, "I made you some breakfast." She finally looks over at the tray on the nightstand and says thank you, but she doesn't make a move to do anything else. The distance in her eyes is haunting, and I know this is just the beginning of a long road to recovery for her.

I hesitate for a moment, then ask her softly, "Would you like me to help you?" I indicate to the breakfast tray.

She replies, "No, thank you," and nothing more. I feel a pang of sadness at her distant response.

"Alright," I say gently, "I'll just leave the tray here. I'll be downstairs if you need anything else."

I stand up and make my way to the door, glancing back at her before leaving. She remains there, lying still, looking out the window, lost in her thoughts. It breaks my heart to see her like this.

Stepping out, I close the door behind me, feeling a mix of helplessness and hurt. I don't know what to do or say to bring her back from the darkness she's in. The woman I love is slipping away, and I feel powerless to stop it.

Then it hits me. I love her. I actually love her. I'd go to the ends of the earth for her. She has become my weakness.

But then doubt creeps in. Does she feel the same way? Would she ever be able to love a man like me? I don't even know if she knows who Marco and I really are, what we do, that we are part of the mafia.

A cold chill runs through me at the thought. If she knows what we are, it’s possible she won’t feel the same way about us. The life we lead is dangerous, brutal. Could she accept that? Could she love us despite of it? The uncertainty gnaws at me, filling me with a sense of dread.

I make my way downstairs, trying to shake off the doubts. I need to talk to Marco, to figure out what our next step is. Raven’s well being comes first, but the questions swirling in my mind won’t be easy to ignore.

Reaching the kitchen again, I can hear Marco talking on the phone. His voice is low but tense, filled with barely restrained anger.

Stepping fully into the kitchen, I see Marco standing by the window, staring out at the backyard with a hard expression. He glances at me and then ends the call abruptly.

“What was that about? You seemed pissed,” I ask, sensing the tension radiating off him.

Marco’s jaw tightens, his eyes flickering with frustration. “Our men still can't find Raven's father. It's like he vanished off the face of the earth after the wedding. But they're still looking.”

A surge of anger courses through me. We need to find him and make him pay for what he did to Raven, for the pain he caused her.

Marco takes a deep breath, trying to rein in his anger. “How’s Raven?”

I shake my head, feeling a knot of helplessness tightening in my chest. “She’s not doing well. She didn’t even register me entering the room, and she flinched when I tried to get her attention.”

Marco’s face falls, the hurt and helplessness mirroring my own feelings. We stand there in heavy silence, both grappling with the weight of our guilt and the desire to help her.

“She’s completely withdrawn,” I continue, my voice tinged with frustration. “I don’t know how to reach her, Marco. She needs time, but... I’m scared that time might not be enough.”

Marco nods slowly, his eyes dark with regret. “We need to be patient, Ace. She’s been through hell, and it’s our fault she’s in this state. We have to give her space, but also make sure she knows we’re here for her.”

“Yeah,” I agree, though the thought of standing by while she suffers feels like torture. “We’ll do whatever it takes to help her heal.”

Marco turns back to the window, his shoulders sagging with the weight of his own guilt. I pour us both a strong drink, and we clink glasses silently, both lost in our own thoughts.

“She’s tough,” Marco says finally, breaking the silence. “She’ll pull through this. We just have to make sure we’re there when she’s ready to come back to us.”

I nod, hoping he’s right. For her sake, and for ours.

We sit at the kitchen table, the silence heavy around us. Marco takes a long sip of his drink, then sets the glass down with a sigh. “I can’t shake the feeling that something more happened to her, something worse than we know. Like you said.”

I look at him, "I know. The way she flinched, the way she’s shut down... it’s more than just being kidnapped. Something broke her, Marco.”

Marco’s grip tightens around his glass, his knuckles turning white. “We need to find out what happened, Ace. But we can’t push her. Not now.”

“Agreed,” I say, my mind racing with the possibilities of what Raven might have endured. “We’ll be there for her, however long it takes. But we also need to find her father. He's the one responsible for this.”

Marco nods, a grim determination settling over him. “We’ll find him. And when we do, he'll pay for what he did to her.”

The resolve in his voice mirrors my own feelings. We can’t change the past, but we can make sure those responsible are held accountable.

As the morning sun begins to filter through the kitchen windows, we finish our drinks, a silent pact forming between us. We’ll do whatever it takes to help Raven heal, and we’ll hunt down those who hurt her. For now, though, we need to be patient and gentle, giving her the space she needs to come back to us.

“We should check on her again later,” Marco says, breaking the silence. “Maybe if she sees us both, she’ll feel more secure.”

“Yeah,” I agree, standing up and stretching. “We’ll take turns. Make sure she knows she’s not alone.”

Marco nods, a hint of a smile touching his lips for the first time. “We’ll get through this, Ace. Together.”

Together. It’s the only way any of us will make it through this dark time. And with that shared resolve, we set about our day, each of us carrying the weight of our guilt and determination to make things right for Raven.