enigma | reus

30.

ROMESSA/MARCO | Bittersweet Enigma
a/n: wow 5k!!! to celebrate how amazing you guys are, I'm posting the final chapter :( thank you guys so much for tuning in and reading this story, it's literally my first story in like 2 years so to have you guys' support has been so encouraging. see you in the sequel!! ;)

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Romessa

By the time Marco returned from his training, the news of Robert's arrest had spread—and made breaking news—like wildfire. Several news networks, including those who didn't even specialize in sports, had reported the event; it was all I saw on Instagram and Twitter. Bella and Gianna were constantly texting in our group chat—I had absolutely no intention of responding to them. Instead, I answered a call from Cathy, who rung to check in on me.

"Mats told me the news," she stated. "I'm so happy you got that asshole. You put him where he deserves to be."

"Yeah," I responded, watching as Marco exited his bathroom. With a towel wrapped low around his waist and his biceps flexing every time he moved his arm to brush his hair, he looked like nothing short of what he was—a celebrity. "Me, too."

"I wanted to tell you that Scarlett and Anna are already working against you. They've spoken to several news outlets who reached out to them for comment. They're branding you as an attention whore. A gold digger who steals people's innocent husbands and uses them for their money and fame. They haven't used your name—for legal reasons, probably—so thats the good news."

I bit my lip. "What should I do?" I knew something like this would happen—I didn't know how I was to handle it.

"I think you should show up to the match tomorrow morning and show them that you don't give a shit what they have to say about you," stated Cathy. "Be the bigger person and don't acknowledge any of them. What they want is drama, so they can make you look bad. We're still flying to Berlin together tomorrow, aren't we?"

"Of course," I responded, glossing over Cathy's advice. Be the bigger person.

"Good. I'll pick you up in the morning. Ciao," spoke Cathy, before hanging up.

I gazed at Marco as he climbed next to me, cozying under his plush white duvet before moving so that half of his body was strewn lazily across mine. "I've been thinking," he began. "And maybe...for your own safety...it's better if you don't come tomorrow."

I stared at Marco, feeling my eyebrows furrow. "What? Why?"

"Half of the stadium will be filled with angry Polish supporters who know that if Robert were there at the match, their team would stand a much better chance of winning. But he's not there—he's in jail."

I felt myself slowly breath in. "But they don't know it was me who put them there," I responded, frowning. "It was us—"

"Well, that's the other thing. Just like Cathy said, Scarlett and the women have been spreading crazy rumors about you. They won't say your name publicly, but everyone they're close to—the people you'd sit with—knows who you are now. It might be better for everyone involved if you—"

"If I don't go," I finished his sentence with a scoff. "You want to hide me."

Marco frowned, his nostrils flaring with slight anger. "I'm not trying to hide you. I'm trying to protect you. Everything I do is to protect you."

"Well, did it ever occur to you that I don't always need your protection?" I felt the words spew out of my mouth before I could stop them—they came from my unthinking heart, not my mind. I quickly stood up. "Do you ever realize that you're not my father?"