INSEPARABLE | 18+

T W E N T Y - T H R E E

Present time.
Rome, Italy.

-

Valerius remained unmoving above Antonio. His grip grew, even more, tighter, if it was possible. Dimitri glanced at both of them, a crease forming between his brows. He moved towards the door to grab the handle.

"Looks like the little birdie got caught," Antonio chuckled from underneath. A cough resonated from his throat when he tasted blood in his mouth.

The door flung open before Dimitri could touch it.

"Not so soon, Antonio." Valentina walked inside with a gun in her hand.

Antonio's eyes widened, "The men need better training," She said while passing him a smile.

Dimitri let out a chuckle, and Valerius only watched her with a gleam of pride in his eyes.

"They need you outside." Valentina looked at Dimitri who gave her nod, "Be careful," He passed Valerius a glance and then made his way out of the door.

Valerius pulled Antonio up by his arm as Valentina came closer to them. She walked slowly, almost limping, the pain in her leg was evident but she chose to hide it for now.

"Hi, Antonio." She said, staring at him.

Antonio grinned at her, "Hello Valentina."

Her eyes momentarily moved to Valerius. Her heartbeat quickened when she noticed the scar on his face, the mess on his shirt, and the bloodied knuckles.

He slightly shook his head at her, silently comforting her, telling her that he was alright.

"You both are a beautiful couple," Antonio chuckled, "But you would have looked better with me."

This earned him a punch in his ribs. Valerius threw him on the ground and brought his leg forward with force.

He kicked him for the second time.

Then for a third.

And a fourth.

Antonio screamed in pain when Valerius did not stop his ruthless attacks. He could not breathe. Neither could he stand.

"Stop!" Valentina pulled Valerius by his arm, "You will kill him." She tried to reason with him but he did not listen to her.

"This is what he deserves for disrespecting you."

His voice was so grave, it could have shaken mountains. His pupils had dilated, and the soft grey had turned to a vicious black.

"You will regret this later," She dragged him away from Antonio's body, keeping a firm grip on his arm. Valerius straightened himself and sucked in a sharp breath, he ran a hand through his hair, taming it.

"Calm down," Valentina murmured, her eyes flickering to Antonio who lay still on the ground. He was still breathing and his eyes were open, but he barely moved.

Valerius clutched Valentina's hands in his, "I am calm," He replied, drawing circles on her palm.

"Vladimir!"

The loud shout had them turning their heads towards Antonio who slid the gun to Vladimir. In their ordeal, none of them had noticed when Vladimir regained consciousness.

Valentina raised the gun in her hand and pointed it towards Vladimir who had his raised in a similar position.

Valerius tensed beside her and placed a hand protectively near her torso. This is not how he wanted this to go. It felt like a nightmare coming to life.

"Point it at Valerius," Antonio said, coughing blood. He tried to stand on his feet but ended up falling back to the ground, clutching his stomach.

"Don't you dare?" Valentina warned him, "I will not hesitate to shoot you, Vladimir."

The barrel shifted towards Valerius.

"Any last wishes?" Vladimir mocked, the smirk still prominent on his face. Valerius remained quiet. He showed no fear. Nothing.

This agitated the men.

One bullet.

It would end it all, Vladimir thought.

Valentina aimed at his hand, she curled her finger around the trigger. One, two, three, she counted in her head and then pressed it.

The bullet left the gun and hit Vladimir's hand, earning a yell from him. He gripped it, withering in pain.

But it didn't matter.

He had fired his already.

Her eyes widened as she was pushed back and the bullet embedded in the wrong chest. Valentina watched as Valerius uncurled his hand from her waist and placed it on his chest, the red staining his white shirt. Her eyes connected with his. Time seemed to slow down as he continued to look at her. He called out her name before his legs crashed to the ground.

Valentina crumpled down to her knees, hunching on the ground. She cradled his head in her lap, holding his face with her hands. She ran her hand through his hair, keeping them away from his forehead. Tears trailed down her cheeks, quiet sobs leaving her lips.

"Dimitri!" She yelled out for him, "Dimitri!" She kept calling his name. Over and over.

Dimitri ran inside, stopping in his tracks when he noticed Valerius. His eyes grew wide and he stood rooted to his spot. But when he noticed Valentina, he was thrown back to reality, "L-let me call someone!" He turned around and left, running as fast as his legs could carry him.

Valerius grabbed her small hand in his. His eyes filled with pain, softening slightly when he brought it to his lips, "I love you." He murmured, pressing a kiss to her palm.

"I love you," Valentina murmured through her cries. She pressed down on his wound, applying pressure to it. "I love you," She repeated, holding his body closer to her.

The man she loved lay before her on the cold ground.  The pain was indescribable. Her heart felt like it was being ripped out from her chest.

"Don't leave me," She sobbed desperately, shaking her head, "Please," Her breathing harbored when his eyes started to close.

No, no, no.

Footsteps rushed towards them, but Valentina kept her eyes on him. She felt a hand clamp around her shoulder, trying to move her away but she wouldn't budge.

"We need to take him," Dimitri said softly, wrapping his arm around her shoulder and bringing her back. He nodded his head towards Zara who sat beside Valentina, holding her hand.

The men carried him outside where a car was waiting for them. Valentina stood on her feet and rushed towards him, keeping her eyes on Valerius as they placed him inside.

Her stare met his.

Grey to green.

He passed her one last smile before his eyes dropped shut. Valentina blocked the noises around her, her gaze solely on one man. The door to the car shut close, as they took her Valerius away.

Valentina remained standing.

She did not move when Zara called out to her.

Neither did she budge when someone dragged her towards a car.

A sob finally broke free when she was settled in the seat. Hot tears streamed down her face. She wrapped her arms around her body, trying to breathe through them.

"Come back to me," Her pain flowed out in a flood of grief as she whispered those words.

-

Going to cry, be right back.