INSEPARABLE | 18+

T W E N T Y - F I V E

Present time.
Rome, Italy.

-

Salvatore Bernardi had arrived in the morning. Valentina had welcomed him, but they did not exchange any conversation other than the occasional greetings. Once he was settled, Dimitri informed him about every matter, and all hell broke loose when he heard about Valerius.

"You did not even bother to call me?"

Dimitri hung his head low as he listened to him complain.

Valentina remained quiet as she stood near the wall.

Salvatore shook his head, "Antonio," He spat his name, "I raised that boy and he betrayed his own family? His blood?" His voice had raised now, "He does not deserve to live. Such a vile scum!"

"I agree." Valentina started to speak, "He and Vladimir should be punished."

The former Don squinted his eyes at her, "Who are you to speak in our matters?"

Dimitri raised his head, "She is the future Donna."

Valentina had not expected him to speak since he was quiet for the last hour, but he was quick to jump in and defend her.

"The future," Salvatore emphasized, "She holds no power without her marriage to Valerius."

Valentina sucked in a sharp breath, "Actually," She began, "I do."

"No —"

"Valerius has written and signed it," Dimitri said, "Valentina is his equal, before and after their matrimony."

Valentina looked at Dimitri, "Can you give us a minute?"

Dimitri hesitated but left the room, thinking it was for the better that she handled Salvatore herself.

Valentina rounded the desk and sat on the chair. She pointed towards the seat in front of her, "Please sit."

She had no idea if Salvatore would listen to her, but he did.

"I know you are not a fan of me," She joined her hands together, "But Valerius is fighting for his life, and it is all because of those two men," Valentina let out a shaky breath, "You can either side with me or go against me," She tilted her head to a side, "I am killing them either way."

"Kill?"

"Si," She nodded, "Kill."

Salvatore raised his brow at her. This woman was.. different, he thought. He had expected her to be obnoxious, and bothersome, just like the other women in the Mafia. But, she had stood her ground in front of him. Not once did her gaze waver while addressing him. If she was going to the lengths of killing someone, her grandson must mean a lot to her.

Valentina placed her hand out, "Can we call it a truce and bear each other just for a few days?"

Salvatore smirked.

And then met her hand.

"Posso capire perché gli piaci," He murmured.

(I can see why he likes you)

"Loves," Valentina corrected him, "loves me."

_

"Is he doing better?"

Valentina looked towards the doctor as he checked Valerius, waiting impatiently for an answer.

"Is he?" She asked again when he did not answer her.

The doctor turned around to face her, "He is strong, mentally and physically, and his body is fighting." He said, "But I am not sure when he will wake up."

Her shoulders slumped, "He will be fine, right?"

"We can only hope so."

Dimitri turned towards the door when the doctor excused himself to leave.

Valentina stood near the bed, her hand reaching his face, caressing his cheek. She gently rubbed her thumb against his nose, "I miss you so much." She repeated those words for the hundredth time, "You promised that you would come back to me."

Her eyes welled up, a choked sob escaping her lips.

"Then why didn't you?"

Her mind replayed all the memories. All those times when he promised to return. The times when she almost lost him. The times when he put his life on the line for her. But despite all the gruesome memories, they had their happy moments.

His smile when she dragged him out of the bed in the morning. Their playful banter when he would always want to see her painting. His protests when she woke him up in the middle of the night for food. His annoyance when she would go to her office without taking the guards. His laugh at her most silly jokes.

His gentle kisses.

His tender love.

Him.

Her Valerius.

"You need to wake up," She lowered herself slowly beside him, "I cannot do this all alone." Her voice trailed, "I knew what this life entailed, but I was selfish, I wanted you and I still want you. I will never leave you alone, Valerius." Valentina placed her head beside his hand, "Not even death can separate us."

Her eyes grew tired.

She couldn't remember the last time she had a peaceful sleep.

If Valerius was awake, he would have fussed over it. He hated when she did not take care of her health. Oftentimes, Valentina skipped lunch in the gallery due to being busy; when this came to Valerius's knowledge, she noticed him standing outside her workplace at lunch hour.

She chuckled as she recalled the time.

"Valentina?"

She tilted her head to see Dimitri standing by the door.

"You can come in." She said and stood up to sit on the sofa. Dimitri entered and took a seat beside her.

"Are you alright?" He asked, noticing her tear-stained eyes.

Valentina wiped her hand over them, "I am," She nodded, "Has he settled?"

Valentina still did not know how to address Salvatore.

"He has," Dimitri answered. He rubbed the back of his head and Valentina sensed that he wanted to say something.

"What is it?"

Dimitri met her eyes with a sheepish smile, "You are good at reading people." He praised and then pointed towards Valerius, "Just like him." He cleared his throat before speaking, "Well, I just wanted to say well done."

"For what?"

"For being composed in front of him." Dimitri said, "He is a former Don. He thrives on people's fears and easily picks up on them. He must think you are competent since he did not say a word about you."

"I had to stay calm," Valentina fiddled with her fingers, "But he is a scary man."

"Oh that he is," Dimitri agreed, "You should have seen him when we were kids. He has trained all of us. The only one who he couldn't fully control was Valerius," He looked towards him, "Maybe that is why their relationship is like this," Dimitri shrugged his shoulders, "They respect each other but would never admit it."

"What a family," Valentina murmured.

"Seriously," Dimitri slumped against the couch, "What a family."

-

Thoughts?