Vera Ivanov lived a life that she was appreciative of. In the mafia world, being born a women itself was the biggest weakness someone could find of you. She was one of the lucky ones to have earned what she has with the help of her father. Even if their relationship was simply conditional love. The bare minimum was all Vera could be thankful for. The place she grew up was never her home. And all she could ever want was to have something or someone to call home. Silas Mariano was born and raised in a home that messed with his brain for fun. For any child who had witnessed what he has, there would be no surprise why he ended up the way he is. From then onwards all he longed for was revenge and power. He wanted to destroy the people who made him into this monster. Yet he also wanted to kill the part of him that still longed for a home of love. When the two get tied together for marriage, there's no denying the sudden and new feeling that they can't seem to understand. It's different then what they'd grew up in and it scared them. Home was always supposed to be a person.

Love always burns. In fiery passion and in cruel betrayal. With the love of his life by his side, Dominic had felt at peace for the first time in his life. But how, in good faith, can he so easily forgive her after all that pain she caused him and his family? He was losing his mind, and he had no idea who or what could stop him. He felt sick to his stomach from the pity and wide arms flung upon him. He was tired of people asking him whether he was okay all the time, as if they were waiting for him to lose it. He despised the idea that, had he kept his heart hidden as he had for all these years, all of this could have been prevented. Arabella had experienced what he was going through once. She was aware of the pain and resentment that come from being looked down upon due to the trials that they had endured. She understood that sometimes a helping hand looks just as daunting as being held at gunpoint. Nonetheless she still found herself yearning to help him move on. Something she hadn't done yet herself. When she kept stuffing things down her throat rather than communicating, who was she to say anything? She had never told him the whole truth, so how could she make him open up? Why did he still feel like he didn't need to breathe a single meaningful breath without her? Where mercy is shown, mercy is given.

She was lost and so was he. Who knew that two broken hearts can connect to one. Arabella's world has been rigged since the day she was born. Her fate had been decided for her much longer before she even had been conceived in the womb. So it came as no surprise when she found herself back at the beginning. As if the pain she has previously experienced wasn't enough, she now needs to relearn how to balance her life. She can't help but pray to the universe for a break. She was exhausted from fighting for all she had and watching her life fall apart just as quickly as it had come back together. Dominic's life was something he would forever be grateful for since he knew that he never had it as rough as others. But there were always going to be times that he wanted to give up. With the responsibility of leading an entire mafia and his own past commitment issues, he believes the barrier to letting go is far greater than what others tell him. And when new desires emerge, he notes how his heart skips a beat whenever he sees her. His instinct kicks in, and he raises his barriers twice as high as she lowers hers to make place for him. All I was guilty of, was showing them mercy when no one else would. ~~~ "I saw you, Dominic. I wish you saw me." "I see you." I freeze at his words, my back facing him. "I can only see you. Everything I look at, everything I touch, everything I smell always leads back to you. I spent most of my life thinking that my heart was my biggest weakness. I always imagined that it would be my downfall. I had a loving family and that was enough for me. Getting a girlfriend, getting married, having a family, none of that mattered to me. Before you." He pauses, taking a breath and my eyes water. "I kept any other part of my heart guarded and almost locked. It was as if I didn't have one at all. Even now, its still fucked up. The lock I've kept is warned out though the only person who has its key is you. It's yours."

She hated them. They loved her with everything in them. The universe truly has a sick way of telling you it's there, doesn't it? From being kidnapped to being abused, that was all Arabella saw in life. It was all she ever knew. They tell you to keep fighting but sometimes you realize... you were just a child. Now she's built herself up using her pain as the next step to her strength. She's learnt how to strive forward even as her past haunts her mind crawling up her back every passing second. That is until the first 7 people who only ever brought her pain find their way back into her life. She has no way to let go of her past when they come right back to her. The world showed her no mercy in it's ways so why should she. ~~~ I let out a small sigh wanting more of this. I wanted to be held like this whenever I felt broken. Feel the way he puts me back together in his arms. It ate at my heart and I could have sworn I felt a feathery kiss on my head. It was as if he could hear my thoughts and was kissing them away for me. Slowly he lets one hand go, the other staying around me as he brings my chin up to him gently wiping my last tears as more fill my eyes. He sees this and his eyes look... crumbled. If you feel this way then why can't you choose me, Dominic. I shake my head from his hands wishing to step back but he pulls me back to him a pain filled groan leaving him. "Just one more minute. Please." His body shook and I brought him closer, feeling our pain become one. Our hurricanes of minds pull away even for the smallest time letting us stand together as one in each other's embrace. He was it for me. But I wasn't his.