The chapter was too long, /(ㄒoㄒ)/ I had to cut it. Chapter 3 will be up in a few minutes.
The tinted windows give the car a cold feel, which does nothing for the atmosphere.“You look just like Henry.”Cindy says with a faint blush on her cheeks. Did her crush change?“That’s because he has one of those faces.”I add with a smile as I rub her hair.“Here.”I hand Cindy my phone after setting it to ‘kids mode’ to get her attention off Christopher, and she readily puts on a game. I don’t know the name of the game, but it has to do with raising cute pigs.“But…if he looks like me, then do I have one of those faces?”Henry asks with his brows furrowed.“Of course not. His is just…generic, you know. Doesn’t he look like Phil or Gary?”I mention the name of our gardener and mailman to instigate him, but Henry only looks more confused.“I think your mother doesn't know the difference between genetic and generic.”Christopher says as he passes me some documents in a folder.“What is this?”“Flowers.”He answers.A sneer curls up my lip at his response.My fingers open the folder h
“You're telling me you don't want a family?"Luca asked Christopher as he panted.It was a cold night, and after the fight with three druggies and their bouncer, they were sprawled on their backs, watching the moon in an abandoned building.Somehow, the moon looked bigger than usual."I do. I want a son, I don't know dick about girls but a boy, we'd be partners in crime.""Bull shit, you want to bring your child into this life?"Luca asked with a sour laugh."I want them to be smart, strong and hell; I know it’s a shit life, but it's still a life. I'd keep them safe, of course, but wouldn't it be fantastic if we could protect the things we love together?”"Hah, look, Lynn just texted me."Luca said sitting up abruptly as he held his phone.Luca was a jackass in many ways; he didn’t even pretend to listen to his well-thought-out reply.“Fine, go! Make a baby.”“If I make a son, will you raise him for me?”“Fuck’s sake, Luca.”Christopher grumbled with a smile.What would he have said di
[Aren't you angry?]Olivia asks through the phone; now that I have been caught, I no longer have to use a burner, and our calls aren’t limited to certain times of the day.I ponder her question as I stare at the suitcases piled on my bed for both Henry and me.The sound of screaming grows loud from her side, forcing Olivia to yell.[Hey! Outside! All of you- you too, Matteo!]After a while, everything falls silent.[Sorry, please, your answer Liz?]Will I be as happy as her if I do this marriage thing?"What if I get angry and lose Henry? My biggest priority is my son; you understand that, right?"I ask.[But he is uprooting you from your life!]To me, Olivia sounds spoiled; her husband loves her, so he will tolerate her tantrums. Christopher, on the other hand, hates me.So what if our one-night stand was good, non-consensual and mind-blowing, we are not each other’s types, and now we are stuck together."Aren’t you glad I’ll be seeing you soon?"I ask to end the topic she keeps brin
Trigger Warning: Implications of an attempted Suicide.Wow, what a blunt bastard—is what I want to say to him, but Henry is watching us too intently.“Let's talk about this later.”I say as the flight takes off, it only takes Henry a few minutes to fall asleep. It is only when I confirm this, that I continue.“I want to create a safe home for Henry; I want him to believe that his parents are in love.”“How? There is no fidelity in our vows, Elizabeth. You can fuck whoever you want as long as none of your affairs affect us, and I can do the same. Eventually, he’ll understand our relationship. Do you think the world is kind enough to pretend just to keep him at ease-”“Look at him!”I whisper-yell as I point at Henry, and again, he lifts his eyes from his computer.“If the world is unkind, then can't you be his kindness?”Christopher’s gaze softens, and a flicker of emotion crosses his hard features as he glances at Henry’s sleeping frame before his stoney expression returns.“What does
"Thank you for coming to see me at the airport, I’m sorry my future husband has a stick up his ass, but I’m okay. I’m really okay.”I say with a smile and hug her one last time.“‘Okay-okay’, or ‘barely holding on, so I might as well double down, okay’?”“Ok-”Ah shit, it’s so hard to lie to her; it’s like my body won’t permit it.“I thought so. I’ll visit you soon, with the whole family. Oh, why don’t we do Sunday family dinners?”“You don’t have to-”“No, our husbands are brothers, so there is no way either one of them will act prissy about it! We can do a potluck, well bring some food over and-”“I have barely settled in the country, let alone seen our new house, and I have a wedding to get to- no to attend as the bride in three days. Let me breathe first before we start setting up routines.”Olivia nods in understanding.“Mum?”Henry says in a small voice as he lifts his head off his shoulder.“Oh, he is awake.”Olivia says as she approaches Henry, but Henry hides his face on Chri
"I'll give both of you time to talk."I say as I brush past Alessio, who resembles a golden retriever. ‘Brush past’ because he doesn't make room for me to pass.I guess he is a bad puppy. Still, sex is off the table for as long as possible. I don’t want Henry to be uncertain about his position here or to know the other side of me.Thank God for sex toys.“I don’t…know where my room is.”I say before fully leaving.“You will be assisted by the staff.”Christopher says as he waves me off.“Great.”I say finally and leave the third floor of the house.There is an elevator, but…I don’t really like them. So, I take my time down the steps that feel as if they go on forever. I was panting on the way up, but I didn’t want Christopher to know how unfit I am. I guess lies about walking everywhere don’t count in making you fitter. Still, I should get some cardio in.Lily, the maid, tries to stop Henry from running up to me but fails when he slips between her hands."Sorry."I apologise on his be
Christopher D’AmicoAlessio chuckled. He seemed to find the situation amusing.“Why did you call me here?”Elizabeth asked after a sigh as if to reset the scenario."We need to find something, and the boss thinks you can help."Alessio chimes in, freeing him from having to maintain the conversation for too long."If you can't come with us, then I can show you pictures.""Pictures?"She repeats this as she takes the phone that Alessio hands to her.She looks at the building in the picture and swipes left to get various angles until she stops at one where a man is kneeling and covered in blood; it is there that she drops the phone."What the hell is that?"Alessio manages to catch the falling phone as if he had anticipated it."I like it. It's one of my favourite pictures. The expression of someone seconds before they die. It's art."Alessio defends.Christopher didn't like Alessio.His obsessions were not normal, and he could drop everything the moment he became obsessed with something
"How did you know to look up?"He asks again as if I didn’t explain my reasoning earlier.No, I'm not imagining it. He is blocking my path.What the hell? What the hell is this! Did...Christopher let him follow me.He must have seen him leave the dinner table; it was just the three of us.Fuck, think Eliza! Think!"Let's head back to the main room."I say, trying to maintain my ground in the conversation."How did you know? You only looked at the picture for less than a minute."Mr Rossi asks again."It was obvious, so let's go back.""It wasn't obvious to me, and I had the picture for a week. How did you know?"He is starting to sound like a broken record.The only weapon I have in my body is a taser, but with a person who thinks a person's last breath is art, I only have one chance.I can taste bile in my mouth, and my heart is beating so loudly that I'm worried he might hear my fear."Mr Rossi.”I call, and this time, his hands land on my shoulder."Alessio. Call me Alessio."I clen