"She's gone" Xandre said to Xanthis, his eyes holding no emotion. Xanthis knew it was just a mask. "She deserved it, Dre. You don't have to feel bad about it" he said. Dre sighed, the facade vanishing."I don't know. I just think that she would have been a better person. Just like I hope that Val will change too" Dre said."Change is inevitable, brother. Who knows? He might change, but will you ever forgive him for what he did to you?" Xanthis asked. Dre stood up and walked towards the huge window in his office. Xanthis had a point there. Could he ever forgive him? He horse whipped him. The hideous scars still made him mad. He couldn't even stand to look at them. Valentino had tried to kill him. He hated him. Dre didn't want to forgive him, but he was his brother. He couldn't have grudges against him, he was still family. He was just lost. Ellise and Alicia had convinced Dre to let go of his anger towards Valentino. Besides, what had happene

      "The patient is awake now. You can go and see him if you want to" A nurse said to a worried Noelle. She nodded, shoving her hands into the pockets of her jacket. Sighing, she pushed open the door to the ward and walked in. Val's dull eyes met hers and tears filled her eyes. What would have happened if she hadn't come to the bathroom when she had?He looked so weak and drained, her heart broke for him."I'm sorry" he croaked."I-I didn't know you were suicidal" she said, trying to hold back the tears.He lowered his gaze, his fingers fumbling with the bed sheets."How many times have you thought about it?" Noelle asked."A couple of times" he replied."How many times have you attempted it?" She asked.He swallowed hard, staring at her with a blank look in his eyes. "Three times""H-how? W-Why?""When I was thirteen, I was beaten and starved for a month. I wanted to die. I swallowed pills that I wasn't su

       "I'm sorry about what he said to you" Noelle said to Valentino when they got into the car. He sighed, turning away from her. "He wasn't supposed to say that to you....""I hate therapists, Noelle. Now, I hate them even more" he said."You wouldn't mind me being your therapist?" She asked with a sheepish grimace.He stared at her, puzzled."You aren't serious, are you?" He asked. "I want you to get better, Val. You can't get better if I don't help you"He heaved another sigh, rubbing his eyes. "I don't know, Noelle...."She squeezed his hand reassuringly and pulled out of the parking lot.  When they got to Noelle's home, Valentino inhaled sharply and got out of the car."Have you made up your mind yet?" Noelle asked."Not yet""It's for your own good, just so you know"As soon as this got in, Noelle froze. Val stared at her confused. Then, he saw

    Noelle slowly sat down on a chair in the dinning room, her eyes drooping sleepily. She hadn't been getting any sleep lately, ever since she was stalked. She would always get nightmares each time she fell asleep. She couldn't keep going on like this, but she couldn't help it. She was on edge.           Rubbing her eyes with her left hand, she brought the cup of coffee to her lips and sipped the hot liquid. Just then, the door opened and Valentino stumbled in. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked very tired. His eyes held dark bags and his hair was a horrible mess. She guessed that she wasn't the only one bothered. He hadn't been doing well either. Most nights, he would have night terrors and nightmares. With everything he had gone through, Noelle really didn't know how he was coping. He wouldn't say anything. He always had a blank expression on his face. "Morning" she greeted."Morning" he replied, his

        Corey was a really nice guy and Noelle was convinced that he was a very close friend to Valentino.  Although they were safe at the moment, she still didn't feel certain that they were safe. As far as she knew, Baron was very dangerous and she was almost certain that he wasn't done with them yet. Noelle wondered how Val had managed to endure being under him.    Brianna, Corey's girlfriend was nice too. She was a regular visitor to her boyfriend's home and they all seemed to be getting along quite well."Hey, Noelle" Brianna said when Noelle opened the door to the sound of her knocking on the door."Hey, Bree. Come in" she responded.She grinned and stepped in.They settled down on the bed and began to chat about random stuff."So, you and Valentino" she said, wriggling her eyebrows.Noelle raised a brow."What about us?""You seem to have something nice going on between you two""I do