3] The cries of desperation

As the doctors came into the room, the man's mind seemed to focus on her. After all that had happened, he loved his wife more than anything, despite his knowledge of her not being his. His brain seemed to function normally now and he took a step towards his wife, holding her hand.

"Amelia, love, don't worry, it will be okay." the woman nodded, after all, she is a doctor, and she knows better, but what the man didn't know was that she was able to give birth to this child, but unable to live past a year. "I- I know, Valentino. I know, I just want you to promise me one more time, okay? Okay, Valentino, promise me please?" the woman looked deep into his dark eyes, trying to find her salvation. She hated herself for taking him away, even if they never met the woman that was supposed to be with him, she hated herself for being selfish.

At first, when they had Matthew, they weren't married, she tried to run away, but he went after her three years later and found her with his child. He was angry, furious, and that was the first time that she had realized they weren't supposed to be together. She couldn't handle him when he went into the dark side. And it was part of him that everyone in his life should accept, not change. She learned that the hard way.

Ten years ago and two years into their marriage, someone went against her husband's wishes, a traitor in the family. It was then that she had seen how cruel he could be, and she couldn't handle it, once more she was reminded that he wasn't hers.

[Ten years ago]

"Brother, do we have to kill this man, he has been with us for years?" a young man's voice sounded from the office. "He betrayed us, Leonardo, he sold information about our whereabouts, about our family's whereabouts. He must die, and most cruelly after I will hang him on the door for everyone to see. Whoever dares come against us, they will have the same fate." The other man was serious and cold. "I understand brother, but I didn't expect him to be this ruthless, he almost killed Andrea." Leonardo roared in anger, trying to contain his anger, but failing. "I will handle him myself, brother, don't worry, he'd wish he was already dead." The men were talking at Valentino's office, unknowing of another presence outside the door.

"Mommy, I want daddy to play with me!" a small voice sounded from the child's room, "I know baby, he will come later okay?" the mother said with a smile. "But now I want mommy." the boy continued asking his father, "Okay, my Matthew, I will go inform him okay?" the mother asked with a sigh as she smiled at the boy. "Okay! Take this car with you, it is Daddy's favorite!" the woman nodded and went out of the child's playroom. She followed the trail to the man's office with a smile on her face, she was very happy being with him and her son.

After a short walk, she came to a halt outside the door. Her features became instantly bewildered and her brows flew up to her forehead. Her eyes widened in fear as she listened to her husband's conversation. "So when do we do this, brother?" Leonardo asked his p; der brother, "Now. I am going to decapitate his limbs, feed him medicine and break each one of his bones." Ares said cooly, "I want to come with you." Leonardo added,  "Okay, let's go."

The woman shook her head in denial, how could her husband be so cruel? But she knew, she knew what man he was and he loved him for it. The thing that upset her was that she could only stay in a corner watching, not even daring to comfort him. She wanted to do so, but she wasn't strong enough. However much she tried, she wasn't born a leader like her husband, she was just another girl in love. The sound of the door opening sounded then,

"Love, what are you doing here? Are you okay? You seem pale." The low warming voice seemed to wake her out of her trance and she gave her husband a soft hug before smiling sweetly at him. "Matthew wanted to play with you, so I came to ask if you have time for it," she asked hopefully and the man smiled and followed after her.

[End of flashback]

Her eyes closed and opened as if to walk past the clouds overshadowing her mind. "Promise me, Ares." The man's eyes seemed to darken, but he kept his composure for the sake of his wife. Inside though, he was boiling in anger. "Okay, love. Don't talk too much now, save your energy okay?" he said smiling, but his jaw flexed subconsciously. "Okay, darling." she nodded, tears of pain sliding down her high cheeks. The man kissed her forehead and nodded at the doctor. After they placed the woman on the operation bed, the doctor followed close behind them, "Dear, are you ready?" the doctor asked with a bright smile on her face. "Y-yes doctor." the woman nodded before a soul-tearing scream sounded from her mouth.

The pain was so fierce that her fragile body trembled uncontrollably. "Now, Amelia, my dear, we have been through this six times before. When I say push, you push, am I clear?" The doctor sat down in front of her, while the man continued holding his wife's hand. The woman nodded in agreement as she fought another scream emitting from her lungs. The doctor looked up at the man with furrowed brows and took a deep breath before speaking, "Now, dear, push!" And so it happened, after nine hours of labor, and a difficult situation, the woman gave birth to a beautiful little girl.

"Isn't she beautiful, Ares?" she asked rhetorically, tears sliding down her pale cheeks. The man nodded in agreement, a wide smile playing on his lips. It was so genuine that the woman feared interrupting his happiness. This little thing again showed her that she wasn't for him, she wasn't strong enough to keep him smiling, and she didn't dare interrupt him when she knew that only by fighting him from time to time could he become accustomed to this lifestyle, but still, she didn't dare. She smiled sadly at her daughter as she softly sang her a lullaby. "She is indeed very beautiful, dear." the man nodded once more in appreciation, "You gave me the most precious gift in the world once more. I don't know what I have done to deserve such a beautiful woman." he mused, kissing her lips softly. Their foreheads collided together as they closed their eyes.

A comfortable silence overtook the ward as they heard each other excited heartbeats. "I love you, Ares," she said soundlessly. He smiled happily, "Well, well, I remember someone said that she'd go to her brother and never come back?" he chuckled slowly, a sexy sound that no woman could resist. "I said that I would come back when you came begging for me, don't be so dumb." She laughed out loud and then realized she should quiet down because they were at a hospital. The man scoffed but still couldn't hide the smile on his face, after all, he just witnessed the birth of his daughter. He snatched skillfully and carefully the little girl off his mother's embrace and gave her the softest kiss he could manage. The baby giggled and smiled brightly at him, the light radiated to his heart, making his eyes glimmer in the sun-bathed room.

The woman smiled and rolled her eyes at the scene, she knew he'd do it before he even thought about it. In the past twelve years, they have been through a lot. At their first meeting, the man had placed a gun to her forehead, ready to kill her. But when their eyes met, destiny took hold of their lives. They both knew they weren't made for each other, but they also knew that the time they had together was given to them by fate. The woman believed it was her duty to soften him for the woman that belonged to him, the one that will appear sooner or later. And she was happy about it, she didn't want him to be alone after she died. The only thing that she wanted to do was love him, even if she knew the love he gave her wasn't passionate, but it was normal, slowly he'd learn what real love means, and he'll show the woman that was meant to be with him. She only fears that he'd push her away. Every time she thinks of it, her heart beats faster in fear.

Until now she hasn't found any girl that suits him. It's always that one, the abnormal, the beautiful, self-destructing. She knows when she meets this girl, she would be able to die peacefully. She believes that she will, and she will immediately let them meet, she just wants to be sooner than later, after all, she doesn't have much time left. She loved the man so much that he gave him everything without regretting it. She didn't want him to feel pain, the pain she was feeling every day. She knew after she was gone he would turn into that monster he showed his enemies. The only hope she had was their children, they would keep him sane until the girl comes.

She was so sure that she would, and she was right, if only she knew that fate had so many plans for her husband and that girl. She only wished her husband had not hurt that woman, his woman. She felt guilty for hiding her situation from him, she only had a year left and she wanted to spend it with her family, not in a hospital.

She would tell him everything when the time comes though, so he would not hurt as much as she did.