LOGINBlaze and Armani were more than just brothers. They were friends, too. Best friends. Confidants. And there wasn’t anyone else in the whole world who proved to be as loyal or kind. There wasn’t anyone else they could trust. Not with their deepest, darkest secrets or the emotions they could never quite name, but always seemed to tear them apart.And although the Castelli’s weren’t the best at handling their emotions and putting their feelings into words, there was always some sort of understanding between the two brothers - a special kind of connection that made it so they didn’t even have to try. Not to speak or listen, or look for whatever underlying clues hidden between the lines. Not when they knew each other so well. Better than anyone else ever had or will.Instead, the two would sit, and they would share a drink - or rather a bottle of whatever they chose for the day - and they would drown out their sorrows until, eventually, whatever was bothering them would come up to the surfa
Dinner started off slow and awkward as people slowly began to file into the dining room, finding their respective seats around the table as if it were a chore. Liviana had to pretend not to notice the way each and every one of them kept stealing glances in her direction, eyes inevitably drawn to Blaze’s usually empty seat at the head of the table, where he’d typically be sitting and glaring at them as they entered.She tried especially hard to ignore her parents, who kept her pinned to her seat with the weight of their gazes, pretending not to hear them as they whispered questions of “Where is he?” And, “Do you think he’s going to show?” Before the dreaded moment finally came when they decided to ask her to her face.“Honey?” Drusilla called softly, clearing her throat when she goes unanswered. “Liviana, hon-“Her grip tightened around the glass of wine she had been nursing, knowing she couldn’t put it off any longer. Not when everyone was looking at her like that. Worried, suspicious
Liviana sat silently with her head in her hands, knee bouncing with nerves. “I just... I don’t understand,” she murmured. “Why would she-“ she cut herself off, narrowing her eyes as if she’s missing something she so desperately wanted to see, to know, to understand. But she couldn’t. No matter how many times she replayed the day in her head and went over their conversation, she couldn’t figure it out. Why would her mother lie? Why did she care so much? Who was this so-called friend of hers? Why was he spying on her?Her head felt full, her mind painfully overworking itself with the way it came up with question after question, thought after thought, worry after worry, until she felt like she just might explode.Groaning, she buries her face in her hands, hiding herself behind a curtain of dark hair, as if she would somehow be able to escape the thoughts, if not her own tortured mind. If only it were that easy.Instead, the noise rings in her ears and the pounding in her head worsens, a
Liviana chased after her sister-in-law with a sigh, calling quietly, “Vi, wait-“ But it’s of no use. The blonde is already long gone.Inside, she marched through the foyer, stubbornly shaking her head. “No!” she refused, reminding the raven, “You’re the one who said I could stay, so I’m staying.” Violet shrugged, tossing her coat aside with her bag and making herself at home, as if to prove a point. “Unless, of course, you’ve changed your mind?” She turns her way, quirking an accusing brow at the woman, asking, “Is that it? Do you not want me here anymore?”Shaking her head, Liviana insists, “Of course I do! It’s just-““Just what?” She presses, arms crossing over her chest, eyes sharpening into something cold and offended. “What’s the problem, Livi?”“Nothing! There is no problem, I just-“ she cut herself off with a sigh, eyes darting around the foyer, waiting for the moment someone else would inevitably discover them. She knew it was coming - that it was only a matter of time before
"Violet-" Liviana called after the woman, sparing her husband a final glance over her shoulder, torn. She hated that they didn't have time for a proper conversation, and that she never had the chance to ask, "Are you okay?" Before he sends her away."Take Vi home," he ordered without so much as a second thought. "Take her, and I'll stay with Mani, okay?"She wanted to ask if he was sure. If this was really a good idea after he and Armani were already pushing each other around. But he doesn't give her a chance."Go," he persisted, nodding toward the blonde, who'd already begun walking away. "She needs someone right now."She hesitates, watching as the man sighs and starts toward her. "Are you-"He knew what she was going to ask - "Are you okay? Are you sure?" - and he answers before she can so much as get the question out, rushing her along with a curt nod. "Mhm," he hums, reaching out to tuck a piece of hair behind her ear, promising, "I'll be fine. You can go." Because, really, what
Finding Armani wasn’t as difficult as it was to try to have a conversation with him once they did. The man, who scoffed and turned on his heel, booking it in the other direction the second he spotted them down one of the aisles, made it impossible with the way he avoided their eyes and ignored every desperate word. Even as Liviana and Blaze huffed and puffed, begging and pleading with the man to listen to them, talk to them, come with them, he wouldn’t. He didn’t so much as bat an eye in their direction, making it clear that he was done. He wanted nothing to do with it - this, whatever it was - anymore. They were officially on their own.Blaze sighs, sick of his brother’s stonewalling after what felt like an eternity of chasing him around the store, rushing through aisles just to keep up with him. “Armani, come on!“ Exasperated, he rushed ahead of the man, cutting off his path once and for all.The two women, who had been lingering behind the two brothers, allowing them a moment to sp
Walking into the Castelli manor - her so called second home - felt like walking into a room where you knew everyone was just talking about you, whispers being passed as they entered before, suddenly, everyone was going so hush you could hear a pin drop. It was nauseating, and by then, Liviana wasn'
Blaze Castelli was a persuasive man. It was the word on the street, another stroke in that not-so-pretty reputation people painted for him. "He's so charming. He's a monster. He's irresistible. He's the devil."And although she listened, although she heard them, she wasn't sure she believed them.
The two didn't know what to do with themselves, left to rot in a pile of rubble from their broken dreams with just one single question in mind. How the hell did they get here? It was all they could think about, retracing every step of their lives as they tried to find where they went wrong. What d
Liviana is hit with a spell of déjà vu the moment she ventures through that office door and settles back down in that chair, across from her husband, beside her sister-in-law, stuck in hell all over again, it seems. But really, what else was new? At this point, she was beginning to think that, aft







