The curtains felt like a blessing. Now they didn't have to wake up every morning with the sun blinding them. Last night went by in a blur. Fabiano was okay and that was a relief. They had come home near midnight and she was bone-tired, so she fell asleep on Enzo's chest after changing clothes. Lily woke up feeling someone rubbing her bare back inside her shirt and to the rapid tempo of heartbeats in her right ear. She slowly blinked her eyes open, frowning. "What time is it?" She groaned."Seven." Enzo had already woken up before she did. He woke up at 4 in the morning and watched her sleep. At first, she was a bit mortified but got a hang of it eventually. He liked watching her sleep. She buried her face into his neck and felt his muscles flex. Her fingertips circled around the tattoo on his chest. An intricate picture of a skull laying on a full-bloomed lily. "What does this tattoo mean?" "Life and Death." He said as he resumed stroking her. A shiver ran up her spine when he trac
"After he died, I saw you at church. On your knees, crying, heartbroken." He said, running his fingers through her hair. "That's when I knew I needed to wait.""You... why?" Her chin wobbled. "Why would you wait for me?"Deep, fervent purpose sparkled in his eyes like burning coals. "Because I've inked you in my mind far deeper than any tattoo on my body. I'd have to rip my soul out if I wanted to get you out of my head." His words stirred her heart. It was far, far too intense than any proclamation of love. It was a proclamation of obsession. "Was I worth the wait?" "You are." He rested her forehead against hers, breathing her air. "Nothing gives me more peace than knowing that you're mine. In my bed, in my arms as my wife." He kissed her deep and slow, all the way down to her neck. His hand slid under the shirt to cup her breast. She moaned, throwing her head back. A layer of shivers coasted her entire body as he took off her shirt, exposing her.Gently, he pushed her back on the
Enzo finished getting attired in his immaculate gray suit. Today, he had a meeting with the CEO of Salvadori Constructions. He had cleared all of his schedules for the past few days since he wanted to spare time for his wife. He loved every second he spent with her and wanted to bottle each and every memory and take it with him. He opened the drawer to get his silver Rolex when he spotted a small box of pills inside. He picked it up to read what it was and his blood stilled. The scent of vanilla and roses infiltrated his nose as Lily stepped out of the shower, wringing her wet hair with a towel. "Care to tell me what this is?" His voice had dropped to an uncanny calm. Lily winced, her gaze dropping to the pills in his hand. "Pills." "Pills for what, Lily?" He clipped, teeth clenched. She licked her lips, getting nervous. She stood still, fidgeting with her dripping hair. "C-contraceptive..." Frigid anger spread across his veins like frostbite. The thought of Lily not wanting to
It was already close to midnight and Enzo hadn't arrived yet. Though he had told her he would be late, she couldn't help but worry and she couldn't bring herself to sleep either. Elena's garden looked a lot more tranquil in the nighttime. Fireflies floated by in the darkness. She lit the pale yellow tiki torches and decided to take a stroll while she was in there. Chirping noises coming from the lovebird's cage drew Lily's attention. The poor bird fluttered its wings, chirping aloud. Its mate had died recently maybe that's why it was so restless. Lily opened the cage and it fluttered away. A few seconds later, it came back to its cage on its own. "It knows that a cage is a safe place and that you care for it. So it will always come back even if you free it." Enzo's deep voice slit the night's silence. "I had told you to sleep early." He said from the doorway that led to the back garden. She sighed. "Couldn't sleep without you." An unsaid emotion passed his face in the dark. He
The smell of cheese filled the kitchen. The female voice of a CNN news reporter came from the living room as Lily stirred the sauce for carbonara. Lily enjoyed cooking for Enzo. It was also one of her favorite hobbies besides gardening. Nonna taught every girl in the family how to cook and do basic house chores so they didn't have to hire servants because 'It saved money'. Nonna was a bit stingy because she had come from a humble background. Nonna had called a few times to check up on her. To see if she was okay. Lily couldn't be more okay. She was practically bubbling with happiness whenever she was with Enzo. Two months had flown by so quickly. She couldn't believe how close they had gotten. Yet, there were still some things Lily hadn't known about him. About his parents. About their family's past. Enzo was evasive whenever she touched on that topic. So Lily thought it was best if she tried to find the answers from someone else in this house. "What was Enzo's mother like?"
[TRIGGER WARNING: The following chapter contains drug abuse, explicit language, violence, and trauma.] "I killed her." His gritted out, tension in his voice. "Hope you're satisfied with this naked truth of mine." "I-I don't understand..." Dread surfaced on her beautiful face. "You loved your mamma, Enzo." She whispered. "Why?" She wanted the truth? Fine. "My father was an abusive bastard. He beat up my mother every fucking day. I used to take the abuse for her, but he still hurt her, if not with fists then with words." His jaw clenched and unclenched. Tension turned palpable in the air like dreary dark storm clouds. "Leo was sent to nonna's so he wouldn't have to see the shit my father was doing to our Mamma. She wanted to protect Leo, but I stayed because I wanted to protect her." His lungs weighed a ton in his ribcage. Veins popped against the thick skin of his clenched fists. "Then one day when I came home from school, I saw my father on top of her on the kitchen floor. He
Anxiety began to push itself in her guts as soon as he stormed out of the bathroom. As a woman who hated confrontation, she wanted to step out of her comfort zone and be brave for once, but it turned out to be a stupid mistake. Enzo didn't want to look her in the eyes right now. She bounded off from the bathroom counter and ran after him. She hugged his waist from behind to stop him from walking away from her. "Please stop avoiding me like this." She pleaded."You must hate me or at least--" He ran a palm down his face. "--Fear me.""I admit that I was... shocked when I heard that." Anyone in her position would be. "But I don't hate you, Enzo.""I'm a man who killed my own mother." There was so much pain in the way he said that. Lily's heart bled for him. She only held him tighter against her, refusing to let him go."You didn't." She said vehemently. "You were trying to save her."He let out a self-deprecating sound. "Did I?""How old were you when this happened?""Thirteen.""You
Two police officers escorted Fredo outside the prison's enormous iron gates. An unsettling chill settled on Enzo's spine as their eyes met. Fredo narrowed his gaze in inspection before displaying that big, psycho smile. "Enzo! My boy!" An unnerving feeling boiled Enzo's blood. This man had seen him cry for fuck's sake and that was mortifying. Enzo wanted to die that day because he couldn't bear to live with the guilt of killing his mother. But when Fredo shot his arm, a sudden urge to hold onto his life seared in his spirit. He was thankful for that but also hated this man to the guts. His uncle was too fucking unpredictable. "Took you long enough, son." Fredo slapped Enzo's arm. The arm he had shot seventeen years ago. Dull pain resurfaced beneath Enzo's flesh and his left eye twitched. "You're a man now. You even grew taller than me." Fredo remarked, assessing their height difference. Enzo stood at least a foot taller than Fredo, but that ghostly shadow this man always carri