Chapter Eight

Adriano.

I could feel the room spinning as I tried to get up from my chair.

“Adriano, what the hell!” I heard a familiar voice snap, and then someone tugged at my hand to help me up.

I felt a sense of relaxation wash over me—I had never felt this relaxed before. My whole body felt light, and I felt as high as if I was in the clouds, but I craved more.

I wanted alcohol and drugs more than I craved air; they were the only things that made me forget my problems, if only for a while. They kept my mind from spiraling into dark thoughts.

I hated the voices in my head; they always popped up when I was sober or when I wasn’t drunk or high. They urged me to claw at something or get blood on my hands.

This was the only time I didn’t have to fight with myself—getting drunk was a way to calm my nerves.

“You have to get up,” someone said. I blinked, trying to force my eyes open, only to wince when the bright lights assaulted my eyes.

What the fuck was going on?

Who was holding me, and why did I need to get up?

“Fuck!”

“Luc wouldn’t like this,” the voice said, and I frowned.

Luc, as in Luciano? What the hell was Luciano doing here?

I had done everything possible to avoid him since he started planning his wedding. I wondered what our parents would think if they found out that their future daughter-in-law was the same man who killed them.

I knew this was all for show; he was doing it to hurt Pedro, but the thought of being connected to him made me want to die.

I would rather die than call him family.

I exhaled deeply, my eyes closed. I liked this… this calm and peaceful feeling rushing through my body. I liked—what the fuck!

My eyes snapped open in shock as cold water hit my face. My teeth clenched as the cold assaulted me, driving away every sleep from my eyes. I blinked rapidly, trying to adjust to the brightness of the room. As I looked around, I scowled when I saw a familiar silhouette.

“What the hell was that, Kyle?” I groaned as I managed to sit up.

“I’ve been trying to wake you up for a while now, so I had no other choice,” he replied with a shrug, showing no remorse.

I brushed my hand through my wet hair, shivering slightly.

“Why the hell would you do that?” He walked away from my side, and I took a moment to examine the room. I didn’t recognize it; in fact, I didn’t remember coming here. The last thing I recalled was getting drunk and high at the club. So, how did I end up here?

My gaze returned to Kyle, who had walked over to the bed and picked up an envelope before handing it to me.

I stared at the envelope with a slight frown before looking back at him. “What is this?” I asked.

“Why don’t you open it and find out?” he said, avoiding my question.

With a groan, I grabbed the envelope, opened it, and frowned. “The last time I checked, I wasn’t the one getting married, Kyle. This should have gone to my brother, not me.” I closed the envelope and handed it back to him.

He made no attempt to take it. “Look at the contents, Adriano,” he insisted with an air of indifference.

I dropped the envelope on the table since he wasn’t going to take it. “I don’t want to,” I said, preparing to lie down, but he spoke up again.

“Do you know when your brother is getting married?” he asked.

“Yes, he’s getting married on the—” I paused as everything became clear.

I quickly sat up and picked the envelope back up to check the invitation card again. It was today. My brother’s engagement party was today, and I was as high as fuck.

“Yes, Adriano, today is the day,” Kyle added, as if I needed him to tell me that.

Fuck!!

“Why didn’t you wake me up?” I glared at him, but all I got in response was a shrug.

What a piece of shit. I wondered why my brother wanted anything to do with him.

I got up and rushed to the bathroom; my head was pounding like a rock concert was going on inside. Without wasting time, I took a quick shower, brushed my teeth, and stepped out of the bathroom. Thankfully, Kyle had laid out what I would wear.

“I’m going to forgive you for splashing cold water on my face because of this,” I said, ignoring his scoff as I put on my pants and long-sleeve shirt.

I absolutely hated wearing a suit, but in this case, I had no choice.

“Are you done?” he asked as I slipped on the suit jacket.

I nodded, wincing again as the headache hit me. Great, just how much had I drunk this time?

I had been drinking myself into a stupor since we got out of jail, which had been over a month ago—I couldn’t really tell if it had been a week, a month, or two, but I knew it had been a long time. Like I said, I only drank to get rid of my thoughts.

“Here,” Kyle said, handing me a white tablet and a glass of water. I looked at him appreciatively.

Gosh, I could kiss him right now.

I swallowed the pill with the water and set the glass down on the table once I was done.

“Let’s go,” he said, walking ahead while typing something on his phone, likely sending a report to Luc.

“Where are we?” I asked as soon as we entered the elevator.

“You passed out after drinking continuously for several days, Adriano, so I brought you here,” he replied, pausing to glance at me. “It’s a miracle you’re not in the hospital right now.” I almost scoffed at his words.

There was no way I was going to end up in the hospital just because I had too much to drink.

We stepped out of the elevator when it opened and walked to the parking lot. I got into the car and waited for Kyle to join me, but he shook his head.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m not going with you, Adriano. The car will take you straight to Luciano’s house to pick him up. The two of you will arrive at the venue together.”

“And you?”

“I’ll be around.” He shut the door before I could respond, and the car drove out of the parking lot.

Bastard.

The ride to Luc's house was short, but I didn’t step out of the car when we parked in front of his place. I was too tired and dizzy to move. However, I could sense when he got into the car—his overwhelming presence was hard to miss.

I knew he could tell I was drunk without even coming close to me, but, as always, I promised myself to be on my best behavior, even though I shouldn’t have made that promise.

I was not saying I would break my promise to try and act well, but I hoped no one would get on my nerves. I was already pushing myself to attend this ‘party’; I didn’t need any more drama.