Lahat ng Kabanata ng Re-Arranged: Kabanata 191 - Kabanata 197

"So, what's this all about?" Liviana's startled by the sudden, loud sound of her brother's voice as he dropped into the chair opposite her, huffing out a deep breath from the impact. "Tino-" "No, no, no. None of that," he interrupted her with a sharp look. "No beating around the bush, alright? Just tell me what this is about. What did you wanna talk to me for so badly?" Beside her, Blaze had to bite his tongue, his jaw clenching and his hand, which rested on the table in front of him, curling into a fist in a show of his restraint. God, he hated Tino.He hated the way he treated Liviana, his wife - the man's own sister, for crying out loud - and how she just let him. How Liviana shut up and took it - took it all, nodded and played into the dynamic, playing nice despite herself, and the bruise tainting the delicate skin of her neck, once perfect and untouched.It was all so bizarre, like some dramatic scene out of a dark book, and he almost couldn't believe it. Couldn't believe hi

The hotel room was lovely. It was safe, comfortable, accommodating, and most importantly, a well-kept secret. No one could reach them. Nobody knew where they were or what they were doing, and Liviana loved it. For the first time in a long time, she felt free. At ease. And she only had her husband to thank for it. Blaze has spent the day doting on her, watching her every move closely and attending to her every want and need, jumping whenever she said to and merely asking how high and what else he could do. Anything for you, he'd said again and again—anything to help.Anything to make life a little easier, even if it meant risking his. Even if it cost him his family - their love and affection and the benefits that came with being one of the great Castelli's, all the things they've worked so hard for...It was his life's work, and he was willing to give it all up for her at the drop of a dime; all she had to do was say the word. And the moment she did, everything changed. He'd made sure

The walk through the manor was long and painful, tedious in the way each step felt heavier, harder, more final than the last. Honestly, Livi felt like she was walking herself off a cliff, diving into something she couldn't come back from, and it was dreadful; every step closer felt like a push, a plea, a sentence, and she couldn't help but question everything. What if this was a trap, just like she thought? What if they were upset? Hateful? Vengeful? What if they'd heard the rumors? The stories she and Blaze had fueled lately - the ones about bar crawls and brawls, family problems, marital problems, and worst of all, abuse. All those reckless little moments that Blaze swore he would fix - the ones he said he would take care of before they could become a problem, promising that he could fix it, that his family would protect them, but alas, here they were. Baited, trapped, treated like prey as his parents played them both for fools. And there wasn't a damn thing they could do about it.