Liviana Castelli grew up in chaos.In a quiet house with loud people, she was raised in a constant contradiction. Being told to be kind by the people who treated her as though they had never even heard the word. Taught to behave yet watched her parents make mischief every chance they got. Hearing everyone say that humility was good- that one should remain humble, because wealth wasn’t the most important thing in the world. And it was always the same people who were more materialistic, bragging at everyone's opportunity.Being raised in that game of back and forth where everything always went against itself somehow, Liviana grew up believing that balance wasn’t so common. For a long time, she thought that any two things that co-existed were set to fight, battling for a stronger ground to stand on. Nothing was 50/50. It was 60/40, 70/30, 80/20, sometimes, rarely, 90/10. Anything but 100 percent, or the even cut of it being split down the middle. You wouldn’t think this would be too impa

From the moment Tino Santora was born, he had a built in best friend. A protector, a mentor, a partner-in-crime, a confidant, a friend to last a lifetime, his sister; Liviana Castelli.The two, being the youngest siblings, had shared a bond. An understanding of what it was like trying to live up to their older siblings, being cast to their shadows and played against each other as they tried to dance and fill each step just right. They knew the pressure each other was under and just how heavy it all was. The attention that often turned to neglect the moment their older siblings stepped into the spotlight. How their gazes felt as though they were burning through their entire being every time it was their turn in the spotlight. The knowledge of simply being the backups that gnawed at their hearts, killing them with the reminder of just how disposable they really were.Their existence was meant to please their parents and be a pawn on Drusilla and Alonzo’s chess board, being used to fight

Liviana wasn’t an angry person.She was a woman all about peace. She believed in that saying ‘treat people the way you want to be treated’, and though she never actually received the kindness she gave back, she continued to give it out like candy on Halloween, passing out handfuls to each person who entered her life, if even for a moment. And though she had tried to do this with Blaze, offering him all she could - all she had - it wasn’t enough. Blaze never had much of a sweet tooth, and though she wished it was the case, Livi was no exception.It was a painful life to live, being married to a man who punished her for her mere existence when she had always dreamt of the husband she would one day have, who was supposed to love and accept her for herself- understand her in a way that no one else did. Liviana wanted a soulmate, someone who bettered her and helped her heal, not a man who looked at her broken pieces and sharpened them into weapons. And that was exactly what Blaze was doing

Blaze Castelli was a mess.He, himself, wasn’t a mess- in fact, he was always well put together. Organized and dapper, he was clean. He didn’t appear a mess on the outside, but inside... it was as though a tornado had ripped through his soul, releasing the heart he had spent years trying to forget and allowing the feelings he buried to roam free within him, pumping through his veins and fueling him with a strange flutter in his stomach.He wasn’t sure what this feeling was exactly. He was never good with emotions- expressing and at some point, he even had some trouble identifying his emotions, as well as other peoples. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t feel them, he just couldn’t explain which he was feeling. If he was angry, he couldn’t tell anyone he was angry- he would never put it into words or acknowledge the way he felt at all. Instead, he would act out. His anger would take hold of him tightly and walk him about as he threw tantrums wherever they went. He was a constant storm of

"Liviana!"The girl in question couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice, turning to greet her darling mother-in-law with a grin. "Elara!" She sings, quick to tuck herself into the older woman's embrace."How are you, my dear?" Elara wonders, stroking Liviana's dark hair as she holds her, pulling back to get a better look at her. "Are you doing well?" She asks, voice going quiet as she assures her that she could tell her."I'm doing fine," Liviana tells, smile dimming to nothing more than a soft curve of her lips. She had been fine- she had no reason to be anything other than okay. And yet, the words felt like a lie. Still, she swore she was. "I promise," she adds, prompted by the woman's prying gaze.Elara nods, accepting her answer and pulling her in once more. "Oh, it's been so long, dear. We need to catch up!" She insists, patting her hand gently against Livi's back, eyes lighting up once more when the door opens behind her, her son making way inside. "My boy!"Liviana sm