Ayla
“Where are we going?” I asked for probably the tenth time as Alessio and I got into the car.
“Somewhere,” he muttered in reply.
“That’s not an answer.” I glared at him, but he just smirked, giving me that devilishly sexy look that I couldn’t resist.
“It’s a surprise, kitten. Retract your claws.”
“But I want to know.”
“It’s a surprise, woman. Give the lovesick puppy a break, baby girl,” Viktor said from the front. Phoenix let out a laugh.
I had to stop my own giggle from escaping when Alessio gave him a death glare.
“Fuck you,” Alessio snapped. “Drive.”
“Oh, he is snappy this morning. Did he not get some loving last night?”
Viktor really had a death wish.
“I will shoot you. Don’t test me,” Alessio warned in a deathly tone.
“Give Boss a break. If he shoots you, I will have to clean up the mess afterward,” Phoenix mumbled.
“Whatever. I’m only stopping for my baby girl. We don’t want to taint her innocent eyes.” Viktor winked at me through the rear-view mirror.
I saw Alessio’s hands tighten in fists, and I quickly placed my hands over his. Releasing my seat belt, I moved forward until I was sitting sideways on his lap.
With my lips next to his ear, I whispered my next words so only he could hear. “You have nothing to be jealous of, Alessio. I’m yours. Wholeheartedly. You have me. Mind, body, and soul. Nothing and no one is ever going to change that.”
His body instantly relaxed. “You always know when to say the right thing,” he mumbled back.
“It’s the truth, Alessio.”
“I know, Angel.” He placed a kiss on my forehead, and I laid my head on his shoulder. We stayed like that until the car came to a full stop.
“We’re here,” Alessio announced. “Close your eyes.”
I did as I was told, trusting him. The door opened, and then I was being pulled out. I was swept off my feet as Alessio held me to his chest.
“Can I open my eyes now?” I asked, feeling suddenly giddy, my heart jumping in excitement.
“No. I’ll tell you when,” he replied gruffly.
We walked for a few minutes, and then Alessio placed me down until I was standing next to him again. “Last night, you said you were going to miss the creek. Open your eyes, Angel.”
I did, and then my heart stuttered. Oh my God.
The beauty in front of me took my breath away. A field full with flowers. So many of them and all different colors.
“It’s not the creek. But close.”
“This is beautiful,” I breathed in complete astonishment. “I have no words, Alessio.”
Tears stung my eyes as I stared at the landscape in front of me. I was standing in the middle of a field, where thousands of colorful flowers bloomed.
The light breeze touched my face, and I smiled. So peaceful.
Turning around, I faced Alessio and ran into his arms, hugging him as tightly as I could. I covered his face with kisses before pulling away and laughed happily.
“Thank you for this. I love—” you. My lips snapped shut before I could utter the last word. The words were always on my lips, begging to be released.
But I still couldn’t bring myself to tell Alessio how I truly felt. Something in my heart was stopping me. Every time I wanted to tell him, my chest would feel tight and my heart would ache. So those three words stayed unsaid.
Swallowing nervously as Alessio stared at me, almost in anticipation, I mustered up the best smile I could.
“I love it,” I said instead.
He wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me into his body again. We stared into each other’s eyes when he spoke. “I know, Angel. I know. I love it too.”
There it was. His affirmation. We didn’t need the words between us. It was there without it even being said. From our actions and through our eyes. I knew how he felt, and he knew where my heart belonged. That was enough for us.
He didn’t smile, but his soft eyes said it all. Oh, how I loved him. He was everything I needed and wanted. He was perfect…for me.
But I wasn’t…for him.
At the thought, my chest grew tight.
I couldn’t lie anymore.
This had gone on for too long, and I couldn’t betray him anymore. Every single day, I had to live with the knowledge that I was betraying the man I love. Not only him, but my newfound family.
Every single night, I prayed that I could find the courage to tell him, while every single day, I tortured myself with the knowledge that I was weak and a traitor. To him and his heart. I was a traitor to us. To our love.
I hurt…my heart and my soul. I felt empty. I was hollow inside.
I had to tell him the truth.
Even if it meant my death. I was ready to take any punishment Alessio had to give me. I would bear his wrath and let him take his revenge, but I was not going to lie any longer.
I saw Alessio frowning and I knew why. I had lost my smile. I palmed his cheek and said softly, “Can we go back to the beach house?”
I couldn’t tell him here. Not in the place filled with serenity. I wasn’t going to taint it with our harsh reality.
“I have to tell you something.”
Alessio’s face grew worried. “Ayla, what’s wrong?”
“Please, Alessio,” I murmured. I could even hear the defeat in my words. My bottom lip quivered as I tried to keep my tears at bay, and my stomach tightened in knots.
“It’s something important. But I don’t want to say it here,” I finally managed to get out through my labored breathing.
Don’t have a panic attack. Not now, Ayla. You have to do this.
Alessio’s gaze moved over my face, and as he saw the distress there, his body went tight in panic and fear flashed in his eyes, but it was quickly gone.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me to his chest. “Whatever it is, it’s going to be okay,” he whispered shakily.
I slightly stepped out of his embrace so I could see his face. My fingers traced his lips and nose until they laid softly on his cheeks. “My feelings for you are real, Alessio. Whatever is between us is real. Please don’t forget that.”
Alessio swallowed hard, his arms clenching around me. He looked confused, worried, but he still nodded.
Pressing against his body, I brushed my lips against his. “You are my everything, Alessio. The reason why I’m still alive. The reason why I smile every day.”
“Ayla, why…” he started to ask but I cut him off with a bruising kiss. He growled and returned my kiss just as fiercely, possessively taking over.
“When I tell you my truth, please remember those words,” I whispered.
Alessio didn’t say anything, but he kissed me again. He kissed me until we were both gasping for breath. And I kissed him in return, as if it was my last kiss. Maybe it was. And I wanted to remember this.
We walked back to the car hand in hand, and the ride was wrapped with silence. No one said a word. My head was laid on Alessio’s shoulder as he played with my hair. The silence between us was always filled with peace. We loved the silence, and maybe this was the last time I would get to experience this.
My eyes filled with tears, and I quickly blinked them away.
I can’t—shouldn’t cry.
After all, for once I was about to do the right thing. Something I should have done way before, but now I was ready. After getting the little piece of happiness and being loved wholeheartedly by Alessio, I was ready to face whatever I had to.
My heart ached at the thought of breaking him, breaking us.
Alessio had given me everything. He gave me himself, a part of him that nobody else knew but me. He loved me, even though the words were never uttered.
He gave me peace and happiness. He was my happiness.
And now…I was about to take away his happiness.
I could take the pain, anything he would unleash on me, but I couldn’t watch Alessio in pain, knowing that I would be the cause of it. It would kill me…slowly and painfully.
But even when I was preparing to face his wrath, I still had hope. Maybe—just maybe, Alessio would forgive me. Maybe he would understand why I did it, why I lied to him.
Maybe he would still accept me as his Angel. Maybe we would live happily ever after. They were childish thoughts.
But I still hoped that his love was stronger than his anger and need for revenge.
I was snapped out of my thoughts when the car stopped. I dreaded this moment, but it was here and now I had to face it.
“Fuck,” Viktor swore loudly at the front and punched the steering wheel.
“What the fuck is he doing here?” Phoenix growled.
Alessio froze beside me, his body locking tight, his tensed muscles bunching underneath my head. I stilled too, my heart jumping in my throat.
I saw Alessio’s hands tighten in fists on his thighs, and the air around us grew cold. When he moved, I lifted my head from his shoulders. I suddenly felt nausea, and the dizziness took over. My vision swam in front of me like waves as my throat closed.
Alessio stared straight ahead, his lips thinned into a straight line. He had lost the soft look in his eyes. Now, he just looked like a cold-blooded killer. Emotionless, vicious, and murderous.
“Alessio,” I breathed, my heart stuttering as I watched Alessio change from a loving man to the monster he was known as, right in front of my eyes.
Viktor got out of the car first, and then Phoenix. I saw their hands going to the back of their waistbands, right over their guns. Alessio grabbed my arm, almost too roughly, and I winced as he pulled me out of the car.
I was hidden behind his large back, Alessio covering my body with his own as Viktor, Phoenix, and Artur came to stand beside us, forming a circle, while I stood in the middle.
Having four large muscled men standing around me, their stance protective, I couldn’t see anything from where I was standing. I didn’t understand what they were protecting me from.
My throat was suddenly dry, and I quivered in fear. The air around us was tense and cold…so cold. I could sense the hatred and anger rolling off the men protecting me like waves.
Viktor drew closer to my side, and I saw his jaw ticked, his face just as emotionless and cold as Alessio’s.
“What are you doing here? On my property?” Alessio growled low, his back tensed, his voice filled with anger.
“I’m just here to take back what’s mine, what belongs to me.”