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My blood was rushing through my head, which made me feel sick. His eyes and freckles were my favorite things about him. I looked into his eyes. I tried to touch his cheek softly with my hand, but he stopped me before I could. I bit my bottom lip, which was like a kid getting caught stealing candy. He pointed to his cheek with my hand, and I gently touched him. I’m pretty sure it was the adrenaline rushing through me that made his eyes flutter shut.
I pulled away from his touch and looked into his dark, empty eyes as they moved around my face.
“Isn’t she your stepdaughter?” A voice came from behind us, and we both jumped and turned around.
“Shit, I thought I was f*****g crazy.” The guy he knocked out a few minutes ago was now standing in front of us with a gun pointed right at us.
“Do you know who I am?” Sebastian asked. I was so scared that I was shaking. When I heard his voice, I pulled on his arm and told him not to talk. I was worried about him.
“The famous Devereux. Who wouldn’t know about the devil himself?” The crazy guy laughed. “You killed your father for the cartel business. You became a leader and the most dangerous creature on Earth.” The man says.
“Very well, that means you know perfectly well that I will not hesitate to shoot your sultana of a brain,” Sebastian growled; it was like a vicious monster took over his body.
“Maybe I’ll just f**k your stepdaughter because she seems to like older men best.”
“Touch her, and you’ll see a hell of a lot faster.” Sebastian put me behind him, and I looked over his shoulder.
“See you in hell, devil.” The disgusting man laughs and then points the gun at Sebastian.
When I heard the gunshots, my heart stopped. Sebastian pushed me back with all his strength, and I hit the wall hard, which made my head bang against it.
“Sebastian…” I said in a whisper before I passed out.
My hand shot up to ease the pain in my head, and I slowly opened my eyes. I am in a room that is orange, and I have never seen it before. I started to panic. I stood up, but gravity let me down and I fell to the floor. I gasped in pain right away. The door swings wide open, and hands grab my face.
I said, “M-mom.” I was shocked.
“It’s me, baby.” My mum smiles as she helps me get up from the floor and onto the bed. I don’t remember her coming, only the gun pointing at Sebastian and me.
“Where’s Sebastian? Is he all right?” I asked quickly. My mum gave me a look that made me think she didn’t believe me, then she nodded. My mum is acting strange; she keeps looking down at her legs. “What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong is that you’re sleeping with my fiancé. What’s even worse is that you’re in love with him.” My mother yells angrily. Sebastian told her we slept together, but I didn’t get it.
“No, Mum,” I cried. “Please, Mommy,” I yelled even louder.
“You’re a slut just like your father,” my mother says as she slaps me across the face. “Sebastian will never love you; he will always love me.” My mom hits me again, this time harder.
“Mom, please, I’m your daughter!” I said, rubbing my sore cheek.
“I wish your father had taken you. It would have done me a favour.” She hisses this as she stands up and starts to walk away. I tried to stand up and follow her.
I wanted to beg her to stay and let me explain, but I couldn’t move. I was stuck.
The end of the dream
My body shot up in panic right away, and I felt pain all over. My forehead was sweating a lot, and my mouth was dry. I was shocked to see an IV connected to my arm. I looked around the white room I was in. There were pink roses on the table in front of me with a card inside. I carefully and gently stood up and walked over to the table to get the card.
I’m sorry I had to leave to take care of some important business. Please make yourself at home.
Who wrote this? What if the shooter killed Sebastian and is now keeping me hostage?
The shooter was the only one with a gun, and now he’s dead. I quickly grabbed the vase full of roses, threw out the pink ones, and turned the vase upside down to use it as a weapon. I crept up to the door and opened it slowly. I peeked my head out and saw the white hallway in front of me. It was too quiet. I carefully and quietly walked out with a strong grip on the vase.
I heard voices coming from the left side, so I stayed close to the wall and tried to listen. “She wasn’t supposed to know or even get involved, Maya,” I heard a voice I recognised say in a harsh whisper.
Maya, like my best friend Maya. With my eyes closed, I pushed off with the heel of my foot and threw the vase at the voice.
“Damnit!” the voice yells loudly. I opened my eyes and saw Caleb hopping on one foot and holding his other foot.
“Caleb,” I said.
I ran right into his arms and snuggled up to him to get warm. Caleb stiffened up, but then he calmed down and put his arms around me. “I was scared. Where’s Sebastian? The gun? Is Sebastian dead?” I kept going on. What would I feel if he died? Caleb quickly figured out that I was a nervous wreck.
“Just sit down, Aria.” He helped me sit down in the chair next to us. I sat there and looked at him until he answered. He went to the washbasin, filled a cup with water, and gave it to me. I drank the water in the cup all at once.
“He’s fine,” Caleb said, and my body and mind both relaxed. Caleb watched me closely as I ran my fingers through my blonde hair.
I said, “I want answers and I want them now.”
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a gun, and put it on the table. I was so scared that my eyes got big, and I moved back right away.
“I know about the mafia,” I said.
“Don’t worry; you know I’ll never hurt you.”
“I left for Louisiana with the goal of following my dreams and becoming an NFL player, but that didn’t work out. Instead, I met Sebastian and got a job in the mafia, where I fell in love with my fiancée,” Caleb said. It hurt my heart to think about him being in love with someone else, but falling in love with my fiancée was like a slap in the face. I slowly nodded my head. “But it’s hard now.”
I asked, “How so?” without sounding bothered.
“I realised how much I gave up,” Caleb says with a sad smile. Caleb looked deeply into my eyes and asked, “How can you be in love with someone when you know your heart doesn’t belong to them?” My heart raced.
Aria, change the subject.
“Where’s Sebastian?” I asked to change the subject.
Caleb says, “Meeting.” Caleb smirks and says, “You’re stuck with me all day.”
“I’d rather be shot at,” I said. Caleb laughed, but then there was an awkward silence.
“Let’s go swimming and then spend the rest of the day outside.” Caleb smiles at me.
Not weird at all. I think he might be crazy.
“I’ll have Lucia bring you some shorts and a swimsuit.”
“Lucia?” I asked.
“Just go back to the room you woke up in, housekeeper, and I’ll have her bring it to you.”
I nodded and then left. I sat on the bed and waited for Lucia. Was it the girl Caleb left me for that he said he loved? I love Caleb and will always love him. He was my first love, my first time, and my first everything. But all the secrets changed everything, and my love quickly turned into a friendship.