𝐄𝐑𝐎𝐒

𝐬 𝐞 𝐩 𝐭 𝐮 𝐚 𝐠 𝐢 𝐧 𝐭 𝐚 𝐝 𝐮 𝐨

P I S T A N T H R O P H O B I A
(n.) fear of trusting people due to negative past experiences.

•   •   •

Back in New York, two weeks have passed since Amara was taken. A week since the two men were returned to them; dropped outside the Augustine restaurant with bags over their heads and their hands tied behind their backs.

Flavio had read the note Amara gave him and they also raided the house but no luck. It was empty. No sign of anyone ever living there.

Lorenzo maintained his calm poseur but inside only he knew how crazy he was going. Barely getting an hour of sleep every night, he laid in Amara's bed, so lonely.

He hated how her pillows smelt like her hair, like the sweet scent of vanilla and coconut that lingered in this room with her dark perfume she always wore.

He lay there, the side of his face against her pillow, staring at the pictures on the wall; especially the one with her and Flavio, standing next to each other, completely drenched with the most genuine smiles he's ever seen on them.

Oh, how he loves her smile. Her laugh. Her presence.

It doesn't make it any better knowing who she's with right now, a gaping hole in his heart growing as each second passes without her. He knows she's strong, that'll she'll be able to make it but what if she's not over him. That in that broken heart of hers there's still a hint of love for Atlas and no matter what he does she'll always love Atlas more than him.

Now, that's a big 'what if' but this thought taunted Lorenzo, his eyes tear rimmed as one escaped his eye and slipping onto the pillow.

He hasn't moved for a few hours, laying in the same position, his phone constantly going off but he kept ignoring it.

"Lorenzo! Are you being fucking serious?!" Someone stormed into the room, Lorenzo not caring as he let the tears that slipped from his eyes stop.

"Get out." He muttered lowly, his hand on the area where Amara sleeps, rubbing the blanket weakly.

"No," There he stood, Dominic, in front of Lorenzo as he scoffed. "You look like a fucking mess," Dominic ripped off the blankets from Lorenzo's body, his upper half bare as he wore plaid trousers. "Get up, you can't sleep all day," Dominic grabbed Lorenzo's large arms but Lorenzo dragged them back down.

"Leave me alone." Lorenzo mumbled as he jerked Dominic off, making him stumble back, turning to face the other way as he cuddled into the other pillow, closing his red eyes.

Next thing you know, Dominic had dashed a bottle of cold water on Lorenzo; gasping as he shot up, wiping his face and shaking off the excess water from his hair.

Dominic had a lot of guts to do that but considering his brother is currently at depressed stage, there's no way of Dominic getting in shit.

It felt weird for him, his brother that raised him, fought against the world, against everything and everyone to make this empire his and dragging it back from the dead to where it is now... seeing him so dull, so dead inside.

He always said 'love makes you weak' and guess he was right. Though, Amara isn't his weakness, she's his strength.

"Something's happened," Dominic crouched down to look at his brother who clenched his jaw. "Something really bad." That made Lorenzo snap his eyes up at him, a bad gut feeling churning in his stomach.

"Is Amara okay?" Lorenzo asked, snapping back into reality and Dominic clenched his jaw, not knowing how to answer his brother.

"Just put a shirt on and come downstairs." And with that Dominic left, rushing down so he wouldn't have to be the one to explain.