L O R E N Z O
"Leonardo De Luca." I see nothing but red, my body filled to the brim with complete anger. I'm not letting him do this. Not again. I'm not letting him hurt people I love. Do I love her?
She makes me happy but how would I know what love is? My father ruined the concept of love by carving the words 'mafia before love' into my brain.
Whenever I came home from school I would tell him about a girl who I found pretty and all he would say was
"You will never be able to fall in love, Lorenzo. It's the mafia before some stupid idiotic girl." I didn't realize how long I was spaced out until Valentina shoved me with her shoulder and scoffs as she walks out of the room.
"Valentina-" I try to grab her arm but she pulls away and faces me.
"No! Don't 'Valentina' me. Your father abused me, Lorenzo! How do I know I can trust you? You might be just like him!" she seethes. My heart breaks. Shatters.
"Fine, leave then if you're so scared!" I yell at her, she looks a bit taken back but quickly covers it with a blank expression. She makes her way into her room and starts to pack her clothes without saying anything.
When all of her clothes are in her bag, she walks out. I watch as she leaves my room and puts her shoes on. She turns back to me and gives me nothing but a blank expression.
"Once I'm gone, don't come looking for me." They were her last words before she leaves my house. She asks one of my drivers to take her home and they agree, giving me a quick glance before they drive off.
I frown as her last words sink into me, not understanding what she meant but I'm sure it doesn't mean anything. I watch as the car leaves my driveway.
Shutting the door and walking into my kitchen, I grab a bottle of vodka from the top shelf and open it.
I start to drink the liquid from the bottle, not caring how much I drank. The burn of the liquid running down my throat.
I needed her and I told her to leave. I don't know how many bottles I had before I passed out in my bed, thinking and dreaming about the one person I needed most but lost.
❦
Three days later, I decide to go to Matteo's house to help him figure out who had shot his wife and to see her.
I park in the garage that was full of cars. The spot for a guest was empty so I took it without thinking twice.
I get out of the car and slam my door shut and walk towards the front door and open it without even knocking.
I notice Matteo in the kitchen, his head down low, holding a cup of what seemed to be water.
I frown and walk further into the kitchen, noticing the face of what looked to be sadness and anger on his face.
I made my presence known by pulling one of the stools out and sitting on it, he looks up at me and I notice how his eyes were. Bloodshot red and puffy.
"What happened?" I slowly ask him, looking around the kitchen and living room, I notice something was off. It was too quiet.
I look at Matteo again before noticing the note he was holding, I look down at it before reading it.
Father,
You know I love you and I'd do anything for you, that's why I'm keeping myself safe by moving out.
I won't tell you where I'm going and I don't know when I'll be back but I'll make sure to text you often.
I'll miss you and you know I'll always be your little girl but right now I'm doing what's best for you and me. I love you so much that I can't explain, I wish I could say more but I can't.
I promise to come back to you soon and I'm sorry for leaving you to be by yourself but maybe that's good.. go out and find someone you like and you're willing to fall in love with.
Make sure that if you do find someone else to make sure that Sofia is well looked after because I won't be able to deal with the pain if she isn't being treated well.
I'm not sure what else you want to hear but that's about all I can tell you of my random disappearance, don't call the police because it won't be worth it. They won't find me.
I love you.
- V <3
My heart stings. It feels like someone just threw a pile of bricks in my face, I look up to see Matteo calling someone. This is all my fault. I pull out my phone and text the person I did this to.
Me
Valentina
Message not sent.
Me
Valentina comes home.
Messages not sent!
Me
Your father needs you.
Messages not sent!
I leave the note on the bench and get up, I leave the kitchen and walk upstairs and into her room.
All of her clothes are gone, there's a hair dye box in her bin next to her desk. Blonde. I can't help but think that this is all my fault and I did this to her, I said things that I can't take back and now she's gone.
The one thing she promised she wouldn't do. Leave. But I told her too and she did, she did it without hesitation.
The sense comes to me, now knowing what her last words to me meant. "Once I'm gone, don't come looking for me."
I storm out of her room and back into my car, I drive until I'm back at my house. And when I walk in I spot Antonio on the couch reading a piece of paper.
I walk up behind him and snatch the paper out of his hands. A note.
I did what you said, I left.
- V.
"Lorenzo, what the fuck did you do?!" Antonio yells at me, I look up at him. Anger boiling inside my veins.
"I fucked up, okay? I fucked up..." I say the last part in almost a whisper, regretting everything that has happened. I'm not sure what to do.
"You brought this on yourself, for once I thought you would finally be able to prove your father wrong and love someone willing to love you back! Your fucking stupid!" He yells at me before finally storming out of my house.
I walk into my office, noticing all the bottles of alcohol, picking up the first bottle I drink it all in just a minute.
I've now drunk three bottles and I'm on my fourth when my door suddenly opens and I hear the voice I've been needing to hear for three days.
Game. On.
