REIGN (A REVERSE HAREM)

67. Arabella

"Good morning." Mamma greets me, placing a tray of food down on my lap.

"It's like... 3PM?" I glance at the clock.

She smiles, "You get shot and forget how time works."

She's right about that, i sleep majority of the day, eat the rest, or see the ducks at the farm.

Roman let mom take care of me until i'm better, and to give us all a break from each other.

I'm bored out of my mind and extremely horny all the time but that's okay.

She tucks hair behind my ear while i pick up a slice of mango, "Roman is coming round today."

I nod, just once, because how else do i respond?

She smiles, helps me shower, change and when we go downstairs, All three of them stood there.

I haven't seen them in three weeks.

Three, way too long, weeks.

I don't even know what came over me, i'm supposed to be mad at them but as soon as i seen them, i was ready to fall into their arms.

And i do exactly that, but limit myself to only Luca. He actually had a reason for not keeping an eye on me.

I wrap my good arm around him, taking in his scent. He smells bad. "Luca, i love you but jesus fucking christ, take a shower." I pull away from him, "God, why do you smell so bad?"

He smiles at me, his teeth shining, "I thought you hated me."

"So you like stink bombed yourself-"

"I don't have time for this." Roman grunts, "Where can i take her that's private, Juliana?"

I roll my eyes, "Hello to you too, Roman. Yes. I'm doing perfectly fine, thanks for asking."

He looks at me, looking to the sling my arm is held up in and then looks to my covered shoulder, "I'm glad you're okay."

He looks awful as well.

I let my eyes shift to Asher, the only one who doesn't look fucking horrible. "Hello."

"Hello baby." He smiles lazily.

I smile back, Mom leads Roman through to her office and we all follow after her. I sit on the soft, green couch. Asher takes one side of me and Luca takes the other, Roman mumbles stuff to my mother before she gives me a weary look and then leaves.

"So why do you smell so bad?" I look at Luca again, trying to rid the awkwardness and tension.

"Haven't showered. Been busy." He picks at his fingernails.

I fight the urge to grip onto his hand to make him stop.

I look at Roman who shoves his hand into the inside pocket of his blazer and pulls out a couple of sheets of paper, then puts it onto my lap.

DIVORCE AGREEMENT

I stare at the letters, wondering if i'm reading that right.

"What!" Asher and Luca both jolt up, anger in their voice.

Roman leans against the desk, his expression as calm as ever. I look back down at the paper, seeing his signature.

I felt like crying and i don't even know why. I always thought divorcing him would be good. But i'm looking at the sheet with all of our information filled out and the last thing i want is a divorce.

Divorcing him means i won't even get to see Asher and Luca, i don't want that. It means i won't even see Roman and no matter how much of a dick he is, i've grown a liking to him, a sort of dependency that will drain me if i'm away from him.

I realized i do love him, maybe not to the extent as Ash and Luca yet, but love is still there. I depend on him for everything.

And i'm the middle of everything going on? With the Triad trying to kill me, and god knows how many other gangsters, he really cares that little?

Luca snatches the paper off me, "What the fuck is this, Roman?" He shouts, the vein in his neck popping.

"A divorce agreement." Roman keeps his eyes on me. "Sign it-"

"Why?" Asher shouts.

"Because." He replies, curling his bottom lip into his mouth, his tongue rolling over the pink skin. "She wants one anyway."

Asher runs his hand through his hair, Luca turns to look at me.

I stare at Roman.

I literally couldn't even say anything, i just stared at him in shock, confusion and sadness a little too.

I swallow thickly, holding my throat, "Why?"

He looks down for a second, when he looks back up, i could see the slight switch in his emotionless face. He looked almost regretful.

"Leave us."

"You fuck any of this shit up and trust me, Roman." Asher thumps Romans chest with force, Roman inches back a little, "I'm going to fucking kill you."

Luca glances at me but i was too busy staring at Roman to reply to his look.

They leave us, Roman pushes himself off of the desk and sits beside me, on the edge of the couch.

"Why, Roman?"

His jaw clenched, "You'll be mad."

"I'm mad already!" I raise my voice.

He takes a breath, "I can't keep doing this, Arabella. I'm out of control and i can't do it. You... you make me this way and no matter how hard i try, it isn't good enough."

I open my mouth to talk, "No." He cuts me off. "Let me finish, love." His hand falls onto my knee, "You want this. You want a divorce. Do it. Because if you don't, i am not going to apologise for the person i will become. I haven't been to my therapy because i know no matter how hard i try and get better for you, you don't care."

"I am frustrated, love. I am exhausted of being with you when it's a one sided love. You're draining the energy out of me and it's only costing me a distraction. I wake up with you on my mind and i cannot work until i know you are okay. Do you know how bad that is for someone like me?"

"I can't function, Arabella. I can't do anything because of you. You confuse me. You give me all of these signals and none of them are what i want. You make me weak. Horribly weak. And i hate that. And i wish, my god, love, i wish i hated you for that but i can't. I can't hate you no matter how much i want too. I need you to sign that, Arabella. I am giving you the choice to. If you don't..."

"If you don't, i can't keep treating you the way i do. I don't want to love you anymore-"

"You'll treat me like a true Italian man." I mumble.

"It's the only way-"

"No it isn't." I stand up, picking up the divorce papers from the desk where Asher left them. "No, Roman. Fuck you."

"Divorce me, Arabella."

"You are so fucked in the head. This isn't how it works-"

"That is the only way i want it to work, Arabella. The only way i will let it work. Either you divorce me, get your freedom and i get control back. Or you stay."

"Go to hell." I walk out of the room, past everyone in the living room and up the stairs into the room i was staying in.

I stare at the sheet.

I am not letting him give me two options to dictate my life.

Without anymore thinking, i tear down the page.

I am not going to let him hurt me like this, and hurt himself like this. It won't happen.

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end of romans little hissy fit bc next chapter he can't stay true to his word 🤪

word count: 1295