REIGN (A REVERSE HAREM)

76. Arabella

I was not expecting a graveyard.

Asher and Luca say silently in the front of the car. Asher lit a cigarette, Luca rested one hand on the window.

I looked out of the window, toward where Roman stood facing a grave, his back towards us.

Oh god i should have just listened.

"Go on." Luca taps the window.

"I shouldn't have came here." I look down.

"No point dwelling now, baby. He's waiting." Asher says. They both seem on edge about this whole thing.

I can only believe the grave is his mothers.

I open the door, stepping out onto the dewy green grass. I dodge the graves, making my way to Roman.

Like always, he turns before i can reach him, his sixth sense and shit. "My love." He bows his head a little bit, "Come here." He holds his hand out.

I grab it, he helps me over some stones and steadies me, holding his hand on my cheek to stop me from lookin at the grave in front of me. "I'm not mad at you about the comment you made, Arabella." He forces me to look at him. "No, I am mad because it is the anniversary of my mothers death today."

Now i feel even more bad.

Guilty.

Why do i make everything about me?

He rubs my cheek with his thumb, "Now don't think how you usually think, love. I haven't been a good husband the couple of days, i've invalidated your feelings and i never want to do that okay. I don't hate you. God Arabella, no matter how much i try, i never will."

My eyes dart to his his, he looked so sad, bless him. "I need you to do one thing for me, love. While you're here, the only thing i need you to do is stay. Okay?"

I nod my head.

He smiles, his eyes twinkling. "You wanna meet my momma?" He asks.

And i feel a tear roll down my own cheek.

God that's so upsetting.

I nod my head and he lets go of my face, letting my eyes drift to the black gravestone in front of us.

Isabella Regno
Wife, Daughter, Mom
Today she dances with angels.

The grave was sparkling, with a bucket of dirty water sitting at its side, a sponge floating.

"Can you tell me about her?" I ask.

He looks at me, nods his head and takes a seat, cross legged at the foot of the grave.

I sit beside him, the pink stones filling up the bed, flowers around.

"Her favourite colour was pink." He looks at me for a split second, "She had a pink crown in her bedroom, her and dad never shared rooms, but she kept her room immaculate for when one of her kids wanted to sleep with her. I remember her crown. It was pink, with red diamonds."

I close my eyes, the image of Luca and Asher's tattoo appearing in my mind, "The one your members have?"

"Yes. Its gone now, dad destroyed all of her stuff after she passed, i always remembered it." He clears his throat, "When i was a boy, before i killed Raphael, i would sleep with her. I had nightmares as a kid, i would wake up in the middle of a panic attack, sleeping with her stopped it. She... she never played with me hair, i figured that's a thing i can tolerate when you do it." He smiles.

He's in so much pain.

I can see it.

"She always slept to the side where the door was closest to, in case papa came in." He clears his throat again. "I was... i was in the room sometimes when he would rape her. She always hid me in the closet, or under the bed. I could hear her trying to keep it together because she realised i was in the room. Her cries still haunt me."