𝐃𝐄𝐂𝐄𝐏𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 | 𝟏𝟖+

chapter one

ARIA

AS A CHILD, I ADORED THE COLOR PINK AND INCORPORATED it into every aspect of my life, from my room decor to my clothing choices. I was so enamored with it that I even dyed a few strands of my hair pink.

However, as a nineteen-year old, my love for pink has completely faded, and I now have a strong aversion to anything resembling the color. I dislike all shades of pink and avoid it altogether.

Even now, my mother Adeline forces me to wear the color during any significant event. Occasionally, I adhere to her wishes, but most of the time, I do not comply. Black was always my preferred color, and my mother disliked it intensely.

Growing up in such a household like mines, I rarely followed the rules or listened to anything these people had to say. Most of the times, I didn't really like being here but I had to because this was the only place I knew as my home.

Although we lived in a very enormous house, it was filled with a lot of people. It was accompanied my mother, father, my older twin brothers, and my Nonna. Occasionally, my cousins would stop by and stay for a few days. My parents were all about family, and how family should stick together.

My father was born to my Nonna when she was just seventeen, which wasn't planned but Nonna considered it a happy accident. Nonna grew up in a family of eight, where she was the only girl with seven brothers.

Her family struggled to make ends meet, so she made a tough decision to marry my Nonno at a young age. Despite facing many difficulties, they eventually fell in love. Unfortunately, when my Nonno died, Nonna was devastated, but behind her pain and sadness, she always kept the brightest smile on her face through it all.

The same thing happened to my mother as it did to my Nonna. She gave birth to my older twin brothers, Alessandro and Ares when she was eighteen years old and then had me when she was in her mid-twenties. The marriage between my mother and father wasn't an ideal one as it was arranged by my two grandfathers for business purposes.

My mother fell for my father immediately upon meeting him, but initially, my father didn't feel the same way. However, eventually he grew to love her more than she loved him, which is why my mother has always remained devoted to him. Despite all the difficulties he caused her, she never stopped loving him.

Not ever.

As I gaze at the TV screen, I see a woman on it. It's a classic from the 90s that my mother always loved to watch. Over time, it grew on me, and now I find myself sitting in this very spot on the couch, just like she used to, watching it countless times. Surprisingly, I never tire of it.

As my brother walks in, he asks, "How many times are you going to watch this terrible movie? I'm tired of hearing it," His abominable presence sucks the air out of the room. I shift in my seat, ignoring him. Normally, I would say something back, but my Nonna is sitting next to me in one of the armchairs, knitting as she always does. And she hated when we argued.

"Where's Ares?" Mother enters inside of the living room, and takes the free seat besides me. I continue to keep my eyes on the television, but my ears we're listening to the words spilling from their mouths. "I'm right here, mother." Ares stood behind Alessandro.

Ares was younger than Alessandro by a minute, and he hated that. I understood why he did, because he was often compared to him. Father would always compare the two, and it made them both infuriated. They were fraternal twins, but they shared most of the same features, but not the same personalities.