ROMEO (book 1)

51. ROMEO

Matteo's fist wipes clean over my face again and this time Asher pulls him back instead of mom. "Both of you, stop it." Asher shouts, putting himself between Matteo and I.

"He hit me first." I look at mom. "Is it still bleeding?"

She hums but keeps her eyes away from mine. She keeps focused on my nose. Matteo hit me so many times it wouldn't stop bleeding, so I freaked out. He wouldn't touch me and she was the first one here. I can tell she'd rather do anything else.

Dad walks into the room. "Matty, go clean your hands up."

"I'm going to fucking kill you." He says to me as he walks away. Asher follows after him.

Mom leaves too after them.

Dad sits with me. "You cheated on her?"

"Only once."

"It doesn't matter." He sighs. "The poor girls gone through enough do you not think?"

"I didn't mean it. I regretted it as soon as I did it. I can't say anymore than that. I know i messed up. I know I'm a dick. What else do I say?"

"Why, son? That's all I want to know."

"Because she didn't give me what I wanted." I say. "She didn't give it me and I needed it. So I found a girl that looks like her and I did her instead."

He shakes his head in disappointment and leaves too.

I look at her suitcase in the floor.

Why did she run? She knows I have enemies that would do anything to hurt her. She's stupid sometimes.

My door opens and Ilaria walks in. She doesn't even acknowledge me, just walks away.

I text Leo to rid of Kelly quickly but painfully, then I call Delilah.

Declined.

I throw my phone on the counter and rest my chin on my hands. I didn't replace the tracking bracelet. So I don't know where she is.

I don't feel bad. I feel guilty, yes. But I don't feel bad. It made sense to me at the time and that's why I did it. It doesn't make sense anymore and I'm coming to that realisation but I can't change the past. All I can do is apologise and tell her it won't happen again.

Mom walks out of the spare bedroom and opens the cabinets. She scoffs, then throws my unopened medication right at me. "I told you... I told you, if you didn't get on these and stay on these you were going to hurt her beyond forgiveness and you did."

Delilah will forgive me. She just needs time.

"Matteo's already gave me an earful, I don't need you to as well."

She looked like she was about to punch me.

"Roman. You deal with him." She walks away. "Fucking pathetic." She turns and walks back. "Everything Romeo. I have given you everything and the one thing I asked for in return was that you didn't hurt that girl and..." She stops talking. "Fucking pathetic." She walks away.

Dad just disappointedly looks at me, "How long have you been off them?"

"Month or so."

"Why?"

"Because. I don't need a reason to. I didn't like them, I cheated on her before I got off the medication." I rub my eyes, "Is Matteo's nose okay?"

"It's broke." He sits down. "I told you you were going hurt her."

"Dad." I look up, "I'm not... I'm not really worried about the whole cheating thing. I'm more worried about the fact she changed... she changed everything she did to appeal to me."

He raises an eyebrow to ask for elaboration.

"The girl I did it with. Kelly. She's a stripper. Delilah started showing her body off more because she thought I would like it more; and I did. I liked it a lot more. But I didn't notice she didn't like it. She let me have sex with her whenever I wanted. She... completely changed herself for me and I didn't notice."

He sighs, rubbing his hand down his face.

"She started making herself sick... sticking her fingers down her throat because all the strippers are stick thin. She thought it would make her skinnier and I would like her more." I shake my head.

How did I not notice?

"And then I told her she can't blame her insecurities on me."

Dad sighs again, "You need to stay away from that poor girl."

"I can't." I look at mom standing by the door. "I'm obsessing over her. I hyperfixate on her. I told her I loved her."

"Why would you do that when you know it isn't true?" Mom asks.

"Because I feel the way I feel with you, mamma. She makes me a better person and-"

"But you still cheated on her? You still didn't notice when she changed herself?" Matteo walks in. "You're bad at reading things but you're not fucking oblivious. The signs were so clear! I told you and you said she was fine." He raises his voice. "I told you not to hurt her Romeo. She's been hurt by people her entire life and she trusted you enough to not hurt her and you did. Imagine how she fucking feels knowing she gave you her all; everything, and you did that to her!" He shouts.

I know it's bad.

Asher grabs Matteo, "Come on."

"You're such a fucking dick. It's moments like this when I wish you fucking died." Matteo says, meaning it to. "Another one of my friends I have to lose because of you and your fucked up ways."

"Matteo." Asher frowns, "Stop."

"I don't fucking care. He held a knife to my throat and y'all still forgave him." He looks directly at mom for that. "Y'all forgive him for everything. You have four other kids as well."

This isn't just about Delilah, he's been waiting to say that for ages.

"Don't speak to momma like that." I glare at him.

"What are you gonna do? Fight me?" He scoffs, "Fucking hate all of you. You're all going to forgive him for this too. For hurting that poor girl to the point she was fucking killing herself for him. All he needed to do was take a fucking pill." He shouts. "Fuck face." He walks out of the apartment.

Mom wipes her cheeks and walks after him, Asher after that.

Ilaria walks out of the bedroom and looks at me. "He's doesn't mean it but he's not wrong. Delilah was our friend before he met her, she won't answer my calls or texts now." Her eyes flick to dad.

"She'll come around." Dad clears his throat.

"When? When he manipulates her to get back with him. When he forces her to stay because he can't cope with his emotions and refuses to go to therapy?" She scoffs. "She was so different when I saw her last and it was all to satisfy him and he don't even have the decency to get help. To take a damn pill. And y'all will only say, 'he isn't like you.'" She shakes her head. "We're sick of hearing it. You're not an asshole to me every single second of the day and you have the same condition as him." She says to dad. "He's the way he is because y'all gave him so much leeway. So much." She walks away.

For the first time in my life, their words actually did something to me.

Dad takes a breath, "Well."

"They're not lying."

"It's really not our fault that you threaten to hurt our other kids when you don't get your own way." He puts the pills in front of me. "It's that, therapy or a psychiatric ward again. Your choice." He walks out of the apartment too.

Maybe I do need to be put in the psych ward again, for a while. Maybe I do need therapy.

But I'm not taking those pills again.

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Matteo's villain origin story.
Also jsut a heads up that Matteo's book will have strong battles with addiction (so far what i've planned anyways but i always end up changing my mind) and it will be alcohol!

word count: 1325