Potere | Book II ✓

xii | thy will be done

xii | thy will be done

a/n: veleno centered chapter with a little bit of gabe and liam.  you've been fed well tonight ladies. sorry for the delay, i was busy failing my classes

recap: Valentin ordered Diavolo to kill Faith's mother.  In retaliation, Liam killed Valentin's wife & Diavolo's mother.

War's been declared.

•• ━━━━━ ••●•• ━━━━━ ••

My cellphone is in my hand and my mom's number is displayed across the screen, but I can't call her.  I can't ask her for advice about a relationship I'm trying so hard to save, yet one I think I'd be willing to let go of forever.  I can't listen to her offer guidance or hear her light-hearted laugh.  I can no longer confide in her and listen to her tell me comforting stories of her once blossoming relationship with the man who raised me. I lost more than just my mother.  I lost my best friend.

It almost feels as though the others are mourning as well, despite none of them having a relationship with her.  No words were spoken on the ride back home.  Home.  The word that once tasted as sweet as honey whenever it came out my mouth tastes as bitter as vinegar.  I shudder.

Deep down, I know they aren't mourning the death of a woman they hardly knew.  They're mourning the piece of me that was laid to rest alongside my mother a little less than twenty-four hours ago.

Liam turned the bedroom lights off nearly five hours ago in hopes of getting some rest, but I've cried more than I've slept.  In fact, I haven't slept at all.  My pillow is drenched in tears.  My eyes are puffy, swollen, and sensitive from the excessive use of my pajama's sleeve.  My chest hurts and my head aches.

I'm lying beside the man I've declared my love for, yet I've never felt so alone.

Liam hasn't made a sound since he crawled in bed beside me.  I know he's asleep, which is why I'm doing my best to muffle the sound of my cries.  I clutch my phone to my chest with one hand and grab a fistful of the mattress sheets with the other as more tears trickle out the corner of my eyes.  My breathing is ragged, heavy, and loud, adding even more guilt to the idea of accidently waking Liam up.

Then I feel his fingertips brush along the back of my hand, and I know that he hasn't been asleep, and I haven't been alone.

A part of me wants to yank my hand away, but I know I need him right now more than ever.  So, I hold his hand like I've never held it before.  I hold his hand tight and interlock our fingers.  I press the back of his palm against my face, and feel it dampen as my tears dot his skin.  I clutch his forearm and squeeze his hand as I cry, terrified to think that if I let go, I'll drown.

Liam overpowers me and drapes the same hand I once held onto over my chest.  He blindly brushes strands of damp hair away from my face before placing a warm palm against my cheek.  I lean into his hand as his presence nears.  He rests his head right next to mine, places his lips beside my ear, and pulls me close.  I cry even more.

He mumbles three words that I didn't know I needed to hear, and they aren't I love you, but, "I've got you."

They are equally as powerful in the moment.

He holds me until I pry myself away, in need of a drink of water.  But before I slip out of bed, I make sure to press a kiss to the back of his hand in thanks, appreciation, and proof that I'll always love him.  No matter what happens to our relationship, I'll love him more than I'll ever love anyone else.