Guns & Roses.

Part 14 - The Real Story Begins.

Rose's POV

"Mama! Wake up!" Elijah? Is he in trouble!? "Elijah!" I sit up, looking around till I spot Elijah next to me, "Are you okay? What happened?" I grab onto his tear stained face. I pull him into my arms, resting my head on top of his. "Why are you crying, baby?" His sobs get louder as I cradle him in my arms, "I thought you not going to wake up!"

Frowning, I take in my surroundings. When did I get to my room, last I remember I was downstairs and Elijah was putting up about getting a phone then-

"You awake?"

His voice. I remove my head from Elijah's as I stare at the man in front of me. Dominic. Everything rushes through my mind as I look between Dominic and Elijah. Does he know? My eyes widen, he can not know about our son. I can not let those four years of me keeping my son safe go to waste. "What are you doing here?"

I throw the covers off me and get out of bed while picking up Elijah in the process. "El, go to your room and I will be there in a few minutes." I put him down but he does not move, "GO NOW, ELIJAH!" My emotions are all over the place and if El keeps putting up an act, it is not going to end up well.

"NO! Daddy finally home, we got daddy back." Without thinking, I raise my hand, "ELIJAH!" Before my hand could make contact with his face, a hand stops mine. I do not have to look up to know who it is. "Elijah, go to your room." Ha! Does he think he is going to make a difference?

"Okay, daddy." I frown when El listens and walks out of the room obediently. "That is not how you should treat your son." Dominic drops my hand and stands in front of me while crossing his arms. "Are you telling me how to raise my son? I AM HIS MOTHER! Do not even try to lesson me on raising my son."

A loud laugh erupts from the demon in front of me. My body goes numb as I stare at the heartless man, "Raising your son? Please, Rose Romano Russo-" So that is why he is here, because he finally found out who I am.

"You know that he shares my DNA as well. You put his life in danger yet you want to act like an overprotective, single mother." Dominic's eyes darken while his chest raises with every breath he takes. My knees feel weak and my head aches, "You say I put my son in danger? I did not tell you about him because if you knew, then I would be putting his life in danger. Elijah does not deserve to be involved in the Mafia! I kept him safe for four years, so trust me when I say that, you do not have a fucking right to question my upbringing."

I grab onto Dominic's shoulders as I pull him closer, "I try my best. I try my utmost best to give him the life he deserves. I try to make him forget that he has no male figure in his life. I want the best for Elijah, I do not want him to ever live the life you or I lived. I want him to be happy and I want him to always know that his mother would always love him - unlike mine."

I whisper the last part and drop both my hands from his shoulders. I sit down on the spring bed, awaiting for his response to everything that I have just told him but the room goes dead silent as I hear the tape dripping from the bathroom.

It feels like years have passed as I sit there staring at my dirty sneakers. "Mama!" My head snaps up when Elijah's screams brings the apartment to life. "Elijah?" I stand up, dashing pass Dominic and out of the room. I run to the direction of where his scream came from. "Elijah, what-" I stop when I see my son on the floor. I look around, but to find nothing suspicious, "Mama, tablet."

Frowning, I look down at the cracked tablet in his hands. Can he be serious right now? I sigh and walk towards him, "You almost gave me a heart attack." Elijah stands up and runs to me, wrapping his short arms around my legs. "I sorry for hurting you, mummy!" Smiling, I bend down, ready to assure him that I have forgiven him but a loud bang interupts me. Mother adrenaline rushes through me as I turn around and keep Elijah behind me, "Stay behind me, El." I exit his bedroom and step into the lounge where my glass coffee table is now in pieces, decorating the wooden floor. My eyes trail on every single glass piece until it lands on Dominic's shiny shoes.

"What have you done?" My voice cracks and my throat burns from dehydration. Dominic stands in the middle of the mess with his right hand clutched in a fist as blood drops down and lands on the small white carpet beneath him. "DADDY! You hurt." Elijah runs from behind me and over to him while grabbing onto his injured hand.

I stay put, taking in the situation that has unfolded in front of me. "Dadd-" Dominic speaks above Elijah's soft voice. "We need to leave right now!" His eyes are blood red and this is the first time I notice the dark, black circles around his eyes. He looks so drained and tired, "Let me first pack up." He nods and walks right out of the apartment.

My heart breaks when I see my son's confused face, why God? Why did you give all of us such a life? A life - no one would ever survive in.

This is where everything starts. Where the real story begins.