Beautiful Mistake

Chapter 41 - Funeral

Elena's POV

"Fucking leave, Elena!"

I confidently held his glare, still clutching the glass of water in my hand. He was trying to intimidate me, scare me into running. Months ago, I might have easily retreated, but not right now.

"No." I simply stated with a raised brow.

"Excuse me?" He pulled back, surprised by my tranquilized demeanor.

"I said, no, Angelo. I am not leaving because I know, for a fact, that when you sober up and come to terms with things, you will excruciatingly regret not saying goodbye to your mother. I know you, Angelo. This isn't you." I explained.

His jaw clenched as his eyes investigated my face multiple times. He groaned in agony, hastily turning away from me as he aggressively ran his fingers through his hair before sinking back down into the couch.

"Please, don't make me do this. I'm begging you, Elena, please don't." He pleaded with me.

"Do what, Angelo?" I took a step closer to him, setting the glass of water onto the table.

"You've taken away the alcohol which means I will sober up fully. With sobriety, comes all the feelings. All of the pain and emotional turmoil will flush back through me like a fucking flood. I've been through the same anguish too many times. It doesn't stop. It never stops, Elena, and I cannot go through that again. First, my sister, then my father and now my..." He trailed off, unable to finish his sentence.

"And now my mother." He endured in a whisper.

"I don't want to feel it all over again. I refuse to!" He stated while shaking his head profusely.

"Hey, hey, hey!" I cut him off, rushing over to him. I knelt before him, making sure I was within his direct view while holding his face in the palm of my hands.

"Angelo, it may be the same pain, but you have something this time around that you never had before," I spoke clearly. He furrowed his brows in an uncertain confusion.

"Me," I said softly, with my hand on his leg. "This time around, you have me, Angelo."

His whole face subdued as his gaze held mine intently. I noticed his eyes glaze over rapidly before the tears fell freely down his cheeks. I straightened my kneeling position to close the space separating us as I wrapped my arms around his neck, his arms encircling my torso. He buried his face into the curve of my neck and cried all the suffocating pain he had been holding in for the past week.

"I've got you," I whispered while brushing my fingers through his hair in an attempt to mollify his distress. A few minutes passed until the penthouse bell rang throughout the room. He pulled back from me, glancing over his shoulder.

"It's probably the food I've ordered," I informed him.

He slowly nodded in understanding as I stood from the ground. I picked up the glass of water, handing it to him. He grudgingly took it from me, holding it in his hands while staring down at the liquid. I cupped his cheek in the palm of my hand, tenderly sweeping my fingers over his face.

"Drink it, please. You need to flush the toxins out." I told him.

He gave me a curt nod before bringing the glass to his lips as I left to collect the food. Once accepting our sandwiches into the penthouse, I made my way into the kitchen to place them upon a plate. I collected another glass of water before heading back into the lounge with his plate of food.

I gently placed it down on the table, turning to face him as he finished drinking the water from earlier. I held my hand out, waiting for him to give me the glass. I carried it to the kitchen, setting it into the sink and bringing my sandwich with me. I then sat down beside him, grabbing his plate and passing it to him.