It’s hard being in a house full of good memories but tainted by one bad one that ruined them all. It’s funny that I’m back where I started. I’m with my children, who my father blamed for ruining my life and banishing me. And since I took a pregnancy test this morning, my suspicions were correct.
I’m pregnant with Luca’s baby.
Again.
“This is where you grew up, Mommy?” Olivia asks, running through the living room.
“This is it.” Everything is covered in sheets, and I yank them off the couch only to be welcomed by a cloud of dust. I cough and fan my face.
“It’s big.” Oliver tilts his head back and stares at the ceiling with round eyes.
“Will we be living here now?” Olivia asks, pressing her face against a window.
“I think so. I’ll clean it up, and it will be as good as new. Your grandpa left all this for us.”
“Is Luca coming?” Oliver plops down on the couch.
“I—I don’t know.” I need space from him. I couldn’t pretend like everything was okay with that knowledge of him scheming me. If he wants to talk, that’s fine, but I can’t do that right now.
“Can we go look for our rooms?”
“Oh, yeah! Can we, can we?” Oliver begs, standing on the couch and bouncing.
“No bouncing on the couch. Yes, you can. Be careful, okay? Stay on this floor. Do not go up the stairs. Understand?”
“Yes!”
“If I find out you went up the stairs, no Aunt Cora for two weeks.”
They gasp, nodding at me in sync before they dash away, giggling as they explore their new home.
When they’re gone, I take a moment to break, hiding my face in the sheet as I sob. The pain is so much. I miss Luca. I was tired of being on my own, but I guess the only person I could really trust was myself. I can’t believe he asked for my hand in marriage and what is worse is my dad was okay with it. He sold me like a horse to the highest bidder, his rival, no less.
It’s hard to find understanding in that, and it’s impossible to find forgiveness.
Something clinks behind me, and I turn around; the only thing I can hear is my breath. Nothing is there. It’s just the entrance to the kitchen.
I fold the sheet and place it on the coffee table, then remove another one from the entertainment center, revealing a huge flat-screen TV.
A creak sounds, and I hold my breath before glancing over my shoulder to where the noise is coming from.
“It’s just an old house with old bones. It’s going to make noises,” I tell myself as I fold the next sheet.
A hand wraps around my mouth, and a dark, smoky chuckle is villainous in my ear. “I wouldn’t be so sure about that, sweetheart.”
I scream into the hand and hit his arms repeatedly, but a cold blade is pressed against my throat.
“If you don’t want Taylor to go on the hunt for your little brats, I suggest you obey.”
Taylor?
Taylor is here, and he’s with this…monster?
I squeeze my eyes shut as tears and betrayal fill them. Luca was right about Taylor all along. I should have listened to him.
“Are you going to listen?”
I nod, shivering from the adrenaline coursing through my veins.
“You aren’t going to scream?”
I shake my head. I know better than that, but I do need to figure out what I’m going to use to fight them with when I get the chance.
“Good.” His nose brushes against my cheek. “I can see why my brother likes you so much. You’re fucking gorgeous.” He squeezes my ass and growls, sniffing my hair. “He always did get the best of everything. I’m here to take it away from him. What was his was always meant to be mine.” He removes his hand from my mouth and spins me around to face him.
He’s nothing like Luca. This man’s eyes are brown, and there’s a scar going through one eyebrow. His hand is dirty and black, slicked back by the natural grease, and I can smell the smoke on his breath. I look over his shoulder and see Taylor standing there, and he gives me a smile with a gentle finger wave.
“Hey, bestie,” he mocks, then gives me a sly, evil grin. “You really are gullible. I didn’t think it would be so easy to get close to you, but you’re just that kind of girl, aren’t you? Two little kids running around, I bet you are easy. And I’ve been dying to find out.”
“Fuck you; you won’t get near me!” I go to charge him, but Luca’s stepbrother stops me.
I didn’t even know he had a brother. What else don’t I know?
“Now, now, be nice.” He rubs the dull edge of the blade against my cheek, and I slide my eyes to the side, watching just how close I am to feeling pain. “Everything will be fine. Everyone will go on happy and healthy. All you have to do…” he clicks his tongue as he stares down at my shirt, the knife ready to cut down the middle of the material. “Is tell me where the fortune is. That’s all, sweetheart.”
I swallow, hoping my kids remain quiet and unseen. “I don’t know,” I whimper. “He didn’t tell me.”
“Liar!” Taylor roars at me. “You told me he told you. Just tell us where it is, and we will leave. I don’t want to be here longer than I have to.”
“I don’t know! I lied. I lied.”
The point of the blade digs into my chin as Luca’s brother lifts my head. He stares into my eyes and narrows his own as he calculates if I’m telling him the truth.
“You’re lying,” he yells, slapping me across the face.
I tumble, ramming my side against the coffee table. “Why do you need it? If you’re related to Luca, then you should have all the money. How do you even know about the fortune?”
He yanks me back by my hair and exposes my throat, the knife against my jugular. “Saying we are stepbrothers is too nice. I used to be family. Do you want to know what happens when Biancos get tired of their family? They cast them out and leave them with nothing, but I won’t be left with nothing. I came back to reclaim what’s mine, and it just fell into my hands, really. Your daddy was ill…” he mocks, pressing the blade harder into my skin. “And then I find out Luca is interested in you.” He bends down, and his horrible breath warms my cheek. “Then, Taylor told me your kids are his too, and I thought, wow, the universe is finally for me. I can take everything Luca loves away. Everything. Just like he did to my mother and me. You know she ended up killing herself after Luca’s father left us? I bounced around from foster home to foster home. The Biancos ruined my life, and it’s only fair that I get to do the same. Taylor here; he’s my foster brother. The one guy who has never let me down.”
“Give it time,” I state, glaring at Taylor. “I wouldn’t be surprised if he stabbed you in the back.”
“Watch. Your. Tongue.” He dips his sweaty fingers into my mouth and yanks it out, placing the blade against it. “Or I’ll fucking cut it out.”
I whimper and gasp when he finally let’s go.
“Just tell us where it is.”
“No.”
“You’d die protecting that fortune?” Taylor asks just as Luca’s brother hits me in the face again.
I fall to the floor, groaning, and spit out blood. “I’d die if it meant it didn’t get into the hands of someone like you.”
“You stupid bitch!” Taylor shouts, slamming his foot into my stomach.
I hold onto it, tears spilling down my cheeks. There’s no way the baby can survive a hit like that. I’m going to miscarry. I press my forehead against the floor and try to breathe.
In through the nose and out through the mouth.
“Just tell us! Or I swear to God, I’m going to go hunt your kids down and cut their throats right in front of you.” Taylor lifts me up, staring at me with such hatred, and I nod.
“Outside. In the greenhouse. In the pots,” I wheeze.
“You better not be lying to us.”
“Why would I do that?” I cough, tasting blood. “You’re going to kill me anyway.”
“You’re smart, too,” Luca’s brother sighs. “I like that. Maybe I’ll keep you. We’ll get rid of the brats, but maybe you can be all mine.”
“If you fucking touch them!” I launch myself at him, and he slaps me again. I fly to the right, landing on the floor.
“What are you going to do?” Luca’s brother straddles me, flipping me to my back as he holds the tip of the knife against my heart. “You can’t beat me, sweetheart.”
A gunshot pierces the space, and my ears ring since we are in an enclosed space. I hold my head between my hands and roll over. Taylor falls to his knees, his mouth open, and his eyes dart around as if he is wondering what happened before he falls over. Dead.
Blood coats the floor, pooling like a river under him, and it slowly drifts its way toward me.
“Oh, my God.” I scurry away until my back hits the wall.
Luca comes into view, a gun in his hand, and he aims it at his brother next.
“Don’t you fucking touch her, Xavier, or you’ll be lying on the floor right next to him.”
“There’s more where he came from,” Xavier says, slicing my arm with the knife.
I cry out, holding my hand over my wound. Blood drips through my fingers, and Luca tackles Xavier to the ground. The knife falls from Xavier, sliding across the floor, and disappears under the couch. The gun fires again as it leaves Luca’s hand, shattering the sliding glass door.
Luca manages to get on top of Xavier, punching him in the face.
I take that chance and scoot away, dragging myself across the floor to get the knife. That’s when I see the twins at the very end of the hall. They are holding each other and crying.
They take a step forward, and I hold up my hand, shaking my head. My eyes fill with tears when I think of anything happening to them. They can’t take another step.
I cover my face to show our signal to hide, and they nod, running to a different area of the house. I sigh in relief when they are away and out of sight, but the worry is still there. I have to fight for my kids and for Luca.
He wouldn’t have come this way to save me if he only wanted the money, right?
I have to listen to my instincts. Luca would never do that to me. He loves me. If he didn’t, he wouldn’t have come. He doesn’t need money; if he does, I’ll give it to him to save my life and my kids’ lives.
Pressing my cheek against the ground, I look under the couch and hold back a cry of pain as I reach for the knife. I can barely reach it. Luca and Xavier continue to fight, slamming against the couch, which hits my wounded shoulder. A stinging pain sears through my arm as I stretch, and I can feel the edge of the blade.
I finally grab it, and the sharp edge cuts into the skin of my palm. Finally, I wrap my fingers around it. Standing, I look down and notice the entire blade covered in my blood. It’s slick and warm. I grip the handle and look up, noticing Xavier has the upper hand. He has his hands wrapped around Luca’s throat.
Luca’s face is turning red, and he’s trying to gauge Xavier’s eyes out.
I don’t know what gets into me, but I think of everything between Luca and me. I think about everything I’ve lost over the last five years and everything I want for the next. I charge around the couch, but when I try to stab him, they roll to the right and the knife jams into the wall. I yank and pull, trying to get it out, but it won’t budge.
A mirror shatters when Luca rolls Xavier against the wall, then grips him by the hair and slams the back of his head into the glass.
I keep trying to pull the knife out, but it doesn’t work, so I look for something else. My eyes land on the gun. It’s on the balcony, lying in shattered glass. As they fight, I slip outside, swiping the gun and cocking it.
Aiming, I fire.
And silence falls.
The fight ends.
There’s no more struggle.
It’s simply…over.
Xavier slips and slides down the wall, falling limp onto the floor, and Luca is standing there in shock with a busted lip and a black eye. He has blood splattered on his face, and his fists are still up as if he is holding Xavier against the wall.
The only thing I can’t think of to say is, “Why didn’t you tell me you had a brother?”
He drops his hands and wipes the blood from his nose. “Because I don’t. I never did.” He rushes to me and takes the gun from my hands. “Camilla? Hey, look at me. You’re okay. You’re safe. You did good, Beautiful Girl. You did so well. You protected everyone.”
My eyes won’t leave Xavier.
I killed a man.
It was self-defense, and I killed a man.
“Where are the kids? Where are our kids?” he asks, shaking me a bit to pull me out of the shock. “Camilla, where are the kids?”
“They are hiding. I told them to hide,” I mutter.
“I am not saying this because I want the fortune. I do not care about the money. We can burn it when we find it, but we need to move it or do something with it. Something needs to happen, or people will continue to come for it, Camilla. I love you. I only love you. I don’t care about the money or the agreement. I’ll burn that too. I wanted you to be mine; that’s it.”
“I love you too. I don’t care. I don’t care what we do with it, either. I just want you. I love you too. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for leaving.” I wrap my arms around his neck, and then the fog lifts, bringing me back to the present. “Oh my God, Luca. We have to find the kids. They can’t see the bodies. They can’t.”
“Okay. No, that’s okay. We will find them, and Alvize will take care of the bodies. He just pulled in.”
I nod, doing my best to keep it together, but I’m shaking.
“Olivia? Oliver!” I call out their names as I run down the hall, looking left and right. “O-Squared!” I call out to them, something I haven’t done in a while.
We check everyone’s room on the main floor before running upstairs. I bypass my dad’s room and then stop. They would feel safe there. It was their grandpa. They didn’t know our differences. I open up the door, but I don’t see them.
“Oliver? Olivia?” I whisper.
“Mommy?” Olivia cries.
Luca and I give each other a quick glance before running to the bed and falling to our knees.
They are under the bed, holding one another, crying into each other’s shoulders.
“Come here. It’s okay. Oh, my sweet babies, it’s okay.” I take Oliver while Luca takes Olivia.
“Daddy,” she weeps, wrapping her arms around his neck while burying her face in her shoulder.
“Oh, I’m here,” he chokes. “I’m here, baby. I’m right here. Nothing will ever happen to you. I swear. I’m so proud of you. You kept each other safe. You’re so strong,” he whispers into her ear, kissing her cheek while he holds her tight.
“I want Daddy too,” Oliver sobs, reaching for Luca, but Olivia doesn’t seem to need me either now, and I’m okay with that.
Luca grabs them both, one on each hip, and he falls to his knees, holding both of his twins.
“I have you both. You’re okay. You’re safe. You’ll always be safe with us. Oh, I love you. I love you so much.”
And that’s when I see it, the tears.
Not one, but two. One from each eye as he holds our children.
“It’s where the world begins and ends,” I say out of nowhere, thinking about what my dad told me before he died. “World begins and ends….” I say again, wondering what my father could mean by that. “I know where it’s at,” I say in astonishment.
“You didn’t?” he sounds surprised.
“No, he gave me a riddle. It’s the fireplace. There is a portrait of my mom there, and Dad always said that was where his world ended and began. It’s the fireplace. We never had fires either,” I say, astonished I didn’t think about it before.
“What do you want to do with it?” Luca is still on his knees, each hand on the back of our children’s heads as they press their cheeks against his shoulder and fall asleep.
“We will give it to them. All three.”
“That sounds great.” He kisses Olivia’s forehead. “Wait, what do you mean all three? We have two.”
“We have one on the way,” I tell him, and he gets to his feet, rushing to me even with his arms full.
“Really?”
“Really,” I whisper, kissing his lips. “Prepare to be a father of three.”
“I want to be a father of many if I have any say in it,” he whispers.
I take Olivia from him and lie her down on my father’s bed, then Oliver, and they remain fast asleep.
“When I saw that contract, I thought you only wanted me for the fortune.”
“I told you—” he takes my hand and smiles at our children before placing his palm against my stomach. “—I have all the fortune a man could ever want.”
I think my dad was onto something.
For me, the world ends and begins with Luca Bianco.
