I have to blink once more to affirm that what I'm seeing before me is actually real.

And it is.

Scott kneels on the floor, his face a bloody mess, and his nose looking slightly crooked. His clothing is tattered and dirty, but he still looks the same. The same dirty blonde curls and mesmerising green eyes. However, they no longer seem to have the same hypnotic effect they once had on me.

I shake my head, and look down at the mess I created. Cold pasta litters the marble staircase as well as shards of porcelain.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Matteo's father yells at me.

I flinch at the harshness of his words. It's as if he just physically slapped me. I look up from the pasta towards him, and see the veins of anger protruding from his neck. I can see how he's been the cause for his family's grief. I don't know how Matteo lived with this man.

"I'm sorry." I apologise, reaching down to pick up the shards of bowl which I had dropped.

"Leave it. That's what we have maids for." He snaps at me.

I stand abruptly and shyly nod my head, no daring to look in Scott's direction. I can't let them know that I know him. Then he'll surely be killed on the spot. I have to speak to Scott, I need to find a way...

"What are you waiting for, I gave you orders, did I not?" The room breaks out into a bustle of commotion as Scott is lifted from the floor and dragged through to the opposite end of the house away from me. Our eyes meet once more, and I see the understanding in his eyes.

Once the entryway is free of any souls, I hurry back up the stairs towards my room. I should get changed and put some shoes on. They said they would take him to the stables... Now I just need to find where the stables are - And not get caught. Piece of cake.

However I know that when I reach my room, It will not be as much of a piece of cake as I would have thought. The door remains slightly ajar and I push it open to see Matteo inside, sitting on my bed.

"Matteo." I breathe.

His head looks up to me, and his eyes widen. He stands and takes a step towards me. "How did it go?" He asks.

I furrow my brows in confusion. Wouldn't the doctor have told him.

Matteo seems to notice my confusion and takes another step towards me. "I asked Sofia not to tell me. I thought it would be something you wanted to tell, rather than me prying..." He mumbles, looking away from me.

I notice his face redden a bit, and my heart flutters.

"I - Thank you." I give Matteo a small, but genuine smile. "I'm not pregnant."

He turns to look me in the eyes, and they seem to glint with... Hope?

"And are you happy?" He asks, taking another step closer to me. I can feel my body growing warmer the smaller the distance between us becomes.

"Relieved." I say.

He takes in a deep breath. "And what of the nausea, what is that supposed to be?"

I bite my lip and look down at the floor. "She suspected it was from the recent infection I had a few months ago." I whisper. But I know Matteo heard me.

I look up to see him staring at me with saddened eyes. "I'm sorry." Is all he says. But this time it holds much more weight than all the previous times. This time I know he's saying it for real.

I take a step towards me, until we are standing so close, that I can feel his breath fanning my face. I take his hand in mine. "It's alright." I say.

We stare into each other's eyes for what feels like forever, and I can feel both of our bodies gravitating towards each other. The heat between us is immense, and I glance down at his rosy lips.

"This is what you're doing?" I pull away from Matteo as I hear the annoyingly familiar voice of his father. "I called you down five minutes ago, because we have an intruder, yet you rather make love with your slut? Pathetic." He spits.

I clench my fists, wanting to desperately punch this man.

Matteo straightens up, however he doesn't pull away from me, and his fingers are still interlaced with mine. "I will not tolerate any disrespect towards Mia, Antonio." Matteo growls, and I look up at him to see the fury within his eyes. "As far as I'm concerned, It's your men who didn't properly secure the perimeter, thus why we have an intruder, so I would be careful what your next words are."

I look back up to Matteo, who's radiating power and dominance. He stood up to his father.

"There isn't any time for insolence." Antonio scoffs, completely ignoring Matteo's threat. "The boy is being interrogated right now in the stables. I suggest you join." And then he storms away from the room, leaving a trail of smoke behind him.

When we can no longer hear the footsteps of Matteo's father, he lets out an audible sigh and lets go of my hand to rub his temple. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's right. I need to go find out who this person is and how the hell they got within the vicinity of the house."

I gulp down all the thoughts and dread which arise from my stomach, feeling like they're about to be puked out. If Matteo sees it's Scott, there's no way of knowing what he'll do to him... He knows I slept with him, and he knows he helped hide me from him for almost a month. I can't let Matteo hurt him, I just can't.

I take Matteo's hand back in mine again, hoping it'll calm him down... Maybe he'll be okay - Maybe...

"Matteo, please you have to hear me out." I mumble, looking at his chest rather than into his eyes. I don't know if I'd even be able to look into his eyes right now.

Matteo's hand lifts and he raises my chin so that my eyes meet his.

"What is it, Mia?" He asks tenderly.

"I - Please don't hurt him Matteo." I whisper.

I feel guilty asking Matteo to do this for me. It doesn't feel right - He has been nothing but gentle with me and he's becoming a better person from when I first met him... Can I really ask him not to harm Scott. Is that asking too much of him?

"I cannot promise that. Whoever the intruder is, has come to harm you. They deserve whatever is coming." He hums, his voice still smooth and eloquent.

I can feel my lip quivering slightly. If only Matteo knew that Scott wasn't here to harm me.

I look to the floor unable to look into the darkness of Matteo's eyes any longer. Nodding my head, I take a step back. "I would like to come." I request quietly, still not looking in Matteo's direction.

I expect him to say no, or anything other than yes, and as I wait for his response, I can't help but look up at him. He stares at me with intrigue and curiosity - And then he nods. "Okay."

I almost jump for joy.

I might not have been able to save my father, but at least I have the chance to save Scott.

Matteo and I walk through the large mansion until we reach a back door that opens onto a backyard that looks as if it spans for miles. The grass is a beautiful vibrant green and massive hedges line the perimeter. It looks like something out of Alice in Wonderland.

Once I finish marvelling at the sight, Matteo leads me down a cobblestone path until we reach what I suppose must be the stables.

I don't know what I was expecting, but I certainly wasn't thinking they would be actual stables.

I can hear the horses within them and their strong smell permeates within the area. It reminds me of back home in Australia, when we would visit my friends farm, and we would hang around in the stables when it rained. Just us and the horses.

Around the massive stables there seem to be more men than horses. And as we make our way closer, I can hear the faint sound of muffled cries and dampened thuds. Oh god, they're hurting him already.

I don't wait for Matteo as I run into the stables and find the stall where Scott is being kept. Standing guard outside are five men and I hurry towards them, trying not to let my intimidation show. "Stop!" I yell out.

I try to get to the stall door, but it appears to be locked from the inside, with no door handle to even open it.

Clearly these stables aren't just for horses.

"Please, open the doors!" I cry as I hear the muffled cries becoming louder.

The men only look at me with bored expressions.

"You heard her, open the doors!" Matteo's voice orders, and I spin around to see him heading down past the stalls towards us.

Finally the men seem to listen and they knock on the door. Within two seconds, the doors open and out steps another expressionless guard, however instead of the clean and crisp suit everyone else wears - His is stained with blood.

I push past him and hurry into the stall, falling to the ground beside Scott when I see his bloody and bruised face. Blood is leaking uncontrollably from his nose and a huge cut runs down the side of his face. I can't see any more visible injuries, but he clutches his stomach and it doesn't take a genius to know the extent of his wounds are far worse than the eyes can see.

"You're going to be alright." I say as I tear a piece of fabric from my oversized shirt and wipe away the blood from his face. "No one else will hurt you - Not while I'm here."

"What is this?"

I snap my head around to see Matteo standing at the door, his arms folded across his chest, and his eyes much darker than usual. He looks bloodthirsty.

"Matteo, he's not here to harm me... You have to believe me. He's never hurt me - Ever. He's only ever helped me." I say.

"Mia-" He begins, but I cut him off.

"Matteo, just let me talk to him. Please, give me some privacy. Please just trust me and do this one thing for me." I plead.

His eyebrows furrow and he looks deep in thought, debating with himself until he finally gives me a curt nod. "I will be directly outside, if you need any help, call out."

The tension within my body releases and I relax a little. Matteo's trusting me to talk with Scott... Even when he hates him, even after everything that has happened.

I turn back to Scott.

I need to focus on him now - Not Matteo.

"Do you need anything? Any water or food?" I ask, still applying pressure to the wound on his head.

Scott only shakes his head, and waves my hand away from him. I give him a confused look, but lower the material.

I chew the inside of my cheek and place my hand on Scott's shoulder. "I'm sorry." I say.

Now Scott looks at me confused. "For leaving you, without saying goodbye."

He shakes his head and his face winces in pain. "No, Mia... You have nothing to apologise for, it's all my fault."

"No it isn't. None of this is your fault. If anything - It's mine."

Scott lets out a pained laugh. "I will never understand how after everything you've been through... How you are still so innocent." He says.

I purse my lips and frown slightly.

"None of this is your fault Mia. What's happening to you is just because Harry is a purely evil being, nothing else." He sighs.

I don't move and just stare at Scott.

How does Scott know Harry?

I shake my head, I'm probably just getting things confused.

Maybe he's right, maybe this really is because Harry is just evil, and I just happen to be his sister. If it weren't me, it would've been someone else.

"I'm sorry Mia." Scott says, clutching my hand in his. "I'm sorry for everything that is happening to you. You don't deserve any of it, and you are one of the most pure souls I have ever encountered in my life. You deserve so much better."

Tears fall down my cheeks, and I can't do anything to stop them.

Scott shuffles towards me, and embraces me within his arms, rubbing my back soothingly. "I'm so sorry Mia. I truly am."

I close my eyes and melt into his embrace.

"I'm sorry." He whispers once more as he swiftly moves from the hug, to his hands wrapping securely around my throat.

My eyes widen in shock and I bring my hands up to his, trying to pry them off of me.

His thumbs press harshly, digging into my soft skin and a burning pain begins to spread from my neck to my head and my lungs.

"I'm so sorry Mia." He whispers again. "Harry has my Mum."

In his eyes I see tears forming and his face slowly reddens.

I try to choke out a sob, but nothing seems to come out. I try to hit Scott but it's to no avail. He's strong - Much stronger than I thought he would be in his supposed weakened state.

I try to reach out, to kick anything, to make any noise - But I'm too far away from the walls and there is only hay surrounding us.

Betrayal settles deep within my stomach. Had all that time with Scott been a lie? Had he never cared for me as I did for him?

I want to hate him, yet Harry has his mother.

How can I hate a person who is doing something to protect the one that they love? Would I not do the same?

Maybe It's better if Scott kills me. Then no longer would I have to worry about anything. It would all be over. Maybe I should just give up. It would be better for everyone.

Slowly I stop fighting as the levels of oxygen reaching my lungs and brain decreases rapidly, and the burning pain erupts into flames that lick at my insides.

Black spots appear in the corner of my vision and I can feel everything closing in one me. My pounding heart beat resounds within my ears like a beating drum. Like a clock ticking down.

This is it.

This is the end.

The last thing I hear before I succumb to the darkness is the loud ringing of a gunshot.

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