"Lets talk lat-," I began to say before Sebastian interrupted me.

"No," he said bluntly. I let out a sigh, knowing he wasn't going to stop until he gets all the answers he wants now. "We're talking now. Who the fuck is he?"

I stayed silent.

"Oh, he doesn't know, does he?," he asked, feigning concern as he chuckled darkly, making a shiver run down my spine.

Suddenly I'm being reminded of the Sebastian I met for the first time all those years ago when we had just gotten married.

I knew at that point he was gonna fuck up everything I built for myself. My new life is on the verge of blowing up and exploding into tiny little pieces that's impossible to piece back together.

"Sebastian no," I said slowly, shaking my head. "Stop. We can talk properly like adults in private."

He shrugged his shoulders. "I'd rather not. Plus, I think your little friend needs to know the truth about you, Liliana."

"What truth?," Jordan asked, looking back and forth between us all. I watched from the corner of my eye as Valentina bit her lip nervously as she rocked back and forth on her heels.

"She is a liar," he began. "You've known her for... how many years?"

"Almost 6...," Jordan answered slowly. I held my breath. There's no way to stop him. He's gonna ruin everything.

"Six fucking years and she never told you the truth!," Sebastian scoffed out in disbelief. He turned to me. "Just when I think you can't stoop any lower, you prove me wrong!" He let out a dry chuckle.

"Sebastian, stop," Valentina finally spoke up.

"What?," he snapped. "Stop what?"

"Just stop! Why are you acting like this?"

"How exactly do you expect me to act? My wife returns from the fucking dead after six fucking years."

"She's not your wife," Valentina said meekly.

Actually, I'm not sure. This is a tricky situation but we'll treat it as if we separated and divorced therefore making the marriage contract void.

"You're the one that fucking shot her, okay? So you don't even have the right to call her that. Plus, you have a fiancée," Valentina continued, getting worked up.

"You knew she was alive, didn't you?," he finally asked, fitting the pieces together. Valentina licked her lips before putting her hands on her hips.

"Yeah, I fucking did. You fucking shot her. You put her life through hell when you first got married and it was all for what? Nothing! Absolutely nothing!"

I stood silently. My mouth was dry. I had nothing to say as I watched their interaction.

"Fuck you, Valentina!," he yelled at her. "Just get the fuck out!"

"No," she shrugged.

"He fucking shot you?," Jordan asked in shock as he stood up, causing his chair to screech back.

All of our heads snapped towards him. It seems we all forgot about him.

"Jordan, I can explain," I began to say slowly as I stood up.

"Yeah. She's gonna explain to us why she faked her fucking death," Sebastian said.

"Weren't you the one who faked it first? Remember that time we went to Italy all because you wanted my family to believe I was dead?"

"BUT I DIDN'T CARRY THE FUCKING LIE ON FOR SIX FUCKING YEARS!," he screamed in my face. "I want to know why and then I want you to get the fuck out of my building and my life."

"If I stayed, there would've been a chance I would've ended the pain myself!," I argued back. "Is that what you wanted to hear?"

A stupid stray tear rolled down my cheek. I harshly wiped it away.

He stayed silent.

"We lost our baby. I lost two. I lost them both because of our fucking lifestyle. I needed a change because being in that life is all I've ever known! You don't understand what was running through my mind then. No one will ever understand. I was going fucking crazy. I felt like I was being suffocated! I just needed a way out!"

"And what? That way out seemed easier than all the other options?," he asked letting out an annoyed scoff.

"Tell me what the other options are. Go on. Because, to me, that was the only option."

"But you didn't even think to let me know you were alive? All these years, I've been beating myself up about it, THINKING I FUCKING KILLED YOU!," he said his voice slowly raising until he was yelling in my face. I watched warily as his fists clenched and unclenched at his sides.

Before I knew it, his fist was flying in the air. I didn't even bat an eyelid as his fist met the wall right next to my head, making a huge hole. I let out an annoyed scoff as I crossed my arms over my chest.

I bet he was imagining that part of the wall as my head.

"Sebastian," I said firmly. "I asked you to come with me. I did. Don't even try to deny it. I brought up the topic of leaving and you flat out refused. Clearly, the guns, the bullets, the money and the missions were way more important than me. But for me, they weren't more important than myself and my mental health."

"I told you things were gonna change," Sebastian said, through gritted teeth, clearly keeping his anger at bay. "Why the fuck didn't you trust me?"

"I did trust you but I couldn't risk it!," I exclaimed on the verge of tears. "You don't understand how I was feeling! You don't understand what hopelessness can do to a person because if you did, then you'd understand why I had to leave with or without you."

He paced back and forth with his hand massaging his temple. "I thought I killed you."

I know, you've mentioned that at least a hundred times before.

"But you didn't. I thought you knew I was alive. I thought you realised that all the talk about leaving and then the day after that talk I died wasn't just a coincidence. I thought you knew. And I couldn't reach out!," I explained.

"Well, whoever the fuck you are, there's your answer," he shrugged as he spoke to Jordan like everything we just said doesn't matter. "She faked her death because she couldn't handle the mafia life."

Jordan took a deep breath. "You're in a fucking mafia." I closed my eyes to try and relax before reopening then. "That's fucked up."

"Not anymore," I spoke glaring at Sebastian.

"I-I think I'm gonna go," Jordan said confused as he grabbed his stuff and left.

I didn't even try to stop him, knowing full well that he needs time to think and realise what this means.

It means I'm a criminal who's taken lives.

"You're an ass," I said after a few moments of silence. "He didn't need to know."

"Yeah he did," he scoffed out. "The guy is working with a fucking murderer. A fucking criminal. I think he deserved to know."

"Just like how everyone that works here knows you run a fucking mafia?"

"Just get the fuck out," he sneered. "I got my answer and now I want you out."

"Congratulations, you and Isabella deserve each other," I spat out, just as I was about to leave after grabbing my stuff.

Realisation dawned on me that the relationship I have with Jordan might not last any longer. Being in a mafia is huge. It's not something to just get over. It's dangerous. The fact that I might lose a friend because of this, breaks my heart.

All in all, I have to say that this wasn't something I was ready to do but it could've gone a lot worse.

I have to say that I handled it like a pro.

~

🤍