Die For You

Chapter 7

As we caught up, Dad came home early, making the family complete. But something was missing - Mom. I have to accept she's not here anymore.

While enjoying the family time, Kai asked about my birthday plans. It made me think. Celebrating sounds nice, but it's tricky without Mom. The idea brought mixed feelings - happy memories but also a bit of sadness.

Taking a pause, I looked around, remembering when Mom's laughter filled our home. It's tough thinking about celebrating without her. Yet, in all this, I realize it's important to value the moments with the family still here.

"And yeah, I'm going out with Luna and my new friend Arya. She's really nice," I tell them.

"Who's Arya? You never talked about her," Lorenzo asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh yeah, she's my new friend. She's also Italian and is new to our school," I explain. They didn't bother to ask more.

After chatting a bit more, my dad interrupts, "Gio, Aleks, I have to speak to both of you. Meet me at my office upstairs." His mysterious tone is getting on my nerves.

As my father speaks, Gio and Aleks leave the room, following my dad to his office. Kai has to stay with me. I really want to know what they're going to talk about. Maybe I should just listen to them.

"Kai, I'm going to the toilet. I'll be right back," I tell him. He doesn't know that I will listen to them. As I walk upstairs on my toes, slowly, I hear angry voices coming from my dad's office.

"Father, when are you going to tell her? She will turn 18. You've been hiding this since Mother's death. Does she know her own mother got killed by the Ukrainian mafia? I don't know what you told her, but it's time she knows that we run the biggest mafia," I hear Gio angrily telling my dad.

My heart drops. I'm speechless. What the actual fuck what does he mean with mafia? Is that what dad was always mysterious about?

Dad was always secretive, and it's too much for me. I burst into the room, clapping my hands. "So, you kept the truth hidden for so long? Good job!" I say, upset. They look at me like I'm a ghost.

I glare and continue, "Is this why my brothers are always gone, and you come home late every night? You thought now is the right time to spill this?" I leave without waiting for an answer. I can't stay in this house with them anymore. Their hidden secrets and my own cluelessness weigh on me.

Outside, I grab my phone and call Luna. "Luna, I'm coming over now," I say, my voice mixed with frustration. "Okay, babes," she replies, not knowing the chaos in my family.

It's freezing, and I'm not wearing a jacket. Luckily, Luna lives just 10 minutes away. She lives alone since her parents are always away for business, running a big company. Finally, I arrive at her house, knock on the door three times, and there she is - Luna. I give her a hug, and we head to the living room. I immediately break down in front of her.

"What happened?" she says, raising an eyebrow. "I-I can't breathe," I tell her, having a panic attack. Oh no.

"Breathe in, breathe out," Luna says. My vision goes black. "Amaya, focus on my voice. Now, again, breathe in, breathe out," Luna says, sounding worried. I follow her instructions and calm down after a while. I gather myself and tell her what happened.

"My mother didn't die in a car crash; she got killed by the Ukrainian mafia. I know this is a lot to take in," I say to Luna. I look at her, and her mouth drops open. She doesn't say a word.

"Mafia? Amaya, I'm sorry," she says, apologizing. "Don't be sorry. I overheard my dad talking, and now I know why he comes home late every night and why my brothers are gone - they run the Italian mafia," I explain to Luna. She looks at me; I thought she'd be scared, but she just smiles.

"Damnnnn, girl. I really don't know what to say, though," she says calmly. "It's just so much to take in. First, Luca cheating, then the boy from the party is in our class, and now my family runs a mafia," I tell her, feeling emotionless.

"But everything will be okay. Now, speaking of them boys, aren't you interested in Dante?" she asks me. I kinda like him, but what he said made me mad. "Uh, nah, I don't like him," I tell Luna. She looks at me, knowing I'm lying.

"Stop the lies. I damn well know you want him, and he's way better than Luca," she says to me. Well, she's right. I feel like I'm blushing right now - I probably am.

"Luna, I'm not even gonna lie to you, but his 6.4-ft ass can fuck me again, because that dick was 12 inches," I tell her.

"Okay, girl, okay. Oh, and by the way, my parents are in the city on Saturday. They've got something to talk to me, and you know if they come back, it's important," Luna says. I can tell by her face that she's sad. I check the time, and it's late as heck. I probably should go now.

"Luna, I should probably go. It's getting late," I say to her. "Are you sure? It's really dark now outside," she says, sounding worried. But it's okay; it's not that far.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just gonna go now. Thanks. Love you so much," I tell her. I love her more than anything.

"Love you even more. Text me if you're home. Bye, babes!" she responds, closing the door. It's literally freezing. I'm shivering like a penguin in a snowstorm.

Outside, I feel dumb; I could've just waited until the next morning. As I walk down the street, the rain starts pouring, and it's freezing. While heading home, I hear the distinct sound of a motorcycle. To my surprise, it's Dante - why is he everywhere?

"Do you need a ride? It's freezing," he offers. I look at him, wondering if he's serious. "No thanks," I respond. He growls, steps off his Yamaha R7, and now he's standing in front of me. I can't even look at him; he's like 6.4 ft tall.

"Move," I tell him, but instead of listening, he grabs me and puts his helmet on me. "Now, sit and be a good girl. Tell me where you live," he says in his deep, attractive voice. I do what he says and share my address. He starts to speed, and I hold onto him so tight.

"You're not gonna die, Angelo," he says. I feel embarrassed after that. "Dante, stop here. My brothers can't know you took me home. They will literally kill you," I say as he slows down. I hand him the helmet back, and there's a deep tension in the air.

I go inside my house, and everyone is in the living room. They don't say anything to me. I just walk past them, heading to my room. The air feels heavy with silence, and their stares follow me.

Closing my door, I flop onto the bed. Thoughts race in my head about my family's mafia ties. The room feels tight, filled with the secrets that spilled out.

Trying to sleep is hard. It's like a storm in my head,
time passes slowly, and in the quiet of my room, I start to grasp the reality of it all. Eventually, sleep comes, offering a break from the chaos that has taken over my once familiar world.
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Chapter number 7, and I'm not quite sure how to feel about this chapter. Anyway, it's now January 14th as I write this chapter. I don't know when this story will come out, but I hope it's soon. Love you all. At this point Luna is my favorite character she is a real one.