Gone... But not the end

Gone... But not the end
Aria's POV

I had never cried so much in my entire life.

Not when my mother died... I barely knew her.

Not when my brother died... They never really loved me the way they should.

Not even when my father pushed away from him and took me to the states... I was sad, but I didn't cry his much.

Or even when I was kidnapped by Luca at first and I realized my situation... I cried, but not as much as this.

This was the most painful I had ever felt in my life. Those words Paloma said seemed to have defined Luca's fate.

I didn't want to believe it... I refused to believe it.

Not until Marcus showed me his grave.

That was when I couldn't justify anything anymore. It wasn't make-believe, it wasn't fake or a lie...

Luca was gone.

He had left his unborn child and me.

It broke me to my core. I had only two people who loved me in my life, the first was Paloma... And Luca was the second.

Having one of them leave so suddenly... I didn't want to leave anyone.

But how could I die? What would I tell Luca when I see him in the afterlife? What if he asked about his son?

How would I explain that I had ended the child's life just to be with him?

I had known for a few months that Luca's time was running out. Yet I never thought of how my life would be after he was gone. I thought I still had time...

20 days.

Now I'm forced to live that life whether I wanted it or not. Because this wasn't just another business trip... It was forever.

Luca was a terrible person. He had probably killed more people than the people I knew in my life. He was someone that people wished to die... I did at first.

But after getting to know him, after falling in love with him... I had started to change. I thought maybe he was starting to change too.

That was until Payson explained to me how he died.

He had gone to fight with Viola and Noel. Apparently, it wasn't just morning sickness that landed me in the hospital.

I had been drugged by a maid... Viola had sent to make food for me.

Luca went to deal with her and ended up meeting with Viola and Noel there.

He had realized that I was right all along with my accusations. My father wasn't the one who had killed his brother... It was Viola.

He killed the maid, killed Viola... And killed Noel before he died.

He did it for my child and me... His child. So we wouldn't have to experience so much trouble after he was gone.

The doctor said the cancer had eaten deep into him, cutting short his already short lifespan.

Everything was confirmed...

He had been dead for six days by the time I woke up.

I was just a little bit glad that he hadn't died in a hospital bed due to the cancer. That wouldn't be what Luca would have wanted. He hated showing any sign of weakness.

But... It also meant that I didn't get to say goodbye to him.

For a week after I heard the news of his death, I could barely sleep, eat, or do anything. I just sat there on the hospital bed trying to make sense that I would never see him again.

Several doctors and nurses advised me to take care of myself, even though it was for my baby... but I didn't have the strength to. It wasn't until I got really sick on account of malnutrition that I realized...

If I didn't take care of myself, I could lose the last gift I had to remember Luca and be happy.

But I was tired and weak. I hated this place, this country... They only reminded me of the sad memories.

I needed to leave.

To leave everything behind and start over... With my child, my son.

So... On the day Luca's will was to be read, a month after he had passed... I left the hospital with the help of a few doctors and Paloma.

I left the country... And everything else behind.

That was the end of that chapter of my life... And this time, I wasn't going back.

At least, that was what I thought.

...

FOUR YEARS LATER

The sound of someone knocking on the front door interrupted the beautiful lady who was cooking in the kitchen.

She turned to look for her son who had originally been playing in the sitting room but was now standing next to the door.

She quickly brushed her hand on the apron and went to the door to get him. "Kane, don't..."

She froze. Her son had opened the door, and a familiar face stared back at her.

"What is this? Payson?" She called. She hadn't seen the man in four years yet she could still vividly remember him.

He had changed quite a bit. He looked a bit bigger, much more muscular and his facial features were more defined. He was wearing his usual cold expression... only this one seemed impossible to break. "What are you doing here?" She asked in shock.

He had never once come to look for her in those past four years; why was he taking the initiative now?

"Mummy." Her son ran to hug her... Clearly terrified of the huge man in his house.

"Come here darling." Aria caught him, then she hid him behind her legs, not that it did anything. "Payson... Get out of my house."

"Not without you ma'am." The huge man finally spoke... his tone was rougher than Aria remembered. "You refused to wait for the boss's will to be read. You and your son inherit everything. Including the mafia boss title."

The Mafia boss title? What would she need that for? The woman... Aria thought..

"What? We don't want that. I just want to live a normal life with my son, away from all those shenanigans." She stated firmly.

But Payson shook his head. "I'm sorry, but that's impossible." He said, then he turned to look at the young lad hiding behind his mother's legs.

"This must be the young mafia lord..." He said, then he knelt and bowed his head. The two men behind him did the same.

"Mafia lord Kane."