Chapter 30

Aron Curry narrating:

"I can't believe that after years I find myself with you thinking about doing an act of cruelty to yourself kneeling in this Garden full of dried leaves. It sounds so sad that it seems the roses have committed suicide here." Samantha questioned me while my vision blurred by tears still made it difficult for me to believe it was really her in front of me. "No Aron, I'm not just a vision you had when you were about to die. I'm not an angel, I'm Samantha."

"You died Samantha... you died on that table when you went to get the abortion I asked you for. I went to the clinic...it was too late." She whispered amidst the tears that flowed.

"That's exactly what I wanted Aron, for you to believe you were dead, to never look for me again, to never have to deal with you or the feelings you left me with." Samantha answered me in a cold way, it was clear to see the way she became a strong woman, at least that relieved my guilt.

"My baby... and my son Samantha?" Hope dominated my whole voice, I wanted to believe at that moment that I still had a child.

"No... I lost the baby at 4 months gestation. I didn't miscarry anymore... it wasn't meant to be, at least that's what I told myself all these years, but what few people tell you is that there is a world after "it wasn't meant to be". I thought I could raise him away from you, from obscurity, from mafia business but fate didn't want it that way." Samantha told me stretching out her hands so I could stand up. "Your suicide will have to take a little longer, I ask you to listen to me and then if you want to go back and kneel as a coward in this Garden, I will not stop you."

Samantha walked to the living room with confidence, as if she had something quick to do, put whiskey in two glasses with ice and stretched one to me, it was clear how I was cowering on the sofa looking at her, still not believing it was Samantha in front of me.

"I know it's a shock, everyone looked at me like that, like I was a ghost. I really should be, when I lost my son a part of me died inside." I wanted to ask her everything she knew about our son, but it didn't take much to see how much it hurt her.

"Why did you come to me? Why did you come..." I questioned. If Samantha was going to destroy me more than spending all these years knowing I led her to have to fake her own death, I'd rather it be brief.

"Loving you... loving a mobster killed me inside, made my life never be the same again. But there is still a part of me that never stopped loving you, even after everything you caused me. I learned that you now love someone else, Laura Brando, but I don't think you're the only one fighting for her love." Samantha spoke sliding her mouth down the glass of whiskey.

"Even you know about this?"

"Jason came to me a few months ago, he was the only person who knew he was alive, who had not died as everyone believed, Jason came to me for one reason only, hoping that my hatred was great enough to help him destroy you. At that moment it was, until I saw the way this girl changed you, I didn't think it was fair to end your life because I couldn't be the light that Laura is for you. Jason wants is the mob, the mob your father left for you and not him, and he's going to do everything in his power..." Samantha mastered the words with concern.

"Are you telling me you were going to help him destroy me? As if twenty years of thinking I was dead hadn't destroyed me."

"Not really, I didn't accept his proposal but I needed to see it from afar as if I needed to watch you being destroyed, it only took me seeing you from afar to understand what his plan is. Jason wants me to help him destroy you but first he will repeat what happened twenty-something years ago, kill your love. Do you know where he is right now? In Warsaw, with Laura."

"Is he going to kill her?" I questioned already taking the cell phone in hand fearing his answer and quickly getting up from the couch.

"Killing her is too strong a word, my father is involved in the mafia, I managed to get some information and found out that he is actually going to hand her over to the head of the German mafia. Maybe even already handed her over."

Fear ran through me in every possible way, I desperately called Gerald, and the sight of him not answering made me furious, made me walk from one side to the other, losing myself in Laura's worried eyes. How could I have chickened out and erred in this way, not allowing myself to see what was really happening, I was kneeling in the Garden with a gun to my head while allowing Laura to travel alone because of my mistakes and my fear of loving her.

"There's one thing the German mob boss wants as much as Laura..." Samantha told me in a weak voice. "He wants me, he wants me for his business"

"No... what are you telling me Samantha?" Euphorically putting my cell phone aside, I watched Samantha smile as she made her proposal. "He came back into my life after twenty-five years, twenty-five years in which I believed you were dead, and now you're just going to turn yourself in to a mob boss, to save Laura? To save the woman I love after she made you lie about your own death?"

"No Aron... I'm going to give myself up to save you, I couldn't save you from yourself and the darkness that dominates you, but somehow that woman did it, she deserves to be happy if I didn't follow my ways after everything, it doesn't matter, you deserve to follow. This is going to be my redemption for the past, this is how I'm going to fix all the mistakes I made. It's not going to be giving myself away, I'm choosing my path, I'm going to marry the head of the German mafia, open business between his mafia and the ones my father is involved with, I promise I won't let them hurt Laura" Samantha was sweet with her words as her hands touched my shoulder.

"Why the German mafia boss? Not long ago he wanted to kill Jason..." I whispered to myself.

"No, not long ago he was together with Jason to take over his mafia. Despite what everyone believes I know he had nothing to do with his father's death, he's not capable of that, he just grew up believing he was like that, that he couldn't love and he's this dark person who's afraid to live. Unlike what you think, you love Aron too much, but you think it's a mistake. But he doesn't deserve to be held responsible for something he didn't do.

Looking into Samantha's eyes somehow all that love I once felt for her was there in front of me again, running through my veins, she saved me, even if I think I didn't get it. If it wasn't for Samantha I can't imagine what my ways would be. Last night I did everything to make sure Laura would be safe, I thought I was ready to take my own life for the fear of love, not realizing that at this very moment Laura may be in danger because of my intolerant decisions. Pulling myself away from my thoughts as my eyes were glazed over Samantha's, the vibrating of Gerald's cell phone call woke me up.

"Boss... Laura is in danger." Gerald told me fearfully.