-Valentina-

I yawned, turning over to see my love who was snoring loudly. Lovely. I slapped him awake and he jolted, opening his eyes and giving me a strange look. "Ow!"

I rolled my eyes, giving him a smile, "good morning." He huffed, turning over and attempting to snooze again but I shook him awake. He groaned, turning towards me and giving me an annoyed look, "yes, my dear?"

"Have you thought about it?" I asked, playing with my hands and not meeting his eyes. He sighed, pulling me to his chest and stroking my hair, kissing my forehead. "You said you would sleep on it. ." I cautiously said and he nodded, sighing again.

"I don't know. .Vincenzo won't be happy. ."

"I know, I know," I replied quietly whilst playing with his nipple. "It's just. .I-I can't live like this anymore, neither can the kids."

"I can't just go up to my ruthless brother and go '0h, hey, bro! Mind I leave the mafia?' He'd kill me. It's part of our blood." I nodded, feeling guilty.

I wanted to leave the mafia, go start a new life - a safe life for me and my family. We couldn't stay anymore. Whilst Alex was at school, a man came and tried to 'pick him up' when really he was going to kidnap him. If I hadn't came on time, my sweet little boy would be lost. I couldn't live like that anymore.

I understood that the mafia was part of Dante. His family had been there for generations and generations - the first and only Italian Mafia. But I had feelings too. My kids couldn't live like that. They couldn't be dragged into that mess.

"Val, I love you," he kissed my head again. "I'll try . . I just need more time." I tried my hardest not to snap at him. Two months I had been waiting for an answer!

"Okay," I replied, kissing his bare chest. He flipped us over so I was under him and kissed my cheek. "I will get an answer to you soon," he said, genuinely. I nodded, "I love you."

"I love you too."

I cried out in pleasure as I felt him enter me, about to move again when we heard the sound of a baby crying from the monitor.

"Fućk."

-Mia-

I had cried myself to sleep for a couple of days. Ever since that argument with Vincenzo, I had felt the feelings I had when we broke up coming back to me and it was horrible. A sharp pain in my chest, it felt as though my heart was literally breaking.

It was awful and I couldn't get him out my head. It was painful whenever I saw him going into his bedroom with women or seeing them leave his office, their faces flushed. I hated it so much.

I told myself to be confident and ignore them but it was hard and I couldn't do that. I couldn't stand strong when I saw him with other women. It hurt too much.

Bianca was in jail. The mafia had underground jails and Bianca was in one of those cells. I had no idea what they were doing to her but I was guessing that it wasn't pleasant.

My eyes were hurting from the amount of this I rubbed them after crying. I took a shower, gently rubbing some warm water over my sore eyelids. I dried myself and wrapped a towel around me. I went into my room and got changed, hair drying my hair and putting it into a loose ponytail.

I slipped on my shoes and went into the kitchen, grabbing a breakfast bar before eating it on the way to Vincenzo's house. Going in, I placed the wrapper into the bin, watching as a maid walked past me and out the door, her hair messy. I sighed, going into the closet to get some cleaning equipment.

I was cleaning the living room when I heard footsteps and the sound of a baby crying. I walked out to see Dante in Val's fluffy pink dressing gown, holding Matteo who was crying his eyes out.

I smiled as did he. "Morning." He gave me an odd look while bouncing Matteo up and down. "What happened to your voice?" My throat was sore from crying and I instinctively touched my neck. Clearing my throat, only to wince, I replied with, "I have a bad throat, that's all." It was hoarse and sounded like I had a cold. That's what crying yourself to sleep for days does for you.

"You sound like an old woman," Dante bluntly said as I rolled my eyes, grinning. "Gee thanks!" I took Matteo from him and he immediately stopped crying and cooed quietly as he closed his eyes. My grin widened as Dante gave me a shocked look.

"Woman's touch."

He spluttered, groaning and going into the kitchen and I followed him. He was making some milk with formula for Matteo while shaking his head. "He always calms down around Val or you." I smirked, bouncing Matteo gently. "He likes me." Dante rolled his eyes passing me the bottle which I gently pushed into Matteo's mouth.

Unexpectedly, the door opened and there entered a woman - a maid wearing a Victoria Secret lacy and short dressing gown with only her black bra and thong underneath that could be seen. Her blonde hair was messy and her cheeks were red but she came in looking confident as ever.

"Hey, do you know where the whipped cream is?"

I bit my lip hard as she blushed even more, giving us a coy smile. "Boss wants some." I hated how dirty it sounded.

My heart pounded against my chest and I felt the urge to cry. Dante rolled his eyes, passing her some and she thanked him, winking before leaving the room.

"Mia. ."

I bursted out into tears, my body racked with sadness. I hated feeling this way but I couldn't control my feelings. It wasn't easy seeing him with other women because that was the way we broke up. Couldn't he see that he wasn't making me jealous? Only making me even more upset?

Dante pulled me into a warm hug saying, "he doesn't deserve you, Mia." I nodded, attempting to stop sobbing but found it hard as my body shook. "As much as I love you being around Mia, but as soon as these six months are done, you should get the hell out of here. Being here is only making you sad."

I nodded, sniffing as the tears subsided. He was right. I was going to leave this place in the next three months and never see Vincenzo again. I never really thought about it that deeply. Never seeing Vincenzo again. I was angry the first time because he had cheated on me but the second time? My feelings for him were clearly still there and I partially didn't want to leave him. I loved him so much it felt as though it was going to be hard to leave again.

Never seeing him again. Huh.

It felt odd.

Matteo looked up at me, his eyes teary as he noticed that I was crying and he too started to cry so I stopped.

I moved away from Dante's arms, thanking him and bouncing Matteo up and down again, the bottle on the counter. "Don't cry," I told him, wiping his cheeks and he started to stop and smile. I smiled back, stroking his hand. "I hope he grows up to be as funny as you."

Dante let out a laugh, "so you admit it?" I raised an eyebrow as he continued to laugh. "I'm funny." I rolled my eyes, grinning playfully. I glanced at Matteo. Burping time.

"You wish."

___

"Sir, here's the files you asked for," I politely said, passing him a large pile of documents. He grunted, nodding at me before taking them and reading through them. They were money transactions that I wasn't sure where they were coming from. It seemed as though Vincenzo was giving me work but at the same time trying to hide something from me.

"Anything else you would like me to do?" I asked, my voice still hoarse and my eyes quickly skimming his body.

He looked hot as usual and surprisingly was not wearing a suit, but a white shirt that was tight and showed off his athletic body, and some dark jeans with some trainers. His hair wasn't combed and was messy which made him look hotter and he smelt good. Whenever I came closer I could smell his lovely cologne.

He glanced up at me, he too quickly looking over my body. He was about to reply when the door bursted open.

Great, another woman.

He smirked, calling her over by her name: Rayna. She tossed her dark hair over her shoulder and walked over to him seductively, immediately straddling him when she reached him. I let out a silent scoff as they started kissing and tearing each other clothes off. I looked away.

It was my queue to go.

I scoffed quietly again, about to leave the room when Vincenzo said, "don't forget the other files."

Squeezing my eyes closed for a split moment, I turned, yanking the files from under the woman who was laying on the desk and storming out, slamming the door behind me.

Frustrated, I blinked back my tears, turning a corridor and practically ran out the building and into Vincenzo's house.

I bursted into the living room, threw myself on the couch and rested my head on Valentina's lap, bursting into tears.

"Oh, honey," she said, her conversation with Dante immediately ending as she stroked my hair and tutted, like a mother would to a young child.

I couldn't stop crying. Why would he keep doing this over and over again? How many times does one person need to be satisfied in one day?

Not only that but we broke up because he couldn't keep his pants up. He said he loved me so I'm still waiting on the apology attempts. I'm not saying that I was waiting for his 'apology acts' . . . Screw it, I was.

But wasn't that normal?

If you cheat on someone, doesn't the cheater, who still loves the woman, find ways to impress her or show how sorry they are? Ways to win them back?

Vincenzo was doing the opposite, so what the hell did that mean?

"Why does he keep hurting me - why do men keep hurting me?"

I had only been with three guys and at that point, they were all diçks.

James and Connor. Lovely guys.

Connor was kind and loving and treated me like a princess in high school. He appreciated me, respected my thoughts and was just a great boyfriend at first. Then he started pressurising me to sleep with him. Whenever I would refuse or say no, he would call me stiff and not even 'all that'. So I dumped the prick because I am 'all that', honey.

James was great at first too, yeah, a real charmer until he started being controlling as fudge. He would tell me where we were eating out, who were my friends, what movie we'd watch, who I talked to. He wouldn't let me break up with him ever and really lowered my self esteem. He was the boyfriend Vincenzo beat the life out of, but that's a story for another time.

I was crying and crying and Valentina was just there, letting her jeans soak and comforting me by stroking my hair and telling me it's okay like a little girl.

"But it's not!" I cried, like a whiny child. It was far from okay or going to be okay! This was one of those times that whatever you say or do will not make me feel better at all.

"I know, honey, I know."

"I'm not a sweetener!"

I heard her sigh but let out a chuckle. "I'm a joke now?" I had no idea what was going on with me. My mood swings were swingy as ever and I wasn't sure why. Hormones, going up and down and I didn't know why.

"Mia, shut up and go to sleep."

"Okay. ."

I dozed off not long after, and as I started to drift away, I heard Valentina say to Dante, "we can't leave now. Look at her, poor soul. Why is your brother such a diçk?"

Dante replied which made Valentina chuckle but I couldn't hear, I was being pulled to sleep and I did.

It was a freaking good sleep too.

I woke up feeling absolutely great. Sometimes you need a good cry here and there.

When I mean absolutely great, I mean shítty as hell.

I was laying on the couch with a blanket over me and snoozing when I felt the feeling of something being drawn on my face. My eyes opened and someone shrieked, jumping.

As my vision came back, I noticed at Alexander was holding a black marker pen and had a coy look on his face.

"It wasn't me!"

Sure, okay, I believe you. It was Sherlock, wasn't it?

Just like his father.

I shook my head, groggily standing up and patting Alex's face as he smirked. I grabbed some wipes from the table and walked to the mirror, attempting to wipe off the moustache and squiggly lines in my cheeks. It took a while but eventually it all came off. I high fives Alex and said, "you should do this to uncle Vincenzo."

He shook his head rapidly, "he would kill me!" Great, at least he knows. I chuckled, "he'd never touch a hair on you." Alex gave me a 'yeah, right' look and apologised for the doodling before running out the room. I smiled, cute child.

I noticed it was dark outside and went into the kitchen seeing Val cooking. She looked up and me, giving me a weary look. "You look like a mess. Geez." I rolled my eyes and took a seat by the island.

She stopped cooking, letting the food boil on low heat and took a seat next to me, giving me that 'we need to talk seriously' look.

Before she could say anything I immediately said, "it's hard, okay? Harder than I thought to see him with other women. I try to contain myself from lashing out or crying but it's freaking hard! I thought he loved me but if he did wouldn't he try to show it? I get that it's hard to keep for feelings in for someone you really love but to please them, wouldn't it be worth it? If he loved me, why would he keep hurting me if he said he wouldn't? Why can't he keep his diçk in his pants? He shouldn't be trying to get me jealous, I mean what's the point in that?" I pinched the bridge of my nose and sighed, slightly confused by my rant.

"I love him," I admitted, sadly. "But when he's being like that? No. It doesn't feel like love sometimes."

"Wow. ." Val said, giving me a sympathetic look. "I was just going to ask if you wanted to eat . . but . ." I knew she was just joking and smiled softly, looking down.

"Well, I can tell you one thing," Valentina said, cheerfully. "He's acting like a douche, but I think he's acting that way because in his mind, he's mad at you and wants to get back at you." I furrowed my eyebrows.

"And with that said, as bad as it sounds, it's pretty normal. I mean, you wanted to get back at him for cheating, didn't you?"

"Now, I'm not defending him or anything, his acts are unacceptable but put yourself in his shoes. He loves you and his feelings are being locked away with the key thrown. It hurts, I remember when Dante did that to me." I finally looked at her curiously and she chuckled, "that's a story for another time."

"He wants to show you that he's moving on when really he isn't. You've got to do the same. Nothing should be holding you back. And guess what?" Valentina said, giving me a excited look. "Tomorrow, we are slapping on some hot makeup and contouring your cleavage."

"He's going to regret cheating on you."

___

I couldn't sleep so I decided to have a wander around the place. I knew it probably wasn't a good idea to be alone but screw it, I had nothing to lose.

I walked out the maid's section and heard the usual sound of the men drinking and laughing. Quickly going outside to avoid people, I went to the back, towards the pool house. Yes, this place had a freaking pool house that was only open to Vincenzo's family or whoever had permission from the Rossi's.

I stripped from my clothing and had a black swimsuit that was plain but also showed my cleavage.

Maybe swimming would calm me. I worked when I was little and it could of worked then.

I slipped into the water, attempting to ignore the sudden coldness around me. I floated on my back for a while, enjoying the water holding me up, bouncing me slightly.

It felt nice being able to relax with no one around you. Soon, I felt myself warming up. I played a little, stretching out my arms and splashing the water like a little child. I loved it.

It was great until someone bursted in, grabbed me by my throat and attempted to drown me harshly.

___

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