THE MAFIA’S RUINATION
The Mafia’s Ruination – Episode 56
Subtitle; {Between Love and War}
Authoress Rejoice
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Alice’s POV
I was numb, heartbroken, ashamed, disgusted, and tired. Even in my numbness, I felt those other emotions deep down.
My eyes were red and swollen; my lips were redder than normal from biting them too much. The house was unusually cold, quiet, and boring. I desperately needed Alex to be home, to shout at me. He had chosen to go out instead to vent his anger and frustration away from me.
I curled up on the sofa, waiting for Alex. Sleep was far away from me and my fear grew as he hadn’t returned, and he wasn’t answering my calls. I was terrified for him because my brothers were still in Italy, and the confrontation with Alex had gotten ugly and dangerous.
I heard footsteps and looked up to see Alex staggering into the living room. He tried to walk past me to the stairs, but I stopped him when I noticed a lipstick stain on his shirt.
He stared at me silently with disappointment and hurt in his eyes. All I wanted was to explain everything, but I couldn’t in the face of that lipstick stain.
“Where were you?” I managed to ask, but Alex scoffed in disbelief. He walked past me without a word, climbing the stairs and avoiding any contact with me.
Now, here I was, demanding answers from the man I never thought I would fall in love with, and he wasn’t giving me any recognition.
“Why won’t you answer my question, Alex?!” I shouted, feeling desperate and upset.
His head swiftly turned to me, devoid of love. “Why should I?” He raised his voice. “I owe you no explanation.”
“Yes, you do,” I said, trying to reach out for him. He moved away, avoiding my touch. “I won’t touch you, but I deserve to know why you’re home at four in the morning, drunk!”
As he distanced himself from me, I was drawn closer, emotionally not so and physically leaning toward him.
“I don’t owe you any explanation,” Alexander said briskly. “You should be ashamed of yourself for expecting me to answer your questions. You disgúst me, and don’t make me do something you’ll regret. Don’t bring out that side of me, you won’t like it.”
Ignoring his cold words, I attempted to reach out to his face, and he resisted the urge to push me away. “I’m also disgusted in myself, Xander,” I said, trying to appeal to him. “I stayed up waiting for you, and you come back drunk with a lipstick stain — what do you expect? I’ve done things I shouldn’t have, but if I hadn’t listened to my dad, I wouldn’t be here, looking at those eyes that only seem to hate me. I’m sorry, Alex, but I’m not. I would do this again and again in many lives to love you. I love you so much, Alex, you have to believe me.”
“Believe you? You’re funny,” he replied, laughing cynically. “I am trying to comprehend that you deceived me, betrayed me, and played me, and you are telling me to believe you? That’s ridiculous,” he said, tossing my hands away from his face as his drunkenness gradually faded. He used the same hands to wipe my touch from his face. “I don’t want to hear your voice.”
Disregarding his request, I asked him the question that weighed on my mind. “Who were you with?”
He ran his fingers through his hair, playing with his tongue inside his mouth. “If you must know, I was with Suzie.” His nonchalant tone twisted the knife in my heart.
Suzie? The same woman I had caught in his office once? Why would he go to her?
“Why her?” I pressed.
“Because, unlike someone I know, she wouldn’t play with my heart.” With that, he entered the bathroom.
The vibration in my joggers’ pocket drew my attention away from the bathroom door. I checked the message on my device: “Dad is giving 48 hours. Come back home, or he’ll come there personally.”
Great. I’m dealing with one problem, and now another is emerging. If my Dad comes here, there will be a blóodbath. I can’t let that happen, and I can’t go to Mexico without Alex’s approval. I’m caught between a rock and a hard place. Whichever way I choose, I would get burnt.
TBC 📖✍️
