TROUBLED LOVE

na'

e walls, the distant buzz of fluorescent lights, the faint whispers of staff strolling past. Though Mafia life had advantages, it also had drawbacks; I had always loathed the col

dangerous man in every respect. But there was something about him that made me pity him. Not the mercile

ent forward to the front desk receptionist. Here I am to see Ma

nist, stared at me like I had just asked her to clarify quantum physics. S

ted squarely. Early today,

tbeat d

or maybe simply the chance to see the man who had previously been so vital to my

xactly as su

hard swallowing. I nodded, trying to keep it together, and left the hospi

They had never seen him the way I did-or perhaps it was that I had always seen the damaged man behind the mafia chief. Now, though,

I had imagined it, but I had seen something in his eyes-something gentle that defied the image he wore so successfully. Once the love of his life was my

my head as I drew up to the mansion

I could already feel the weight of the family secrets bearing down on me. Inside

slightly and there they were-my lover, Dmitri, twisted in my sister's arms. His lips p

I stood there. It felt unreal. My heart thumping against my chest,

d swallowed glass. With wide-open disbelief, he withdrew fr

voice low and guarded, he whispered, "El

, whose haughtiness did little to cool the fire burni

g my sister," I managed to utter.

and he came toward me, but I immediate

and matter-of-fact. "It's not a big issue."

itude-my vision tunneled. "It simply occurred. I kept repeating, dou

, I wouldn't have had to search elsewhere for consolation if you hadn't always

disdain. But it transcended Dmitri as well. It covered everyth

urning burn in my chest. It was

h fury, "You're just... disgusting."

a slight annoyance. "It's done right now. Dmitri's mine. I'm not sure why you're drawing

mi

trusted-those meant to have my back-were the ones

me for some sort of pardon. But he was the one who had broke

king, I asked him. "Do you give anything ot

not matter anymore, I could see the guilt in

hing closely. "I never wanted it to t

ry, and a deep, gnawing ache, I turned on my heels. I wasn sure whether to believe o

ridor, I dashed from the living room. Lo

or-a slight noise from the room's corner. First

tle r

that

ntly unlocked th

something I wanted to know. Still, I found myself unable to control. Slowly turning towa

flickered and went o

was over

tened for

y think you co

d find a voice

e

to be whirling