Part 10

                                    

                                          
"Are you fucking kidding me, Gabriella?"
Gabriella stood in the dimly lit bedroom, her eyes scanning the room, taking in the surroundings tainted by the tension that now hung in the air. Niccolo's normally calm and collected demeanor had shattered like glass, and Gabriella couldn't help but feel a wave of disappointment wash over her.
The moment the door closed behind her, everything changed. Niccolo's anger erupted, catching her off guard. She had known there were unspoken topics between them, but she hadn't anticipated this explosive reaction. Hadn't her downward spiral, her struggles with alcohol, and her reckless behavior, made him see the depth of her pain?
"The last thing I'm doing is kidding."
She watched as he rubbed his mouth with his hand, gripping at the skin hard enough to leave red marks behind. "What are you gonna do, Gabby? Fucking kill yourself?"
Gabriella crossed her arms tightly across her chest, her back pressed against the door, seeking solace in its solidity. "What's it to you?" she retorted, her voice laced with defiance, though a flicker of vulnerability danced in her blue eyes.
Niccolo's frustration escalated with each passing second, and suddenly, he lunged toward her, crashing her back against the door. The handle dug into her lower back, causing a sharp pang of pain, but he paid it no mind.
"I fucking threw everything away, Gabby," he seethed, his voice dripping with betrayal. The force of his anger reverberated through Gabriella, her heart pounding against her chest.
"I didn't ask you to," she shot back, her voice trembling, her courage waning.
The impact of Niccolo's fist slamming against the door near her face resonated through the room, sending a shiver down Gabriella's spine. She held her breath, her wide eyes locked on him, her body frozen in fear. It wasn't the first time she had witnessed his anger, but it was enough to shock her.
Her long, blond locks cascaded down from the loose ponytail, brushing against her neck as he exhaled near her neck.
"That's not the fucking point, Gabriella," Niccolo growled, frustration etched into the lines of his face. The intensity in his gaze bore into her soul, demanding answers she wasn't prepared to give. "Are you telling me I gave up everything for a dumb bitch who wants to die? You, who was so fucking focused on always defying me? Challenging me every fucking time. And now you're giving up?"
"I'm not giving up!" Gabriella screamed, her voice strained with a mixture of anger and desperation.
She leaned closer, her face inches away from his, her cheek burning with the heat of their proximity. How dare he judge her? How dare he make her feel guilty for the choices she had made?
She had already made it clear that she didn't want to discuss this. She didn't want to confide in anyone.
Niccolo's hand shot out, cupping her face, forcing her to meet his gaze. His touch was both tender and forceful, his fingers leaving imprints on her skin. "Then what do you call this? You're going to die over that fucker?" he demanded, his voice laced with raw emotion.
"I'm not dying over him," Gabriella responded, her voice trembling. Her eyes flickered with a mix of pain, defiance, and sorrow. "He killed my family."
"My whole fucking family is dead," Niccolo growled, his voice tinged with rage.
Maybe so, but Gabriella couldn't forget the subtle indifference he held toward most of his relatives, the world they lived in. Her family hadn't chosen this fate; they had been thrust into it because of her.
"They died because of me," she whispered, the words catching in her throat. Isabella's face flashed in her mind, a reminder she was a part of this as well.