Three years ago
Rafe woke up in the middle of the night with a horrible gut feeling. He sat up from his bed and looked around, feeling emptiness.
"Venice?" Rafe mumbled as he stood up, his half-drunk mind didn't let him properly walk. "Venice where are you?" Rafe spoke.
Rafe walked down the stairs and entered the living room, everything was dark for him to see. Slipping down the last stair; falling onto the marble floor that Venice once kept clean. "Fuck.." he mumbled, not bothering to get back up.
He lay there until he fell right back asleep.
~~
Sarah had opened the door and yelled at Rafe, crying. "Rafe!" She pushed him away from her, angry with him. "Do you realize what you've done?" She questioned him, staring at his state she realized he was confused.
Rafe shrugged, staring at his sister in oblivion. "Where the hell is Venice?" He asked. His forehead dripped in sweat from the current levels of stress he was experiencing. "Sarah?" He spat as he watched his sister be a crying mess. "Where the fuck is Venice?"
"She left." Sarah calmed down and spoke, her voice shaking in stress. "She told me she couldn't handle the stress you were causing. That you went and hung out with the girl you slept with, claiming that she raped you." She shrugged; wiping her tears.
"Fuck..." Rafe sighed, he dialled Venice's number as he ran up the stairs. He opened his closet that he once shared with Venice, and saw her clothes were gone. "Fucking fuck!" He shouted, hitting the door. Deep down, he knew they were done for sure, with how she just left without speaking up.
Rafe walked back downstairs sobbing his heart out. He looked at Sarah and sighed, not understanding why she didn't fight her to stay. "Why did you let her go?" He spoke gently.
Sarah sat beside him and shrugged, not knowing how to full-on give him the description as to why Venice decided so spontaneously on her departure from the family, and from Outer-Banks. "I refuse to believe..." He mumbled, "I refuse to believe that I willingly went and hung out with the girl who drugged me and used me for sex." He shook his head, "I refuse to believe it."
"Well, why would Venice lie?" Sarah asked, "She doesn't lie just for her benefit."
"I'm fucking stupid," Rafe admitted, "I let my girl go, I disrespected her, and I let all of these things happen to her. No wonder she left." He sniffled, all the memories of the ex-couple flooding back into his head. "I'm immature, and I deserved this."
"You are," Sarah admitted, wrapping her arm around her brother's neck and pulling him down for a hug. "But, as a sister, I am here for you. You'll get through this."
"I think I might move to the Bahamas, seeing this place just reminds me of Venice. And if it means I will have to live without her, then I will move away and start completely new as well. Just like Venice."
Sarah nodded her head, standing up. "You do that then." She smiled at him, feeling happy that he was understanding of her best friend's choice, but also feeling bad that she won't see the two get married, and have kids. "Well, I've got to get back home to my own family. You're free to stay there." She shrugged, walking out of the house and driving away.
Sarah walked into her house with JJ feeding Rosie. "She was hungry." He shrugged. Sarah nodded her head, rubbing her nose bridge. Plopping herself down on the couch she sat and stared into nothing.
JJ's brows knit. "And what's up with you?" He asked.
John B. sighed, he sat beside JJ and began. "Venice broke up with Rafe, broke it completely off and just left."
"Just left...?" JJ questioned, his worries rising. "She left like... to where?"
"I am asking myself the same question, JJ," Sarah mumbled, looking at hers and Venice's previous text messages. "She was at a wedding with Rafe, and the girl he slept with in prison was there. He was drunk and said that Alicia was more fun than her and shit, so she came home and started packing her clothes and told us that she was leaving so... yeah."
JJ sighed, shaking his head. "I knew he wasn't any good for her." He stated. His anger towards Rafe was never barrable, but he only controlled himself because of Venice. He respected her wishes. "So I won't be able to see her at all anymore..." He nodded his head with a dirty look on his face, "All thanks to your stupid ass brother!" He shouted, gently handing Rosie to Sarah as he walked out of the house.
Also dealing with heartbreak.