A Lifetime With You by Athrhteera

Chapter

Alena

21

I pulled the front door open, revealing Alexei standing with his arms tucked inside his pants' pockets. He was dressed for work in his white buttoned-down shirt and black slacks but a few of his buttons were undone. The last time I saw him was months ago and feeling betrayed by my own brother, I didn't miss him much but if he came here to make amends, I was willing to put my feelings aside.. "Alexei, what are you doing here?" I asked, frowning.

"I came to see you to talk. Can I come inside, or should we go somewhere else?"

I stepped aside, letting him in..

Matteo wasn't home because he was at work, keeping up the pretenses of his company for the sake of money laundering. In fact, it was a legal company, but nobody knew about the money except for his employees. They signed an agreement to keep it a secret. just didn't expect to see you here. How did you know where I live, anyway?"

"I have my ways." The cliché answer from anyone as mysterious as Alexei.

If I were to ask Matteo about the private things he knew, he was going to give me the same answer, too. People like them, in the mafia, they never told the truth about a lot of things especially if it involved their work activities. do you want coffee?"

I

"Right...

We made our way towards the kitchen, and I served him a cup of coffee, it felt needed to at least get him something to drink. "Thank you, Alena."

We kept quiet for a while as he took a seat near the kitchen island. I was waiting for him to start talking about whatever he wanted to talk but he was taking his time-I didn't want to rush him or anything so, I kept quiet. your husband home?" He asked, putting the cup down.

"Is "No, he's at work. Is s something the matter, Alexei?" "I just came to

..

to see my little sister. I don't want to see him," he replied before grabbing my hand, caressing the back of it.

Honestly, I missed when we were younger because things were simple. We didn't have a lot to think about. All we knew was fun and enjoyment but now we couldn't stop thinking about our future, about our lives. We had to push aside our sibling bond. We had to be more selfish.

"Do you really hate him that much? Did he ever cross you in the mafia or is it just a Russian and Italian thing? Do you really not like him, or you just don't like him because he's Italian?" I asked, crossing my arms. "A little bit of both." He smiled.

a decent person compared

that because

my head, "You and Papa were planning up to marry me to Viktor. You, out of everyone, knew just how much I wanted my own control in life. Why didn't you

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and if he does anything to hurt you, we'd hurt him first. He'd never do anything crazy. "That's what you say. He might not hurt me, but I can't ever love him. Do you prefer seeing me

the same time. Sometimes, you need to think about more than just yourself." "That's wher where you're wrong "You don't get to family you're born into. And you don't get to say that either because you married an Italian mafia. What do you expect for your children? To not take over Matteo when the

ear. "I never wanted anything to do with the Bratva. I

to have a choice. They were going to inherit the mafia and

both know that's a lie,

breathed out,

way to my

you want,

talk just like how we used to when we were younger. You need someone rational in your life. I don't know what lies

Your

is a liar. A big

regular pictures. They were wedding pictures of Matteo with someone

him what he meant or throw him out, he placed his phone

secluded beach. It was clear because he had a band on his finger in every single photo and so did, she. She

was married?" He asked, shoving

old

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I

part in his life before he knew me-something probably happened to her, and she was gone. Our marriage was a lie in the first place, maybe he wasn't ready to tell me yet. "You're wrong. They're

"I

to hear

pocket. "I did a lot of investigating to check up on him. It was hard to find anything at first because let me

"So, what did he promise you when you married him? Because as far as I could tell, your marriage isn't valid. He's still married to someone else. And for someone who's a Catholic, I

Has it ever occurred to you that men in the mafia are not really good men? Some of them are but you get my point. They're not saints. We're not saints." Tears were beginning to stream down my cheeks, and I wipe them away quickly. Alexei didn't have to see

can leave the way you came,"

better you know now than continuing to fall

done... you can leave." I spoke

began to let the tears escape. I fell onto the ground as I gripped tightly