To Marry the Devil

It rained heavily that morning drenching the streets of Verona Heights as thunder rolled in the distance. The city, quiet as ever, didn't care for heartbreak, but she did. Elena De Luca gripped her umbrella in one hand as she moved steadily along the path to her boyfriend’s house. She had defied her family, walked away from power, from legacy, from blood-stained expectations, to be with him, yet she did not regret a thing. Liam, just the thought of him made her smile. The man she swore was different. The man she chose over loyalty, over safety, over everything. Her key turned quietly in the lock, but something in her gut twisted before she even stepped inside. A chill not from the rain ran down her spine. Light in the apartment was dim, something new, A faint light came through the open bedroom door. She could hear the soft sounds of laughter, sultry sounds and low whispers. She was convinced she was hearing things, it has to be something else. She took a peek inside and froze No. No, no, no……. She moved like a ghost across the floor, her heartbeat so fast that she feared it would be heard by the party inside as she could hear it louder than the storm outside. And then, she saw it. They were there unclad, in their bed, skin to skin, sweat and sweat. Liam, shirtless, his body moving against another body, unaware of their surroundings and immersed in their unholy activity. Everything Stilled, her world spinned wilding and her feets threatened to give up. “Cindy?” The words left her mouth like a gunshot. The room froze. Cindy’s head snapped up, her once-soft eyes now wide with horror, her naked body tangled in the sheets. Liam didn’t even flinch. He rolled off her best friend, ex-best friend now, God! and stood up with the lazy indifference of a man who had been caught too many times to care. “Elena,” Cindy whispered, scrambling to cover herself. “It’s not what you think” “Shut up!” Elena screamed, voice cracking. “Don’t you dare try to play on my intelligence!” Her eyes burned as they locked onto Liam’s. “I left everything for you. I gave up my family, my name. I lied to them, I lied to myself for you!” Liam shrugged, grabbing his jeans from the floor with unexpected calm. “Maybe you should’ve listened to them.” “What”! Both Ladies looked shocked. “You bastard.” Elena’s hands trembled. “You begged me to believe in you! You looked me in the eyes and swore you loved me!” “Yeah,” he scoffed. “That was before you got all clingy and emotional. You think just because you wear some fancy last name that makes you untouchable?” Her breath caught in her throat. No, No, This was not Happening, It was a crazy nightmare which she desperately wanted to end real quick. “You think I didn’t see through you?” he went on, voice rising. “You're nothing but a spoiled brat playing rebel. You wanted danger, well, this is what danger looks like. Real life. Not your daddy’s f*****g empire!” Cindy was crying now, covering her face. Elena stepped closer, her fists clenched. “You’re filth. Both of you.” “Oh, please,” Liam snapped, his face twisting. “You think you're better than everyone because you’re a De Luca. Wake the f**k up, Elena. Without your family's name, you’re nothing. Just a pretty face with a loaded wallet and a fake moral compass.” Tears spilled down her cheeks, but her voice was steel. “You don’t get to hurt me and pretend like I’m the problem. You don’t get to cheat and then try to drag me down with you. You’re disgusting, Liam. You’re a f*****g coward hiding behind bitterness because you’ve never meant anything to anyone unless they’re desperate or blind.” He moved so fast she barely saw it coming. The slap cracked across her face, splitting the air and her world all at once. Her head snapped sideways as she tasted hot blood on her tongue. She staggered, but didn’t fall. Silence. Cindy screamed. “Liam!” He stood there, chest heaving, eyes dark and furious, then, for a moment, shocked at what he’d done. But that moment passed. Elena turned back to face him, slowly, her cheek flaming and heart in flames. She felt her face get wet, yet she was not crying. She stared at him down with all the fire of her ancestors in her gaze. “You just made the biggest mistake of your life.” She turned without another word, ignoring Cindy’s sobs and Liam’s low threats. Her feet’s were heavy as she struggled to keep moving. She didn’t cry again. Not when the elevator door closed. Not when she stepped back out into the storm. Because Elena De Luca was many things. But broken? No. She was reborn. And the next time Liam crossed her path, he’d learn that when you cross a De Luca… you don’t just lose love. You lose everything. Once outside, the tears she has been keeping flowed down freely.