Chapter 9: Torn Between Two Part 1
1440 Words
Chapter 9: Torn Between Two Part 1
The night outside was silent, but inside Liyanah’s chest, a storm raged. The city lights shined through the windows of her clinic, flickering like small warnings in the darkness. She sat at the edge of her desk, staring at the steam rising from her untouched cup of coffee. Every sound the ticking clock, the sound of rain seemed too loud.
Ricardo was sitting across from her in the small kitchen, his elbows resting on the table, a cup of coffee in his hand. His face looked tired, older somehow. He had been through too much ,the scars on his arms and the tension in his shoulders told a story he didn’t need to speak.
“You’ve been avoiding me,” Ricardo said finally. His voice was soft but steady, the kind that carried quiet strength.
Liyanah looked down. “I haven’t… not really. I’ve just been busy.”
He gave her a small smile, the kind that didn’t reach his eyes. “Busy with work, or busy thinking about Dante?”
Her heart jumped. She didn’t answer. She didn’t need to. Ricardo already knew.
“I… I don’t know what to feel anymore,” she said after a long pause. Her voice was quiet, shaking a little. “Everything’s so complicated. I can’t think straight right now.”
“I know,” Ricardo said gently. “But running from your feelings doesn’t make them go away. You have to face them. You have to face what you really feel, Doc.”
His words hung in the air like smoke. She looked at him really looked at him and her heart ached. Ricardo was safety. Warmth. The kind of man who made her feel safe when the world was falling apart. When he smiled, she felt like she could breathe again.
But then there was Dante.
Every time she saw Dante, the air felt different heavier, charged. He made her heart race and her thoughts blur. When he looked at her, it was like he could see every secret she tried to hide. Dante was danger, chaos, and passion all wrapped together. He was everything she should stay away from… but she couldn’t.
Before she could say anything more, the door in the kitchen opened. A cold draft swept in with the smell of rain and gunpowder.
Dante stood in the doorway. His dark coat was soaked, water dripping from his hair. His eyes sharp and unreadable flicked between her and Ricardo. The silence that followed was thick and heavy.
“You’re thinking about him,” Dante said finally, his voice low but calm. He wasn’t accusing her it was simply the truth.
Liyanah froze. “Yes,” she whispered. “I can’t stop.”
Dante stepped forward, his boots leaving small puddles on the floor. His voice softened. “And what about me?”
Her hands shook slightly. “I… I don’t know. I care about both of you. I can’t choose. It’s tearing me apart.There is just so much going on.”
Ricardo stood slowly, his chair scraping the floor. His face was calm, but his eyes were sad. “You don’t have to decide right now,” he said quietly. “But you have to be honest with yourself and with us at the end .”
Dante’s jaw tightened. “No. She does have to decide. Sooner or later, she has to. You can’t keep both of us in your heart and expect everything to stay peaceful and think it won't affect us.” His tone wasn’t angry, but there was steel beneath his words. “This ends badly if she doesn’t choose.”
Liyanah felt tears rising, but she fought them back. “Don’t make me do this now. Not like this.”
Ricardo walked closer, his voice calm and gentle. “Liyanah, I don’t want to force you. I just want you to be honest. Who do you truly want?”
The room felt smaller suddenly, the air too heavy to breathe. She looked from one brother to the other Ricardo, steady and kind; Dante, dark and dangerous. Both men had saved her life in different ways. Both had a part of her heart she couldn’t deny.
“I don’t know,” she said, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. “I care about both of you. But I don’t want to hurt either of you.”
Dante looked away, his hands clenching at his sides. “Love isn’t supposed to be easy, Liyanah. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes you have to make the hard choice, even when it feels impossible.”
Ricardo reached for her hand. His touch was warm, steady and careful everything she needed to keep her from falling apart. “And whatever happens, we’ll survive it,” he said softly. “But pretending everything’s fine isn’t fair to anyone.”
Liyanah’s breath came out uneven. “I just need time. I can’t think right now.”
Dante stared at her for a long moment, then nodded slowly. “Time,” he said, his voice rough. “But not forever. One day soon, you’ll have to decide. Because this can’t last.”
Ricardo didn’t argue. He just looked at her, his eyes full of quiet understanding. “We’ll be here, Liyanah,” he said. “No matter what.”
The silence that followed was painful. Liyanah could hear her pulse in her ears. The rain outside grew louder, a constant rhythm that matched her heartbeat.
Dante turned and walked towards the door, his coat swaying behind him. Before stepping out into the rain, he looked back at her one last time. “Be careful,” he said softly. “The Valentis are still watching. They don’t forgive easily.”
And then he was gone swallowed by the storm.
Liyanah stood still, her body trembling. Ricardo moved closer and gently placed a hand on her shoulder. “You should rest,” he said. “You’ve been through too much.”
She nodded, though she knew she wouldn't sleep. Not tonight.
Hours later, the rain stopped. The city was quiet again, but Liyanah couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to happen. She sat by the window of her small apartment above the clinic, staring out at the misty streets below.
She thought of Dante his sharp eyes, his voice, his touch. He was the storm she could never escape. But Ricardo… Ricardo was the calm after it. He made her feel safe, human.
Her heart ached with confusion. She didn’t want to lose either of them, but deep down, she knew Dante was right , this couldn’t last. Sooner or later, something or someone would break.
A soft knock on her door made her jump.
“Liyanah?” Ricardo’s voice.
She hesitated before opening it. He stood there holding a blanket. “You looked cold,” he said, smiling faintly. “May I come in?”
She nodded.
He sat with her by the window, neither of them speaking for a while. The silence between them wasn’t heavy this time it was gentle, comforting.
“You know,” Ricardo said after a while, “Dante and I weren’t always like this. Fighting. Competing. There was a time when we’d take a bullet for each other without any question.”
Liyanah looked at him. “What happened?”
“The world,” he said simply. “And choices. He chose the dark. I tried to stay out of it. But once you’re part of that world, you can never really leave.”
She saw the sadness in his eyes and felt her chest tighten. “Do you still love him?” she asked softly.
“He’s my brother,” Ricardo said. “No matter what happens, that doesn’t change. But loving someone doesn’t mean you have to agree with what they’ve become.”
Liyanah lowered her eyes. “I think I understand that now.”
They sat together in silence for a long time. Outside, the city slowly began to wake again, bright lights glowing in puddles on the street.
For the first time in weeks, Liyanah let herself lean her head on Ricardo’s shoulder. He didn’t move just sat there, warm and still, letting her breathe and relax her head.
And for a brief moment, she forgot the danger, the mafia, the chaos. For a brief moment, she felt safe.
But safety never lasted long in her world.
Because somewhere out there, in the dark streets of the city, Dante was watching waiting, protecting her from a distance.
And soon, the Darkness would move again.
- Writer
