Heer
I could feel the tension in the air, thick and suffocating. The confrontation with Luca had left a bitter taste in my mouth, but the aftermath was even worse. Carlos was different now. The man I had come to know—the one who could be soft, caring, and vulnerable with me—had disappeared into the cold, unrelenting mafia boss I had first met. I hated seeing him like this, but I knew there was no other choice for him.
The look in his eyes as he faced Luca had been the hardest thing I had ever seen. It wasn't just betrayal. It was the pain of realizing that someone he had loved and trusted, someone who had shared his blood, was the one who had plotted against him. The weight of that knowledge was a burden Carlos carried with him now.
As we sat in silence later that night, the gravity of everything that had happened started to hit me. Carlos was a man of few words, especially when it came to his feelings, but his silence spoke volumes. I didn't know how to reach him, how to help him deal with this new wound.
"Carlos…" I whispered, my voice trembling. "Talk to me. Please."
He turned to look at me, and for a moment, I saw the familiar warmth in his eyes. But just as quickly, it was gone, replaced with a cold hardness that seemed to settle in his bones.
"I don't know how to fix this, Heer," he said quietly, his voice hoarse. "Luca was my cousin. My family. And now he's... he's working with the enemy. I don't know how to forgive him for that. And I don't know if I can ever trust anyone the same way again."
I felt the weight of his words settle in my chest, and it made my heart ache for him. I had known that the world he lived in wasn't kind, but I hadn't realized just how deep the scars went. Family wasn't just blood in the mafia—it was business, power, and loyalty. And when that loyalty was broken, the consequences were far worse than anything I could have imagined.
"You don't have to forgive him," I said softly, reaching for his hand. "You don't have to trust anyone else if you don't want to. But I'm here, Carlos. I'm here for you. I'll stand by you through this."
He didn't say anything for a long time, but I saw the slight shift in his posture, the subtle way he seemed to lean into my touch. It wasn't much, but it was something.
"I don't want to drag you into this, Heer," he finally said, his voice cracking with emotion. "I don't want to see you hurt because of me. Because of my world. But it feels like I'm losing everything—my family, my control, my sanity. And I don't know how to make it stop."
His words were like a knife in my heart. I knew he was struggling, but hearing him admit how much pain he was in made it so much more real. I had to be strong for him now, just as he had been strong for me.
"You're not losing me, Carlos," I said, my voice steady despite the emotions swirling inside me. "I'm not going anywhere. I chose you. I chose this—whatever it may be. But you don't have to do it all alone."
Carlos
I was drowning. Every decision I made, every step I took, felt like I was sinking deeper into a world that didn't care about loyalty or love. It cared about power. It cared about control. And right now, the price of that control was too high.
I had thought I could handle it—could keep Heer safe, could protect her from the worst of my world. But the truth was, I had no control. I had no guarantee that the next blow wouldn't hit us even harder. Luca's betrayal was just the beginning. I knew there were more enemies out there, waiting for the right moment to strike.
But Heer… Heer was the one constant. The one thing I didn't want to lose. I had to protect her, no matter the cost.
"Stay close to me, Heer," I said, my voice low, my eyes never leaving hers. "I can't promise it will be easy. But I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe."
She nodded, but there was something in her gaze that made me hesitate. She was more than just a victim of my world. She was strong. And despite everything, she was still here with me.
"I know," she said, squeezing my hand. "But don't push me away, Carlos. We're in this together."
Her words were a lifeline I didn't deserve, but I clung to them nonetheless. It was the first time in days that I had felt a sense of relief, even if it was fleeting. I had pushed her away, tried to keep her out of my world, but I realized now that she wasn't just my wife—she was my equal. And as much as I wanted to protect her from the darkness, I needed her by my side.
Heer
The days that followed were filled with a strange sense of unease. Carlos was still reeling from the betrayal, but there was something different about him. He had always been a man of few words, but now, he seemed more distant, more closed off. I could feel the walls between us growing again, but I refused to let them take hold.
One night, as we sat in the living room, the silence between us was thick. Carlos had been going over plans, talking to his men, strategizing for what was to come. I could see the weight of his decisions pressing down on him, the strain in his posture. I hated seeing him like this. I wanted to reach out, to hold him, but I didn't know how.
Suddenly, the phone rang, breaking the silence. Carlos's eyes immediately narrowed as he picked it up.
"Carlos," the voice on the other end said. "It's done. Luca's taken care of. But the message has been sent. There's no going back."
Carlos's face darkened, his eyes flashing with anger. "Good," he replied coldly, before hanging up the phone.
I didn't have to ask what had happened. I knew the mafia world, and I knew the consequences of betrayal. Luca was gone, but the price of loyalty had been steep.
Carlos
Loyalty was everything in my world. And yet, it was also the thing that had cost me the most. My family. My peace. My soul. The price of betrayal wasn't just paid in blood—it was paid in scars that never healed.
But as much as I hated what had happened, as much as it tore me apart, I knew there was no turning back. I had to keep moving forward. For Heer. For myself.
But the truth was, I wasn't sure how much longer I could survive in this world. I didn't know how many more sacrifices I could make. How many more people I could lose before it broke me entirely.