Heer
The days following Luca's betrayal felt like they were moving in slow motion, every hour heavier than the last. Carlos was no longer the man I had come to know. He was colder, distant, a shadow of himself as he buried himself in the chaos of the mafia world. He didn't speak to me much, and when he did, it was often about the business—the moves he had to make, the enemies he had to eliminate.
I knew he was hurting, but he wouldn't show it. He wouldn't allow himself to break down. Not in front of me. Not in front of anyone.
But I saw it in his eyes. The weariness. The pain. The guilt.
I couldn't let him push me away. I refused to let this destroy him. But how could I help when he wouldn't let me in?
One night, I watched as Carlos sat in the dimly lit study, his back hunched over a desk covered with papers and photographs. The weight of his world pressed down on him, and I could see how much it was taking from him.
I couldn't stay silent anymore.
"Carlos," I said, my voice trembling with a mix of concern and frustration. "You can't keep doing this. You don't have to carry the weight of everything alone."
He looked up at me, his eyes dark, unreadable. "I don't have a choice, Heer," he replied, his voice strained. "This is who I am. This is what I do."
I took a step closer to him, feeling the tension in the room grow thicker with each movement. "No. This isn't who you have to be. You don't have to shut me out. We can fight this together."
For a moment, he didn't respond. He just stared at me, as if trying to decide whether to believe me, to trust me again.
Then, finally, he spoke, his voice rough. "You don't understand, Heer. The mafia isn't just business. It's life and death. If I don't do this—if I don't play this game the way it's meant to be played—then I lose everything. And I can't afford to lose you. I can't afford to lose anyone."
The raw emotion in his voice shattered something inside me. I stepped forward, placing my hands on his shoulders, forcing him to meet my gaze.
"You're not going to lose me, Carlos," I said, my voice steady despite the tears that threatened to fall. "I'm not leaving you. But you have to let me help. You have to let me in."
He closed his eyes for a moment, as if trying to block me out. But when he opened them again, I saw a flicker of something—something like hope—beneath the hardened exterior.
"Stay with me tonight," he whispered, his voice hoarse. "Please. I don't know what I'm doing anymore."
Carlos
I hated myself for what I was doing to Heer. I hated how I was pushing her away, forcing her to watch as I crumbled under the weight of everything that had happened. The betrayal, the death, the constant danger—it was too much.
But it was the only way I knew how to survive. I couldn't afford to show weakness, not now. Not when there were people out there who would do anything to take me down.
But Heer… she was different. She didn't deserve this. She didn't deserve to be dragged into this mess. And yet, here she was, standing by me, refusing to leave, refusing to let me fall.
I didn't deserve her. But I couldn't push her away anymore. Not when she was the only thing holding me together.
"I don't want you to see me like this," I said quietly, my voice low, barely above a whisper.
Heer didn't hesitate. She stepped closer to me, wrapping her arms around my waist and pulling me into her embrace. It was the first time in days that I allowed myself to feel anything other than anger, fear, and guilt.
"I'm here, Carlos," she said softly, her voice like a balm to the wounds I had been hiding. "I'm not going anywhere."
I closed my eyes, letting her warmth seep into me, trying to remember what it felt like to be human again. For the first time in what felt like forever, I allowed myself to feel something other than the cold, hard edge of the mafia world.
"I don't know if I can keep doing this," I confessed, my voice rough. "This life, the danger… it's too much. I don't want you to get hurt."
"You don't have to do this alone," she replied, her voice firm and unwavering. "You've never been alone, Carlos. Not while I'm here."
Heer
The tenderness in his words made my heart ache. For the first time in weeks, I saw a crack in the armor he had built around himself. He was vulnerable, scared, and it was in those moments of vulnerability that I saw the man he truly was—not the mafia boss, not the cold, calculating figure he tried so hard to be—but the man who was terrified of losing everything.
I knew this life wasn't easy. I knew it wasn't a world where love was always enough to keep the darkness at bay. But I also knew that we had something worth fighting for.
"Carlos," I whispered, pulling back slightly so I could look him in the eye. "We don't have to have all the answers right now. But we'll face it together. Whatever comes next, we'll face it together. And I'll never let you go."
For a moment, it seemed like he was about to argue. But then he just nodded, as if finally accepting the truth.
He leaned forward, pressing his forehead against mine. "I don't know how to do this without you," he said, his voice full of raw emotion. "But I'll try. For you."
Carlos
I was tired. Tired of the lies, the deceit, the violence that had always been a part of my life. Tired of pretending like I could control everything. Tired of pushing the people I loved away because I was too afraid to let them see the man I really was.
But Heer… she saw me. She saw the broken parts of me, the parts that had been buried for so long. And instead of turning away, she stayed. She chose me.
It was more than I deserved. But it was everything I needed.
"I'll fight for you, Heer," I said, my voice steady with newfound resolve. "I'll fight for us. No matter what."
Heer
And in that moment, I knew. I knew that no matter what the future held, no matter how dark the world around us became, I would stand by Carlos. Because we had already faced the worst of it, and if we could survive that, we could survive anything.