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𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐀

Luna and I had been separated for a long time.

While I stayed with my parents, she was sent away to a boarding school in hopes she would return as a star dancer. She was always more into contemporary dance though our mother forced her to take ballet classes.

Luna was a part of the school and was still young, continuing to train like the others. I didn't know what her dream was, what she aspired to do, her career. In fact, we had barely spoken compared to how close we used to be as little girls.

She was always my parents beloved small child, their angel. They used to love whenever she came home. Luna would probably disagree with me.

I tried with my sister. I was trying to do anything I could to make her life as much easier and happier than mine. My attempts to communicate with her always failed. When I retuned from abroad, I brought her back to the school, though she came back as a different person. Luna was more angry and had a wall up, she avoided me and was more stubborn. She refused to talk to me for a long time. I knew it had to do with some kind of resentment towards me and tried to get her to open up. It made it worse.

Nevertheless, I paid for her private education, her home, her classes - everything. I was her sister and the only person she could rely on.

She didn't know the truth about our mother's death; how our father pushed her off their bedroom balcony. I remembered running away from the house that day after seeing it, rushing to find Leonardo. He lived next door. We always went to each other. He himself was in a difficult situation. He was receiving a scolding from his father. I knew better than to intervene.

So, I went home and there was no trace of the body. No blood, no patch. The window was closed, the house was clean and the bedroom looked spotless. It was as though nothing had happened. The body was gone.

My father was sat in his study, wearing the same clothes and yet they looked freshly washed, as though my mother hadn't been pulling his clothes, biting him through his shirt, her blood not even splattered on him.

I asked where my mother was.

He told me she killed herself, that she was selfish, a seductress and that she hated me.

I was too afraid to tell him I hated him, that we both knew what we saw, that I knew and he knew he was lying. I was too weak at that age.

So Luna didn't have to know either. It would destroy her. She was told our mother was hit by a car.

I kept a lot from my sister; she only knew the blissful parts of our home when she visited. Even if she hated me for whatever reason, I would do anything I could to shield her from the world and its evil nature.

It wasn't easy to do so because of her own wrathful nature. The girl could be so violent. In that moment, she was throwing punches with strength I didn't even know she had.

Many were gathered around, beginning to film and cheered. I didn't care who she was fighting with or why, I just needed her out. I remembered grabbing her waist and pulling her off. Despite her kicks and struggles, we made it into a closet where spare pointe shoes were kept and I locked the door behind us, standing in front it.

We were both breathless and those vengeful eyes of hers were glaring at me as she struggled to catch her breath.

My hand extended to her face, lifting her chin slowly to see how many more scratches whoever was fighting her face gave her. My sister looked so innocent yet full of such pain. Strands of hair clouded her face, she looked messy from all that tussling. I felt heartbroken whenever I saw her and found it hard to find a solution to our situation.

She pushed my hand away, throwing me daggers with her eyes. "What's your fucking problem? Why the hell did you interfere?" I held back from snapping back and her, making my voice calm, "why are you fighting, Luna?" Luna rolled her eyes, her hand trying to fix her hair. She lifted her leotard, letting it cover her chest more.

"It's none of your business," she retorted, trying to move past me but I kept my back onto the door. She huffed, moving back as she practically sneered at me and folded her arms. She couldn't even meet my eyes.

"You fight with your words. Not your fists," I said, hoping I wouldn't push a button. It was annoying getting into arguments with her. Luna scoffed, looking everywhere but at me. "That's why you're getting nowhere. Will your words work when that stalker gets you?"

I betrayed my own philosophy as soon as she finished her sentence. In a swift movement, her back was against the wall and my hand was around her tiny throat. Luna didn't care and it hurt, I had to admit. She didn't give a damn about what I was doing, while I worried about her everyday.

She seemed shocked, trying to push me away whilst it was my turn to glare at her. "Listen," I said sternly, "watch yourself. I mean it. Quit hanging around those druggies I see you running around with everyday and focus on your learning. Is it that hard for you to stop getting into fights? Fine, you don't want to talk to me for whatever reason you've got bottled up in there, but what I'm telling you will help you in your future if you plan on dancing. No one is going to hand it to you." I let her go as she spluttered, trying to catch her breath. I knew I had made her more angry at me and took the chance to open the door and leave.

The crowd had dispersed and I made my way to the next practice for vocals.

When I had finished my day and changed back into my clothes from earlier, I saw Leonardo coming from the main office with my uncle in tow. Before I could even speak to the man, my uncle saw me and changed direction.

I glared at his back; I knew he was avoiding me because he decided to sign off Dream to Leonardo. He wasn't exactly a bad leader, but he wasn't outstanding. I would pick a bone with him later; I was too tired to argue.

I told Leonardo to feed me because I was hungry after such a long day, which led to us sitting in a luxurious restaurant waiting for our meals to arrive.

"So, what did you do today, mio fidanzato {my fiancé}?" I asked, sipping some of my water. He looked so fine across the table, he was unaware of his attractiveness. He looked good in a suit. I was curious to know what he had done and as usual, he was so silent unless spoken to. His face was always emotionless and hard to decipher.

"I got information on some of the girls that have been missing. I'm trying to find what is common between them - other than being ballerinas." I looked at him in surprise, not expecting that answer. I nodded, trying to think to but nothing came to mind. The atmosphere suddenly felt dark at the thought of the stalker.

"So, some girls worked with you and you're trying to find them too?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if trafficking is involved," Leonardo said, playing with the ring on his index finger. He clenched his jaw, looking more serious. "If there's one thing I can't stand, it's that." The thought of trafficking horrified me, I hoped the women were safe. I felt better at the fact that he was helping too.

He checked his watch whilst I changed the subject, sensing the vibes. "I'm curious about something."

"How have you been living all this time?" I softly asked, my voice laced with concern. I continued, "you weren't so. . .stable when I left. You seem different-"

"How so?" He interrupted abruptly, his voice was so cold. I remembered how difficult he could be.

I bit my lip, unable to describe it. The boy I knew was a lot less closed off, a little more in tune with his feelings and a lot more vulnerable. We used to be able to laugh for hours together, but it suddenly felt so off between us. We had grown, I understood that. Perhaps I didn't realise how different it would be. Being engaged wouldn't make everything right. In fact, it felt like we were further away from each other despite being physically close.

"Your house. .it's so empty, as if no one lives there."

"I work a lot," Leonardo replied instantly and I nodded, not wanting to press further though I knew it seemed way too bare even with that excuse.

I placed my elbow as on the table, my face against my hand. "What happened. .to Elisa?" He lost eye contact with me and leaned back in his seat, looking over at the pianist playing a soft melody. "And. ." I hesitated, partially not wanting to know the answer. "I thought you had a child."

It hurt knowing that Leonardo was married off to another girl. After my father betrayed the Romano family, he sent me to train abroad whilst he ran off with his stolen money. It wasn't long until he was caught which meant that he had to live on the run. He lost everything and I lost contact with him. I wanted nothing to do with such a man.

Meanwhile, Leonardo married Elisa, someone I did not get along with in school. We both liked him. It felt childish looking back. I knew I was little too possessive over him and reacted badly at the news. We both hurt and pushed each other away before I left. It made sense they got married, Elisa was the same age as him, unlike me, and her family were allies with Leonardo's father. She was the next candidate in line to marry him. In a way, I was glad we didn't marry. It was so toxic and crazy how we were so young and made to marry for our families' future.

I heard rumours that they had a child and thought that was the end for us, that we could never be together again. I assumed he loved her since he was intimate enough to even make an infant. He cleared his throat before revealing, "I got a divorce." I almost sighed in relief at his confirmation of a fact I wasn't sure on.

The waiter brought his dish first, a plate with steak, decorated with some vegetables and sauce. The dish looked exquisite and I forced myself to move my eyes away before I started salivating. I began to regret my order of a Greek salad. He quietly thanked the waiter, being the polite person he was and drank some of his mocktail since he was driving us back.

"And she lives with my mother. Apparently, I'm too mentally deranged to live with her." He was talking about what I inferred to be his daughter. I partly forgot she existed and didn't fully know how to feel about her. I didn't know much about children and hadn't really thought of having one myself. There was a mixture of feelings in me, I wanted to be there for Leonardo and his child but at the same time, I didn't know if I could handle it. It was also hard to imagine him as a father - yes, he would a better father than his own but he was so detached, I wondered what he was like with her.

I knew he had a wall up. There were things that happened that hadn't been healed. I wasn't going to 'fix him' - that wasn't my job - but I was at least going to help him get his life on track.

"I would never hurt her," he murmured, looking slightly more distracted. I realised I had touched a spot as he started to blankly stare at his glass.

My food came next in a porcelain bowl with drizzles of sauce on top. It looked delicious. I thanked the waiter and began to eat, reminding Leonardo to eat his food too. We ate in silence for a few minutes as I noticed how reserved he suddenly seemed. I couldn't stop my curiosity. "Why did you break up with her?" I asked, hoping I didn't make anything worse.

"It was clear she just enjoyed the money."

"So she just left her child. .?" The words came out a little too quickly and I regretted sounding so judgemental. His eyes flickered over to me but I looked away, prodding my fork into my food.

He sighed in what seemed to be agreement, barely touching his food. "Not everyone is fit to be a parent." There was clearly more to that story.

I still had a lot in me what I was urgent to ask but I held back. That was enough. I moved away from the topic of the child and asked, "so how many times did you fuck her?" Leonardo's eyes widened at my bluntness and I shrugged, taking a bite of the crispy lettuce. He coughed as though he had eaten too quickly and shook his head. "Is that your business?"

"It is now, mio caro {my darling}," I nonchalantly replied, eating some more food. "We're engaged," I pointed out, swinging one leg on top of the other.
He lightly flouted before answering, "it's an exchange, nothing more."

I rolled my eyes, "it's more than that. You'll see," I said confidentially, my eyes drifting over to his plate again. "You'll fall for me once again."

He let out a light chuckle in disbelief, before picking up his plate and placing it besides my salad. I looked up at him, my eyes seeking permission. He gave his consent and within minutes, we both cleaned up his plate.

When we left the restaurant, I asked for his true answer one more time. I had to know in order to judge how much he liked her.

He simply said, "it was enough to get her pregnant." And that was how we ended that conversation.

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~ Author's Note ~

Luna and Maria have some cracks in their relationship that they need to fix. Opinions on Luna?

A little hint of Leonardo's past has been revealed! A child? An ex-wife? He'll dive deeper into that as the book progresses. But will this cause a hindrance between Maria and Leonardo?

A lot comes next for these two so keep reading!

Thoughts on this chapter?

For more, please vote, comment, share and follow. Votes and comments really help me know how the story is going, if the book is captivating or not, and helps boost my confidence for more updates :)

Thanks for reading!

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