[GIOSEFFO]
My relationship with my sister is special, in a way that we always have each other’s backs. We know that we won’t turn our backs on each other. But I messed it up at some point in our lives. That’s why Gianna suddenly changed, even toward me.
“I never abandoned you, Gia. I will always be your brother, no matter what happens. I’m always just one call away. If you need me, I’ll come to you, no matter the situation. I’m sorry for being insensitive, for not listening to your side, for not trying to understand why you felt this way. I even said hurtful words to you. I’m sorry.”
She remained silent for a moment after I said that. Even though others may have seen us as emotionless when we were kids, when it’s just the two of us, Gia and I can show our vulnerabilities to each other without shame, without pretending. It’s normal for us. Gia and I are open books to each other. We know each other’s flaws and virtues, and we accept them.
“I won’t apologize for what I’ve done, and I won’t promise it won’t happen again in the future,” she responded in her typical Gianna manner. I smiled and shook my head. “And you shouldn’t apologize either. I deserved your words that day. Don’t feel guilty about it.”
Still, a silence lingered between us. We both gazed into the distance, contemplating various aspects of our lives.
“You’ll understand me once you open your heart to someone.”
“You wish,” she interrupted, causing me to laugh. “Love is nothing but a chemical reaction of the brain.”
“Nah,” I replied, still smiling. “But if you ever find someone, I want to meet him. I need to assess him and see if he’s worthy of being with my sister.”
Gianna gave me an incredulous look that screamed, “Are you serious right now?”
Unbeknownst to many, Gianna and I patched things up. We know each other so well that we understood we were on good terms. She also paid Millie a visit, and my wife was delighted to see her.
~*~
On the day Millie was set to be discharged from the hospital, Beatrice promptly arranged a welcome party at our home. I told them it wasn’t necessary, but they were insistent. I didn’t want to argue, so I went along with it.
“Welcome home!” Confetti rained down as we entered the house. Millie’s eyes sparkled when she saw her friends and family welcoming her and celebrating her discharge from the hospital.
“Wow! Thank you.”
Some of her friends approached her, giving her gentle hugs. I wanted to object to their proximity, knowing that Millie’s wounds hadn’t completely healed yet, but I didn’t have much say in the matter.
I let Millie enjoy her party, but my gaze never left her. I watched her every move, waiting for any signs of trouble. I felt like I was going crazy, but when it came to Millie, I was undoubtedly obsessed.
“Your wife won’t disappear,” Raffaele said from my side. We’re all here, cousins reunited. It’s the first time in many months. I think the last time we met was before I left New York to go to see Millie.
Arcel was also present, which was surprising, given how rarely I saw him in New York.
“You’re here, Azi. Not busy with your… you know.”
I took a sip of my drink while looking at Arcel, waiting for his response. My cousins were also curious, evident in their focused attention on him.
“I had some business to attend to.”
I shrugged and didn’t say anything more. Well, I did owe Arcel, so if I had the opportunity, I’d return the favor.
“By the way, Gio,” Arcel once again captured my attention. “About the Green. It’s already done. I’ve accomplished what you wanted.”
A small smirk crossed my lips. Raffaele and the others asked what he was talking about, but I didn’t answer.
I turned my gaze back to where my wife was. I saw her looking at me, not too far from her current position. It seemed as if she had paused in the middle of her walk.
I wanted to assume that she hadn’t heard our conversation about the Green, but I highly doubted that.
I wasn’t wrong in my assumption that Millie had heard us. As soon as our guests left the house and we were left alone, she immediately confronted me.
“What were you and Arcel talking about earlier regarding the Green? By that, were you referring to Rory?”
I didn’t want Millie to know what happened, but she must understand that those who dare to harm my family won’t live to tell the tale.
“You don’t want to know,” I told her. “Let’s go to our bedroom. I’m sure you’re tired.”
I took her hand and led her to our bedroom. I knew she wasn’t finished with her questions, but I would try to avoid them as much as possible.
“Gio,” she gripped my arm. “What did you do?”
I took a deep breath and faced her. “I killed Rory Green, and I let his family taste my wrath.”
Her jaw dropped when I said that. I knew this might lead to another argument, and I often let her win. But not this time.
“What? Gio, I understand you’re angry with Rory and you might want revenge, but please don’t involve his family. They’re innocent-”
“You had nothing to do with what I did to him either, but he shot you!” I didn’t mean to raise my voice at Millie, but I couldn’t help it. “I will involve anyone I want to involve. I will destroy anyone I see as my enemy. They hurt you, and no one hurts my family. Let’s not talk about it, Millie. We might end up arguing again.”
Millie changed me, that’s true, but there’s one thing about me that no one can change because it’s part of my character. When you hurt my family, mark my words, I will exact more pain than you inflicted on us. As I said, you can’t survive our world if you’re too weak.
Killing Rory Green alone wasn’t enough. I gave him one chance to stay away from us. I spared his life even after he tried to kiss Millie, but he chose to defy me. Is it still my fault? Aleeza had the intelligence to realize she couldn’t take me on, so she quickly severed ties with Marion. If not, her family might be mourning her. Even though she’s the daughter of Dad’s friend, I wouldn’t hesitate to remove her from my path if I saw her as a threat to my family.
“Come on, let’s freshen up. Want to take a bath with me?” I asked Millie.
She tilted her head to the side, a smile on her face.
“Sure!” Millie quickly stood up and held my hand. “Does that mean we’re going to…”
I groaned. She’d been hinting about having sex, even when she was in the hospital. I always refused, fearing I might hurt her, but this woman was incredibly persuasive.
In the end, I decided to let her orgasm in my mouth, but I would avoid having intercourse with her during her hospital stay.
“Please? It’s been so long since we last had sex!” She complained when she realized I might not give in.
“I’ll finger-fuck and tongue-fuck you,” I suggested.
“No! That’s not enough.” She moved closer to me, gently grasping my bulge between my thighs. I couldn’t help but groan.
“Millie,” I called her name with a warning.
“Hmm, you called me, darling?” she replied in a sultry voice, enough to send electric sensations straight to my groin.
“I don’t want to hurt you. Stop. Tempting. Me.” I was determined, and my fear of causing her harm outweighed the desire I felt at that moment. “You’re pregnant and still in recovery, Millie. Enough.”
I was about to remove her hand from my manhood when she stopped me with her words.
“They say you can still have sex even when you’re pregnant,” she told me.
I paused at her statement, narrowing my eyes. She responded with a seductive smile.
“Who told you that?” I asked.
“Beatrice did! They say they still did it when they were pregnant.”
I winced and covered my wife’s mouth with my hand. The last thing I wanted was to imagine my cousins and their extracurricular activities with their wives. I had to stop that image from entering my mind.
She grinned widely and removed my hand covering her mouth.
“Will you make love to me now… in the bathroom, hmm?” She moved her face closer to my cheek and planted a shallow kiss on the side of my lips.
The tease.
“Only if you promise me one thing,” I said, admitting defeat. I could win when my arousal wasn’t clouding my judgment, but right now, my desires were screaming to be inside her.
“Hmm, what’s that?” she asked, still seductive.
“We should have a safe word, so I can stop when you can’t handle me, Millie.”
She chuckled in a sultry manner that made my erection salute.
“Oh, sure. But you know me, Gio. I can handle you, no matter how rough and hard you are with me.”
And with that, she led the way to the bathroom. It wasn’t about her capability, but rather my fear of losing control while making love to her. Just like her, my inner demons were hungry, and tasting her might not satiate them, especially since it had been a long time since I last held her in that way.