Page 2 of Inevitable

I stumble to the side for a moment before I gain my footing. When I look to the side, I see my father wind back and punch Luca across the jaw. Luca stumbles backwards before he falls to the ground as I scream at the top of my lungs. I rush for my father to try to stop him just as he kicks Luca viciously in the ribs. Luca groans from the impact but makes no effort to stop him.

Luca is all muscle and well over 6’0 while my father is a pudgy 5’9. Luca obviously doesn’t want to fight him. I hear Luca trying to reason with my father, but it falls on deaf ears.

My father draws back to strike him again when I throw myself on top of Luca.

“Stop! Stop! Leave him alone! I love him, stop! Please!” I scream hysterically.

My father’s feral gaze collides with mine. There is so much hate burning in his eyes that I quiver at the sight. He leans down and buries his hand deep into my hair before he rips me off of Luca. I screech as the searing pain from my scalp tears through me.

My scream must have crumbled Luca’s resolve because he jumps to his feet as if he were laying there by choice and crushes his fist across my father’s jaw. My father releases the hold he has on me instantly as he collapses to the ground from the blow. Luca rushes to me and pulls me against him, holding me like I am a child that he needs to protect.

I begin to bawl into his t-shirt, my tears staining the white cotton. He is smoothing his hand over my hair as he repeatedly whispers in English and Italian, “It’s alright my angel. You are safe. I will never let anyone hurt you. Va tutto bene, angelo mio. Sei al sicuro, non permetterò mai a nessuno di ferirti.” I whimper at his comforting words and burrow myself into him even more.

“Luca! Che cosa sta succedendo?” I hear Luca’s father, Antonio shout, as he makes his way from their house towards us. I look over to see his mother in tow behind him. She seems to be the first to piece together what is happening because she slaps her hand over her mouth and shoots Luca a worried look.

From behind us, I see my mother rushing out of the house in her nightgown. She rushes over to my father who is still curled up on the floor. She is asking him what happened as Luca and his father are passionately speaking in Italian. I catch a few words but not enough to understand what they are saying.

My father finally looks up and sees that I am wrapped in Luca’s arms and loses it again. He leaps to his feet and races forward, almost making it to us before Antonio steps in and holds him back. Antonio is just as tall as Luca and only a bit broader, so holding my father at bay is not a difficult task for him. He tries to talk him down, but my father is rabid like a wild animal.

“You trash! How dare you touch my daughter! Get away from her! You are nothing! A servant! You will never be good enough for her. You are worthless! All of you!”

His nasty words are directed at Antonio and Luciana as well now. I watch as Antonio’s face hardens while Luciana silently weeps to the side. Unfortunately, my father continues his tirade.

“Get out, all of you! You are all fired! Leave!” He screeches.

The stricken look that slashes across all of their faces breaks my heart. Antonio is our groundskeeper, Luciana is our housekeeper and Luca helps with everything in between. They have been working for my family for 4 years and it’s clear that they have nowhere else to go.

“Father, no!” I shout. I rush out of Luca’s arms and tug on my father’s arm frantically. “Don’t do this! Please!” I plead.

His eyes are wild with rage as he sneers at me. “I am not doing anything. You did! He did!” He exclaims pointing at Luca. “You have an hour to leave our property, or I will have the police remove you.”

With that he storms inside the house with my mother trailing after him before the door slams shut. I turn around to the Mariano family, tears pouring down my face.

“I am so sorry. I will fix this. I will talk to him. Everything will be okay.”

None of them look at me, not even Luca. Antonio gathers a sobbing Luciana into his arms and shoots Luca a disappointed look before they walk back to their house, assumingly to start packing. I turn back to see Luca is still standing at least 10ft away from me, staring at the ground.

“He is right,” he whispers.

“What?” I choke out. I seriously could not have heard him right.

He looks up at me, a pained expression across his face. “He is right. I don’t deserve you, I probably never will. I am a nobody, and you are Ashlynn Adams. We come from two different worlds that could never mix. You have seen it all along. It is why you have never agreed to tell people about us. I was just too blind to see.”

“No,” I say urgently as I rush up to him. He makes no move to touch me, so I reach up and grasp his face with both hands. “No. Luca Antonio Mariano, you are more than good enough for me. You are kind and hardworking and passionate. You love more deeply than I ever knew was possible, you have taught me how to love that way. I will love you forever. Don’t. Don’t say things you don’t mean. We will be together; it will just take time. You said you would wait for me, for us.”

At this point my words are coming out in between sobs. I am desperate for him to tell me he loves me and that we will be okay. But he doesn’t, his eyes are red and filled with unshed tears.

“Ti amerò sempre, angelo mio.”I will always love you, my angel.

It is one of the few phrases he uses that I actually know. It’s usually said like a promise, a peek at what we will have forever. But right now, it’s sounds like a goodbye.

“Don’t…please,” I beg as my voice shakes.

He leans down and gently places a tender kiss on my forehead. I close my eyes, savoring the feel of his lips against my skin, terrified it’s the last time I will ever feel it. He steps away from me, not meeting my eyes and somberly strides to follow his parents. Watching him walk away from me, from us, is too much and my legs give out.

I fall to the ground and sob with my knees tucked into my chest. I lay in the grass mourning. Mourning the loss of employment for the Mariano’s, mourning the loss of a roof over their heads. But most importantly I mourn the love of my life, knowing I will never love or be loved like that ever again.

Chapter One

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