Page 82 of Memento Mori
Standing directly in front of her, with his legs planted wide and his fists tightly clenched at his waist. I could see the tension in his clenched fists, a clear sign of his efforts to hold back.
My heart went out to him. While he never spoke of their relationship, there was no denying the deep feelings he had for Laney. Whatever happened between them had transformed him into a restless man, unwilling to commit to anyone. It seemed like he attempted to drown his feelings for Laney through fucking anyone who was willing, but it didn’t work. The love hehad for that woman was deeper than we realized until he cried like a baby when she died on the steps of the cathedral. It was like his world ended that day.
“Let me go, and I’ll tell you what you want to know,” she said.
“Are you the Ghost?” he asked.
“Alessandro...”
“Answer me, Celia!” he shouted, his voice echoing through the chapel. “Are you who they think you are?”
Sighing, she closed her eyes and took a moment to collect herself. “Does the answer really matter, my love? You know who I am. That’s all that should matter.”
“Don’t...” He shook his head. “Don’t call me that. I don’t love you, Celia. I made it clear from the beginning what this was between us.”
Her laughter echoed through the room, and tears welled up in her eyes. “Things change, Alessandro,” she said, her voice trembling, as the first tears cascaded down her cheeks. “Even though you were a mark, a way I could get close to your family, I fell in love with you, and you couldn’t let her go! You couldn’t give me a chance because of her!”
“You know nothing about her!”
“I know everything about her. I know how you called her name in your sleep and begged her not to walk away from what you had. I found out that she turned her back on you. So, I looked into her. Your love wasn’t perfect, and she had a lot of secrets she kept from you. Secrets you should know.”
“Shut up, Celia!”
“Why, Alessandro? You don’t want to hear the truth about your precious Laney? Well, I’m glad she’s fucking dead! She hurt you, so I hurt her. Now she can fucking rot in Hell.”
“You fucking bitch!”
He lunged for her, his hands closed tightly around her throat, cutting off her breath. Her eyes widened in disbelief, the unspoken pleas fading away before she could utter a single word.
“You killed the only woman I will ever love!” he shouted, his grip on her neck tightening with each word. “You aren’t good enough to breathe the same fucking air as she did, you cunt. I will see you in Hell.”
As he tightened his hold, she fought against him, but her struggle ceased when the bone in her neck snapped. Her eyes remained open, devoid of any spark of life. The last person she would see, would be the man she loved who was also the man who took her life.
“You can let her go,” Tony said, his hand gently resting on Alessandro’s shoulder. “She’s dead.”
Alessandro slowly released his hands from around her neck, inhaling deeply and exhaling then he looked at Tony. “Do you know what secrets she was talking about?” he asked.
Tony shook his head. “You know Laney was a very private person. I didn’t even know you two had a thing even though I suspected it.”
“I got to get out of here. If you don’t hear from me in a few days, just know I’m good. I’ll get in touch with you when I can.”
Tony pulled him into his arms, holding him tightly. They gave each other slaps on the back, before pulling away. Then Alessandro walked towards me and pulled me into his arms.
“Are you alright?” I asked, as he stepped away from me.
“No, but I will be,” he said, his voice filled with unmistakable pain. “Take care of him.”
“Alessandro...”
“I’ll be alight, Aaliyah. I promise.”
He kissed me on the forehead, then walked out of the Chapel without looking back. Tony stood beside me and pulled me into his arms. “I don’t like this,” I said.
“Me either.”
“What are we going to do?”
“Nothing,” Tony said as we walked towards the doors of the Chapel. I reached for his hand, and he intertwined my fingers with his. “He’ll call us when he needs us.”
