Page 1 of Until It Ends

One

Dante

Iwatch with a heavy heart as they drive Valeria away, my emotions whirling inside me like an out of control carousel. I have always known this day would come—the day I have to hide Valeria away, so I had planned the perfect getaway for her, but I didn't expect my father to be the cause of the chaos.

The car zooms away, and I watch until its taillights are swallowed up by the night. With a sense of dread, one of my men appears from around the corner of the house.

He's panting and his eyes wide with fear. “Your father shot some guards! Some are dead,” he exclaims, and then he sees my hand over my own bloody wound. “Do you need help?”

I shake my head. “Take care of the injured men and other bodies,” I say calmly, before I walk back into the house.

The noise coming from upstairs did nothing to quell the turmoil that rages within me—my father was in his office, thrashing and destroying anything he can lay his hands on. He's throwing a bloody fit as if he's the child. I need to take care of myself first or else I won't be able to face what's coming next.

I hurry down the creaking stairs, my heart thundering in my chest. Dim yellow lightbulbs fill the disorganized basement with their feeble illumination, and I quickly spot the stockpile of medical supplies sitting on a nearby shelf. With trembling fingers, I grab a roll of gauze and a bottle of antiseptic. Cautiously, I attend to my wound, dabbing it with the gauze and saturating it with the astringent liquid until the bleeding slows. Then I pop some pills to slow down my racing heartbeats.

As I sit in the chair, trying to catch my breath, I hear heavy footsteps coming down the stairs.

"Dante! I know you're down here!"

I grip the chair arm tightly, prepared for the confrontation.

He barges into the room, using a cane to support himself. His disheveled appearance, with his shirt untucked and tie askew, mirrors his anger. I see the glint of a weapon in his hand, a clear indication of his mounting frustration. His wound must be superficial because he hasn't leaked much blood at all.

I haven't seen him in so long. Last time I saw him, he was on that island at a top security medical facility deep in a coma, unable to communicate with anyone.

"Son,"he grunted.

I glance down at the gun and his shaky hand, and then back up at him.

"Are you going to shoot me, father?" I challenge, my voice steady despite the storm raging within me.

He narrows his eyes at me, his voice laced with disdain. "Don't push me, Dante."

My father is upset about the decisions I've made, the risks I've taken, and the revelation of my connection with Valeria. I understand his concern, but I cannot deny the love I feel for her. I can't deny what I would've done here tonight just to keep her alive.

"You've made too many mistakes lately."

I rise from the chair, matching his intensity. "Mistakes? Everything I've done, I did to protect the business. Since you've been gone, it's been thriving. I did that. Me!" I point at my chest.

"But you've put us all in danger with your reckless actions bringing that woman back into our lives. She almost killed me. She took away years of my life. She took me away from you," he scoffs.

I clench my fists, the weight of his disappointment crushing me. I almost want to tell him that being away from him was like a blessing in disguise. Either he's forgotten how badly he treated me as a son or he's too ashamed to admit it. But I remember. I remember exactly the abuse I endured because he thought I needed to grow up and be a ruthless criminal. I almost wonder if he's won because that's exactly what I've become.

"You don't understand, Father. Valeria is not just some woman. She's everything to me now," I say.

He shakes his head in disbelief. "Love is a luxury we can't afford, Dante. You of all people should know that. Our world is built on power and alliances, not on romantic notions. We make arrangements, they're not made for us. You're being mislead."

"You're wrong!" I spit out, my anger simmering.

"Either way, she almost killed me. Don't you think she deserves to pay for that?"

"Father, I swear if you touch a hair on her head..." I can't even complete the sentence.

"You'll do what, Dante? Kill me? Kill your father?"

I level my gaze with his. We lock eyes, the unspoken challenge hanging in the air between us. The bond that once held us together now strained to its breaking point. I know that this confrontation is only the beginning of a battle that will test our loyalties and reshape our futures.

"You don't know what I know, son. You haven't been on earth long enough," he says.

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