His Ruthless Pursuit

Umberto held my tiny waist in his hands as he took my measurements, he moved quickly and quietly while he wrote them down in a small notebook. 

"All done." He said after a few minutes and I started getting dressed again. 

"I thought it was a joke when the don told me I had to come take your measurements. But here you are, little dove." Umberto told me so I smiled at him. 

"That's right, I'm back." I softly told him and he sighed lightly. 

"My god, I can't believe it's been six years. You look good, healthy. And you're still my prettiest client." He told me and I let out a light chuckle.

"You flatter me, but I've seen the models you work with." I told Umberto and he smiled at me. 

"And what's the difference between you and those models? You're flawless, Hera. I missed you so much." Umberto said before he pulled me into a tight hug. 

"There's so much to catch up on, you should come over to the house sometime so that we could enjoy lunch together. I mean a lot has changed since you left." He told me and I nodded at him. "I fear we might've needed you back more than the don did." Umberto added and a nauseating feeling settled into the pit of my stomach. 

"Okay, darling. We'll catch up over lunch." I told Umberto and he nodded at me before he rubbed my arm in a comforting manner. 

"See you later, my queen. I'll send your dress over with Miguel. It should be here before seven pm tonight." He told me and I nodded at him. 

"Thank you." I told him and he smiled before he left my room. 

I left my room shortly after and made my way to Mila's bedroom. I knocked on the door before entering it and I found her playing with some dolls that Mateo must've bought for her. 

"Hi mommy! Do wanna play doll with me?" She asked me and I broadly smiled at her.

"Of course." I told her and she held a doll out to me so I sat down next to her. 

"This is Ella, she's a princess. Ella and her mommy moved away from their house. Now they live with her mommy's friend." Mila told me and I frowned lightly. That sounds familiar.

"And your doll's name is Lilly. She's Ella's best friend." Mila added and I nodded at her in understanding. 

"So, Ella are you angry with your mommy for telling you about your daddy?" I asked Mila in a slightly higher pitched voice and she sighed lightly. 

"No, my mommy's the best and she fights off all the bad guys so that they won't hurt me." Mila said while she lightly moved the doll from side to side. 

"Then are you happy?" I asked Mila and she shrugged lightly. 

"I don't know." She sadly uttered. "Mommy?" She called me so I placed the doll down before I placed all my attention on her. 

"Why did we come here? I like living in Hollowfalls." She placed her doll down before turning to face me.

"Mi cielo, sometimes grown ups have to do things that doesn't always make sense. But they do it to protect the people that they care about. And that means that little girls like you are better of not knowing all the reasons why. I just wanted to protect you, Mila. I never meant to make you feel sad. Thank you for telling me how you feel." I told Mila and she nodded at me.

"But why do you always have to protect me? Who's trying to hurt me?" Mila whispered out with concern filled eyes. 

"No one. All parents have to protect their kids. Didn't you know that?" I asked her and she just quietly stared at me. She seemed a bit sceptical too.

"All parents?" Mila asked me and I nodded at her. 

"Yes. And guess what, I'll always protect you. No matter how old you get." I smiled at her and she placed her hand in mine.

"Do you still miss daddy?" She curiously wanted to know.

"I used to." 

"Me too." She softly uttered. "He shouldn't have left us then we would've been together right now." She uttered in frustration. 

"That's his loss then." I tickled her and she started laughing uncontrollably. 

"You're so beautiful." I told her and she cutely smiled up at me.

"You're beautiful too mommy." She told me and I smiled at her as she pulled me into a tight hug. 

"Ahem," someone cleared their throat from behind us. Both Mila and I looked at the door and we found Mateo standing there while watching us with a smile on his face. 

"May I come in?" Mateo asked Mila who was still hugging me and she nodded at him in response. 

"Where were you?" Mila asked him and he smiled at her. 

"I was at work, princess. Did you miss me?" He asked Mila and she nodded at him. 

"A little bit, where do you work?" Mila asked him and he briefly glanced over at me. 

"That's enough Mila. I'm sure Mr. Mateo had a long day. And besides you and I should get ready for tonight." I told her and she nodded at me. 

"Okay mommy." She said before resting her head on my shoulder.

"Can mommy and I talk for a minute?" Mateo asked Mila and she nodded at him so I got up before leaving her room.

"Thank you, Mila. Oh and before I forget, Cara will be here in a minute. She's your new babysitter." Mateo informed her and she just nodded at him in understanding. 

"Okay Mateo." She told him and he playfully ruffled up her hair.

Mateo came walking out of Mila's room and I started walking toward our bedroom. Once we were inside our room he closed the door behind him. 

"What's wrong?" I asked him and he looked around us before shaking his head at me. 

"Nothing. How are you guys settling in?" He asked me and I frowned at him in suspicion.

"What do you think, Mateo. Mila didn't want to leave Hollowfalls but she's trying her best. So am I." I uttered in frustration and he just quietly stared at him with no emotion evident on his face. The room dawned in an uncomfortable silence so I ran a hand through my hair before sitting down on the bed. 

"How are things with the family?" I asked him and he narrowed his eyes on me. 

"You want to know about the family?" He asked in disbelief and I nodded at him. "The family that you abandoned." He bluntly added. 

"I didn't abandon anyone. Is that what you made them believe, Mateo? That I abandoned them? And not that you drove me away from them?" I asked him. 

"I didn't tell them anything. They made their own assumptions about why you left. And you don't leave the mafia, Hera." Mateo told me in a warning tone. They must be mad at me.

"So they're doing great, they're just pissed at me for leaving?" I asked Mateo and he just silently looked at me. 

"What did you expect, Hera? To be welcomed back with open arms. It's been six years." He told me and I looked down at my hands. 

"Umberto was happy to see me." I told him and he frowned at me. 

"He's a fucking designer, Hera. He doesn't count. What counts is the family that you betrayed and left behind. Nothing else matters but that!" He blankly told me.

"Mateo you left me no choice! I had to run. You do remember that night, don't you?" I asked him and he clenched his jaw. 

"Of course I do." He told me and I frowned at him. 

"Exactly you held a gun against my head and promised your men that you would kill me. And everybody knows that you don't make empty promises." I told him and he took my chin in his hand. 

"Do you really think that I could do that? Do you really think I'm capable of fucking killing you, Hera?" He asked me and I looked into his eyes. 

"I wasn't sure back then and I'm still not sure now. These past six years has been torture to me and that's what you showed me. You showed me how much you could really break me in every possible aspect." I told him and his hand left my chin.

"It's a yes or no question, Hera." He blankly told me. 

"Yes, Mateo. I think you're capable of killing me. You killed my dad." I told him and he flared his nostrils. 

"For the last time- I didn't kill your dad." He uttered through seethed teeth.

Suddenly he pulled his gun out of his waistband before he pressed it into the side of my head and I squeezed my eyes shut in fear. 

"Look at me Hera." He told me and I shook my head at him. "Look at me!" He harshly repeated himself so I slowly opened my eyes to look at him. 

"I need to know if you still see me as a man, or just a monster," He whispered against my lips and my breath got stuck in my throat. 

His eyes were blue and filled with passion as he continued staring down at me. And before I could even register what was happening he pulled my closer to him by my waist.

He pressed his lips against mine, his kiss was rough and insistent, drowning me in a surge of conflicted emotion. The cold metal of the gun still pressed against my temple, a chilling reminder of the man I once loved and the monster he'd become. 

When he finally pulled back, his lips hovered near mine, his breath hot and ragged. "You think I'd ever hurt you? You think I could live in a world where you don't exist?" 

Tears welled in my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "I don't know anymore, Mateo. I don't know who you are." 

His jaw tightened as he slid the gun away, tucking it back into his waistband. "Then let me remind you," he said darkly, his voice low and edged with something dangerous. "You don't get to leave again, Hera. You're here to stay, whether you want to or not." 

With that, he turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind him. The sound echoed in my ears, leaving me trembling in its wake. 

I exhaled shakily, my fingers brushing against my lips. The taste of him lingered, a bitter mix of longing and fear. The man I once loved was still in there somewhere, but how much of him was left? 

As I stared at the closed door, a new thought chilled me to my core. Mila's innocent question from earlier replayed in my mind: "Who's trying to hurt me?"

Maybe it wasn't just my daughter I needed to protect anymore. Maybe this time, I'm the one needing protection from the man I once trusted with everything.