I have never begged anyone to stay,
But I said please that day.
We can work this out.
I have never prayed for anything so badly,
but I remember begging the universe that if it could hear me somehow,
all I want is a chance to make it work.
'I can't'...
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Despite standing behind him, I sense Rome's simmering anger permeating the air, evidenced by the rhythmic rise and fall of his upper body as he struggled to rein it in. Then, abruptly, a remaining fragment of the clock still clinging to the wall plummeted to the ground, its clatter punctuating the heavy silence, broken only by the sound of our labored breaths.
I step back involuntarily.
Raina stands with one arm cradling her torso protectively while the other covers her mouth in disbelief, her eyes wide with dismay. Meanwhile, Rhea gazes back at Rome with eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of an emotional outpour. In this moment, she appears much younger than Rome, both in years and stature.
I slowly advance, extending my hand to gently rest it on Rome's back, smoothing my palm against his tense muscles. I sense a momentary flinch at the contact, but then, as recognition sets in, his rigid frame softens beneath my touch, his shoulders easing from their taut position.
He inhales deeply, attempting to gather his thoughts amidst the charged atmosphere.
"What are you trying to achieve, Rhea? Do you want to tear my life apart once more?" he questions but she shakes her head.
"How could you? Our family is crumbling right before your eyes," she accuses.
"I haven't done anything," he retorts.
"Exactly!" she snaps back.
"...After all Dad has done for you, for all of us, how could you stand by and watch as people-people you support and consider family-destroy everything he's built over the years?" she grumbles.
"Vincent has brought this upon himself... and If only you could step back and see clearly, you might realize the only person to blame for this chaos is himself." Rome counters.
"I couldn't care less about what others think or try to do to us... but family is supposed to protect each other no matter what. He's your father, Roman. He was for 26 years, before you traded him for a shiny new one and discarded the rest of us like trash...oh, except for your precious mother" Rhea shouts, pointing to their mother.
Roman inhales and exhales audibly, visibly struggling to reason with her or coax her into a calmer conversation.
"How can you not care that he's losing everything? It's all over the news-Toscano Industries' value is plummeting, shareholders are withdrawing... We're losing everything. Who are you? I don't even recognize you anymore." she spits out.
"Rhea..." Raina murmurs, attempting to reach out to her.
"Don't... You're the worst... He forgave you for your infidelity, your lies, for making him raise another man's child as his own for years, and this...this is how you repay him? Bleeding him dry with your divorce, hitting him when he is at his worst." Rhea turns on her mother, practically shouting into her face.
