- 8 1 -

"Angel." I heard Roman before I saw him, instantly standing up from my place on the couch and rushing towards the door.

He met me halfway, my arms going around his neck and his around my waist as he kissed my neck softly, burying his face in my hair.

"What took you so long?" I mumbled into his neck and heard his sigh.

"I was getting some things." He answered when a throat was cleared from behind us and I reluctantly pulled away from him, looking back into identical blue eyes.

"So he's still here. Alive." Alex remarked and I glared at him.

"Yes. Where else would he be?" I am now standing beside Roman, my hand clasped firmly in his and Alex looked down for a moment before his gaze comes back up, his face hard.

"At his house." He said with a raised brow and I rolled my eyes, turning to my man.

"Don't mind him Rome, he's in a pissy mood today." I saw and kiss his cheek, dragging him to the living room with me.

"Oh look, he's back, yay." Anton remarks with a very unenthusiastic tone from his place on the couch as we enter but I ignore him, letting Roman sit down before plopping down on his lap. Something he is extremely satisfied with.

"Heather, darling, you do realize there are two empty couches here? Must you do this in front of us?" Anton says with a look of disgust when I shrug as Roman runs his hand through my hair and I settle my head onto his chest.

"Why are you here?" Roman finally speaks to the two men who look at each other before looking at me, and then him. I tense, and he notices when his hand stops in my hair.

"He doesn't know." Alex says after a moment of silence as realisation dawns on them and I gulp.

"Know what?" Roman asks, confused when I wave my hand in dismissal.

"Nothing important, Roman, they're just fooling around." I try to lighten the mood when Roman squeezes my hand once, making me look at him.

"Tell me, angel." He says softly and I sigh heavily.

"It's nothing, really. You don't have to worry about it." I say and he narrows his eyes at me when Alex scoffs and Anton simply raises his brow in mock amusement.

"Nothing? Nothing? It wasn't nothing when you called me crying this morning, darling, scared out of your wits." Anton says and Roman tenses, his hand tightening around me.

"What the hell happened?" He questions my brothers who share a sombre look.

"It's alright, Anton, I'm fine now." I try to interject but Roman pulls me to him and glares at me.

"Keep quiet, angel." He says in a firm tone, making me frown.

Rude.

"Heather, here, received a very interesting package this morning." Alex starts and I close my eyes in frustration, shaking my head at him subtly.

My god, why can't these men let me live in peace?

"What package? There wasn't anything when I left." Roman says in confusion.

"That's exactly it, Mr. Angelo. While you were out, our dear sister received a package from someone we know very well. And you know what it had?" Alex leans forward while we all wait for him to finish.

Well, all except me. I dread it.

"Pictures." He finishes and the frown is now visible on Romans face while I'm chewing my lips nervously.

Please don't say what I know you're about to say.

"Pictures?" He questions them both in confusion before looking at me.

"What is this about, angel?" I purse my lips in response.

"Yes, pictures. You see, when Anton mysteriously died, apparently, so did Igor." Alex gets up from his seat while Anton rolls a cigarette between his fingers, blowing out smoke from his mouth and siting relaxed on the armchair as if he own the place. Which he practically does.

"And Heather, darling, was kept hidden. Who she really was— an Elias— was kept under wraps. Her existence, to be precise, was kept under wraps. Especially when we found that Igor managed to survive the shooting and was not actually... dead." He says, looking pointedly at me when I avert my gaze.

Damn you, Alex!

"But somehow, no matter how protected she was, someone knew she existed somewhere. The wrong someone. And that someone had kept tabs on her since the last two and a half years, taking pictures of her with anyone and everyone she has ever seen or even spoken a word to. Every single record of her life in those two years—" He waked towards the coffee table, picking up the stack of photos and dropping it in front of Roman.

"Is right here. Now how about that?" He asked sarcastically and Roman picked p a few from the top, sifting though them quickly, pictures of me with Jane, Matt, and even Dean, or my cousins and family. 

Of me in clubs carrying out missions. And then me pressed up against Roman the first time we kissed, then the second time, then the third and all the times I went to his house, but the pictures stopped at me at the gat of his place since there was too much security inside.

It was all here. 

The past two and a half years of my life summed up into a pile of photos.

"What the fuck is this?" Roman grunted in anger, pushing the stack away as if it burned him whle I swallowed thickly.

"And that's not eve the interesting part. Guess what happened last night?" Alex plopped down back onto his seat while Roman looked at me questioningly.

Oh, fuck no.

Well, to be honest, a lot of things happened last night but let's not go into details right now.

"Igor, payed your lovely little girl a visit last night, while you were asleep and she was sitting out here on the balcony." Alex turns to me with a sneer and I gulp.

"And she let him go. Just like that." He snaps his fingers for emphasis and I look away while Roman's gaze burns holes in the side of my head.

"What?" Roman utters in disbelief and I close my eyes, taking deep breaths to calm myself down because the anger emanating from the man under me is freaking me out.

"You didn't tell me your ex was here. You were crying when I found you last night. Why the fuck didn't you say anything?" He spat and I flinched at the anger in his tone, regretting sitting in his lap in the first place.

Angry Roman may be hot, but also very scary.

"I didn't want to worry you." I said in a soft tone, not daring to meet his eyes when Anton and Alex both scoffed and I could practically see the disbelief on Roman's face

"You didn't want to bother me? Angel, we've come so far and you still think you're a bother?" He asked me in complete disbelief and I winced at my choice of wording.

"That's not what I meant, Roman. I have nothing to do with Igor, so I let him go. I told him I loved you, only wanted you. And I made him leave." I cupped his face in my hands when he covered mine with his, gently removing them.

Please don't be mad at me.

"He could have hurt you." He said in a soft voice when my heart melted and my shoulders slumped.

"But he didn't. He would never hurt me, I know that for a fact." I said with the utmost confidence and saw Roman's face harden.

Shit.

"He loves you." He said after studying my face for a moment and when I didn't say anything, he scoffed.

"Well, do you love him back?" He asked, not quite meeting my eyes when my hands dropped from his face.

"No! I-I don't love him back, Roman!" I said and saw all the questions on his face, questions he never asked but now the seed of doubt had been planted, and it was pulling us away from each other.

And I didn't like it.

"Can we talk?" I asked in a more gentler tone when he finally looked at me, really looked at me, and nodded after a moment of complete silence. 

I looked at my brothers who nodded in understanding and got up from their places.

"We're leaving now. Take care, darling." Anton announced and nodded at me, sharing a look with Alex before they both left the apartment. I got up and went to my room wordlessly, knowing for a fact that Roman was slowly following me behind.

I went in and sat on the bed, running my hands over my face when heard the door shut and then heavy footsteps before the mattress dipped beside me. 

We sat there in silence for what seemed like forever, a million thoughts running through my head but it had only been a few minutes when I spoke.

"I've met Igor twice, ever since we've been together but I was aware that he was... watching me. I only talked to him twice, but I have... seen him." I said with a shaky breath.

"Where?" The one word uttered out of his mouth was enough to send chills down my spine with how dark and low it sounded. He was angry.

"Different places. Sometimes when I was out with a friend or with anyone, I'd spot him somewhere and he'd watch me, smile at me, sometimes even waved but I ignored him. I know he lurks everywhere I go. He's always around somewhere. But never when we were together." I admitted, recalling all the times I'd seen him, the thought making me shiver.

"But he never came close, always stood at a good distance. Until now, that is." I said and cleared my throat.

"What does he want?" Roman rasped and I could feel his burning gaze on the side of my face but I didn't dare look at him. Rather, kept staring at the floor.

"What does he want, Heather?" The way he said my name should have frightened me and suddenly, I wished he'd call me 'angel' like he always did.

"Answer me, goddamn it!" He spoke more furiously now, his voice rising and I flinched, shutting my eyes tightly and closing my hands into fists in my lap.

"You know what he wants, Roman." I whispered into the dead atmosphere around us, the backs of my eyes burning when I felt him grab my chin harshly and forced me to look into his beautiful yet deadly orbs.

"Tell me, Heather. Tell me what he wants." He said more quietly now, his voice dropping to a more edgy and darker note. One which made me gulp in fear at how dark his eyes were from fury and how his jaw was clenched, or the way a muscle ticked in his jaw.

"Me. He wants me." I uttered, my voice barely above a whisper when he yanked my head back with a grip on my hair that wasn't painful, but powerful anyway.

"And would you let him have you? Do you want to go back to him?" He asked me, but I knew he was actually daring me to go back. He wanted to see what I'd say to him. What I'd do.

"Never, Roman. I don't want him. Not now, not ever." I told him with finality in my voice when he hummed, leaning down and trailing his nose along the length of my neck.

"I wasn't asking, Elias." He spat, baring my throat to him and making me gasp softly when his lips touched my pulse.

"I know, Angelo. I was always yours to keep anyway." I said breathlessly as his free hand squeezed my waist painfully before he pushed me back on the bed, a dark look crossing his features.

"Strip." He commanded and it took me a moment to register what he said and I quickly started to work on my clothes, taking them all off until I was displayed in font of him only in my matching black lace bra and panties.

He hooked his finger in the band of the lace panties, pulling at them briefly as his lust filled eyes drunk me in.

"Did you wear these for me?" He rasped when I hummed, loving the way his gaze travelled over me seductively.

"Or did you wear them for him?" He suddenly spat and my eyes widened in horror as I pulled away from him.

"W-What?" I spoke in confusion when he stood to his full height and started to take off his blazer, throwing it aside before unbuttoning the first two buttons of his shirt after taking off his tie. 

"You heard me, Elias. Who did you wear this for?" He tapped my thigh when he lowered himself onto the bed.

I frowned when he unclipped my bra, throwing it aside, his eyes lingering on my chest as he tweaked my nipple with his thumb, pinching it and making me gasp.

"For you, Roman, who else? And why are you calling me that?" I asked when he grabbed both my hands and used his tie to tie them together and to the bed.

"What are you doing?" I asked but he never answered me, pulling away and dragging my underwear down until I was completely bare to him.

When he was done admiring his handiwork, he got off the bed and went towards the dresser, taking off his watch when I saw something glinting on his finger, my throat constricting.

A wedding ring? Engagement ring?

It was right there, on his hand, glinting and mocking me when I felt the back of my eyes burn.

What happened while he was away? 

Did he...? No, he couldn't. He loves me.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to look back at his face and I knew he had caught me looking at the ring on his finger. A small yet devious smirk pulled at his lips, as if mocking me even more.

"What do you want from me?" I asked in a broken voice, hating how it cracked at the end as he took off his shirt, his muscles rippling under the fabric before he unbuckled his belt slowly, leisurely, at his own pace.

I took deep breaths to calm myself down, looking at the ceiling instead before I closed my eyes and let the few lone tears fall down my face, trying to take in deep breaths.

"I really, really love you Roman. I've never loved someone like this, ever, and it scares me. Right now, I'm scared. Because everything is going wrong and you were... are... the only right and good thing going on in my life but I feel like I'm losing you." I didn't open my eyes, chewing on my lips furiously.

"I don't want to lose you, ever. I don't love him, you have to believe me. I love you. Only you." I whispered when I felt a warm breath on my face and cracked open my wet eyes, my vision blurry.

I blinked a few times as his hand stroked my face tenderly but with an underlying threat and something dark, pushing my hair away from my face.

"I'm scared, Roman." I whisper to him but he doesn't answer, his eyes flicking towards mine and drowning me in their depth and in the numerous emotions swirling in them.

"I want you." He finally says in a quiet whisper before I feel him enter me roughly, making me wince.

"You have me." I say, trying to breathe properly when he stills, his hand wiping my tears away.

"I don't." He answers with a pained voice and I hate it. I hat the fact that he thinks I don't love him.

"You do, Roman, I'm yours, you have to believe me." I try to tell him but he simply huffs, closing his eyes when he slams into me after pulling out.

"You're not mine. Not completely." He says with a sneer, anger lacing his tone.

"I'm going to fuck you so hard you won't be able to walk straight for days. And every time it hurts, you're going to remember who fucked you like this. You're going to remember me, not him. You're going to think of how my cock filled your tight little pussy and fucked you till you passed out." He slams into me repeatedly to get his point across while I writhe under him.

The pressure, the pleasure, the pain, it's all too much for me to handle when he grabs me face, forcing me to look a him and places a bruising kiss on my lips, biting my bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.

"I'm going to ruin you for anyone. I'm going to bruise these pretty little lips so when you bite them, you remember my kisses, not his." He grips my hair, yanking my head back and biting and sucking my neck, his lips marking every inch of my exposed skin.

Hs cock drives into me, hard, stilling before puling out and hitting me again. The pressure builds up inside me like a hurricane, and I feel everything all at once. I feel too much.

"I'm going to put a ring on that finger and drag you to the altar if I have to. I'm gong to knock you up so you will always be connected to me in a way he never will. I'm going to fuck you till you pass out, Heather, until you're completely mine. Until your heart, body and soul is all mine." He grits out and I fight the urge to pull at his hair or rake my nails down his back.

His body slides over mine, his length pushing me to my limits and beyond as his hand grips my throat and his mouth latches to mine, kissing me passionately.

"Tell me, now. Tell me who you belong to." He urges and I gasp when he hits that spot inside me.

"You, Roman, and only you. I'm yours." I cry out, the pleasure too much to handle and he knows I'm close when he pulls out of me abruptly, making me whine.

"You don't get to cum." He says with gritted teeth while I look at him with frustration as he sits up on his knees, throwing my legs over his shoulder and entering me harshly once again.

My head falls back against the pillow and I cry out his name like a plea for help, hearing him curse and swear under his breath as he pushes in and out of me at a rapid pace, driving me insane. 

His hands dig into my thighs, the sound of skin slapping against skin echoing in the room along with my moans and his grunts.

"Roman, please, I need to-"

"Shut it. You won't cum until I tell you, is that understood?" He sneers at me and I whimper, completely helpless and at his mercy.

He's punishing me.

As soon as it dawns on me, I feel dread crawling in my bones at how long this might go on.

"Roman, you don't have to do this. You don't—" I pause, gasp when he hits that spot again before trying to get actual words out.

"Please, Roman." I beg, but not sure for what. For him to stop? To continue? To believe me? To love me?

"You lied to me." He grits out when he pulls out of me, harshly pulling me to the edge of the bed by my ankle after untying my hands.

"I never lied to you!" I say incredulously when he gets off the bed and pulls me to stand, my knees wobbling and giving out immediately when he turns me around and pushes my face into the mattress.

"You fucking lied to me last night when I asked you what was wrong!" He says, his voice raised and I find myself cowering when he pushed in without warning and I clutch at the sheets desperately, looking for something to ground me.

"He left, there was nothing to worry about." I say breathlessly as he pounds into me, my breaths coming out in gasps.

"Nothing to worry about?" He huffs, chuckling humourlessly as he grabs my hips, his grip bruising and painful as he slams into me, sending me into heaven and hell at the same time.

"He's fucking stalking you! And for months now! You think this is a joke? That your life is a joke?" He's furious, and both of us know it.

"Do you think I'm a joke? That my love is a joke?" He snaps and I whimper.

"My god, Roman, just let it go, please!" I beg him with a strangled cry as I bury my face into the bedsheet and feel my high approach quickly.

"I will not let it go. Ever." He says in a dark tone, emphasising his point by thrusting in hard and sending me to cloud nine, my eyes fighting to stay open as my vision starts to get blurry, but I'm not sure if it's because of the tears of the fact that I am completely spent when I feel his own release filling me.

My legs finally give out and I fall less than gracefully onto the bed, heart wrenching sobs breaking past my lips and echoing in the room as my heart aches and aches and aches for the man watching me with no emotion at all.

I need him to touch me, to hold me, to tell me everything is going to be fine as he cradles me in his arms but instead, he rakes his fingers through his hair and releases a shaky breath.

"You should have told me, Heather. You should have said something. Anything." He rasps, and the hurt in his tone is more evident than the anger. 

I look at him with tears streaming down my face and sniffle, hoping, praying he would hold me but instead, he shakes his head and walks into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. 

I hold everything in and get up on shaky legs, his cum dripping down my thigh as I wrap a sheet around me and go into the guest bed's bathroom and lock the door, turning on the shower and sitting on the floor, I let it all out.

My sound of my cries is drowned by the shower running over me, my tears mixing with the water and I'm not sure anymore which is which as I feel my chest getting heavier and heavier, finding it hard to breathe as each second goes by.

I manage to clean myself up, wear my bath gown and slump on the guest bed, completely and utterly drained out.

I couldn't care less about my wet hair or the fact that I'm just wearing a gown and force my eyes to stay open, but after a while, I let unconsciousness take a hold of me.