"It's always been you."

"I would never hurt you."

"I love you...I have since we were kids."

"No one has ever made me feel the way you do, and I know no one ever will."

"You're mine."

"I will never want anyone the way I want you all the time...you need to know that this, you and me, I'm all in. Now and always."

"I always knew you were special, but not that special, that you can't take a fucking hint."

"It was a fucking mistake; this whole thing was a fucking mistake. Being with you, it should never have happened."

That feeling where your stomach drops when you wake up after you think you're falling is the worst. My heart is thumping so loud I not only hear it, I even feel it in my ears. I sit up, holding my head in my hands as my heart rate and breathing slow down. My head throbs as a dull pain steadily increases while I look around, taking in my surroundings.

My eyes adjust quickly to the dimly lit room and the moderate darkness. My fingers skim over the plush blanket I'm on top of; the fabric is velvety smooth against my skin. The large four-poster bed sits in the center of a vast room.

My legs dangle down when I scoot myself to the edge of the bed, and I realize the bed sits high and my feet do not touch the floor. So I hop off the bed and find my shoes placed neatly at the foot of the bed.

Images of what happened earlier replay in my mind; the men, the guard, my mom, the little dark-haired boy, Cristian, Santino, Dean, and JP. A beautiful blonde draped on his arm, the little boy calling out to him as Papa.

A picture-perfect family.

I lean over and scream into the mattress of the bed. The thick, expensive duvet muffles my screams and yells. I pound my fists into the mattress, wanting to ease the pain, confusion, and hate I'm feeling all at once. My eyes sting, but I will the tears to stay. I will not cry.

I won't.

The storm inside of me is swirling and thundering, and I want answers. I want them now.

I adjust my clothing and fix my hair. After reapplying the lipstick, I take a good look at myself in the full-length mirror in the room. I will no longer be made a fool of; the fire in my eyes reflects the anger inside of me.

I make my way to the door and take a deep breath as my trembling hand reaches for the handle. I clench it into a fist, reminding myself to stay in control. Then, I release my fist and grab the knob stepping out of the room.

The hallway is also dimly lit, and I have no idea which way I should go. Weighing out my options, I head towards what appears a landing down the long hall.

The house is quiet, but as I reach what I can now see is a landing, muffled voices reach my ears. I peer over the iron railing down to the main floor. Men are milling around the foyer, conversing and chuckling with each other. Their conversations and movements cease as I make my way down the stairs. My gaze holds their curious and questioning ones.

A few move to the side as I walk by; others give me subtle nods in acknowledgment. Eventually, laughter trickles down from an open entryway, and I make my way there, ready to face my demons.

However, I find the girls from the club, as well as Annalisa, Sam, and Isabella, are all sitting around the large custom island in the kitchen, sipping on drinks. They each look over at me when I walk in and rush towards me, throwing questions at me, one after another, before I can get a chance to answer any of them.

"Stella! How are you feeling?"

"You hit the floor pretty hard. Does your head hurt?"

"Why aren't you resting?

Would you like some water?"

"Are you hungry?"

"Stellina mia, you should sit down, per favore."

They bombard me with their questions and concerns, but there's only one thing on my mind, only one thing that matters, right now.

I look over at Isabella, clenching my jaw. "Where is he?"

"That's no good idea, right now, dolcezza. Please, come sit." Isabella pleads, but the look I give her has her, sighing in defeat, and drops her arms to her sides. "In conference room."

I turn on my heel, heading towards the lobby again. The girls rush behind me, struggling to keep with my pace.

"Stella, wait!"

"How can you walk so fast in those heels, girl?"

The men once again part as I march through, but I grab one of the men nearest me. "Per favore, portami in sala conferenze." (Take me to the conference room, please.)

He looks at me startled but nods his head vigorously and starts going back towards the kitchen. I notice several of the men are following now as well. He leads me through another hallway, and I see a set of double doors at the end of the corridor.

The man stops abruptly and faces me. "Signorina, vi prego di capire, al Capo non piacciono le interruzioni." (Miss, please understand, the Boss doesn't like interruptions)

I take a step closer to him and look directly into his eyes, thankful for the six-inch heels I decided to wear tonight. "I don't give a fuck what al Capo likes or doesn't like. Move."

He looks at me for a moment before he steps to the side. I square my shoulders and pull the doors open. Several pairs of eyes look up or over at me. Surprise mainly reflects on their faces. But my focus is only on finding a particular pair of dark brown eyes.

"You!" I fume as I storm my way to John Paul, who looks at me with a raised eyebrow. There's a glimmer in his eye that I want to punch out of him. Yet, the calm demeanor he gives off only fuels the fire that is raging inside of me. He stands as I approach him.

Adonis tries to intervene, but I move around him quickly, "Ms. Toretto, please let me explain." He says, but there's no stopping me, not after everything, not after all these years.

Murmurs, whispers, and gasps sound off at the name Adonis addresses me by, but I could care less. If anything, I feel more like a fool for changing my name in the first place, and that only feeds into the fury I feel.

I march up to JP and jab my finger in his chest. "You haven't changed; you're still a two-face, lying son of a bitch! This whole time?" I yell in his face. The heels make it, so I'm only a couple of inches shorter than him, instead of the eight-inch difference between us. "You've been alive this whole time? And you're the Boss now?" A laugh escapes. "It's perfect; you fit in with the rest of them, a fucking coward!"

My head snaps to the left with the backhand he gives me, and I almost fall over before he grips me hard by the throat, shoving me up against the wall.

Several chairs move while the unmistakable sound of guns unholstered ripples throughout the room as the men stand. Cristian's and Enzo's voices stand out among angry, loud shouts. My face burns and pulses from the impact of the slap, and I taste blood in my mouth.

"Oh hell no! Bitch, you did not just hit my girl!" Letty yells out. I don't have to look to see the men or the girls kept Letty from coming to my aid.

But I don't need anyone's help. The look of surprise with a hint of fear on JP's face is enough for me to smirk at him when he not only hears my switchblade open but more when he feels the tip of my blade pressed up against his manhood. Then, after a bit, he looks down to confirm what he surely thought couldn't be possible.

Adonis places himself in front of JP to stand in the way of the guns aimed at the back of JP's head, and he urges him to let me go.

"Unless you want to be the poster boy for being the first dick-less and ball-less mob boss, I suggest you take your fucking hands off of me." I hiss through my teeth.

He narrows his eyes as he looks at me, but I feel the hold on my throat loosen. He steps back and straightens his suit jacket. Adonis talks to him quietly. JP looks around the room before he turns back to face me, giving me time to clench my fist and punch him hard when he turns towards me again.

The punch sends him flying back, and he hits his head against the table. The reactions erupt once again, and more guns are unholstered; I know they are aimed at me this time.

"That's right, asshole. You messed with the wrong boss bitch, bitch!" Letty snaps her fingers and claps in approval.

Adonis moves to stand in front of me. "Easy, Easy. Everybody put the guns away." He addresses the room, but the guns are still aimed both at me and at JP, who's now on the floor, groaning, but he stops when he sees me behind Adonis, breathing heavily.

"Johnny, baby, are you okay?" The blonde woman hurries into the room and rushes to the ground, cradling JP's head in her lap.

A severe case of deja vu hits me, remembering the fight between Enzo and JP outside the diner and Victoria coming to JP's side. I wait for the next part to become real, too. For JP's eyes to move from mine, and he'll turn and kiss the beautiful blonde passionately.

But he doesn't.

He keeps staring at me. His eyes seem unfocused, and he shakes his head. Then, he looks at me again. The woman caresses his face asking him if he's alright once more. He glances at her and then back at me, and then his eyes widen.

"Stella?" He brushes the woman's hands away from him. The look of hurt and embarrassment flash across her face.

JP stands up slowly, and Adonis helps him up; he appears unsteady on his feet. He looks around the room, noticing his men aiming their guns at me. He takes in Cristian, Enzo, Joey, and Topo, all aiming their weapons at him.

He orders his men to put their guns away, and they do without question. I nod at Cristian, who was waiting for me to give him the okay, and the guys put their guns away too.

JP notices the interaction between Cristian and me before he turns back to me. "Is it you, amore mio?" His eyes roam over my face. They linger on my hair, my nose ring, and then back on my eyes. Then his eyes move to the blood I wipe from my mouth; he starts to take a step towards me, and I back away from him.

"I'm not your amore, asshole." I spit blood at his feet. He pulls his lips into a tight line and takes a deep breath.

I look over the crowd of men gathered until I find Rio. "I quit." The girls start protesting and rush towards me, but I start making my way out of the room through another set of doors; I can only hope it's an exit.

"Stella, wait!" John Paul calls out for me.

A few of his men stand in my way, but when I glare at them, they look away as they part for me to walk past.

"Please, Stella! Let me explain!" JP continues to call out for me. But he's met with a mixture of hell no's, and you're fucking joking, right? from the girls and Enzo.

I feel my body start to shake as the adrenaline begins to wear off, but I have to fight through it. I don't want to fall apart in front of everyone, especially in front of him.

The sound of heels and shoes clicking quickly on the marble floor lets me know all, if not most, of the room is now following me.

A large hand wraps around my arm and whirls me around to face them. JP's dark eyes look at me, but I wrench my arm out of his tight grasp and shove him away from me. "Touch me again, and I will break your fucking arm."

"Bruiser!" I call out. He comes stumbling through the crowd. "Take me home." He nods at me and starts making his way to the door.

Enzo stops him. "No. I'll take you. I'm not staying here, either." He glares at JP. "You're lucky your underboss was standing in my line of vision, or you'd be fucking dead, stronzo. If you ever lay a hand on her again, I will make sure every single piece of you is unrecognizable. Stay the hell away from her."

John Paul's eyes darken as he steps up to Enzo, towering over him. "Are you threatening me, Romano?"

"You, of all people, should know I don't threaten, JP." Enzo returns his angry stare. "I already took out the one-eyed asshole, who laid hands on her. Jimmy's next, and it looks like you just made your way to my list, fucking prick."

"Easy, guys. Come on." Joey tries to interfere. JP and Enzo begin yelling and hurling insults at each other; the girls join in backing up Enzo. Rio tries to get the girls to calm down. Several guns are unholstered yet again; I use the chaos to slip out of the front door.

I take my shoes off and run down the long paved highway. My heart is racing, and I feel myself slipping out of control, but I set my jaw. I can't lose it, not yet. I call an Uber and let them know I'll be walking down the main road of the highway.

When I reach the gate to the property, the guard tells me to wait so he can confirm my leaving. "You should be worried about people getting in not leaving." I try to joke but look around to see how many others are out there. I don't see anyone else, so I take my chances as I walk towards him.

He turns to pick up the phone in the booth he's stationed in, but I hold the knife up against his throat. "Don't." I hiss into his ear. "Open the gate, now." He nods and presses a button. A buzzing sound begins as the gate starts to open. I cut the phone cord and take his cell phone as well as his gun. I tie his hands up with the telephone line and use his belt to tie up his legs to prevent him from running back to the house.

I run through the gates and continue running down the long road. I disassemble the man's gun and phone and throw the pieces while I run in the bushes along the highway. Eventually, after some time, I slow down to a quick walking pace on the road's shoulder. I can't get the thought out of my head that it's him; he's alive, that he has a family now. I cover my mouth as a sob makes its way out of my throat.

I let out a frustrated sigh and grunt out all the emotion and pain I feel at that moment. The sound of a car coming up behind me has me stop, and I see headlights. I move away from the shoulder, afraid it's someone from the house, but as I check the car's description on my phone, I see it's the Uber.

I get in and give the driver the address to the penthouse. My breathing is finally slowing down, but now, everything else is hitting me all at once.

I clutch at my chest. My broken heart that's was finally starting to heal after so much time is shattering once more. 

~~~~

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