STELLA

"Please, just let me see him! Please!" I desperately plead as I pound onto Cristian's chest. Rocco and Topo stand on either side of him as reinforcements; I've already tried to go around them.

Cristian grips onto my hands firmly. "He needs to be alone, piccola. Trust me."

"No, he needs me." I sob. "Please..."

Cristian holds on to me as he quietly whispers that everything will be okay, that Enzo will be fine--he just needs time to process everything, but it's been three days since he killed Giovanni.

I watched remotely from the Comm room as John Paul pulled the rug from under Giovanni, and I felt proud at how it all came together perfectly.

And then I watched as Enzo stepped out of the car. The look of fear on Gio's face was not something I will soon forget. Nor the way Enzo stalked towards him, as the terrifying and infamous assassin he's known as.

I watched him fight before and have seen how he moves, but this was different.

Enzo went through Gio's men like they weren't even there.

And then he picked Giovanni apart, piece by piece. Purposely, choosing the hits and movements that would inflict the most pain but still keep him alive.

I couldn't believe after everything, Gio still found it necessary to taunt Enzo with how he tortured and killed his mom or the insults he would say about his dad. I knew Enzo was going somewhere dark the more Gio spoke.

The cries and yells that came from Enzo at the end when he was relentlessly punching Gio tore at my heart. I cried out for him and asked Mateo and David to tell JP to make him stop.

But they didn't.

I watched as my best friend came apart in a fury of despair and rage; I was relieved when JP finally pulled him away.

Gio's face was a bloody pulp. He was dying, slowly and in agony. The gasping and wheezing sounds of his labored breathing echoed in the room. JP's firm voice telling Enzo to "Finish it" resounded loudly, as well as Enzo's heavy breathing.

After Enzo unloaded his gun on Gio, the room was silent. My mom squeezed my hand before she walked out without saying anything, and David cut the feed; I felt numb and conflicted.

I was glad that Gio was gone, but I was scared and wondered if I lost Enzo the same night.

I waited the long hour and a half for them to come home; thoughts and memories were running through my mind of my childhood with Enzo. I cried silently as all of the crazy and fun things we would do together flickered through my mind, but mostly remembering how he's so kind, sweet, and caring.

Always protective of me. His smile and laughter have always been contagious.

But I was kept from seeing him.

When Adonis stepped out of the car, I started to go around him, but he held onto me fiercely. "No, Stella," He said quietly.

"I need to see Enzo."

Adonis shook his head, "Not tonight."

I began shouting Enzo's name and struggled against Adonis' firm grip on my arms, but I kept fighting to get to him, and I didn't stop yelling and screaming his name. I wanted him to know I was there, that I wanted to see him.

Eventually, Adonis picked me up, but Topo took over, taking me to a room for the night.

The days that followed have been long and anxiety-filled, with little sleep. I've busied myself with the kids, visiting Melanie, and helping out at the club with it opening in less than two weeks.

Though I think I was more of a distraction than actually helpful; so after the first day, I asked Rio what I could do aside from dancing.

Letty is flourishing in the leadership role, training the new hires. I focused more on the paperwork side of things. I helped with the budget forecast for the next few months and the inventory needed to build a supply for the club.

Cristian arranged for our things to be brought to the Villa since I didn't want to leave Enzo. The kids didn't mind and were happy to be at the Villa with Melanie's kids.

Each day, between my mom and I, we make sure the kids are taken care of and maintain their everyday daily routines. I knew I couldn't shut down because of them; as hard as it was to get up each day, I did it.

After I settle down from my latest crying fit, I pull away from Cristian. I am walking away for what seems like the hundredth time today.

The house is quiet since the kids are off to bed. Of course, the usual men coming and going or lingering throughout the home fill the silence with their quiet chatter or murmurings.

After stopping in the kitchen, I make my way outside the terrace with a glass and a bottle of wine. I pull out my phone and respond to Sean's recent text, checking in. I know he's anxious after the fight we had the same night Enzo killed Gio, and the guilt of that, piles on top of everything else I'm feeling.

*Flashback to the fight*

"Don't push me away, Stella. You need me, and I want to be here for you," Sean expresses.

I turn away from him, "I'm not pushing you away, Sean. I just need to be alone; what happened tonight is a lot, the wedding, the whole Gio thing, and I know Enzo is not okay."

But JP's kiss and his words also come to mind at that moment.

"All the more reason for me to stay. You're hurting. You worry about everyone except yourself. The kids--all of them, the girls at the club, Melanie, and now Enzo. What about you?" Sean walks up to me and holds me by the arms.

I push his arms off of me as I groan, "Sean, why are you not listening? I just need to breathe a little, and I feel like you're smothering me."

"I'm smothering you?" He asks incredulously and then scoffs before he turns and runs his hands through his hair. "We're hardly together or alone! Someone is always around! How the hell am I smothering you?"

"Don't fucking shout at me!" I walk up to him, " I told you I want to be alone! Why can't you get that?"

"Stella," Sean says quietly. "I love you, and I want to be here with you."

I stare back at him. Did he say he loves me? The panic I feel is overwhelming. I look around and walk to the balcony doors to let some air in and inhale deeply.

"Did you hear what I said?" Sean asks as he walks up behind me, and I close my eyes tight, repeating to myself not to freak out. "I'm in love with you, Stella."

"Sean, I can't..." I whisper as I begin to cry.

He wraps his arms around me and shushes me, "It's okay, Stels, you don't have to say anything."

I turn around in his arms and look up at him, "No, Sean, I mean. I can't do this. It's not fair to you. I feel like I can't give you what you need or want. I'm a mess and I need to be alone."

"Please don't do this, Stella," He pleads with me. "I'll leave, but I'll be back in a couple of days; just don't make up your mind right now. Please."

*End of flashback*

I finish off the glass and pour some more wine as I send Enzo a text, not knowing if he's getting the messages I've been sending him each day. I tell him that I love him and let him know I'm here when he's ready.

The effects of the wine hit me quickly as I don't have much in my stomach, and I feel significantly more relaxed than I have been the last few days. I lie down on the outdoor couch and look up at the sky, sending off a prayer and hopeful thoughts that Enzo will be okay.

I hear Zeus and Topo, the dog, come over to me. Topo lays down in front of me, and Zeus jumps up on the couch with some effort, his age showing, but he plops himself next to me, and I hold on to him. His body providing warmth as there's a cool breeze blowing around me.

I feel myself drifting off to sleep, picturing a time when Enzo and I were riding our bikes down the street of our old neighborhood, racing each other to see who could get home first.

In my wine-filled haze and sleep-deprived state, I feel as Zeus drapes one of his legs around my waist when I turn and change positions; I smile, thinking how funny dogs are.

In the morning, the ray of sunlight shining directly on me from the balcony doors in my room heats up my face. I should have shut the curtains last night when I came to bed, but then I vaguely remember sleeping outside, not in my room.

My head is leaning up against JP's forehead. His long dark eyelashes fan out against the top of his cheeks. I've always been jealous of his lashes.

Without moving, I peer down at our bodies; our arms and legs are entangled, snuggled up close to each other. His hair isn't tied up and lays loosely against the side of his face.

JP stirs and opens his eyes briefly before closing them again and smiles, "Morning, baby," He tightens his hold on me.

"Morning." I smile, closing my eyes, too, enjoying being in his arms, surrounded by not only his calming scent but his presence.

Wait.

My eyes snap open, and I push away from him.

"What the hell, JP?" I yell, scrambling off the bed, regretting it as soon as the room begins to spin.

"What? What's wrong?" He wakes up startled and looks around the room, his voice thick with sleep.

"What are you doing here? Why were you sleeping in here?" My head is throbbing from all the wine I had last night, and I squeeze my head with my hands.

"You asked me to stay," JP responds, rubbing his eyes with the heel of his hands and then runs a hand through his hair, and then I realize he's only his boxer briefs.

I shake my head to focus, but then I groan from the pain I just caused myself. I hold my head tightly, hoping it doesn't split. "No, I didn't."

"Yes, you did." He grabs his pants and starts pulling his legs through them. "I found you sleeping out on the terrace with Zeus and Topo and carried you in here. When I laid you down, you asked me to stay. So, I did." He shrugs.

"Don't worry, nothing happened. Trust me, you would have remembered," JP adds cockily.

"So you took advantage of the fact that I wasn't fully comprehending what was going on and took it upon yourself to crawl into bed with me?" I place my hands on my hips, looking at him furiously.

His head snaps up to look at me after slipping on his dress shirt, anger taking over his features. "Took advantage of you?"

"Yes, took advantage of me, this...situation. You know I haven't been doing well or sleeping, not being able to see Enzo, and I had some wine to help me sleep, and you just couldn't help yourself, could you?"

JP walks up to me slowly, "I brought you inside. I laid you down. You grabbed my hand and asked me to stay." He speaks like he's explaining something to a child. "I laid down away from you, but you were the one who draped yourself on top of me, I guess I could have shoved you away and been an ass, but nothing happened!" He raises his voice at the end.

I hate the fact that he's talking to me like I'm crazy but also making it sound like I was the one that put myself in this situation. He knows how this will look to everyone if anyone sees him leaving or finds out, but then I realize it doesn't bother me.

It's official; I'm losing my mind. I turn away; my fingers once again find their way through my messy hair.

"You didn't have to stay," I make a weak argument, but I'm at a loss for what I could say at the moment.

"You're right. I didn't have to. But I could see you had been crying. And yes, I knew you've been having a hard time with Enzo closing himself off, dealing with his own shit, too. So, I thought I would be a friend and stay with you, but obviously, that was a mistake," His jaw clenches, his dark brown eyes almost look black as he stares back at me; the emotion on his face is bringing me painfully back to the past; it's almost like he's disgusted with me.

My stomach tightens and even convulses, remembering the last time he looked at me like this; I'll never be able to forget those feelings.

The tension in my stomach rises to my chest, then my throat and jaw; my muscles are aching.

"Don't worry. It won't happen again," His voice is cold and emotionless, adding to the awful memories that are rushing back; his words hit me like a ton of bricks.

My chest rises and falls with my breathing, and I hate that my breath hitches, making me sound and feel weak. I can feel my hands start to shake.

The hardened look on his face fades away as he watches me, and I see his features soften, but I clench my hands into fists.

I walk quickly past, hitting his shoulder as I do.

"Get the fuck out!" I yell as I wrench the door open, only to find Sean, Kai, and Miles at the door.