I fell on the sofa, tired, and called for Tati.

She hopped her way to the living room and immediately ran to bring water after seeing me sweating.

"What happened?" She asked, worried.

"Nothing. Just work stress." I looked at her carefully assessing her actions as she fumbled with her fingers.

"Just... take care of yourself." She sat down after putting the empty glass away from my hand.

"What did you mean?" I was back to normal.

"I meant don't overwork yourself." She seemed nervous.

"No, about what you said to Niccolo." I sighed, "I never asked you anything about the accident as you seemed uncomfortable with it but I need to know now."

"I'm sorry for keeping it from you too." Her voice cracked.

I sat up and braced myself to be ready to listen to anything that she told me.
__________
Flashback:
__________
3rd Person POV
__________

Tati sat in the backseat with her phone, blasting music that both her parents weren't really fond of.

"Tati... Abbiamo qualcosa da dirti, puoi mettere in pausa i brani?" Cheryl-- Her mother said.

[We have something to tell you, can you pause the tunes?]

"Sure." She stopped the music and suddenly an awkward silence filled the fancy car.

"Tati, we love you but we have always hid something." Lorenzo-- her father started.

Tati was on the edge of her seat and shifted slightly to the middle to see her parents and frowned to see them confused in some way.

"We... are wanted criminals." Cheryl chocked.

"We have done heinous things our entire lives." He slowed down the car, "We realised we couldn't do the same after an incident with Rosa."

"You weren't born around that time but Rosa was kidnapped by them when she was 5 from her school." Cheryl continued.

"But we were homeschooled--" Tati interrupted, anxious.

"Just hear me out!" Cheryl yelled, "She is weakened from the inside even if manages to put on a strong act."

Cheryl was fuming and was in hot tears as she talked about it further.

"When we found Rosa she refused to talk and it was our fault." She sobbed, "If we didn't think like our parents, she would never..." She cried and held her face in her hands.

"Why are you telling me this now!?" Tati yelled confused and scared.

"If only we were good parents to both of you. If only they didn't appear again." Lorenzo sniffed.

"We're sorry." They said together as they clicked on a car button that seemed almost nonexistent to Tati.

"W-What is that--" A massive lorry hit the car and made it tumble.

"Take a look in the storage but don't take Rosa there--" Cheryl choked as blood spilt from her mouth.

"M-Mom!" Tati cried but her mother was no longer alive to soothe her.

"Please forgive these unworthy excuses of parents." Lorenzo sighed his life away.

"No!" She managed to dial for Rosa.
***
***

"Y-You came there and I was scared honestly," Tati whimpered as a sob escaped her lips, "I was too scared of whatever they were talking about."

A tear rolled down Rosa's eye as she covered her mouth.

"I was afraid when I saw you again after I woke up-- you were so emotionless it scared me!" Tati wiped her tears, "But then at nights I would hear you screaming in sleep. I was terrified of you for dinnee reason..."

Rosa stood up and walked a few steps away.

"They knew!" She yelled, "They knew about the nightmares!" She laughed and fell on the floor.

"R-Rosa!?" Tati went to her.

"Just," She yelled but her voice became a whisper, "Leave me be..."

"I'm sorry." She cried as she knelt infront of her.

"Hey!" Rosa hugged her, "You shouldn't be sorry! It's not your fault!"

"I should've done something!"

"Nothing!" She held onto her tighter, "You should have done nothing! What you're doing is more than enough..."

Tati's trembling subsided a little.

"You should live happily is what I want, okay?" Rosa took her face in her palms, "And you should buy me a nice car after you have a huge success in your work, okay?"

Tati scoffed and nodded with her eyes closed, "I don't even know what I was afraid of." She whispered.

Rosa opened her mouth to say something but hugged her again.

"You can wash my shirt now that you've ruined it with your precious tears." She whispered.

Tati laughed audibly and nodded again in her arms.

"I love you." Tati said.

Rosa turned stiff all of a sudden. She had never heard those words-- never from anyone. Nor did she expect them for all she ever became was narcissistic sociopath.

They both stood up and Tati walked away, though she knew that she was free from a burden, it bothered her that she might have put ten times the amount on her sister's shoulder.

"I'll go to my place tonight, is that okay? Will you be okay alone?" Rosa asked.

"Be back in the morning for breakfast then." She replied as she went back upstairs.

Rosa almost rushed out towards her black Maybach.

"Keys." She simply put her hand out.

"But--"

"Keys!" She gritted and her driver handed out the keys.

She got in, wiped her face with tissues and drove to her house.

She walked to the door and put in the keys to slowly open the door.

She drove straight to her company.

She opened the glass doors and walked in. The clacks of her heels against the marble tiles resonated.

She laughed-- almost like a maniac and pressed for the elevator in the dark.

She got into her office and treaded to the balcony, looking down, contemplating if she should jump off.

Her phone rang before any thought and her sister's words rang through her ears-- "Be back in the morning for breakfast then."

I have to live for Tati, even if I am prisoned.

She picked up the the call after taking a deep breath.

"Hello?"

"I'm sorry for calling late."

"It's okay, Niccolo."

"Nick." He corrected.

"Nick." A smile made way on her lips.

"I was thinking of a lunch date-- I saw your schedule for tomorrow and we could make it before the flight!" He sounded nervous.

"I almost forgot about the business in Canada..." She mumbled.

"You sound sad." He said concerned.

"Yeah, I'm terrified actually." She whispered as she sat down with her legs crossed, "I don't think I can sleep now."

"I'm coming over-- Where are you?"

"In my office..."

He hung up and left her in her quiet resonating sobs.

After a good span of time the door of her office flung open.

"Rose!?" He yelled.

She hummed back in response and he rushed to the balcony.

"You did not just scare me like that!" He sat down and pulled her into a hug.

The tears that she thought had gone, started flowing again. She hugged him back and cried.

"I hate my parents..." Her voice muffled against his chest.

"It's okay." He cooed.

"I hate myself."

"That's okay sometimes."

"I hate everything."

"I'll let you burn everything then." He whispered and pulled apart.

He wiped her tears and kissed her forehead.

"Now tell me everything." He asked slowly.

She looked at him and looked down without a peep. He seemed sad that she wasn't opening up but didn't want to force anything on her.

"Promise me you won't leave me." She took his hands in hers and mumbled.

She almost looked like a child to him. He squeased her hands and nodded.

She continued to tell him everything. That her parents ignored her nightmares, that she had to make sure she didn't cry, that she was terrified but couldn't say it because there was someone or something after her to make her lonely.

He sat there silent. He didn't know what to say.

"Rosa," He started, "When I was recruited by goons, I was starved for days and I wasn't supposed to complain."

She looked at him not knowing what he was trying to say.

"But I did." He whispered, "Every single day, I screamed at them and they would beat me but I would sleep peacefully. Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"I had let out all of my frustration, that's why. If I had kept quiet then I would have died of hunger but I screamed and made sure I got food." He sighed. "Don't keep it in from now on."

"I couldn't tell Tati about the nightmares because she was weak at heart at those topics. Papi and mamma would have probably tried to overwork themselves to take care of me and find these people." She wiped her face with her sleeves.

"What is done can't be undone but promise me that you will never cry alone like this." He stood up with her, "I know you would have jumped if it weren't for your sister." He mumbled.

"I'm sorry. I promise I won't."

"You shouldn't bottle up like this." He sighed and pulled her inside her office.

"And you should not sit in the cold like that either!" He scolded.

She scoffed and walked behind him while holding his hand.
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