Chapter 137

Layla

It was strange talking to two complete strangers about my life. Yet, at the same time, it felt as though I’d known Eva and Stasia for years.

The two were so easy to open up to. No matter what the topic was, I was never met with judgment or any obscure questions. If either of them was particularly curious about something, they patiently waited until I’d gotten through each section to ask their questions.

Most of the time, it was Stasia who would speak out while Eva kept her composure still and quiet. The two were deeply intrigued by the fact that I had followed in my parent’s footsteps and founded my career in the medical field.

When it came time to discuss my relationship with Aldo—Vasco, that’s when the energy began to slightly shift. Even emotionally I felt as though I was entering into difficult territory.

I’d told them about how when Aldo and I first met, he’d been living under a different name. Much like me, he wanted a normal, honest life. But everything changed when he got the call from his mother.

“His family had been in shambles,” I said. “That day, when he and I were supposed to be getting married, he’d thrown a bunch of divorce papers at me and left me to return home. At the same time, I was pregnant with my son.”

This time, I noticed the way Stasia’s gaze caught Eva’s. The two were speaking in some unspoken language.

“How old was Eli when Aldo finally realized the truth that he had a son?” Eva asked.

“He was eight.”

She nodded in confirmation. “So, naturally, the two haven’t been involved in each other’s lives for very long then.”

“No. But, Aldo is really good with Eli. The two get along exceedingly well.”

“But?” Stasia prompted.

I clenched my jaw. “But, I know, deep down, that there’s always going to be this disconnect amongst the three of us.”

The twins nodded in understanding.

“It’s hard dealing with these feelings, I’m sure. Aldo was absent for the birth and all of Eli’s earlier childhood,” Eva reasoned. “Do you resent him for it?”

My heart stalled in my chest. “Resent? It seems like a rather harsh word to use...Well, maybe back then I did, yes.”

“What about now?” she prompted.

“Now?”

They nodded in unison. “What are your feelings toward Aldo now?” Stasia asked.

“Given all that’s happened since he stumbled back into your life,” Eva added.

“I...We...It’s complicated,” I ended up mumbling.

“I can tell,” she said lightly. “Layla, have there been times in which you’ve felt like you're standing between two separate worlds?”

“Yes.” The word flew out of my mouth before I had a second to think.

Again, they nodded their heads and led me to continue on. I told them about Marco Moretti and Aurora. And soon the conversation led to the more recent developments with the Rossettis and Vanessa. One main point Eva wanted to delve into more was the particular state of my psyche when I had taken the position as of head of the family.

“Tell me what it felt like when you were commanding the room,” she said.

“It was heavy, like someone was applying an unbearable amount of pressure on me. It got to a point where it became hard to focus on anything else. It made it hard to breathe, even,” I explained.

“This pressure,” Eva went on. “What did it feel like it was doing to your other emotions?”

“Draining them. It made it impossible for me to feel anything other than that burning, heartless rage.”

“You wanted vengeance for what Vanessa had done,” Stasia pointed out.

“Not just her. Yes, I was utterly shocked by her betrayal, but I was mad at the entire Rossetti family as a whole,” I said. “The only reason they planned all those stupid attacks and nearly destroyed my family was because they wanted to make themselves known.”

“It’s not easy living at the top of the chain,” Eva stated. “There’s always going to be someone who thinks they would be better off in your place...”

“...And will go to extreme unbelievable lengths to reach their goal,” Stasia finished.

I let my eyes drift shut and gently shook my head. “I...I sometimes miss the way my life used to be before Aldo reappeared. It may have been lonely, but it was safe. I was just a normal person with a career and a son that I would give anything for.”

I sucked in a staggering breath and fought back the pain between my lungs.

“And now...My career is gone and my son can hardly look at me without seeing that awful monster I’d become,” I hissed.

“Layla, you’re not a monster,” Eva said.

“If anything, you’re a victim of circumstance.”

I blinked my eyes open and gave them a puzzled look. “What do you mean?”

“Think about it. The only reason why you’d fallen into that sinking void is because you felt as though you had to. No one could have predicted that Aldo would have been injured in that explosion—”

“—Or the fact that Vanessa would have turned out to be a raging bitch,” Stasia acknowledged dryly. “You did what you had to do in order to protect your family. No one faults you for that.”

“We’re sorry to hear about your job, though,” Eva said. “How did you end up losing your medical license anyway?”

I’d told them about how Aldo had worked with Ethan without my knowledge which led to the police getting involved along with the unexpected appearance of Agent Carter.

“He’d somehow found out about me running a free clinic,” I said.

Eva narrowed her eyes with questionable doubt. “There’s just something that I don’t quite understand.”

“What’s that?” I asked.

“People like Agent Carter don’t really set their sights on things like illegal clinics,” she explained. “It’s rather a bit below their pay grade, if you know what I mean.”

“She’s got a point, it’s not as if you were the center operator to an underground drug trade,” Stasia noted. “Your only crime was trying to help those in need of it. Of all the crimes to commit, it’s certainly one of the lesser evils.”

“Unless...This Agent Carter...He didn’t simply revoke your license, did he?”

My heart dropped into my stomach. I bit the inside of my cheek and tore my gaze away.

“Layla...What aren’t you telling us?” Stasia asked gently.

“I...I had to make a choice,” I said quietly.

“Tell us about this ‘choice’,” Eva urged.

“The conversation between Agent Carter and myself was solely about Aldo and the Marcellos. When he realized that I wasn’t going to give him any real information to help further his case, he brought up the whole thing of me running the clinic,” I said. “He said that if I didn’t want to tell him what he needed to know, then he was going to have no choice but to have my medical license revoked.”

Something unspokenly lethal flickered across Eva’s eyes. “I see. He went ahead and destroyed your career because you weren't willing to tell him what he wanted to hear.”

“What an asshole,” Stasia snarled.

“But this wasn’t the catalyst for your feeling so down lately. These feelings of doubt have been clouding your mind for months,” Eva observed. “No, this situation with losing your license is actually what ended up tipping you over the edge.”

It was frightening how well she was able to reach this conclusion. Every bit of it was right.

“Do you regret your relationship with Aldo?” Stasia asked bluntly.