Chapter 4 Rosalie #2
“Rosalie, your real mom’s name was Calista Ivanov, and she was the love of my life. We met in college. I got her pregnant. Planned on marrying her. Then…” He rubbed his eyes, and it was then that I noticed he was crying.
“Dad?” My voice shook.
“This world will take you away from me, too, just like it did to my Callie. Please, Rosalie. Reconsider your marriage to Lorenzo.”
“What happened to my real mom?” My voice wavered as I tried to keep my breathing calm.
He blew out a breath. “You deserve to know. I’m telling this to you because you deserve to know, not because I want to hurt you.
” He paused for a moment before continuing.
“I loved your mother more than anything in this world. She got pregnant during our third year of college with you. We were so happy. She’d given up everything to be with me.
Her family disowned her for being with me.
I was a nobody. Just a dumb kid who loved music and her.
She was an heiress to a Russian mafia syndicate.
I worked at the bar and played gigs for cash while attending Mayfair.
I didn’t have much going for me. She loved me anyway. ” He let out a soft, sad chuckle.
I sat silently, listening to him.
“Calista was beautiful. She modeled. She sang. She was so smart and funny. And god, was she the kindest soul. That meant she didn’t go unnoticed. A man named Everett wanted her.”
My stomach rolled at that name. Everett. Church? Was that who he was talking about? God, please no…
“He hated me. He did everything he could to ruin what little I had. Everything from trying to get me to believe she was cheating to ruining my music career. She never wavered in her loyalty to me despite Everett’s attempts.
Then one day, he’d had enough, and he took her from me.
He’d learned of her pregnancy and was furious.
He had men come to me and beat me until I could barely stand.
He was powerful even back then. Ran a secret society they referred to as the underground.
I thought it was just a bunch of rich kids playing. I was so wrong.”
A tear slipped down my cheek. It was the same Everett. I was going to be sick, but I was rooted in place and needed to see this out.
“He took Calista. I tried to find her. I went so far as to approach her father and beg him to help. To her brother, Sergio. They told me to suffer the consequences, and she was dead to them. I was beaten once more and nearly died. They left me in a ditch. A passerby found me and called an ambulance.” He breathed out.
“It didn’t stop me. I finally located Everett with the help of one of my friends.
Klaus. His girlfriend was friends with Calista.
She was able to reach her. That was it. I managed a meeting with Everett.
I begged for Calista back. I offered everything I had or would ever have. ”
He remained quiet for a long time. I didn’t push. I was trying to digest his words and avoid a complete panic.
When he didn’t speak again, I asked a question.
“Klaus… Seeley?”
He looked over at me, his brows crinkling. “Do you know him?”
I nodded. “He’s one of Matteo’s men.”
“He is,” he murmured.
“How did you not know who Anthony De Luca was? Enzo and I went to the same school for years.”
He shrugged. “I knew who he was. That’s why I didn’t want you to be wrapped up with his family.
He’s one of the reasons everything has gone to hell over the years.
His falling out with Matteo over Delilah caused a lot of problems, but he genuinely cared for her as well.
She was Marissa’s best friend. Marissa wanted her safety. ”
“So you knew all of this and never told me?” I hugged myself.
“I was an outsider to their world. The commoner.” He spat the words out in disgust, triggering the memory of Vander Veer calling me that.
“But Matteo, Alessio, and Klaus always treated me well. They didn’t look down on me for being who I was.
Anthony wasn’t bad either, but I knew I didn’t fit in and never would.
I had no desire to be like them. The things they did.
. .” His voice trailed off before he cleared his throat.
“We all attended Mayfair. I played music with Matteo and the guys. We’d do gigs together sometimes.
Even recorded a few songs, but it was just a couple of friends trying to ignore our real problems.”
“What about Kurt?”
“Kurt?” He frowned. “Fox’s dad?”
I nodded.
“What of him?”
“Y-You didn’t know him?”
He shook his head. “No. Why?”
“Nothing. I thought maybe you did.” Kurt did say he left when Matteo was still a teen, so that made sense.
Kurt was disowned and disappeared from their world.
Fox told me Kurt told him that he was always hiding who he was when he was in the mafia, so it wasn’t like anyone would recognize him anyway.
He kept to himself unless his father sent him to handle business.
“What happened to my mom?” I finally asked.
A tear slipped from my dad’s eye and down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away.
“Everett wouldn’t let me have her back. Kept me in his underground for weeks, forcing her to watch him punish me. She begged and pleaded for my safety. Finally, she made a deal with him, earning me my freedom.” His voice cracked, and he wiped at his eyes again.
My stomach clenched.
“I got my freedom and would take our baby once she gave birth in exchange for her hand in marriage.” He wept softly.
“I couldn’t do anything against him. I was powerless.
Not even Matteo could touch him, although he tried.
We were fucking kids. We didn’t know what the fuck we were doing.
Matteo even went to his father, Carmine, who didn’t want to fight with the Reznikovs.
Even though his family had disowned Everett, the threat was there.
Matteo hadn’t come into power yet and had his own problems having fallen in love with a commoner.
” He wiped at his cheeks again as the tears continued to fall.
“The Ivanovs were useless in the matter, too. Calista wouldn’t relent.
She loved you before she even knew you, Rosalie.
She loved you so much, pumpkin.” He wept softly for several moments before getting himself together to continue.
“The agreement was that upon your birth, I’d get you.
I’d keep you safe. Keep you away from this world, and she’d marry Everett.
By doing so, he promised to let you and me go.
I screamed no. I begged. I offered my soul, but nothing worked.
” He shook his head, the tears falling silently before he looked at me.
“Everett allowed me to be with her when you were born in the underground. She wanted to name you Rosalie, so I did. She made me promise to walk away and never look back to keep you safe. So I did that too. It broke me in ways I’ll never be able to put into words, but it was her wish for you to grow and have a good life.
Everett vowed to hurt you if I ever tried to return for Callie.
I quit music for good. Moved back home to Michigan.
Transferred to Wayne. Sorted myself to be the best father I could.
I met Marcy at Wayne. We were both broken.
Her fiancé had died a year earlier in a car accident.
She’d miscarried from the stress of it. She lost a baby, and I had a baby.
She became your mom. She kept me sane. I kept her happy.
It worked for us. We tried to have children, but we couldn’t, but that was OK.
She was never able to carry to full term. We had you, and life was good.”
“Dad,” I sobbed, reaching for him.
He hugged me tightly across the center console.
“I’m so sorry, pumpkin. I’m so sorry.”
We stayed in one another’s arms for a long time before we finally broke away.
“Where is C-Calista now? My mom?”
His bottom lip wobbled. “She passed away a few years ago. Her and Everett’s son killed her.”
I blinked rapidly at the information, my tears falling harder. My real mom was dead, and I had… a brother. Oh, god. My brother was Everett Church’s son. I was going to be sick.
“Everett felt compelled to send me images of himself… defiling her body,” his voice cracked. “He is a wicked man. Untouchable. Someday though…” A muscle thrummed along his jaw. “He deserves worse than death, but I can’t give it to him. I don’t have that kind of power.”
“I do,” I whispered. “Enzo does.”
“He doesn’t, pumpkin. Not yet. Everett is too powerful.
Too many allies that look like enemies. He was always a snake.
” He paused. “I haven’t been a good father to you.
I’ve disowned you, too, and it wasn’t right of me.
I-I thought pushing you away would bring you closer, but I was wrong.
I messed up. When you told us you were pregnant, I could only think about Calista and me.
How history repeats itself. I don’t want that for you, Rosalie.
Please. It’s why I’m the way I am. I want nothing more than to walk you down the aisle, but I-I can’t, knowing what I know.
Having lived what I’ve lived through. I’d be feeding you to the wolves and breaking my promise to your mother.
I-I can’t do it. I’m so sorry. I already have so much guilt.
Please. Don’t marry Lorenzo. Come home. We can help you. You can transfer. I-I can hide you—”
I cried softly, my body shaking. All of this information was taking its toll on me. I needed air. I couldn’t breathe.
“Hey. Hey, pumpkin,” he said, reaching for me as I rocked in my seat. “I-I don’t know what to do.”
I was going to pass out. I couldn’t breathe. Everything, my life, my family, was a lie. I’d been a part of this world before I was even born. I was going to throw up.
I wasn’t aware my dad had made a call until the passenger door was flung open and Fox was at my side.
“Rosie, baby. Hey, look at me,” Fox called out. “Hey. Come on. Breathe, Rosie.”
He cradled my cheeks in his hands, a look of concern on his face. I was shaking violently. This had to be one of my worst panic attacks I’d ever had. It just kept building.
“She needs her medicine,” Fox said, lifting me out of the car and carrying me into the house. I vaguely heard my dad following.
“What’s going on? What happened?” Enzo demanded through the fuzzy tunnel I was in.
“I told you to bring her back the way she fucking left,” Cole roared, coming into the room.
“Fucking handle him,” Fox shouted, taking me upstairs. I heard the scuffling behind me. It only made me worse. I wanted to claw my face off. My skin off. I wanted to escape. To run away from this madness.
It wasn’t real. None of it was real. This was a bad dream.
“Breathe, baby,” Fox commanded, placing me on the edge of my bed and kneeling in front of me. Ethan rushed in and sat beside me, his arm wrapped around my shoulders.
“Watch her. I need to get her meds,” Fox said, moving away from me.
“Hey, sweetheart. Come on now. Close your eyes for me. Go to a happy place,” Ethan murmured.
I tried to do as he said, but I couldn’t focus. I was spiraling hard.
“I don’t have the candies with me,” Ethan continued, his voice strained. “Damnit. I-I suck at this. I’m sorry. Just… spiral, baby. If it feels good, do it so you can come back.”
I cried harder, hiccupping and gagging, my body trembling violently.
Fox rushed back in with a syringe in his hand.
“I can’t find her meds. I-I think Anson has them just in case,” Fox muttered. “I’m going to give her your stuff, E. Is this enough?”
“It’s good,” Ethan said tightly.
I felt a pin prick, and a sudden warmth washed over me. I blinked rapidly, trying to fight the sudden intrusion into my veins.
“Don’t fight it,” Ethan urged. “Let it happen.”
I flung my hands out, trying to reach for something to stop me from disappearing, but it was useless.
Darkness descended, and I was gone.