Chapter 6
Chapter Six
“Where’s the fire?”
I halt my pending escape out the front door at the sound of my brother’s voice. I don’t turn around, not until I can muster a smile on my face. Counting to six in my head, I inhale and spin on my brother.
“Why the bloody hell are you lurking in the shadows?” I frown.
Aurelio makes a point of looking around the foyer. “No shadows here, Daniella. Where you going in a hurry?” His scrutinizing gaze sears into me, inspecting every inch of my face.
“I need air.” I turn and walk out the door. I just need to be out of this house. Away from him.
Aurelio doesn’t get the hint that I want to be alone, and instead chooses to follow me. Actually, I’m pretty sure he just plain ignores the fact I want to be alone. “Cool, I could use some air, and while we’re both getting this air, you can tell me who made you upset.”
“No one made me upset, Aurelio. Drop it,” I grunt. I hate that my brother can read me so well.
“I could just go back inside and take an educated guess. Shoot first, ask questions later kind of thing,” he says. “The asshole already has one bullet hole. I’m sure a few more would only be an improvement.”
I turn my glare on Aurelio. “You are not touching him,” I grit between clenched teeth. “It’s not his fault. It’s mine.”
“I highly doubt anything is your fault, Daniella. And if it is, I’m sure it’s still that fuckhead’s fault anyway,” my brother says. “But enlighten me. What is your fault?”
I walk farther into the garden before falling to the ground. “Remember the last time we came here?”
“Hard to forget. I got my ass kicked by a fucking billionaire.” Aurelio laughs, recalling the time Jazzy’s husband, who was her boyfriend at the time, kicked Aurelio’s ass at the gym.
“Yeah, good times, huh?” I smile at him.
“What happened?” Aurelio is staring at me, waiting for me to actually tell him what happened back then.
I haven’t told anyone. I honestly thought this was a secret I’d take to my grave. It was easier when we were back in Australia and nowhere near the Bianchi family. Being here has brought up everything I tried to bury deep down, and I don’t know if I can handle it alone.
“He asked me to stay. CJ, he wanted me to stay with him and I left,” I admit.
“Okay, so you’re just not as into him as he is into you. That’s not your fault, Daniella.”
“Oh, but I am. I loved him. I still love him. So much it feels like I can’t breathe, Aurelio. Leaving was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. And I had to grow up with you as a brother. So trust me, I’ve had hard times before.”
“You love him?”
“More than anything.”
“Well, fuck, Daniella, how the hell am I meant to fill him with bullet holes now?” Aurelio groans.
“You don’t,” I warn.
“Okay, so if you loved him back then, why didn’t you stay?”
“I couldn’t. My life is in Melbourne. My family is there,” I lie. That’s not the reason I left. But it’s a good reason to want to be in Melbourne. I love my family.
“Bullshit, what’s the real reason?” Aurelio asks.
“It’s not bullshit. I happen to love our family.”
“You might love them, but I also know you could survive without being in the same town.”
“Are you trying to tell me to move to Vegas, Aurelio?”
“Not at all. I fucking hate this city, and if you live here, that just means I’d have to come here more often than I’d want to.”
“Well, you don’t need to worry because I have no intention of moving here,” I assure my brother.
“Why? If you proclaim to love him, why don’t you want to be with him?”
“It’s not that I don’t want to. It’s that I can’t be.”
“Look, don’t get me wrong. I’d prefer you never dated anyone. Stay a spinster forever. But… I also want you to be happy. And it fucking pains me to ask this because I don’t actually want you with that ass, but why can’t you be with him?”
“That ass is your mate.” I laugh.
“Which is why I know he’s not good enough for my little sister,” Aurelio says. “Why can’t you choose him?”
I shake my head. “I can’t tell you.”
“Has he hurt you, Daniella?” Aurelio’s back straightens.
“No. He would never hurt me. I’m the one who hurt him. I left.” I shrug as if it’s not a big deal, when in fact it is a very big deal.
“Okay, if you can’t tell me, you need to talk to someone else about it. Otherwise it’s going to eat you alive and I’m not going to sit back and watch you torture yourself like this. So it’s either me or someone else. You choose.”
I blink. I love and hate my brother right now. “I... I can’t have children.” My words are barely a whisper but I know by the shocked look on Aurelio’s face that he hears me.
“You can’t have children? What do you mean?”
“I had some issues when I was nineteen, went to the doctor, and I had to have a surgery. A hysterectomy. I told everyone I was going on holiday with girlfriends. Because I didn’t want anyone to know.” I’ve never told anyone this. “You have to swear to me right now you won’t tell anyone, Aurelio.”
“I would never betray you, Daniella. You know that. Why didn’t you tell me? I would have helped you. But also, what does having children have to do with the jackass in there?” He hikes his thumb towards the house.
“It’s not fair of me to take that away from him. I won’t.”
“Did you ask him if he even wanted kids, Daniella?”
“I can’t. Because I know he’ll choose me, Aurelio. But eventually, he’ll hate me, resent me for not being able to give him something he wants. And I’m not going to be the reason he doesn’t have a family of his own.”
“Do you think Uncle Marcel hates Aunt Zoe? They don’t have kids and that was her choice.”
“No, he loves her.”
“Exactly. Not everyone desires offspring.”
“It’s human nature.” I shake my head. “It doesn’t matter. You asked and now you know. It was my choice and I made it. I’m not changing my mind. And he cannot find out the real reason I left.”
“He won’t hear it from me. But you really should talk to someone about this, Daniella. Maybe Aunt Daisy? Mom?”
“I don’t want people to look at me like that.” I point to my brother’s face.
“Like what?”
“Pity. You’re pitying me now, and every time you look at me, I’m going to be the poor girl who can’t bear children.”
“No, every time I look at you, I’m thinking that you’re my annoying little sister. And that you’re the person I love the most in the world.”
“Even more than Rosie?” I raise a brow.
“It’s a pretty even tie with Rosie,” Aurelio says. “I don’t pity you, Daniella. I want to be able to help you, but I don’t know how to help you with this. I really think you should talk to Mum, or pick an auntie or something.”
“I’m not ready yet,” I admit.
“Well, I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink.” Aurelio stands and holds out a hand towards me.
I take it and let my brother pull me up to my feet. “I really could use some Cinque.”
“Let’s go raid the Bianchis’ stash.” Aurelio leads me back into the house.
“Thank you,” I whisper as we walk through the front door.
“You don’t need to thank me. I’m your only brother. If you can’t tell me every dirty little secret in your head, then who can you tell?”
“Oh, you do not want to know every dirty little secret in my head.” I smirk.
“You’re right. Some things a brother does not need to know,” Aurelio agrees.
“What are you two whispering about?” Rosie pops her head up from the sofa as we walk into the living room that also houses a wet bar.
“Just how our parents really messed up by having a third child,” Aurelio says.
“You know what they say… Third time’s the charm.” My sister smiles wide. “Also, I’m going out tonight. You can either come with me, or stay here and be the boring people you are.”
“Where do you think you’re going?” Aurelio asks her.
“I’m coming,” I say quickly. I don’t even care where she’s going. I want out of this house desperately.
“You know, neither of you are getting out of this house.” Aurelio picks up a bottle of Cinque and pours three glasses, handing one to me and one to Rosie before picking up the third.
“Oh, I’m getting out. Just you wait and see.” Rosie winks at me. She already has a plan in motion, and I know I’m going along for the ride.