Stars Like Glass (Trigger Warnings)

Aspyn Belle Vernes- 

I traced the outline of the glass window, admiring and despising how beautiful the raindrops looked as they spilt down the window’s pane.

I remembered how Alessandro and I loved the rain. How we sat together on the couch, me in between his legs, my back pressed to his chest, his arms slung protectively around my waist, pulling my body to his. We’d turn on our all-time favourite movie, The Man in the Moon.

I sighed as Poppy climbed into my lap, burying her head into my chest. “Mama?” she asked.

I hummed in response, thinking of how late the time was, nearly two in the morning, wondering how my husband was faring.

“When’s Papa coming home?” she asked innocently.

I sucked in a sharp breath, pulling away to face the five-year-old child. “Your Papa is busy at work today. But, he might come home tonight, Sì? Besides, aren’t you supposed to be in bed already?” I asked, doing my best to engage her in the choppy bits of Italian I knew. Knowing six languages was handy, but not being able to understand the one language your husband and children spoke really sucked.

Poppy nodded, climbing off my lap. “Sì. Buona Notte, Mama,” she mumbled, walking sleepily out of the living room and rubbing her eyes.

“Buona Notte,” I whispered.

Marino and Cornelio were already asleep, no doubt, though, that Cornelio, Poppy’s twin, was sketching at his desk, pretending that he was asleep.

That kid, I thought to myself, rolling my eyes at the idea of my five-year-old son drawing at night. And so late, too.

Pushing myself off the couch, the blanket falling off my lap, I combed my fingers through my ginger hair, trying my best to ease the knots that had formed.

“Mrs Luigi,” Jackson said, coming into the living room and beaming at me.

“Yes, Jackson?” I spoke, addressing the young worker. “Is something wrong?” I wondered.

“No, nothing’s wrong. Actually, everything’s great,” he continued, grinning at me.

I frowned, not understanding. “What do you mean?”

He smiled slightly. “Boss is back, Mrs Luigi,” he said, breaking it down for me.

I stood there in silence, shocked, but then shouted, “He’s home?!”

He nodded, and I rushed past, shoving him aside and bounding out of the living room and into the foyer, where my husband stood, drenched in rainwater.

I paused, smiling, tears starting to come up. Every time I looked at Alessandro, it only reminded me more of why I married the man. Even though I was only twenty when I married him and he was twenty-four, six years later, our marriage still stood strong.

I choked on tears, my heart clenching, and ran forward, throwing myself into his arms.

“Oomph,” he exclaimed, his hands gripping my waist and lifting me off the floor.

I laughed, starting to cry at the possibility that I might not have ever seen him again. “You idiot!” I exclaimed. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming back?” I asked, my question coming out muffled because I had my face pressed against his clothed chest.

Alessandro pulled away, pouting playfully at me. “And here I thought my wife missed me,” he teased.

I smacked him lightly, grinning like a lunatic, tears still fresh on my face.

Alessandro leaned forward, his hands cupping my face, his fingers wiping away my tears. “I missed you,” he whispered, a scheming gleam coming into his green eyes.

I breathed a laugh. “Missed you, too,” I responded, leaning forward and pressing my face to his, our noses touching.

Alessandro looked at my eyes and gripped my hips, pulling me to him and pressing his lips to mine.

I pressed my body to his, connecting our hips and bringing my hands into his hair, tugging at the strands of his dark hair.

Alessandro released a throaty groan, pulling away from me. “Not now,” he muttered, his voice raspy with need.

I smiled knowingly. “Very well. Not now.”

Alessandro narrowed his eyes at me. “We’ve got some things to talk about.”

I swallowed. Those seven words never held a good meaning to them.

+++++

"What do you mean, We almost got killed today?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

"I mean exactly that, Asp. Someone set us up," Alessandro responded, pulling on a shirt over his chest. He had just gotten out of a shower. Well, more of we had gotten out of the shower. But, that wasn't the point.

"How do you know?" I wondered.

Alessandro scoffed bitterly. "I'm a mafia leader," he said. "I know everything. And I also happen to know that you threw a vase at my brother. Why?" he persisted, flopping down on our bed and slinging his huge arm around my waist, dragging me to him.

I huffed at his question, settling myself against his chest and snuggling in the warmth his body radiated. "He was being rude to me. It's not my fault he decided to insult Cornelio in front of me."

“He what?” Alessandro asked sharply, and I bit my lip, fearing this to be his reaction.

“Well, to be fair, Cornelio was having a bit of an attitude,” I said. “Then again, I can’t blame him when he misses his father and has to put up with his jerk of an uncle,” I muttered, rolling my eyes.

Alessandro chuckled at my reaction to my brother-in-law. As much as I loved Alessandro, I despise one of his brothers. The rest of his family and were on good terms. Great terms, actually. But Aurelio, Alessandro’s brother, always hated me. And I hated him. There was always that one in-law that you never got along with. In my case, it was the toxic brother-in-law.

“Relax, amore, I know my brother is a handful,” Alessandro said, laying a kiss on the crown of my head.

“Oh, and Less,” I muttered, feeling my eyes start to close.

Alessandro hummed in response, tightening his arms around me.

“Go check on the kids. Cornelio, specifically. Make sure he isn’t sketching. If they’re awake, talk to them,” I mumbled, the exhaustion creeping in after the stress was taken off my shoulders.

I felt his lips press to my forehead. “Of course, amore mio.”

+++++

“Aspyn,” Alessandro’s voice rang out, the sound echoing now that I had taken out the ear protectants in the shooting range.

“Yes?” I questioned, wiping the sweat off my forehead, glancing up to see Alessandro leaning against the entryway, his arms crossed over his chest, his expression solemn.

“Asp, maybe this isn’t the place to tell you,” he said unsurely.

I stared at him. “You’re a bloody mafia boss. Shouldn’t you like, not care about where you tell someone whatever it is you need to tell them?” I wondered, waving my hand in the air to emphasize my point.

“Yes, but not when it comes to my family,” he said, looking at me sadly.

“Fine,” I sighed, walking out of the shooting range, my tank top hanging loosely from my body.

Entering the bedroom, I threw myself into the boss chair, propping my elbow onto the desk and staring at Alessandro, hinting for him to tell me.

“Asp, there’s been an . . . accident,” he started, causing me to furrow my brows. Alessandro continued speaking. “Cameron. He was in the passenger seat when the truck slammed into the car. Charlie managed to save herself, but she’s in the hospital in critical condition. Cam, uh, he didn’t make it,” Alessandro said, whispering that last part.

I felt as though the wind was knocked out of me. My oxygen supply deprived. My siblings were in a car crash, and Cam didn’t make it. He died. He was gone.

Someone was crying and I didn’t realize it was me until Alessandro, knelt before me between my legs, kissing my forehead and burying his head in my chest.

“Oh my God,” I sobbed, hiccupping as the reality crashed in. Cam was dead. My older brother who I looked up to was dead and gone. He would never marry his girlfriend and my kids wouldn’t be able to run into his arms anymore.

“Wh-who did this?” I asked, trying my best to stifle the sobs, burying the pain in my heart temporarily.

“Someone,” Alessandro mumbled, squeezing me in a hug. “Are you going to tell the kids?” he asked. “Or do you want me to?”

I pointed at him, unable to form any more coherent words.

“Someone,” Alessandro mumbled, squeezing me in a hug. “Are you going to tell the kids?” he asked. “Or do you want me to?”

I pointed at him, unable to form any more coherent words.

At that exact moment, the windows shattered, glass breaking over us. Shots rang out and I screamed, covering my ears, while Alessandro hauled my body to the floor, shielding mine with his.