Running Away from the Godfather

I must find Aria.

Antonio's POV

It's been seven years since I graduated from high school. I am now the Godfather of the Italian Mafia, having taken over from my parents, who now reside in the cottage as my grandparents have moved to the seaside.

With no young grandchildren to entertain, my grandparents have retired. Their decision to stay in Italy, despite their love for Africa, where they used to live on a mine, left a bittersweet feeling in my heart. I knew they were sacrificing their desires for the family's sake, and I couldn't help but feel a deep gratitude towards them. Their selflessness and willingness to put the family above their desires filled my heart with mixed emotions, guilt, and love. I am grateful for their sacrifice, yet I cannot shake the guilt of being the reason for their retirement.

My twin brother and sister, Benito and Bella, inadvertently saved me from making a grave mistake. They were only thirteen, yet they believed they were helping me. I know they were the ones who played the video about how cruel Amelia was to Aria on my graduation video. The footage captured a moment of intense emotional turmoil, a moment when I was at my most vulnerable. It shattered my heart.

My love for Amelia was deep and genuine. I thought she was an angel. However, when I asked, she didn't want to be my girlfriend. But then she was already famous. She had played in many child movies and looked forward to her freedom in America. However, I knew I could not wait for Amelia to come back from America after having her fun. She was not the person I thought she would be.

The pedestal I put on has broken along with my heart. I hate Aria Miles for exposing Amelia. I knew it was not her fault. I knew that she was only trying to greet a friend. A friend who no longer wanted to be her friend. Still, I felt anger and even hatred towards Aria. This internal conflict, this battle between love and resentment, haunts me.

Peter and I remained friends through the years we lived in Oxford. However, he never talked about Aria or answered any questions about her. I had the feeling that my friend was afraid that I would hurt his sister.

I know Aria has always loved me, and deep inside me, I wonder if she exposed Amelia to me because of her love for me. These thoughts, these doubts, they haunt me. They made me question everything I thought I knew about love and friendship. They make me wonder if I can truly understand the people around me or if I am doomed to be forever alone in my mind.

Aria was always sweet, but sometimes she was jealous of Amelia when we were children. I was too young to understand love and jealousy. All I knew when I was five was that I did not want a girlfriend. They become good friends. I never thought they would be nasty to each other, but now I wonder what happened between them. Was it me?

I'm sitting in my office, staring out of the window.

Amelia's coming home today.

I am not going to greet her at the airport, and I am not going to be friends with her because she has disappointed me too much. Besides, her career is over. She has become too old to play the role of the young, innocent American sweetheart she always played.

I remember that she apologized to Aria when the video went viral. She apologized on her social media page, but Aria never responded.

This struggle to understand love and friendship is a maze I can't seem to navigate. I'm constantly trying to decipher a code that keeps changing, and I'm afraid I'll never find the right combination.

I am only thinking about the two women today because Amelia is returning, and I do not know what I will do when I see her again. Will Amelia still owe my heart?

I have watched some of her movies over the years. She was not a bad actress, but the older she got, the more awful she behaved, as people always complained about working with her. Perhaps it was not Aria after all.

While talking to Peter one day, I remember he said something and immediately kept quiet as if he regretted saying it. We were talking about people with disabilities, and he mentioned Aria and how she can not use her right hand anymore. I tried to ask him about it, but he was like a closed book. He would not say another word. And I wondered if that accident with the glass at my graduation party was the reason. It made me determined to find Aria.

We all saw that it was not an accident and that Amelia stepped on Aria's hand.

I searched everywhere but needed help finding a clue about where Aria was. I can force Peter to tell me, but he would rather die than betray his sister. Besides, Peter is my friend, and I can and will never harm him. I even went to his parents' house, but Aria's father told me he hadn't seen her since she graduated from high school.

I do not know why finding Aria has become such an obsession. Amelia is beautiful, but by Hollywood standards. However, whenever I close my eyes, the face I see in front of me is full of tears. It is not Amelia's face. I see it is the face of young Aria, who worked at my graduation while all my other friends were guests. She and Peter should have been there as they were also my friends.

I was young, stupid and selfish. I knew Peter was in love with Amelia as well. I didn't want him there so I couldn't invite Aria. And when she shared up as a waitress to earn extra money, I was surprised.

"I will find you, Aria, and find out the truth. I will find out if you are as innocent as you pretend. I have to know, and I have to understand why I cannot forget your face. Why do I dream about you, not the beautiful, gorgeous Amelia, when I sleep at night? I have to find you to solve this mystery." I tell myself.

A desire for answers does not just fuel my determination to find Aria and my need to reconcile my conflicting emotions. I need to understand why I feel this way about Aria, and I won't rest until I do.