song:
F*ck love by XXXTENTACION

WHEN YOU LOOK at yourself and find how far you came by, how does it feel? Does it make you happy by the number of goals you achieved or failures listed in your academics? Do your parents pat you for your hard work or neglect you?

I never got a chance in my life to vibe up with those certain pebbles in my life. Normalcy was never included in my life schedule. I envied Adeline's mother and the way she loved her daughter, blew over the wounds her daughter got while playing with me, or Carlos's aunt who quietly placed a gift in his cartoon named Santa. Everyone around me was showered with what we call love but it was never me.

I sip the last drop of alcohol and throw it aside and stand turning back to see my mother's grave one last time. I crouch a little and whisper, "Don't worry, your child will accompany you tomorrow." I stumble upon a few stones and giggle as I go to the destination.

I flip the burner phone of Susanne and type to her favorite son-
Maxim- Visit your mother one last time, son.

The same text I copied from the early messages and the tracker helped me where Maxim went as I walk to the same place. My car acts like a camouflage behind the bushes. That's when I see him. My fingers curl tightly around the steering wheel as I glare at his loose posture.

Adeline looks behind and flinches back. I squint my eyes at her shuddering figure. "What happened? She startles but pulls her famous I-am-fine smile and I sigh. "I already told you, Ady. You shouldn't have come here with me just because I am here lonely."

She laughs lightly. "Oh come on. Nothing will ever happen to me." She then nears my ear and whispers. "After all, my friend is in the mafia, what will happen to this maid?"

Everything happened.

Starting from her falling for a commoner who lives a normal life to falling in captive with someone I always have my eyes on, Maxim Ivanov, the last to-do list in my life.

No one knew why Maxim was always in my eyesight neither does he but I know.

Rebecca looks warily when I place the bowl of cold water on the table and with a dry cloth rinse it well before putting it on her forehead. She holds my hand, halting my action. "Why are you doing this? Why don't you make your life easier by killing me?"

I speak coldly. "You're my mother."

She chuckles loudly. "Mother? Who wants a mother like me?"

"Unfortunately, me," I whisper.

She laughs but later coughs. "I need something from you."

I release a sigh. "What?"

"Kill me." My eyes widen as I look at her. Just when I am about to comment she interrupts, "So that you get enough sympathy to win the throne. Be a ruler, not a commoner. I happened to be one but ever you. Promise me, my daughter."

My heart melts but my brain filters me that the shadow of love and care are over, now nothing like that relates to such a person like me. "You will get your wish fulfilled."

"One more." I roll my eyes as I look at her.

"Kill the last Ivanov."

I squint my eyes in confusion. "They are only rivals to Dante."

Rebecca snorts. "Marcus was the one that married me long before the new one. But after the identification of three daughters of mine and the abnormal miscarriage, I flew from there to here only to be sold to Dante who thankfully didn't abort you. Marcus always felt like giving birth to a son is the only privilege he will receive from Lord but after me, he lost all belief and self-esteem. The reason I fled away wasn't because of the miscarriage he planted before but because of the several women he slept with only to reproduce an heir just like Dante. I too want to see the despair and pain in Marcus's eyes that I had a long time back." Her wrinkled fingers clutch mine in despair. "Pay me one last time, please. I beg you."

"I promise."

Puzzles after puzzles are attached and forms a huge picture of Maxim's existence. Several roles were performed to make him look like the actual villain he is. I made him look like one but the only story that is being performed is his demise made by the rape case of Adeline.

Rebecca knew the day I will be killing her was on my birthday. Dante was happy to remove a chip and Susanne was happy to be his whore. The peephole helped me a lot to identify people. That night it wasn't Rebecca who was talking to the gang to rape me, it was Amelia. I knew it, but because Rebecca was already termed as the villain in this story, why not make her more?

The only good thing she did was to help me succeed even after her death. I brought Aristide with me to dig out the person who was responsible for the underground agent policy; turns out I used the right instrument at right time.

While the world thought of me being a lover, I testified for being the manipulator.

I open the cap of the alcohol can and pour it on the five files that are related to my life and Maxim's. With a click of my zippo, I fire the tail of one file and throw it onto the others burning them and ending my story with them.

I bring out a rusted pipe and the years of hard work, the pressure, and the pleasure of watching Ivanov's downfall succeeded inside my veins. All he did was to fuel the fire by raping my best friend.

As he stands in front of me with his back showing his vulnerability, I strike.

"Nice to meet you, Caterina," I smirk, striking his knee as soon as he finishes the sentence.

"Never knew we will be this connected, Maxim. It makes me feel privileged to own you." I chuckle while watching him kneeling in front of me. "I like this pose, makes me want to dominate the fuck out of you."

He chuckles and with slight difficulty, he stands only to punch me in the lower abdomen. I stumble back making the pipe fall and chuckle. "Oh Umbria, this is going to be so much fun." He makes another punch to my already injured body but the constant use of promise rings in my brain.

"Caterina." My eyes widen and just when I am about to turn, a blow directly to my jaw gets me.

"Fucking cunt." I cuss.

Aristide appears and blows a punch at Maxim's face. I look around and find no one.

"How come you are here?" I cough a little while talking to Aristide who steadily punches Maxim as he doesn't back.

He doesn't listen to what I say and performs the task. "It's been long since we had our men chat, don't you think Maxim?"

Maxim chuckles. "I thought my goons would have killed you by now." His eyes soon get cold. "After all, my mother is killed by her."

Aristide chuckles lowly. "It was me who killed her."

Maxim grunts. "Fucking idiot." With that, he flips him off and soon blows miraculous punches at Aristide.

I struggle to get up and when I do, I run to the pipe and drag it to Maxim who somehow vibes my presence and gets saved from my hit. I do it again but land near Aristide's face. My heart is about to die by the force I used.

"My my my, looks like a lovely story is going to get dug."

I chuckle turning back and kicking at his injured leg only for him to fall again. "I never thought of you being connected so deeply with me, stepbrother." I mock him making him growl at me.

Just then Aristide stands and restricts Maxim from behind. He struggles in his hold. "Were you an idiot coming here all alone? What would have happened if I hadn't come here?"

I offer a rueful smile and with a knife slit Maxim's throat. A thin cut made for the air restrictions and nothing more.

"I know what you are thinking. You want the entire plot of Dante's land because you're his legitimate child but in front of the world, it's me, Maxim. It always will be." The hold gets loosened and he falls just like how Dante fell in front of me kneeling and begging for freedom. "Dante had the same position as you and I am glad that I get to choose both of the man's death. I am indeed lucky."

Whenever the gun is pointed at anyone, the sheer death always replicates the other but when the person who always knew death is the next call, he or she just closes their eyes and embraces it. All that is seen in Maxim's eyes, with his eyes set on me I pour the bullets heavily.

There was silence, a heavy silence enveloped in the stadium and then there are sudden footsteps, just when I turn to acknowledge the presence of the intruder, the person runs to Aristide and hugged him tightly.

The departure of Maxim's soul takes time and as it happens, he puts on a slow smirk. The act makes me stumble back and gives me a reality check. Maxim already knew everything, even that he will be dead before the stunt leaving me alone on this earth with nothing but sorrow.

↓
When I thought of creating Caterina, it was never my intention to make her a hero. No one can fix her, not even herself. If anyone can do is to accept her the way she is.
I made her a vile, manipulative, victimized person not to gain sympathy but to make others know that there are people who will never change, not even after they know what love is.

If you have anymore questions or want to follow for more content, do find me in Instagram (quite active with edits posting there) as @/ besmittenbyme)