Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 602 -

*Natalia*

It was raining that day and Eterna was quiet.

There were no headstones within Eterna, only rows and rows of monuments, reaching back far longer than any of us who stepped inside had been alive. I could only imagine how many souls had been laid to rest there.

The cobblestone roads led through the endless maze of monuments, each holding the last burial places of the many men and women who had been lost to the family.

My husband led the pallbearers, his white gloves clutching the brass holders on the right side of the dark casket. The men carried the casket respectfully, each man looking like a stone monument as they made their way through Eterna. The weight of the casket was nothing compared to the loss of the man who lay inside.

The rain fell coldly and quietly, like the hum of static as we all followed quietly and mournfully until the funeral procession stopped at a single mausoleum made of dark marble with four pillars and two simple steps. Flowers and shrubbery decorated the area around it, and there was a list of names inscribed on the double door that led inside.

At the very top, carved within the stone in immaculate cursive were the words, 'In Aeterna Requiescium.'

I held the black umbrella above me tightly, closing my eyes softly as I heard the stone doors being moved open. Only Tallon, as the head, and the rest of the bearers were allowed inside, and I spared one last look at my husband before the stone doors were closed behind him.

This was where Vinny would be laid to rest.

We stood in silence while the rain poured a requiem on the pavement.

"Vin is dead."

That was all Tallon had said when he first came home after it happened. Covered in blood and with a haunted look in his eyes, he mumbled those words again and again, even as I held him. Even in the days after, he was like a hollow shell. Vinny's death had affected us all, but Tallon had lost his best friend. His right hand was a man who had been with him for most of his life.

Losing Vinny was like losing a part of himself.

I hadn't known Vinny for long, but despite the pain I had caused, the trouble I had made due to my family, he had still been willing to accept me... to joke with me and laugh with me. He was an old soul, one who could lighten up anyone's day. His uncanny ability to make anyone feel at ease was unparalleled, and it was hard to believe that he was gone, that his bright light could be snuffed out so easily... and suddenly.

But maybe this was the fate of all those who chose this kind of life, a life of danger at every turn, where death and pain were always lurking around every corner. To get your hands dirty like that, one couldn't be afraid of the reaper hanging over their shoulders.

I wondered how many of the men and women buried here had died just as young as Vinny had, or perhaps even younger. I wondered whether any of them expected to end up here so soon, or, like Vinny, if their loyalty been greater than their survival instinct.

And there was a moment, listening to the raindrops hitting the pavement in a rhythmic song, that I could imagine being there just like this, standing all alone in a black dress... but with a different name carved on those doors. I shuddered in the cold, clutching the umbrella closer to me as I took in a shaky breath. Thoughts could be a powerful thing, and even just thinking of that potential future was too much to bear.

"Shh, honey. It'll be alright."

A voice filled with indescribable exhaustion and grief spoke up softly, yet loud enough for me to hear through the pattering of the rain. I glanced over at the two figures to my left who were slightly separated from the rest of us. It was a woman, dressed in a simple long-sleeve dress that came to knee-length and a wool sweater over top, with short black heels and stockings underneath. She made almost no impression... and I hadn't noticed her until just then. Her hair was pulled into a low bun, and a black hat with a short, netted veil did little to hide her features or grief-stricken emotions. There was a sense of discomfort in looking at her, and I didn't want to think about the pain that lurked beneath those eyes.

But what caught my attention more than the woman was the small, short figure tucked close at her side. Dressed in a black dress with her hair in pigtails on either side of her head and flat ballet shoes in the same color, was a little girl. She stood close to her mother, a blank look on her face as she loosely held her mother's hand, simply standing there vigilantly, staring with glassy orbs at the stone doors. There was no sign of emotion or thoughts on the girl's face, and that was more heartbreaking than her mother's tears.

I knew exactly who they were.

Tallon had told me Vinny's last words and had taken great care to track down his lover, Matilde, and apparently, their daughter. Vinny had never told us about a child.

They must've been so young when they had her, and Vinny's position had not been stable yet, which was probably why he had thought of hiding their existence, as cruel as it sounded. He probably thought it had been the best move at the time, though I could only imagine how the two had felt, being hidden from everyone else in Vinny's life.

But seeing her now, mourning for the love who had kept her so quiet that even his best friend had no idea she existed, I could only imagine what I would have felt if I had been in her shoes.

I wondered darkly how long it would be before I would lay my husband to rest here, in tears as a grieving widow just like her. The thought was unbearable.

I was jolted from my thoughts when the large stone doors of the mausoleum opened back up and out poured the pallbearers holding nothing in their hands anymore. With downcast looks, each of them was soaked from the rain and wearing stone-like expressions as they made their way to their respective families.

Alessandro walked by, not even noticing me as he fell into Mia's welcoming embrace. There was a sad smile on her face as he leaned on her despite being two heads taller than her. I could see his back shaking, but there was no sound besides the falling rain.

Tallon was the last one to exit the mausoleum, an empty look in his eyes as he stood at the doors for a while his back turned to me. I bit my bottom lip to keep it from wobbling, choking on my sadness and grief as I carefully and silently walked up the steps toward him.

I placed my hand on his back, intending to give him what little warmth and comfort I could, but he was cold. It was like I wasn't even there as he just stared emptily at the tomb. Eventually, though, he nodded to himself, his eyes sliding over to me, full of hopeless misery.

I grabbed his freezing cold hand, standing right beside him as I nodded.

"Close the doors." The hoarse whisper slipped out of his lips, but it was heard by all.

The nearby men did their duty, exchanging solemn glances as they carefully shut the stone doors and locked them.

The key, made of old discolored brass, was handed back to Tallon, who simply grabbed it, letting his hand fall limply beside him. I knew this was his responsibility as the Don of the Valentinos, but it felt too heavy, too cruel.

I could only imagine how many times Tallon had done this, laid to rest many of the men and women he had gotten to know, the people he cared for and respected... even the ones who had died because of me.

I held the umbrella up, being Tallon's support as I hooked my arm around his, gently pulling him from the mausoleum to where the crowd was dispersing. The funeral rites were over. Vinny had been laid to rest. But many had chosen to stay, to keep paying their respects even after what was required was done.

Matilde looked up at us as we approached, her mascara streaked from her tears, and quickly brushed her tears away as she said, "Oh, Mr. Valentine, uh... I'm sorry for you to see me like this-"

"You're Matilde, right?" I smiled kindly, gently reaching forward to offer one of my hands. "I'm Natalia. This is Tallon, your... Vinny's best friend."

"Uh, yeah." She sniffed, clutching her daughter close to her.

The little girl simply stared up at us with a quiet, reserved look.

"He talked about you often," Matilde said. "He didn't tell me everything but uh... he took care of us. He gave me and our daughter a nice house and made sure we had money. He... he wanted to keep us safe from all of this but-" She glanced at her daughter with worried eyes, then she looked back at me with a pleading look. I stiffened, glancing at little Caterina. She didn't know the truth about things, and probably didn't even know why or how her father died. "Matilde." Tallon spoke up, a steel glint to his eyes as he said very seriously, "You are part of this family too, so we'll make sure both you and your daughter are taken well care of, Matilde."

"Thank you." She let out a sob, holding a hand over her mouth as her tears flowed. "I don't know what we're going to do without him. I... he loved us, I know but-"

"But he left."

I stiffened, glancing at the soft voice that had spoken so quietly that I was sure I was the only one who had properly heard her. Caterina stared at the mausoleum with calm eyes.

"What was that, sweetie?" Her mother sniffed, utterly distraught, but Caterina simply glanced up at her, emotionless like a doll before she gave a small smile, clutching her mother's hand like she hadn't just said what she did. "Nothing, Mom," she said quietly.

Shaken, I glanced away from the little girl who felt nothing, laying a soft palm on my flat stomach.

It was a secret that Tallon and I had been trying to get pregnant. We didn't want to alert anyone before it happened. But now... if our child had to face a future just like this little girl, if our daughter had to be this detached about the death of her father to keep her mother from falling apart....

Or worse, if someone targeted our child just because of who their father was, and I lost them both....

I was in a daze as we said our goodbyes, heading back home. It wasn't until later that night when Tallon and I were cuddled up under the blankets, both of us awake with our thoughts but neither saying a word, that I finally got the courage to say what I wanted.

"I want out," I whispered to my husband quietly.

His body stiffened upon my words, even his breath pausing and for a heartbeat, the world was silent between us. Finally, he leaned over to press a kiss to my forehead, muttering softly, just one word. "Okay."