Submitting to My Best Friend's Dad by Scarlett Rossi
Chapter 658 -

*Caterina*

A lot of thoughts rushed through my mind when I closed my eyes and allowed the hot water from the bath to seep into my muscles.

The room was slightly steamy and smelled heavily of floral and vanilla. I wished I had lit a few candles just to enhance the soothing ambiance around me, but I was satisfied enough as it was.

I tried to replace and center my focus. I was tired of feeling upset and angry-and over the same nonsense, nonetheless. I was done with all the secret-keeping and being pushed aside whenever the opportunity arrived.

Elio's reasoning was based on my protection. I was sure he meant for his actions to make me feel secure and protected. But then why did they end up making me feel the exact opposite?

My mom's words bounced around my head like a broken record player.

"Ignorance is bliss."

'But where among all the ignorance am I supposed to feel safe?' I asked myself.

I lightly shook my head and I let out a long breath of bitter indifference. What use was letting this issue eat away at me when I knew that I needed to talk to Elio?

I know that my last few words to him weren't exactly the nicest. But a part of me strongly believed that they weren't enough to truly keep someone as persistent as him away. After speaking with my mom, I couldn't say that I felt any better. I'd openly expressed my disdain for being purposely kept out of the loop, whereas she welcomed it.

It still kind of baffled me how someone in her case was always willing to accept as little information as possible when it came to my dad's work life. Then again, it was not as though she was ever directly involved in any of it... well, not until quite recently, that is.

But since I was once with Junior, I felt as though I'd always been involved with the unspoken, shadowed life that Elio once came from.

An ugly sensation wavered within my stomach just thinking about my bastard ex-boyfriend. Maybe if I had known the truth sooner about my dad and the world he worked for, I would have been more skeptical of the man I then knew as Paul. Maybe it would have toughened my exterior if I'd been more exposed to it all. Maybe then I wouldn't have tolerated and endured all the cruelty and pain he'd put me through.

'Oh, who the hell are you kidding, Cat?' I hissed. 'You couldn't handle one night in Elio's world.'

And that was because it ended in a sea of flying bullets and gunshots.

But, as usual, I felt as though my inner voice was right. Whether or not I could handle the gruesome pressure that came with the untold dangers of the mafia, I wanted nothing to do with any of it in the long run.

But because of the personal attacks made on my family, I wasn't about to sit back and let it happen again. I wanted Junior and his father found. They needed to face the consequences of their actions. Regardless of how frightening it was, I needed to be a part of seeing it happen. For the sake of my dad's life and the attempt made on my mother, I was not going to tolerate being left in the dark.

My mom was right. I needed to talk to Elio about everything that I was feeling.

'Goddamnit. Well, so much for trying to relax.'

I sank lower into the tub, letting the steaming water work its magic into my shoulders and neck. I found my eyes drifting open from the sound of someone coming into the bathroom. The airy, flowery scent of the bath soap was suddenly accompanied by a deeper, masculine musk.

Elio's voice echoed off the walls, sending chills down my spine. "Caterina."

My heart jumped into my throat and I almost turned my head to look, but I refrained from moving even a single muscle.

I kept my head facing forward and heard Elio move around the bathtub to sit beside it.

"I'm glad you're home," I said firmly. "We need to talk."

I didn't have to look at him to know that he was staring at me with heavy intensity. Just from his mere presence, I could also tell that man had gone completely tense as well.

I knew that nothing good ever came from a conversation that started out with the phrase 'we need to talk.' But between my sharp tone and the loud sigh I heard Elio release, it was obvious that this issue between us needed to be dealt with. "Look, Cat. I just wanted to start this by saying that I'm—"

I instantly held my hand up and stopped him from speaking any further. I didn't want an apology. If this was his idea of fixing the problem, by apologizing and brushing over it completely, then I was not interested in speaking to him. "It's my turn to talk," I said.

Much to my surprise, Elio remained silent. I was almost half certain that he was going to at least try to gain some control back and explain his actions from earlier. Yet, he didn't. He simply nodded his head and gave me the floor to speak. I took in a deep breath and steadied my breathing.

"You, of all people, know that I've gone my entire life believing a lie," I started. "And when the unfortunate time came when I found out the truth about it all, I knew right in that moment that I never wanted to live in the dark again." All those months back when I first overheard the truth about my dad and what type of business he was really involved in, I was devastated, to say the least. I felt like my head was on the verge of splitting into two from all the excuses both he and my mother had been trying to feed me to keep me grounded.

I was so upset. And for a good while, I didn't want to believe in any of it. But the past could only stay buried for so long.

Finding out that someone who once worked under Elio's father was the one responsible for my dad's death was shocking enough. But to hear that the man was still walking around, free as a bird, was the piece of news that truly threw me over the edge.

I'd never thought in a thousand years that I'd be getting involved in such a dangerous business, only to replace out that I'd been knowingly involved since I moved away for school. Thanks to Junior and his fucked up mind games, I'd been just another game piece in Antonio's plan to hurt Elio's family.

"I feel like all anyone has ever done was purposely keep things from me. You claim again and again that it's for my own protection, but I don't see it as protection, Elio."

I watched his brows pull together in conflict. I could imagine the several dozens of responses that wanted to pass through his lips as a means of defending himself.

I gently shook my head. "This isn't going to be another argument," I told him. "I can't handle any more pain and aggravation. And ever since you decided to leave me here, that's all my mind has been able to process and deal with." His gorgeous eyes poured into me as though they were desperate to tell me something. Yet, Elio kept his mouth shut, not daring to interrupt my flow.

"You know how I feel when you purposely keep things from me. I hate it. Of all the worst feelings I've experienced in these past few months, this has to be one of the top-ranking ones. And just when I think we've come to some kind of understanding, it's like I'm brought all the way back to the beginning."

I took in another deep breath.

I hadn't anticipated feeling so heavy when I started to talk about all of this. Thinking about my father, as well as the last few months, made me feel like my lungs were filling with lead. At least I didn't feel any tears in my eyes. Although, I wasn't so sure if I was going to make it through this next part so easily.

"I know you think that you're protecting me by keeping me at a distance with these things, but the thing is, I don't want you to just protect me." I felt my cheeks begin to blush under his firm gaze. "I want to be there when things happen, when bits of news come in. I want to be there with you to face these issues too. We're supposed to face this nightmare together. I'm okay with you wanting to protect me, Elio, just as long as you're willing to let me be there to protect you as well." Did Elio need protecting? Probably not in the physical sense as much as in the mental sense. If there was one thing that I'd learned fairly quickly about this kind of business, it was that it took a real toll on one's mental health.

Back when my mother was still in the hospital, no matter how hard I tried, my mind always drifted back toward that horrible night with Alessandro facing off against Antonio and Junior. I'd lost count of the hours of sleep I lost and the number of nightmares that terrorized my nights.

This sort of life was not easily adaptable, and I worried for Elio's peace of mind probably just as much as he worried about my safety.

Elio's features softened in a gradual wave of gracious understanding.

The water in the bath had gone noticeably cold a few minutes ago. Without another word, I pulled the plug in the drain and slowly stood up to get out. Elio moved quickly to his feet and offered me his arm to hold onto.

I reached for a towel and patted myself dry before wrapping it around my body. I made my way over to the counter and picked up some moisturizer.

Elio spoke low in his throat. "I understand," he said as he came to stand beside me. "I know you hate secrets and being kept in the dark about things. I can't promise I'll be perfect about it, but I'll try. Going forward, I will try to keep you in the loop of what's going on."

I braced myself on the counter in front of me and turned to glance at him.

"Okay," I murmured quietly. "That's enough then."

The awful weight that hung over me for hours suddenly seemed like it was slowly lifting off. It may not have been the most promising answer, but I could tell that it was an honest one.

"Then maybe you can start now," I told him. "What happened today?"

Elio scratched the back of his neck and tilted his head.

"Recently, our team managed to get a hold of a guy that works under Antonio," he explained. "We've been questioning him for a while, barely getting much out of him about where his boss and bastard son ran off to." My breath hitched inside my chest while I nodded my head.

"Well, today, I got a call from Leo, who informed me that our one and only lead managed to escape the warehouse we had him in. But we were able to track him down, and they have him in a more secure location this time." "Have you gotten any real info out of him yet?" I asked with a hint of trepidation.

"Not yet. But I've got this feeling that he'll talk soon enough." Elio slid a strong arm around my waist and pulled me back into his chest. "We'll do whatever it takes to replace Antonio and Junior."

I let myself lean back into him and embraced the wonderful, much-needed feeling of his warmth and security.

"If anyone can do it, it's you," I hummed.

Elio smiled and bent down to press a kiss to my head. The corners of my mouth started to slowly curve upward, and an old giddy feeling of excitement fluttered in my stomach. "What?" he chuckled.

My smile deepened. "We need to tell our families that we're moving in together now."