Liviana wasn’t an angry person.She was a woman all about peace. She believed in that saying ‘treat people the way you want to be treated’, and though she never actually received the kindness she gave back, she continued to give it out like candy on Halloween, passing out handfuls to each person who entered her life, if even for a moment. And though she had tried to do this with Blaze, offering him all she could - all she had - it wasn’t enough. Blaze never had much of a sweet tooth, and though she wished it was the case, Livi was no exception.It was a painful life to live, being married to a man who punished her for her mere existence when she had always dreamt of the husband she would one day have, who was supposed to love and accept her for herself- understand her in a way that no one else did. Liviana wanted a soulmate, someone who bettered her and helped her heal, not a man who looked at her broken pieces and sharpened them into weapons. And that was exactly what Blaze was doing
Liviana was a liar.She was a good liar- she lied for good reasons; for safety and peace of mind. Fibs is what she called them, minimizing the act of deception by telling herself that it wasn't with any ill intent. She wasn't a horrible person or untrustworthy- she was smart. She was careful. And she only did what was necessary for her survival. She told little white lies, which, in comparison to the lies her parents told- waving them like a red flag as they dared the world to call them out, was nothing. Compared to the rest of her family, Liviana Castelli was a saint.It was something she often had to remind herself of, as anytime she did something even slightly immoral she began to spiral, panicking as she wondered if, one day, she would turn into the very thing she fears- the person she always said she wouldn't become. Someone like her parents. Someone who lied for the simple pleasure of deception instead of doing it out of desperation.That's what Liviana was. Desperate. She was d
Blaze Castelli was a mess.He, himself, wasn’t a mess- in fact, he was always well put together. Organized and dapper, he was clean. He didn’t appear a mess on the outside, but inside... it was as though a tornado had ripped through his soul, releasing the heart he had spent years trying to forget and allowing the feelings he buried to roam free within him, pumping through his veins and fueling him with a strange flutter in his stomach.He wasn’t sure what this feeling was exactly. He was never good with emotions- expressing and at some point, he even had some trouble identifying his emotions, as well as other peoples. It wasn’t as though he couldn’t feel them, he just couldn’t explain which he was feeling. If he was angry, he couldn’t tell anyone he was angry- he would never put it into words or acknowledge the way he felt at all. Instead, he would act out. His anger would take hold of him tightly and walk him about as he threw tantrums wherever they went. He was a constant storm of
Liviana loved the Castelli's.She adored them. They were her family- in-laws, but family, nonetheless. And she loved them.In the months she's been with them, since becoming a part of their family, she had learnt what family really means. And compared to the definition she had before- the standards she previously held for family... It was strange. It was sad.Before she had met the Castelli's, Liviana believed in doing anything for your family, as in you would sacrifice yourself for them over and over again. She was taught that, for family, you should be as selfless as possible. You give up your happiness, your hope, your time and energy, your passion, and you give it all to them- the people you share your DNA with. Because they were your family, and for family, you should do anything, right? Anything that benefited them, too. Because a real family helps each other. A real family puts their family first.At least, that's what her parents said, and of course, she obliged. She put hersel
"Liviana!"The girl in question couldn't help but smile at the sound of her voice, turning to greet her darling mother-in-law with a grin. "Elara!" She sings, quick to tuck herself into the older woman's embrace."How are you, my dear?" Elara wonders, stroking Liviana's dark hair as she holds her, pulling back to get a better look at her. "Are you doing well?" She asks, voice going quiet as she assures her that she could tell her."I'm doing fine," Liviana tells, smile dimming to nothing more than a soft curve of her lips. She had been fine- she had no reason to be anything other than okay. And yet, the words felt like a lie. Still, she swore she was. "I promise," she adds, prompted by the woman's prying gaze.Elara nods, accepting her answer and pulling her in once more. "Oh, it's been so long, dear. We need to catch up!" She insists, patting her hand gently against Livi's back, eyes lighting up once more when the door opens behind her, her son making way inside. "My boy!"Liviana sm
“Don’t panic-““Don’t panic?!” Liviana repeats in a hiss, asking if he was joking. “Do you not see me? Already panicking?” She asks, pointing to herself in a show of how ridiculous of a thing he had just said to her. “It’s a little too late for that, don’t you think?!”“Relax,” Blaze hisses back, telling her to take a breath. “You don’t know why they’re here,” he points. “They could just be here to arrange that dinner they were talking about, or to visit, or they’re looking for you- you just don’t know. You can’t panic until we know something’s wrong.”“Them even being here is wrong!” She argues, and she makes a point Blaze can’t exactly argue with because it was true.“You’re right,” he admits. “They shouldn’t be here. But they are.”“Exactly!” She shouts. “It’s wrong. Therefore, something is wrong and I should panic, because something is wrong!”“So we handle it,” he grits, his patience thinning with his own panic as he tells her she needed to pull herself together. “We don’t panic.
For as long as she could remember, Liviana had always had a complicated relationship with her parents. The Santora’s, in general, were a very complicated family full of complex dynamics, as their family was tattered with years of abuse and generational trauma. They were an enigma that not even they could figure out.Ben, as the oldest, was automatically his parents’ favorite. He was their first heir and the next king of the Santora business. And though Drusilla and Alonzo absolutely adored him for those mere factors, they could never show it. Instead, they showed their affection through work, whipping him up into a fine young leader, and turning him into the best man they could ever help him be. It was too bad he never got the chance to be anything more.Tino was the difficult child, often left to his own devices, and his parents’ neglect was their love. They didn’t pay him mind and so he often missed out on all the abuse tactics his siblings faced. Up until his big brother died, at l
The door is pulled open and Liviana, before she could call herself prepared, finds herself face to face with Drusilla, who scoffs.“Finally!” The mother exclaims, taking hold of her daughter’s wrist and yanking her into the kitchen.“Oh-“ Liviana gasps as she’s pulled inside, nearly falling over herself as she’s pushed toward her father, feeling Drusilla’s hands delivering a shove to her shoulder.“What on earth took you so long?” Drusilla complains, cutting Liviana off before she could so much as speak, deciding that it didn’t matter. “Never mind. It doesn’t matter. The important thing here, the one that we need to talk about, is this arrest.”This is when Blaze takes his cue, coughing as he steps into the kitchen. “That won’t be necessary,” he tells, and all heads turn to him.Drusilla grits. “What?”“The arrest has been handled,” he shrugs it off.“Handled?” The woman echoes, watching as he nods. “Handled how, exactly?”“What does it matter?” He asks. “So long as it’s handled, the