Justin POV

I dialled her number finally. I'm seriously not gonna accept that it took me 57 minutes of pacing around my room, running my hands through my hair, and debating a hundred different excuses before I pressed 'call'. I mean yeah some decisions take time, not a big thing.

The phone rang. Once. Twice. My pulse quickened with each vibration against my ear. I hope she's not busy. I hope she picks up.

I wish to meet her in-person to tell her about everything.

Yes. Everything. About yesterday's incident. About my dad. About me being the son of the most dangerous mafia syndicate in America.

I'd thought about it a lot the last night, lying awake while the ceiling felt like it was pressing down on me. I think I cannot keep this a secret from her. I love her. And she deserves to know everything about me. I don't know if she has the same feelings as mine, but my intuition screams that I should tell her about myself. My REAL life. My family background...

For now, I wouldn't want the girls to know about it, yet. And I trust Lia enough to be assured that she won't tell this to them. For sure, when the right time comes, the girls will know it too. Just not for now...

The ringing cut off. My stomach dropped. Missed call.

Her call went answered. Is she busy? With studies? But exams were over long ago... Oh yeah, tomorrow's the trip. Maybe busy in packing and stuff. Yeah, yeah. That's probably it.

I decided to go back to cooking. The boys are sprawled lazily in the living room sofa, looking like they'd fused into the cushions. So it's obvious that today's lunch is on me. Again.

I tossed my phone on the night stand with a sigh and turned to leave. But just then, my phone rang.

Lia.

She called back. Within a minute.

I grabbed the phone instantly, almost fumbling it in my rush. My lips parted to say "hello," but before I could-

"Justin?"

She already called my name. And god, her voice. She doesn't even realize what her voice does to me It's not just sweet... it's like the kind of melody that lingers long after the song ends. A softness that settles in your chest and makes everything feel lighter. It's the only sound that feels like home... like the one place I'll never stop running back to.

"Justin, are you there? Can you hear me?"

She spoke again, louder this time. Damn it, I'd been lost in the sound of her, obsessing like a fool.

"Yes, Lia. I can hear you." My voice steadied, though inside, my nerves tangled. "Are you free right now to talk?"

I asked, keeping my tone natural and neutral.

"Yes, Justin. We can speak."

"Uhh okay so, can we talk in-person... only if you're okay with it..."

"Yeah, sure. Let's meet at the park behind your society."

Her answer came so effortlessly, but to me, it felt like the weight of the world had shifted.

Amelia POV

We are meeting. Not talking on the phone. My chest tightened a little at the thought. If he wanted to talk about yesterday's incident in person, then it had to be serious. Serious enough to take me out of the safety of words over a call. I have no idea right now.

I just told him to meet me at the park. I need some fresh air. The atmosphere there always carried a sense of calm, and for a conversation like this... it would be perfect.

I have already reached at the park entrance, heart drumming with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness. That's when I saw him. From a distance. He was walking toward me, his steps steady but his expression unreadable. Somehow, I knew he'd spotted me long before I noticed him.

"Hey, what's up?", his half-cheerful voice reached me before himself.

"All good. And how about you?", I tried matching his tone, keeping it light, casual, even though a dozen questions burned on the tip of my tongue.

"Yeah just good-going," he replied, giving a small nod.

We started walking around the park. Engaging in light playful conversations. We joked about little things-the lazy boys sprawled back at his house, the girls at our dorm panicking about the packing, the weather, random bits of nothing.

His laugh came easy, mine followed, and for a moment, it felt like we were just two friends strolling through a park on an ordinary evening.

Children were playing in the corner, their giggles floating in the air. A breeze carried the faint smell of roasted corn from a street vendor nearby. The sun was dipping low, spilling colors across the sky.

The atmosphere was all chill and relaxed, and so were our conversations. I did not try to bring up yesterday's incident. Maybe Justin wouldn't want to talk about it, yet. Hence I didn't force it. I'd wait-for as long as it took.

Because whatever it was, I could feel it in the air between us-something heavier, deeper-lurking just beneath his casual words.

Author POV

The park was dressed in the hues of dusk, where the sky bled into shades of gold, crimson, and violet-like a painting smeared with emotions too heavy to hold. The air was cool, carrying the faint rustle of leaves and the soft chatter of distant strangers, but to Justin, it all felt muted. Every laugh, every cricket's chirp, every gentle brush of wind against his skin reminded him of the storm brewing inside his chest.

The world outside seemed calm, yet in him, there was only tension. His mind replayed everything-his father's shadowed legacy, the blood-stained truth of being born into the American mafia syndicate, and the chaos of yesterday's attack at the mall and not to forget - revealing all of these to Lia. A normal evening for the world, but for Justin, this twilight was the edge of revelation.

The park lights flickered on, one by one, glowing like tiny confessions in the darkening sky. He clenched his fists once, then loosened them, as though trying to convince himself that tonight, he couldn't keep the walls up any longer. Amelia's presence-her trust, her gentleness-deserved the truth. But even in this serene setting, the weight of his past turned every soft breeze into a reminder of danger, every shadow into a warning.

The silence between them stretched, filled only by the soft hum of the evening wind and the rustle of leaves above. Justin sat there, his jaw tight, eyes fixed on the dimming horizon as though the words he was about to speak could only be trusted to the dying light.

"Lia, I never told you..." his voice was low, hoarse, like every syllable dragged the weight of years with it. "My father... he wasn't just some businessman who died early. He was a part of the leading American mafia syndicate. One of their pillars. And when he died... it wasn't peace that followed-it was everything he left behind. His enemies. His name. And me."

The truth slipped out like shattered glass, sharp and unrelenting. Amelia's breath hitched, her eyes widening, but she stayed still, watching him, as though any interruption would only break him further.

Justin exhaled, running a hand through his hair, the confession dragging him deeper. "I've spent my life pretending I was free of it, that I could be someone different. But yesterday... at the mall... those gunshots weren't random. That chaos wasn't just fate." His voice trembled for a second, the memory flashing raw in his mind. "They weren't after anyone else, Lia. They were after me."

Amelia's fingers curled on her lap, her pulse racing, but her lips stayed sealed. She listened-her silence a fragile thread holding his unraveling together. Her eyes carried the storm of disbelief and fear, yet also the quiet strength of someone who cared too deeply to abandon him mid-truth.

Justin finally turned to her, his gaze heavy, almost afraid. "I didn't want you to know. I wanted you to see me as just... Justin. But this-my past, my blood, my father's sins-they'll never stop following me. And if you're with me... they'll follow you too."

The air between them thickened, almost unbreathable. The park around them carried its evening calm-children's laughter in the distance, the swing chains creaking softly, street lamps glowing to life-but between Justin and Amelia, it was a different world. A truth shared, a heart trembling, and a silence louder than any storm.

To reveal your past to someone is the bravest act of trust. This chapter marks the start of Justin finally letting Amelia in. Also the kind where the world stays calm but inside, everything changes. Truth has a way of weighing on us until it finally bursts out, raw and unpolished. Writing Justin's revelation was like walking through that weight with him.

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