Demi Lovato - Heart by Heart

No one else's arms can lift

Lift me up so high

Your love lifts me out of time

And you know my heart by heart

" Mother , Dad . What are you doing here..??" I ask in confusion .

"Is that how you treat your..." She said placing a palm on her chest , feigning shock that I spoke to her like this. But My father squeezed her other palm to stop her ,that was subtle ,not for my eyes to notice, but I did. Never have I ever seen him do that . Usually he joins in ,whether it is to demean me or to add fuel to the fire my mom or Jessica has started . Interesting and Scary...

" Darling , We came here to take you home. We don't want you to be alone in this time ." She said . Darling...??? Where the hell is Jennifer,she would have enjoyed this too much . I was so engrossed in making imaginary scenarios , I lost the weight of what she had said .

" You don't know , Do you " dad asked.

" Wait.. What.. What is going on . Come inside and we'll talk. " I say opening the door for them.

" As If We're ever gonna set foot in this slum..." Mother muttered , eyeing the door frame like it had been covered in contagious mold .

"Marion , will you shut up and let me talk ." His voice boomed in the empty night . It scared me ,making me flinch so bad ,I took a step back . My mother is barely containing her anger, her body is shaking from rage she is holding inside. The fact she is not lashing out is terrifying me . I wanna go to Axel and hide in his arms .He can save me. He will always save me . But first, I have to get out of this situation on my own.

Tears are brimming in eyes ,but I don't blink, trying to control my tears. There is a lump in my throat , but I still manage somehow to let out "Can We talk tomorrow , It's late and I have to wake up early......."

" No you're not going in there . You're coming with us and talk to the media ." Media... What the heck is going on.

"Talk to the media .! About what .? I'm not following ." I say. My brows are puckered in confusion . I just want to push past them and run to Jennifer's house.

This time, it was mother who spoke "Watch the news channel for a change , you airhead. Your darling husband is all over .He has managed to be in the breaking news ,for his shady deals . That moron didn't even have the wits to cover it up properly . So we're gonna have a press conference, Where you will tell them that you're leaving him and Bell corp. has nothing to do with the Knight's anymore . We have to do it fast before we loose more shares. Now lets go ." She screeched and tried to grab my hand .

" Are you out of your mind ..." I snatch my hand away from her grip and take a step forward ,coming face to face with my mother "... Axel is in trouble and instead of supporting him , You want me to leave him ." I yelped . My mind is racing ,thinking of a million things .

" Think about it ,Arianna . Axel could go to jail . Do you really want that . It will affect your business too. You've everything planned for future, this could jeopardize it. " He said in a calm voice . But his hands are visibly shaking .

" So this is how it is gonna go . A good cop bad cop strategy . I am not leaving my husband . He needs me and I'll stand by him . For better or worse." I say as calmly as possible . Something shifted in my father's eyes , he knows it's a lost battle . He knows he can't convince me ,so he'll just show his true colors now . But I know whatever that is gonna come out of his mouth is not going to put me in a stupor.

" You're just like her , a weak woman . So sick in love . You will destroy my business just so you could find your so called happily ever after . You bitch .! I will destroy you ,forget about owning this bloody restaurant . This place is a shamble and always will be . I will burn this place down and all the memories of that whore..." He was screaming so loud . I'm sure even Jennifer could hear it from her house. My hands prickled to cover my ears , but when he took my mother's name ,I lost it .

" How dare you talk about my mother like that ... " I say hitting his chest, hard. "She was a strong woman , And so am I . I'm going to stand by my husband's side . No one can stop me from doing that . I'll prove my husband's innocence and don't even think about touching this cafe , It was built on a foundation of love and compassion .Men like you shouldn't even be allowed to set foot in here . Now get lost before I call cops." I screamed on top of my lungs too . I hit his chest one last time . They left without saying another word . I know their silence is more perilous but I just want them to leave .

I stand in the same place for a few seconds or maybe longer . But then I heard a soft footstep on my left thinking that It must be mother, to talk more shit about my birth mother. After all ,she was quiet the whole time. She no doubt has something more menacing going on in her mind. She is not the one to raise her hand on someone it is too low standard . She plays mind games, that's her forte.

But then I am met with another surprise, A very pleasant one . Axel is standing there , His tie is not around his neck , his sleeves are not perfectly rolled , His hair is sticking in every direction and his eyes are sad and tired .

Without thinking I stepped down the stairs threw my self at him . My arms wrap around his shoulder , my face is buried on a crook of his neck , I can only see the material of his dark shirt now .I breathe him in , immediately feeling a little less anguished. I jump up and hook my legs around his waist . He took me inside ,and I'm still clinging to him like a monkey .I don't want to leave his warmth.I don't want to leave him . We both need each other. His kisses and hugs are like a drug ,strong , healing and addictive.

He removed his shoes with his legs and took me to bed which is small for two people . But with me still clinging to him it is enough for both of us . If this is how future is gonna be then I'm okay with it . All I need is love to survive in this cruel world. My father was right , I'm just like my mother , BRIANNA.

☆★☆★☆

The next day, I woke up before him . I was still in the similar position as last night . But now I feel so ashamed of myself , I had put myself before him . I was engrossed in my own sorrow , I didn't even ask him anything . How is he doing , does he need anything or more so ' What happened ' .

I only have basics in my small kitchen , So I went down to my cafe to prepare a breakfast for him. Jennifer was there sitting in a chair looking disheveled . Clint ,our other staff was nowhere to be seen .

" Hey Jenny , Where's Clint.?" I ask putting flour in the bowl.

" Arianna , I don't think we should open today . Media might come outside ." I just nod and concentrate on the breakfast .

" You don't know , Do you " She said quietly ,she knows me too well.

" I don't .We were both too tired for that . My parents came to take me with them ... " I trailed off , because she also knows them too well .

" I can imagine how that went. And I won't tell you anything , It's Axel's story . But Ranveer and I are with you ,okay . He came last night . We both came here and saw his car parked outside, all lights were out. So we went back home , He left early in the morning . He's talking to his parents . We'll go through this together ." She said ,helping me with the food.

☆★☆★☆

When I reached to my place with the breakfast tray. Axel was awake, his hair was wet. He has taken a shower but because he doesn't have anything in here ,he was wearing the same clothes . They were crumbled . Adding more misery to his already broken state. My heart went out for him.

" I made breakfast ." I say ,trying to smile .

He took the tray from me . After playing with a fork a few times, he pulled me into his lap. He rested his head on my chest and spoke, " There is a investigation going on . They're accusing me for some shady deals with the Chinese and embezzling from the company. So they froze my accounts and sealed our house too . Yesterday ,When Liam called me ,police was already there to question me .... "

Yesterday

When the interrogations were over , for the day . I noticed the time . It's late, I am supposed to be home with Arianna . Officers told me that I can't go back to my house or use my cards . I understand the cards since they will freeze my bank account and take my passport but my house . It's under my father's name , he gave it to me on my birthday . I again don't question , Because I already know the answer . I have to get to Arianna , wherever she is, it's home for me .

Outside the police station media was camping out . I somehow mange to drive back to Arianna . She does not know me for that long and I want her to believe I am innocent . I think of ways to convince her speeding off to her place .

Upon reaching there, I see her parents going to her place .Her mother looks like she is going to puke any minute. That woman is vile ,the place from outside is a bit dark indeed but Her mother is looking around like it's a dump .

As much as I loath them , they are Arianna's parents and If they want to support her in this difficult time I won't stop them. I park my car and sit on steps of the cafe . But after hearing them spit venom , I am afraid for the first time today . Of course they want to cut ties . What If they convince her too . I can survive brutal interrogations repeating the same thing again and again . But not this , I want her , I need her .

I didn't mean to eavesdrop but when they started their screaming match . It was impossible not to overhear . Arianna is not going to leave me , She is gonna stand by my side . She doesn't even need to hear my side of the story . She believes me . I removed my tie trying to breath in , it's difficult to process this knowledge .My eyes stung as tears of relief ached to come out .

But again ,my happiness didn't last long . When I heard her father call her a bitch , that's it , I decide . I start walking toward them but I halted in my step when I heard her say that . Her mother ... I didn't know that . This is her story ,she will tell me about her mother when she is ready .

Her parents stormed out ,their footsteps thundered in the empty space . Her father's face is red . But her mother's face is polar opposite ,she is calm like she has found a solution to all the problems .

That's it . My girl needs me . I will support her like she did me . I couldn't approach the stairs ,when I saw the look of despair on her face .How am I going to console her , tell her that I heard her secret when I was hiding like a coward . Or tell her how deep I am in this swamp my brother made for me and how easily I stepped into it.

When she hugged me . All the worries vanished . I want her and all the problems will resolve . I take her inside in my arms, holding her securely .

Present

I tell everything ,how I suspect Liam did this and how I am going to come out of the mess with the help of good lawyers . Everything but the fact that I heard her conversation with her parents .

" Ranveer is coming here . He came last night too . We will work things out . Together " She said stroking my face ,feeling the stubble . I think she likes this look on me .

" Together ." I repeat. Sealing the deal with a hard kiss .

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