Diego's room was a lot cleaner than I expected. I had imagined messy clothes lying around, rockstar posters plastered on the walls and maybe a few mice running around.

But surprisingly enough, Diego's room was the cleanest in the whole mansion. Not a speck out of place. He didn't have any weird posters plastered on the wall neither were there any mice.

He had a frown on his face, his forehead sweating as he slept. Was he having a bad dream? Just as I went to wake him up, a glint of silver attracted my attention.

Upon careful observation, I realized it was a revolver.

Diego sleeps with a gun hidden under his pillow. Talk about a psychopath.

Or maybe it's for protection. I noticed there was a small locket right next to it. I have seen Diego wearing it ever since he arrived. But the thing is it was a girl's locket.

I carefully put my hand under his pillow to take out the locket. But before I could pull it out I was roughly thrown to the ground.

Diego sat over me, his eyes bloodshot as he twisted my left arm, the one still holding the locket.

"Ow!" I yelped in pain. He was really going to break my arm at this rate.

He seemed to realize what was happening for his eyes widened as saucers, he quickly got up from me, freeing my hand in the process.
"Lili, oh my god, I'm so sorry."

"Fuck, its red. Does it hurt a lot?" He asked, massaging my arm. "Why didn't you knock?"

"I'm so sorry, Lili," He looked like he will cry anytime now. "I'm still not accustomed to living out of the warzone. You never know what to expect there and I thought you were sent from the enemy to kill me and I reacted and twisted your arm and I'm so sorry."

He explained not giving me even an opportunity to speak. I wasn't angry at him for twisting my hand. It was a common reaction and I should have knocked. He probably still has PTSD from his time in war.

"It doesn't hurt." I lied, snatching my arm from his hold.

"I'm sorry. I swear I would never hurt you in my right mind." He repeated. Why was he so desperate to explain?

"Yeah, sure. You wouldn't hurt me in your right mind." I scoffed. So he hasn't been in his right mind for the last 26 years?

Diego got the hint but didn't comment on it. Instead, he passed me the locket I was aiming for before he rudely assaulted me, albeit, for self-defence. "You wanted to see it?"

I took it from his hand because I really wanted to inspect it. The locket was oval-shaped with intricate vines designed on it. The colour was coming off a little, meaning it's really old.

There was a name inscribed on the back.

Freya White.

I opened the locket and found two pictures.

The first picture was of a girl. Her raven hair was tied in two braids, a grin adorning her face.

I have seen many beautiful girls in my life. But no one even came close to the girl in the photo I'm holding. Can people really be this pretty?

Was it his crush?

I cancelled it out from my guess when I saw the second photo on the right side of the locket.

It was Diego kissing the girl. The pure happiness displayed on his face made me smile a little.

Was it his girlfriend?

"Who is she?" I asked directly. Diego never mentioned her so maybe they already broke up?

"My wife."

What the actual hell?

Diego was married and no one cared to ever mention that?

"You are married?" I asked, baffled.

"Yes."

"And no one ever cared to mention that to me?" I mean I get it, you couldn't invite me but a heads up would be nice.

"They don't know. Well, Stephen knows." Diego said. "It was unofficial."

"So, you are not married?" I confirmed.

"I am married. We just didn't do the official paperwork."

"Oh," I still didn't fully understand. "When did you get married?"

"June." He smiled faintly. "That's our wedding photo." He pointed to the photo in the locket.

Upon closer inspection, they were indeed standing before a church.

So, he got married five months ago? Honestly, I couldn't imagine Diego as a married man. He's always so careless and irresponsible, marriage doesn't seem like his thing.

"Why are you in your uniforms?" I asked, curious to know the story behind it.

"With a war raging on the borders, we didn't have the time or the luxury to go dress shopping." Diego laughed. "Freya wanted to hold a proper ceremony after we would come back."

"I'm surprised someone in their right mind would choose to marry you. Willingly." I joked. Diego was a good person. He could easily be the most caring and warmest person you will ever know.

Just not to me.

"I told her about you. She really wanted to meet you." He took the locket back from me. "I think you would like her."

Why was he talking about her in past tense?

"Where is she?" I asked when realization seeped in.

"Dead."

Okay.

That got dark real quick.

"Uh-I am sorry," I said not knowing how else to react. I never had to console someone who lost somebody close to them.

"Don't be. Its not your fault." He stated.

"After I lost her, all I could see was darkness. Imagining my life without her wasn't something I could do." He shared. "All I wanted was to die with her. Do you know why I didn't?"

"Why?"

"Because I had promised someone special that I would be back to save her." He responded.

"You are too late for that."

"Am I, really?"

"Stephen asked me to call you for dinner. We are already late." I told him the real reason for my visit.

"Tell him I'll be skipping dinner." He lied down in his bed to go back to sleep.

And I did all that for nothing?

... ... ...

Diego changed his mind at the last moment and joined us for dinner. I was glad my efforts weren't a complete waste. I didn't want him to sleep on an empty stomach.

"Aylin," Stephen called.

Can't he just wait for dinner to end?

"Yes?" I reluctantly looked up from my plate. Ezra had cooked lasagna today and I was loving it.

"Do you have something to tell me?"

Was he still going on about it?

"No, Stephen."

"Did something special happen in school?"

"No."

"Eve tells me there's a function this week." Stephen raised a brow. "Aren't you going to invite me to it?"

"And why would I do that?" I asked, confused.

"Because we want to see your performance, buttercup." Ezra joined in with a smile.

"I'm not performing."

"I heard you are hosting the whole program." Stephen rebuked.

"Well, you already seem to know everything. Why bother asking me, then?"

"Because," Stephen responded, patiently, "We need the invitation card to enter."

"Eveline got one. Take hers."

"I want to go as your guardian."

What was his problem today?

"I already threw mine."

"Ask them for a new one tomorrow," he ordered.

"I think I'll pass," I answered. "I don't want you there."

Stephen's eyes filled with hurt at my words. He didn't ask me for an invite after that.

"Lili, you can invite me instead." Diego offered.

"And why would she do that?" Stephen finally diverted his attention from me to Diego.

"Of course, because I'm more handsome than you."

"I beg to differ," Stephen rebutted. "Besides it's a school function, not a beauty pageant."

"So you accept I would be the better option if it was a beauty pageant?" Diego smirked.

"I lose brain cells every time I talk with the likes of you."

"Don't worry about that. You can't lose what you don't have in the first place."

They continued their banter throughout the whole dinner.

After dinner, it was my turn to wash the dishes. I didn't mind until Diego volunteered to help.

"I can do it alone," I told him.

"I insist."

I knew he would just add more work. But I couldn't exactly deny him after he told me how tragically he lost his wife. I just hoped the sympathy would be gone by tomorrow morning.

"Lili," Diego called in the middle of drying the plates with a washcloth.

"What?"

"About Stephen." Diego started. "He is trying his best. But he's human too, you know. And sometimes he makes mistakes and stumbles in the way but he really does love you."

"You might not believe it, but he loves you the most. Even more than Kai."

You are right. I don't believe you.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked, confused about what he was aiming for.

"Give him the invitation to your program. It will really make him happy." Diego advised.

"I already told you, I threw it."

"I know you are still mad about the function in your kindergarten." Diego sighed despondently. "But you should try and put yourself in his shoes, too."

"That was ages ago. I don't even remember it." I lied. Diego had hit bullseye. But I refused to accept I was being petty for still holding that against my brothers. They deserved it.

"Lili, Stephen was only 11 when he had to assume the responsibility of six younger siblings. I wasn't much help either. If anything I added more to his plate."

At least, he was self-conscious.

"Dad was going mad after losing Mom. I was going through my rebellious phase. Ezra was depressed. Kai wouldn't talk about his issues. And Noah was just child a who still needed his mother."

"Besides looking after all of us he had to take care of you and Eve. He didn't even have time to grieve for himself."

"As he grew older, it got harder. He had to manage the company besides preparing for College. I am surprised he didn't go insane from all that pressure. So, forgive him if he was a little busy attending his sister's kindergarten program after having to deal with all that."

I never really thought of it that way.

I had hated Stephen for a long time for not playing with me and not giving me attention. He would always claim to be busy. But it never really occurred to me that maybe he was busy.

"But he managed to make time for Eveline's piano performance," I said, bitterly. 9 years of pent-up hatred doesn't just disappear like that.

"Was it wrong of me to ask for the same? Was it wrong that I wanted to look at the audience to find my older brother sitting there, cheering for me?" I asked with tears streaming down my eyes.

"No, it wasn't wrong." Diego gently wiped my tears. "Please, don't cry. It hurts to see tears in your eyes."

"Oh?" I scoffed in disbelief. "Wasn't that your favourite pastime? To make me cry."

"I have changed, Lili." He said, looking at me tenderly.

"Monsters don't change, Diego."

He looked taken aback that I would compare him with a monster. But isn't that exactly what he is?

"But do you know when a monster is not a monster?" He asked, softly.

I raised a brow at his question.

"When you love it." He answered. "And I'll make you love me again. That's a promise."

"You're delusional if you really believe it." I scoffed.

"Am I though?" He laughed it off.

"Think about what I said, Lili."

"Stop calling me Lili."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't like it," I said, frustrated. How many times more do I have to scream it for him to understand?

"Did you know I named you?" He asked. "So I've every right to call you by that name."

"You're lying." I narrowed my eyes, not believing him.

"Ask Stephen if you don't believe me. You can ask Kai or Ezra, too." He said before striding out of the kitchen.

____

Did you expect Diego to be married?

It's not a competition. But who do you think loves Aylin more? Kai or Stephen?