Page 117 of XOXO

“We can’t let him take her,” I said, pushing Ru out of the way.

“Lee,” Matteo said sternly. “If she stays⁠—”

“He’s bluffing,” I said, interrupting him. “I don’t believe she was going to marry him. Something is wrong.”

The front door slammed shut just as I was about to run after her, Ru grabbed my hand.

“Levi,” he said softly. “If he releases those pictures, it’s⁠—”

“It’s what?” I snapped, seeing Ru’s resolve. “We can deal with the pictures. It’s an invasion of privacy and⁠—”

“They are going to hurt Ru,” Matteo sighed. “He would be in PR hell.”

“For loving a woman with his best friends?” I laughed darkly, hoping they knew how dumb that sounded.

“Hearing I shared a girl with my best friends is a fucking field day for them,” Ru snapped. “I’m just coming back, and if this gets out and they confirm it is me, no one will want to hire me.”

“You don’t know that,” I said, walking away, tired of them not wanting to fight for her.

“And what happens when they out all of us?” Matteo said, making me stop.

No one wanted to be out like this. Ru found out he was bisexual when he was young, like me, keeping it under wraps because Korea still had dated views on sexuality.

“Ru and I aren’t out to the world yet, and I think we deserve to do that in our own time,” he said, walking up to me.

“So, she’s the sacrifice for that?” I snapped bitterly. “Letting her marry that asshole is ok with you guys as long as⁠—”

“Levi,” Matteo snapped. “You would let us be outed and Ru to face a backlash from his fans just so we can have the girl, for what, maybe a few months or who knows, she could have left tomorrow.”

I looked between them, seeing their decision all over their faces.

Vi was on her own.

“I just don’t think that is the only solution,” I said, my head hurting from indecision. “I think we could have figured out something that didn’t involve her going back to America to marry that asshole. What he’s doing is illegal.”

“I’m sorry, Levi,” Ru said, defeated in his features. “I can’t take that chance.”

“It’s not fair for us to ask that of him,” Matteo said, walking to me.

I shook my head. “No. I—” My throat tightened with despair.

The first tear fell as I turned around to get outside the four walls of the living room, feeling too small for all the emotions that were hitting me.

I felt trapped.

“Gomdori.”

“Cuore Mio.”

They said it together, but I needed space. If this was my new reality, I needed to get away before I said or did something I couldn’t come back from. I just needed a few hours of wallowing before I thought of what I could do next. They might be throwing in the towel, but I needed to know there was no other way to go about this. I was not done with Violeta yet.

30. Violeta

He’s a flea you can’t get rid of and all I want to do is squash him.

“It’s ok, Violeta. I got you.”

Those words changed everything. After I got over my shock, I tried to get up and walk away, but Lorenzo was faster, lifting me up, bridal style.