Chapter 110: Brotherly Rivarly.

Leonardo’s POV
I was getting ready for Aurora and me to hang out, searching through my closet for the perfect shirt to wear.
It had been a long time since we had a proper date, and I wanted everything to be perfect.
Just then, my phone lit up, and a familiar song started playing.
“If our love was a fairy tale
I would charge in and rescue you
On a yacht, baby, we would sail
To an island where we’d say ‘I do.’”
I froze for a moment, the lyrics sinking into my heart like a bittersweet reminder. Was our love still the fairy tale I once believed it to be? Or had I already lost her?
I clenched my jaw, shaking off the uneasy feeling creeping up my spine. No. Aurora loved me. She had to.
I continued getting dressed, finally settling on a navy blue button-up.
She always said she liked me in blue. As I buttoned it up, my phone kept playing the song, the lyrics echoing through the room like a cruel joke.
“And if we had babies, they would look like you
It’d be so beautiful if that came true
You don’t even know how very special you are…”
I grabbed my phone and turned off the music, exhaling sharply. My heart felt heavy, but I refused to let doubt sink in.
Aurora had been acting distant, but maybe it was just everything that had happened.
The wedding, the fight with my father, me finally choosing her over my duty maybe she just needed time to process it all.
I took one last look in the mirror, straightened my collar, and grabbed my keys.
Tonight, I would remind her why we belonged together.
*****
As I stepped out of my room, I wasn’t expecting to run into Alessandro.
Our eyes met, and before he could say a word, I smirked and spoke first.
“Thanks, Alessandro, for saving my woman.” My voice was firm, my intention clear I was setting the record straight.
He needed to back off.
But Alessandro? He just smiled. Not a forced or bitter smile just a knowing one.
Then, crossing his arms, he said, “I didn’t do it for you, Leonardo.”
His words hit harder than I cared to admit, but I refused to show it. Instead, I scoffed, shaking my head.
“Of course, you didn’t,” I muttered before brushing past him.
I didn’t have time for this. I had a date to get to.
I turned back to face him, my jaw tightening. “Aurora belongs to me, Alessandro. So back off. You have done enough already.” My voice was sharp, filled with warning.
Alessandro folded his arms, smiling. “Sounds to me like you are scared, brother.”
I furrowed my brow. “What do you mean?”
“You told Aurora you didn’t love her even when you did and pushed her away, claiming you were doing it all for her.
You didn’t care about how she felt, you didn’t care about the pain you put her through, Leonardo.
All you cared about was yourself and how you were feeling. Even now, when you made that decision to publicly make your relationship known to Father.
You didn’t do it for her, Leonardo. You did it for yourself because you started to feel that she was drifting away from you.”
I couldn’t take it anymore. I punched Alessandro in the face.
My fist connected with Alessandro’s jaw, the force making him stumble back slightly.
But instead of retaliating, he simply wiped the blood from the corner of his lip and let out a low chuckle.
“Did I hit a nerve, brother?” he asked, turning his head, his voice calm despite the tension crackling between us.
I breathed heavily, my fists still clenched. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Alessandro smirked. “Don’t I?”
He stepped closer, his eyes sharp. “You’re angry because you know I’m right.
You had so many chances to fight for her, but you didn’t. And now that she’s slipping away, now that she’s looking elsewhere, you suddenly decide to step up?”
He shook his head. “That’s not love, Leonardo. That’s fear.”
My grip tightened at my sides. “Shut up.”
Alessandro’s smirk widened. “Or what? You’ll hit me again? Go ahead, but it won’t change the truth.”
My chest heaved, my mind racing. He wasn’t backing down, and the worst part was his words hit deep. Too deep.
I clenched my jaw, my entire body rigid with frustration. Alessandro stood there completely unfazed, as if my punch meant nothing.
“You think you know everything, don’t you?” I growled, my voice low.
“You think you understand what Aurora and I have?”
Alessandro chuckled, shaking his head.
“No, I don’t think, I know.”
He leaned in slightly, his voice dropping to a taunting whisper.
"You are scared to admit that you fucked up!”
I clenched my fists so tightly that my nails dug into my palms. Alessandro’s words rang in my head, each one hitting harder than the last.
“You are scared to admit that you made a mistake and now, you're desperate to fix it,” he continued, his eyes locked onto mine with an almost amused glint.
“But you can’t undo the past, Leonardo. You can’t just expect her to forget everything and run back to you.”
My breathing grew heavier. “I don’t expect anything,” I spat. “I love her.
I’ve always loved her.”
Alessandro scoffed.
“Love?”
He turned his head, looking at me like I was pathetic.
“Love isn’t telling her you don’t want her. Love isn’t pushing her away and choosing someone else.
Love isn’t deciding to fight for her only when you realize she might not be waiting for you anymore.”
His words were knives, slicing through every excuse I had told myself. But I refused to let him see how much it affected me.
“You don’t know what’s between us,” I gritted out.
Alessandro smirked again. “You’re right. But I do know that when Aurora looks at me, there’s no pain in her eyes. No doubt.”
He took a step back, his hands slipping into his pockets.
“Can you say the same when she looks at you?”
That was it. I lunged at him, shoving him back against the wall.
“You don’t get to talk about her like you know everything!” I snapped, my voice raw with anger.
But Alessandro didn’t fight back. He just looked at me calm, steady, and completely unshaken.
“You’re angry at me,” he said quietly.
“But the truth is, you’re really angry at yourself.”
I let go of his collar abruptly, my chest rising and falling with heavy breaths.
I hated him.
Not because he was wrong. But because he was right.
But I wasn’t ready to admit that, and I was about to punch him again when Rafael stepped in, shoving himself between us.
“Whoa, guys! What the hell is wrong with you two?” he barked, his hands pushing against my chest to keep me back.
I pointed at Alessandro, my breathing ragged. “Tell this asshole to stay away from my woman!”
Alessandro wiped the corner of his lip, still smirking like he found this whole thing amusing.
Rafael sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Seriously? This is about Aurora?”
He looked between us. “You two are acting like a couple of damn rogues fighting over a bone.”
“She’s mine,” I growled, taking a step forward, but Rafael shoved me back again.
Alessandro chuckled, shaking his head. “Funny. Because from what I see, she doesn’t belong to anyone.” His smirk faded, replaced by something colder.
“And definitely not to you.”
My fists clenched again, my vision blurring with anger. "You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about!"
Alessandro scoffed. "Oh, I do. You’re just too afraid to face it."
Rafael groaned, stepping between us once more. "Enough! Both of you." He turned to me first.
"Leonardo, you keep saying Aurora belongs to you, but have you even asked her what she wants?"
I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
Alessandro smirked again. "Exactly."
Rafael then turned to him. "And you, Alessandro, stop provoking him.
You know exactly what you’re doing."
Alessandro simply shrugged. "I’m just stating facts."
Rafael shook his head and exhaled sharply. "You two are brothers, but right now, you look like enemies.
And all because of one woman. Maybe instead of tearing each other apart, you should both ask yourselves if this is what Aurora would even want."
Silence stretched between us.
I hated that Rafael had a point. And I hated even more that Alessandro wasn't denying anything.
I exhaled sharply, my hands still clenched into fists at my sides.
"You don't know anything about my relationship with Aurora," I growled, my voice tight with frustration.
Alessandro tilted his head, his smirk never fading. "Oh, but I do. I know that every time she needed you, you chose something else.
And now, when she’s slipping through your fingers, you're scrambling to hold on."
Rafael sighed, rubbing his temples. "Seriously, can you two just stop? This isn't solving anything."
I glared at Alessandro. "Stay out of it."
He chuckled, folding his arms. "Why? Because the truth hurts?"
Before I could respond, a familiar voice called out from behind us.
"What's going on here?"
I turned, my heart sinking when I saw m father standing there.