[color=gray][color=#8bccc5]▔[/color][color=#8fccc1]▔[/color][color=#94cbbd]▔[/color][color=#98cbb9]▔[/color][color=#9ccab6]▔[/color][color=#a1cab2]▔[/color][color=#a5c9ae]▔[/color][color=#a9c9aa]▔[/color][color=#aec8a6]▔[/color][color=#b2c8a2]▔[/color][color=#b6c79e]▔[/color][color=#bbc79a]▔[/color][color=#bfc697]▔[/color][color=#c3c693]▔[/color][color=#c8c58f]▔[/color][color=#ccc58b]▔[/color][color=#cfc992]▔[/color][color=#d2cc9a]▔[/color][color=#d6d0a1]▔[/color][color=#d9d4a8]▔[/color][color=#dcd7af]▔[/color][color=#dfdbb7]▔[/color][color=#e2debe]▔[/color][color=#e6e2c5]▔[/color][color=#e9e6cc]▔[/color][color=#ece9d4]▔[/color][color=#efeddb]▔[/color][color=#f2f1e2]▔[/color][color=#f5f4e9]▔[/color][color=#f9f8f1]▔[/color][color=#fcfbf8]▔[/color][color=#ffffff]▔[/color][color=#fcfbf7]▔[/color][color=#f8f7f0]▔[/color][color=#f5f3e8]▔[/color][color=#f1f0e0]▔[/color][color=#eeecd8]▔[/color][color=#ebe8d1]▔[/color][color=#e7e4c9]▔[/color][color=#e4e0c1]▔[/color][color=#e0dcb9]▔[/color][color=#ddd8b2]▔[/color][color=#dad4aa]▔[/color][color=#d6d1a2]▔[/color][color=#d3cd9a]▔[/color][color=#cfc993]▔[/color][color=#ccc58b]▔[/color][color=#c8c58f]▔[/color][color=#c3c693]▔[/color][color=#bfc697]▔[/color][color=#bbc79a]▔[/color][color=#b6c79e]▔[/color][color=#b2c8a2]▔[/color][color=#aec8a6]▔[/color][color=#a9c9aa]▔[/color][color=#a5c9ae]▔[/color][color=#a1cab2]▔[/color][color=#9ccab6]▔[/color][color=#98cbb9]▔[/color][color=#94cbbd]▔[/color][color=#8fccc1]▔[/color][color=#8bccc5]▔[/color][indent][indent][color=#8BCCC5][sup]𝑺 𝑨 𝑳 𝑬 𝑴    𝑹 𝑰 𝑽 𝑬 𝑹 𝑨[/sup][/color][/indent][/indent][color=#8bccc5]▔[/color][color=#8fccc1]▔[/color][color=#94cbbd]▔[/color][color=#98cbb9]▔[/color][color=#9ccab6]▔[/color][color=#a1cab2]▔[/color][color=#a5c9ae]▔[/color][color=#a9c9aa]▔[/color][color=#aec8a6]▔[/color][color=#b2c8a2]▔[/color][color=#b6c79e]▔[/color][color=#bbc79a]▔[/color][color=#bfc697]▔[/color][color=#c3c693]▔[/color][color=#c8c58f]▔[/color][color=#ccc58b]▔[/color][color=#cfc992]▔[/color][color=#d2cc9a]▔[/color][color=#d6d0a1]▔[/color][color=#d9d4a8]▔[/color][color=#dcd7af]▔[/color][color=#dfdbb7]▔[/color][color=#e2debe]▔[/color][color=#e6e2c5]▔[/color][color=#e9e6cc]▔[/color][color=#ece9d4]▔[/color][color=#efeddb]▔[/color][color=#f2f1e2]▔[/color][color=#f5f4e9]▔[/color][color=#f9f8f1]▔[/color][color=#fcfbf8]▔[/color][color=#ffffff]▔[/color][color=#fcfbf7]▔[/color][color=#f8f7f0]▔[/color][color=#f5f3e8]▔[/color][color=#f1f0e0]▔[/color][color=#eeecd8]▔[/color][color=#ebe8d1]▔[/color][color=#e7e4c9]▔[/color][color=#e4e0c1]▔[/color][color=#e0dcb9]▔[/color][color=#ddd8b2]▔[/color][color=#dad4aa]▔[/color][color=#d6d1a2]▔[/color][color=#d3cd9a]▔[/color][color=#cfc993]▔[/color][color=#ccc58b]▔[/color][color=#c8c58f]▔[/color][color=#c3c693]▔[/color][color=#bfc697]▔[/color][color=#bbc79a]▔[/color][color=#b6c79e]▔[/color][color=#b2c8a2]▔[/color][color=#aec8a6]▔[/color][color=#a9c9aa]▔[/color][color=#a5c9ae]▔[/color][color=#a1cab2]▔[/color][color=#9ccab6]▔[/color][color=#98cbb9]▔[/color][color=#94cbbd]▔[/color][color=#8fccc1]▔[/color][color=#8bccc5]▔[/color]
[indent]The taste of sin shouldn’t taste so delicious, but that’s why it’s called temptation, Salem supposes. Salem woke up alone the morning after the dance, the side of his bed still warm underneath his searching palm. It’s been a long time since he’s felt – no, Salem shouldn’t go down that path of thought. Last night was a mistake, it was simply the booze and the testosterone getting in his head – it wasn’t the way Marisol felt against his hand or how sweet she looked underneath him, not at all. This was unfair to Gwen, no matter how you look at it; cheating is wrong, his father has proven that on multiple occasions.

It didn’t stop Salem from climbing into the shower with Mari only a minute later; Salem always has been enslaved by his desires rather than the other way around. But he couldn’t do this to Gwen – no, after today, he would be the perfect boyfriend. He would never complain about shopping sprees ever again and would take her to all the vegan restaurants. Sal and Mari pinky promised each other it would never happen again; silently, Salem also swore to Gwen he would never do it again.

It should have been a relief when Mari climbed into her uber and left, his temptation being snatched from him and he could breathe easy. He mostly felt alone, though. The house was empty, again, and he hated it when it was empty. Just another reminder his family is as broken as the rest of America’s. Well, it’s a weekend, so Salem could just sleep.

Like God heard his woes and decided to punish him for his wanting, just as Salem’s eyes closed, the door opened with a sharp snap and stiletto heels tapped a cruel rhythm on his floorboards. 

[b]“[color=8e768a]Good morning, [i]cucciolo[/i].[/color]”[/b] Caterina Rivera clasped her hands in front of her navy-blue pencil skirt and stared at Salem with a sly smile. [b]“[color=8e768a]You are still in bed.[/color]”[/b]

[b]“[color=8BCCC5]Astute observation, [i]mamma[/i]. Is there a question in there?[/color]”[/b] Salem snarked back, rolling onto his back and looking up at his cold mother with a cheeky smile.

Caterina only smiled indulgingly, not bothering to react to Salem’s playfulness. [b]“[color=8e768a]There are many questions there. I see your vocabulary hasn’t suffered while I was away.[/color]”[/b]

[b]“[color=8bccc5]Not a single bit.[/color]”[/b] Salem watched Caterina carefully as she walked around his room, moving her finger across his furniture. He wonders if she can smell the sex in the air, or if he’s just hyper-paranoid; his mother was a patient woman, in the scariest of ways, but she would like Gwen a lot more than she would like Marisol. 

Caterina came home earlier than she was supposed to be. She was still supposed to be on her business trip for another week; it was an unwelcome surprised, if Salem was to be frank. While he loved his mother and missed her, the fact remained that if she was only thirty minutes earlier he would have been caught in his most indecent act (in both physical and spiritual matters). His mother paused at the window, before turning sharply on her heel and looking at him.

Pursuing her lips, Caterina gave Salem a stern look, [b]“[color=8e768a]I’ve heard from Matteo.[/color]”[/b]

Salem has never been more relieved to talk about his father. [b]“[color=8bccc5]Did you?[/color]”[/b]

[b]“[color=8e768a]I said I did, didn’t I?[/color]”[/b] Caterina always did hate beating around the bush and preferred speaking as precisely as possible, [b]“[color=8e768a]He says you were quite mad at him last night. Call him by noon to apologize.[/color]”[/b]

Just like that, Caterina exited his room and clicked the door shut behind her.

Salem’s blood boiled at the command and he stared at the scratches on his knuckles from the night prior. He would rather die than apologize to his dick of a father, not now.

As if to remind him of his deadline, Salem’s phone began ringing from the floor where it had fallen out of his pocket when – Salem reached over his bed and picked it up. A stupid part of him hoped it was Marisol and his heart fell into his stomach when he realized it was from Gwen. He couldn’t talk to her after last night, not yet, and he didn’t want to talk to his father. Salem just wanted to sleep and be alone.

Before he even realized it, Salem had reared his hand back and thrown it against the wall. Huffing with anger, he scrambled into his clothes and grabbed his keys to stomp down the stairs to escape this hellhole. He passed by the dining room table where his mother was eating yogurt and typing on her keyboard.

[b]“[color=8bccc5]My phone broke last night.[/color]”[/b] Salem told her, his tone unapologetic, and he didn’t even bother trying to make it a convincing lie.

Caterina gently patted her lips with an embroidered napkin, [b]“[color=8e768a]I am sure it did, [i]cucciolo[/i]. Use the credit card I gave you to buy a new one and treat yourself to a nice lunch out. Remember to call your father.[/color]”[/b]

Salem didn’t reply, just stormed to his car and pulled out of the estate to drive to anywhere but here.[/indent][/color]