TOLD

Elena's POV:

My eyes widened as I realized that I had given myself away. I slowly stepped back as he stepped towards me. His head tilted with confusion but his eyes were on mine till my back was against the pillar.

"You pretended not to know me all these while?" He questioned with disbelief, his tone dropping into a darker and foreboding one as his eyes darkened. "You knew me all along, didn't you? Even at the fucking ball that night." He continued. "Fucking say something! Why? Why did you pretend? Is it because of him? Do you understand how fucking crazy I was because I thought I had lost you? What are your intentions this time?"

"Just stop!" I held my head and he froze.

"Do you understand what your absence did to me, Elena? I was trying so hard to get you out of my head. I used so many distractions, but it was just impossible. I beat myself up every night because I thought I had lost you. I thought you were dead. But you were with Derek all along. Did I not explain everything to you? I did what I did to protect you! If I didn't the case wouldn't have died down. I never did any of it to harm you or hurt your feelings. Neither did I do it for you to present yourself before another man! You're mine, Elena. And I don't fucking share what's mine."

"No Antonio, I belong to Derek now. You mention you protected me like it's so casual but did you even consider telling me that was your intention? You poisoning me felt like a stab to my back like you fucking betrayed me. Even Leo and Jessie had to take me away from you as fast as possible because it could have led to something more dangerous than that. You hurt my feelings. Whether you want to fucking hear it or not. I could have died after that night if they didn't save me. You didn't care about me at that moment Antonio. You showed me what you truly are. And then you expect me to run back to you after that shitty experience. Where is that done, Damon? You saw me as nothing more than a toy."

"Damon?" He chuckled humorlessly hearing his first name from my lips for the very first time. "A toy?" He laughed a little this time. But there was no humour in it. "You think I saw you as nothing more than a toy? If I did see you as that, I would have abandoned you a long time ago Elena. I wouldn't have gone to extreme lengths to protect you. I killed every person who did as much as touch a strand of your hair. I was fucking obsessed with you and couldn't get enough of you. Do you remember every moment that we spent together? I know you had feelings for me. I know you loved me Elena, you only denied yourself because you didn't feel like you could ever love someone. But I did, I fell in love with you even when I thought it would be impossible. You have no idea what kind of impact you made on me Elena, and then you expect me to give up on you so easily?" He chuckled. "Well let me ask you a fucking question. Do you love Derek?" His question made my heart drop. For the first time I heard that question I felt numb...I never thought of it that way. "And yet you carry his child?" He cocked a brow. "How the fuck do you want me to believe this child is his Elena? Or you just don't know what you want?"

"Damon..."

"Don't fucking call me that! I am not Damon to you. Ever!" He said and that freaking reminded me of the time he get so fucking pissed off at me. "What is it about Derek that you want so much? What did I not fucking give you Elena? Were you ever even satisfied with me?" This was a side Antonio never really revealed to anyone. He only revealed this side of himself to me. "And I told you, he's my enemy. I told you he fucking killed my parents. We worked together. We were in it together. You promised you would figure everything out. And now you're with him?" He sighed and rubbed his face. "This is my fucking fault. It's all my fault. I should have never let you set your eyes on Derek in the first place. That will forever be my regret. The way you succumbed so easily to him, letting him have you like you don't fucking have a husband."

"You gave me divorce papers Antonio. You signed them." I defended.

"How much more clueless could you possibly be? I never divorced you. They were fake divorce papers. Just to make them believe you didn't matter to me. I did all that to fish out the people that were against you so I could kill them all." He straightened. "You don't want to fucking know what I did to every single one of them. And the case still goes on." He moved closer to me. "How much more can I explain this to you Elena? When will you ever get it?" His question made my heart melt and I found myself near tears but I wasn't about to show him that.

"Derek isn't responsible for your parent's death," I said and he furrowed his brows. "It was all a misunderstanding." My mind flashed back to the tattoo I always saw on Derek's chest. It was connected to all other tattoos on his body and could barely be seen but I was able to tell what it was. "I promised to figure it all out, didn't I? Well, now I'm telling you everything. Derek didn't know how to come explain it to you because you were hell-bent on getting your revenge. But even he had no choice but to watch both your parents die because he couldn't control what your father did. Did you know he was abused alongside your mother, by your father? The scars on his back were never a result of the amount of times he was stabbed when fighting. Many of those scars were earned by your father. Your father favoured you more than he did Derek and because of his place in the mafia, he was killed because he stepped down just to turn a new leaf. But that was the same night he died. Your brother held the gun, he was covered in blood, but he never killed your parents. You may not know this but, you know he's one of 'The Five'. Did you ever stop to wonder why he joined that group? That's right so he could avenge your parents as well. You claim he's your rival but he never came against you. Many of the things he did were to protect you as his brother. The only person he wanted was me. If he didn't have me, then perhaps he would have come against you indeed."

"Wait...no...I don't believe that. Is that the story he told you so you could paint him in a good light?" Antonio laughed.

"He didn't tell me, I figured it all out on my own. And of course, while he wasn't watching, I found a clue. You must know your father's handwriting." I reached into my purse before bringing out a letter and giving it to him. "If that's not enough proof, then I don't know what is." His eyes widened as he read the letter. "This was what brought us together in the first place. I believe I've done my part." I said and turned to leave when I noticed Derek standing a few steps away from us.