AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I couldn’t stand here with him when he looked at me with sympathy anymore, like I was broken. I barged past him, and fuck, that hurt since he was built like a brick house. I fought against the pain as I made my way to the stairs, tears blurred my vision, I just wanted to be held, I wanted to feel safe, and right now I felt alone.
“Anastacia, go back to bed.” Although stern, his voice held a tinge of worry.
“No!”
“Why are you so fucking stubborn?!” I picked up pace despite the pain that stung my body. “Stop running, you’re supposed to take it easy!”And there was the irritation he’d been hiding.
I came to a halt at the top of the stairs as they looked double the size they used to. I hated how I felt right now, I felt like I wasn’t me at all, an outer body experience and not one I liked.
“Why can’t you touch me?” I whispered as Lorenzo approached with caution.
“Anastacia…”
“Is it because I look like this? Do you see me as damaged now?” I let a tear fall as my heart was breaking. “They didn’t touch me that way.” I sobbed.
“Anastacia, stop.” How could he be so harsh? I didn’t understand, he couldn’t wait to get me home, the girls had told me. But this whole situation wasn’t how they made it sound or how I’d wished it to be.
“Just go. Leave.” I turned my head to the side, so he couldn’t see how close I had been to breaking down. I expected him to pull me into his arms, hold me, say something, anything, but instead, he stepped around me and made his way down the stairs.
I saw Red, Emmet, Gino and Nicolo at the foot of the stairs, all their eyes glared into mine, showing that they’d obviously heard Lorenzo’s raised voice.
“Boss, what are you doing?” Emmet grabbed Lorenzo’s arm, but it didn’t matter what he did, Lorenzo had made up his mind, he didn’t want to stay with me today.
“Get off me, Emmet.” Emmet let go after a stern warning. “Anastacia’s parents will be here shortly as will the doctor,” Lorenzo informed them.
“You three with me, Nicolo you stay here with Anastacia.” Lorenzo didn’t once look round at me, he kept his gaze trained on the door and that was where it remained until he walked out of it.
I fell to the floor as I sobbed into my hands. I couldn’t breathe. I felt as though someone was pressing against my windpipe, I was suffocating, and I didn’t know what to do.
“Ana, look at me!” Nicolo was by my side in seconds, his arms wrapped around me and although they weren’t Lorenzo’s, they made me feel safe and that was all I wanted, all I needed. “Take deep breaths in and out.” I mimicked his actions as I started to calm down. “That’s it, just like that.”
“I want him to hold me. I want him,” I whispered as I choked back tears. “Why doesn’t he want me?” My tears soaked Nicolo’s shirt no matter how hard I tried to wipe them away.
“Oh, Ana, he does, he’s just having a hard time coming to terms with what happened. He thinks it’s his fault.”
“But it wasn’t. He couldn’t have stopped what happened. I didn’t blame him, not for a second.” I searched Nicolo’s face, and he knew I didn’t blame his cousin.
“I know you don’t but he’s beating himself up. We’ve tried to drum it into him that it’s not the case, but he won’t listen.” He gripped my hands in his. “Do you need a hand downstairs?”
“Please.” Nicolo helped me off the floor as he carried me down the stairs just as Miles would have.
“Ana, are you okay?!” my father bellowed from the door. “Where’s Lorenzo?!” My mother was close behind him as she practically had to chase him down the way he bounded towards me.
“She’s fine, Victor, she just needed a hand getting down the stairs.” Nicolo smiled as he placed me down gently on the floor.
“Thank you, Nicolo.” My father shook his hand as he scooped me up in his arms like he used to when I was a little girl.
“Anytime, I’ll be down the hall if you need anything.” He directed that comment at me as he headed off towards the meeting room.
“I can walk to the lounge myself, you know?” I smiled as he looked down at me with worried eyes.
“I know, but why do you need to when I’m here?” He carried me into the lounge with my mother beside us. She was unusually quiet, and I couldn’t help but wonder why.
My father placed me carefully on the sofa as they sat either side of me, my father suddenly looked as though he carried the weight of the world on his shoulders.
“Papa, what’s going on?” My eyes flitted between them both.
“It’s your grandmother.” He sighed. He refused to look at me, he kept his eyes trained on my mother who reassured him with a supporting nod.
