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Iclutched the blanket the old woman had covered me with as tightly as I could around me. Just as I was about to scream, the man put one finger in front of his lips and shushed me.“Min int?”
The woman must’ve heard him come in. She stood at the top of the stairs and yelled down at him. He shouted back at her, but like before, I couldn’t understand either of them.
“No!”I shrieked when he stepped closer.
He held up both hands. “Huwa, okay,” he said in a soothing voice that reminded me of the old woman’s. His eyes reminded me of hers too.
The man slowly stepped closer and pointed to the top of the stairs. I looked up, and the woman motioned for us to join her. When I nodded, he gently gathered me in his arms and lifted me. Once we reached the top, she pointed to a room. He carried me the rest of the way, set me on the mattress, then left, closing the door behind him.
At the end of the small bed were clothes that looked as though they might fit me. I peeled the cold, wet silk off my body and tossed it on the floor, then used the blanket to dry my chilled flesh. After pulling the flannel pants and shirt on, I grabbed the socks that were sitting beneath them. I sat down to put them on when I heard a knock at the door.
The woman peeked inside, then walked in, looking me up and down. “Tajba…uh…goot,” she added when I cocked my head. She walked over to the bed and patted it, then pointed to my feet. I noticed, then, she had bandages in one hand.
“I can do it,” I said when she raised my leg and rested my foot on her thigh. She shook her head, but then lowered my leg and left the room. She returned a minute later with a basin of water. She set it on the floor, pointed to it and my feet, then left the room again. This time, she returned with a chair. When she sat in front of me, our eyes met. It was the first time we looked at one another so intently.
There was something so familiar about her, yet I was certain we’d never met. Her gaze was penetrating to the point I raised my hand to my face, ashamed to think what a sight I must be.
I stared down at the water that had turned black almost immediately after I put my feet in it. My hair, what little there was of it, was matted and sticky from the salt of the ocean. My fingernails were caked with dirt, and the bruises on the skin of my arms, from where Moretti and the guards had manhandled me, were visible even with the layer of filth covering them.
The woman made a clicking sound, and my eyes met hers. She pointed to the middle of her chest. “Nonna,” she said, then pointed at me.
“Bexli.”
“Bex-li,” she repeated.
I smiled and pointed at her. “Nonna.”
She tapped my leg and motioned for me to take my feet out of the water. “Xavier?” she called out over her shoulder. The man who’d carried me up the stairs entered the room. I was mortified when he approached, picked up the basin, and took it from the room.
Nonna folded her hands on her lap.“Sbieh,”she whispered, touching my face.
My eyes scrunched.
“Bellissima.”
I shook my head and looked down at the floor. “Not anymore,” I whispered. I’d spent the majority of my life hating my beauty. It garnered attention I’d never wanted and also became the only thing that defined me. Eventually, I’d realized I could use it to my advantage. That was when I decided to pursue modeling. The dream I’d had for my life had turned into a nightmare. What would become of me now? While I’d escaped from Moretti, what kind of life did I have to return to?
Her fingers moved to my chin and raised it so our eyes met.
The man she’d called Xavier returned with the basin and set it at my feet. She nudged him with her elbow and motioned to me.“Bellissima,”she repeated.
Xavier’s soft, whiskey-colored eyes met mine when I looked up at him. He nodded and smiled, flashing a perfectly matched set of devilish dimples. He was handsome to the point of beingbellissimo. No doubt he’d broken countless hearts. “Where am I?” I asked. My eyes darted between him and Nonna, hoping one of them understood enough to tell me.
She looked up at him.
“Gozo.”
“Gozo?” My eyes scrunched again. I had no idea what that meant.
“Malta.”
“I’m in Malta?” I gasped.
“Iva,”Xavier said, nodding.
Nonna made a clicking sound again, and when I turned toward her, she pointed to the water. I slipped my feet into its warmth, sighing at how soothing it felt. I closed my eyes, and when I opened them, Xavier was walking out of the room. Shamefully, I couldn’t help myself from thinking the view of the man—who appeared young enough to be Nonna’s son or even grandson—from behind was as attractive as it was from the front. He was tall, over six feet, with broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and a perfectly shaped arse.
Once he turned the corner and I could no longer see him, I thought about how much he reminded me of Cayman.
