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On her part, Venezia found herself completely speechless as she stared at the man who'd just stopped in front of her. He was a bit taller than her, with fair hair and blue eyes.
"Me?" She felt the need to clarify.
"Of course you. I don't see anyone prettier around."
She'd never before been complimented by anyone—except, on occasion, by Michele. This was completely out of her comfort zone and she found that she didn't know how to reply.
Her cheeks heated, her chin dipping down as she wrenched her eyes from him and stared at his shoes instead.
He told her she was pretty.She?
Somehow she couldn't believe that. She knew on her best days she was passable—enough that she'd managed to get Michele's interest when there were no doubt hundreds of women chasing after him daily. Considering his looks and status, of course he would be incredibly sought after.
Her lips pursed as she realized the direction of her thoughts. Why did everything have to come back to Michele? Why did she have to think about him when she was finally free of him. He would never harm her again and he would certainly never make her suffer again.
Except he still did.
Her heart still hurt from his words and his appalling behavior. She couldn't sleep at night because she feared he would come back for her—hurt her some more.
He was perpetually in her thoughts, but not as he'd been before—her ultimate love. No, that illusion had been long shattered and she'd been able to see him for the devil he was. The devil who'd abused and used her for his own gains, never once seeing her as anything other than a means to an end. He'd lied about his love just as he'd lied about everything.
Now he was just a shadow looming over her—the nightmare that she couldn't rid herself of.
On replay, every little interaction played in her mind just as all the abuse she'd suffered at his hands. Before, when she'd still seen him with rose-colored glasses, she would have denied to her dying breath that he was abusing her. She would have simply said it was his manner, and those were the things he enjoyed. And as bent on pleasing him as she'd been, of course she would mold himself to his wishes and allow him to do whatever he wanted to her.
For a time, the love and happiness had overshadowed the dark thoughts and the hurt he'd caused her.
Until he'd done the unspeakable…
That day, he'd shown her his real self. But he'd also become a dark shadow in her life, haunting her at every turn. She was afraid for her life and that of her loved ones. She was afraid ofeverything—even closing her eyes and going to sleep.
"You're not going to tell me?" The man repeated, apprising her with interested eyes.
Venezia whipped her head up, realizing she'd lost herself in her thoughts—again. But then she was also not used to interacting much with people, preferring to keep to herself and live in her head. There, at least no one could hurt her.
Expectations bred disappointment. And she'd learned from a young age that eventually everyone disappointed her—and everyone left.
"V-Venezia," she stumbled over her words.
"That's a very unusual name," the man commented, taking a step towards her just as she took one back.
She blinked twice, panic taking hold of her.
"Excuse me," she mumbled, holding tightly on to her bags as she dashed out of his way. She'd already spotted the sign for the restroom, so she hurried there, entering the bathroom and breathing relieved at finding it completely empty.
Letting her bags drop to the floor, she turned to the mirror, gazing at her reflection and wondering, for the first time, what that man had seen.
He'd called her pretty…
But she wasn't. Not like her sister, Sisi. She was the most beautiful woman Venezia had ever seen and she knew she could never compare.
So intent Venezia was on studying her features that it took her a second to realize she wasn't alone in the bathroom anymore. That only registered when she heard a click on the lock, and tuning her head around, she came face to face with her greatest nightmare.
Michele Guerra.
The man she'd once loved more than anything. The man she nowdespisedmore than anything.
TEN
