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I sigh and take in her shrinking figure. She has been eating, but nowhere near enough. The withdrawal effects of her lifestyle are hitting her hard. Add in the nightmares on top, and I fear she’s a ticking time bomb.
And I can’t watch her explode. I won’t.
As I walk past, her hand flies out and grabs my sleeve.
I stop and turn to face her.
“Thank you,” she whispers, not looking me in the eye. I can’t help but notice the pink blush spreading along her chest.
“What for?”I hold my breath. I know what she’s about to say.
“I know you’ve been helping with my night terrors, Luca. I’ve never had anyone to help me through those.”She takes in a breath and snaps her lips together.
My chest aches. I can’t imagine how hard this is for her. “How long have you been dealing with them?”
She bites her lower lip. “Six years.”
I cover her fingers with mine and squeeze her hand.
“I’m so fucking sorry,” I say quietly.
She drops her hand from mine, so I take a step forward and tip her chin up. Those big dark eyes gaze into mine, stealing my breath away.
“Give me the name, Rosa. I need his name. I can make him go away.”
Fear flashes across her face and she chews on her lower lip. A tear rolls down her cheek that I swipe with my thumb.
She squeezes her eyes shut as she shakes her head slowly. “I-I can’t. Don’t make me say it.”
“Shh, it’s ok. One day, when you’re ready, you’ll tell me the name, and I promise I will end him.”
My jaw ticks as I think of all the ways I’ll punish that man, but I keep my touch light on her face.
She looks down and plays with the hem of her shirt. “Luca, I’m not your problem to fix. I’m just the woman you kidnapped. Once I leave here, I’ll go back to being the broken girl trying to claim back a sense of control. That’s just my life.”
This protective feeling I have over her surges within me. She sounds so fatalistic, something isn’t sitting right with leaving her, not like this.
I’ll make sure I wrap this meeting up in record time so I can get back to her. Maybe I shouldn’t even go. “Are you sure you’re feeling alright? I can stay home if you need me?”
Her bottom lip trembles, and she shakes her head as little beads of sweat form on her forehead.I thought we had gotten past this stage of the withdrawals. Since the nightmares started, she’s become a shell of herself.
CHAPTERFOURTEEN
rosa
Ipace around the kitchen, my mind reeling from this morning.I can’t stand these nightmares. It has been so long since I found my drinkingcure.I forgot how real they feel; it’s like Dante is there in the room with me, and I’m that innocent seventeen-year-old again whose world is about to be ripped apart.
I itch at my neck. I can’t let Luca see me like this again.
When he touched my face, it was like everything melted away for a second. It’s more than that. It’s his comforting strength and the way he holds me through my nightmares.
It’s like he sees me.
He just knows what I need and doesn’t falter.
But, he doesn’t know me.No one does. The pain that I endured is impossible to understand.
I throw open the next cupboard on my hunt for some alcohol. The one thing I know can ‘fix’ me for now. I can’t be feeling these things for Luca.
