Chapter Fifty One
Carly
It was time. The big reveal. I stood in front of the mirror and swallowed back bile. I felt like I was going to be sick and I hadn't even removed the bandages yet. My hand shook as I lifted it.
"Let me."
"No. I have to do this myself, Gio. You can take care of the ones on my chest, stomach, and side."
"Okay,Tesoro. If that's what you wish."
It wasn't a matter of what I wanted to do. It was what I needed to do.
Taking a steadying breath to calm myself, I slowly peeled back the tape adhering the bandage to the left side of my face. I kept the bandage in place for a moment before I finally lowered it.
My brain didn't want to accept what my eyes were seeing. He didn't just cut my face, he carved it. Four long gashes, the first going from just below my temple to my jaw, decorated the left side of my face. Now I knew why smiling hurt so much.
A sound escaped it. It sounded like a wounded animal and it was so unlike me. The bile I'd swallowed before came rushing up and I barely made it to the toilet in time.
Every scrap of food I'd eaten at breakfast came up and I wretched until it was just dry heaves.
"Bella."
"Don't. Don't call me that. I'm not beautiful. I'm a monster. He made me a monster."
"You will always be beautiful to me, Carly. Always. Neither scars, nor age, will ever change that."
His arms wrapped around me and I leaned into his strength. After a moment, he scooped me up and carried me back to the bed.
"Let me take care of you."
I didn't have the energy to deny him. I nodded and closed my eyes. His fingers were gentle as he smeared ointment on each cut. By the time he'd tended to them all, and had clean bandages covering them, I felt drained.
"Will you hold me until you have to leave?" I hated the weakness in my voice.
"Of course,Amore. Whatever you need, all you have to do is ask."
I curled up next to him, head resting on his chest. “Gio? I think I need to take a pain pill.” After my mad dash to the bathroom, I was hurting.
“I will give you half and leave the rest for you should you need it.”
“Always looking out for me.” Tears slipped from my eyes.
“Talk to me, Carly. It kills me to see you so broken,Bella.”
“He didn’t just cut me, Gio. He carved me like a fucking turkey on Thanksgiving. I can’t...how am I going to make anyone believe this,” and I waved at my face, “is from a car accident? One look and they’ll know a knife did it.”
“We’ll figure it out. If you feel you need to tell them the truth, I will support your decision,Amore. For now, rest.”
I finally let my eyes close after several minutes of just staring at the wall across from the bed. I didn’t think I would be able to sleep, despite how exhausted I felt. How could a person do something so vile to another human being?
Sometime later, I was awakened from my troubled sleep by Gio moving to get up. “I didn’t think I’d really fall asleep. All I’m doing is sleeping.”
“Carly,Bella, your body needs the rest to heal. You went through hell. That kind of trauma requires a lot of energy to heal. Relax, let your body rest, and I will be back in a few hours.”
We shared a quick kiss and I watched him go. I didn’t ask what the business he needed to attend to was. I didn’t want to know. Plausible deniability. If I don’t know, I can’t be called out for lying.
Half an hour after Gio left, there was a knock on the bedroom door, quickly followed by Risa’s voice.
