“Lock yourself in,” he said. “I can be there in ten minutes.”
“O-okay.” I nodded, placing the phone back on the wall.
The footsteps were gone, but the silence felt so wrong. I looked around, my pulse pounding, thinking only about reaching the bedroom and locking myself in until Rocco came. I ran toward the hallway. The blood drops led that way, so I turned around, and when I did, I crashed into a firm chest.
He was tall. Strong. Compared to him, I really was what he had called me. Just a helpless doll.
I gasped, looking up. His hand wrapped around my throat, pinning me against the wall.
“I will be back, Doll,” he said as he leaned in, breathing me in. “And next time, I won’t be this gentle.”
His grip tightened, cutting off my air. My fingers clawed at his wrist as I struggled to breathe. Then he turned my face, pushed me away, and walked off, leaving me gasping for air.
“Cazzo,”I shouted, my voice shaking.
He just laughed, turned back, and bowed to me like all of this was some sick performance. Completely unbothered.
A tear slipped down my cheek. Like this year couldn’t get any worse. Now I had a stalker who knew where I lived. I wished I could call the police and tell them everything, but the Circle had corrupted it all. I couldn’t trust anyone.
I went back to the kitchen, grabbed a cloth, and started wiping the blood off the floor. Tears dripped down, falling onto the tiles, mixing with the stains.
Mom used to tell me that God gives us only as much as we can take. But I’m afraid I can’t take any more. Maybe I’m not strong enough. Maybe it’s time to end it myself.
I held the knife in my hand, staring at my wrists. It wasn’t the first time I had thought about it.
I always wondered how people would feel if I were gone. Would they move on, forget me the same way they do now? Or would they cry, wishing they could turn back time, hurting because they lost me? Would I even be missed?
I’ve always thought I wasn’t enough. And then Rio came along, and for a short time, he made everything beautiful. When he died, that beauty died with him. My life turned into hell.
If God thinks I can take it all, why didHesend me another man to make this hell worse? I’m not strong enough.
The door burst open, and Rocco stormed in. His eyes swept the room, then locked on me sitting on the floor. He looked at my face first, then at the knife. Slowly, he took it from my hands.
“The man is gone,” I said quietly.
“Did you recognize him?” he asked.
I shookmy head. “Do you think it was someone from the Circle?”
He shook his head. “They’re hiding.”
“He said he will be back,” I whispered. “I can’t stay here.”
“Come back with me,” Rocco said. “Things are different now.”
“Very,” I mumbled sarcastically.
“The boat leaves tomorrow at midnight. We’re going to Rome next,” he said. “You know how it works.”
“I can’t leave Carlo,” I said, my throat tight. “And Sophie...”
“Sometimes you have to leave the people you love so you can love yourself.” He reached into his coat and pulled out a deck of tarot cards. “Choice is yours.”
It was Dahlia’s deck.
He stood, glancing around the room as if searching for something. When he found nothing, his voice softened. “How about a deal?”
I looked up at him, still kneeling on the floor.
