I nod and sink my head down against his shoulder, the sound of his voice a soothing rumble in my ears as my eyes grow heavier and my chest, after what feels like an eternity, finally feels lighter.
39
The detective Zayn took me to after I was drugged is the one here now in my apartment, questioning me about tonight. Zayn wouldn’t let him near me until the paramedics had thoroughly checked me over and declared me physically uninjured, apart from a few bruises. He walked around my apartment taking photos of evidence, and now I sit on the edge of my bed with Zayn while I tell them both what happened after I got home tonight.
Zayn holds my hand through it all, listening intently to every word. The longer I speak, the tighter his hold on my hand becomes. When I get to the part where Daniel kicked two doors down to get to me, I feel his quiet fury in the way he sits so still he could be mistaken as a statue. I’m numb inside as I describe the events as though they happened to someone else. It isn’t until I tell them how I opened the door feeling like all hope was lost for me, to see Zayn standing on the other side, that I start to snap out of my despondent state. The relief hits me again like a blow, as strong as it did then, and it’s only at this point that I lose it and start sobbing into Zayn’s shoulder. Yes, I stabbed Daniel and hereleased me, but if Zayn wasn’t there, I’m not sure I would have been able to escape him.
Zayn pulls me onto his lap and clutches me to his chest. His hand snakes into my hair, and out of us both, I’m not sure who it’s comforting more.
“It’s okay, Gianna. He will never touch you again.”
“Looks that way. He’s up for a lot of charges here, Zayn,” the detective says, flipping through his notepad. The way he casually addresses Zayn reinforces my belief that they know each other well. “Got the juice to back all this up?”
I feel Zayn stiffen against me. “You know I do.”
The detective chuckles but his weathered face is drawn, tired, like he’s seen too many of these scenarios. “Of course you do. Is that all you have tell me, Ms Morello?”
I nod, and the detective slaps Zayn on the shoulder. “Alright, mate. I’ll contact you for your statement and evidence later, er, today,” he says, after glancing down at this watch. “I’ll keep you updated on the ex.”
He leaves my apartment and I let out a weary sigh. Finally, I’m alone with Zayn.
“Is Daniel still in hospital?” I ask, picking Daniel’s dry blood off my nails. I washed my hands, but it’s seeped into my cuticles and the cracks of my nail polish. The sight of it makes me nauseous.
“Yes. Then he’ll be released straight into a holding cell.”
A shudder rips through me, the hair on my arms standing on end.Safe. I’m safe.
“I’m going to make sure he’s away for a long time,” Zayn says softly into my hair.
“What did you mean when you said you had him for statutory rape earlier?” I lift my head to meet his eyes. “I told you I don’t want to press charges for …that.”
“I know, Gianna, it’s not you.” He sweeps my hair from my face in a gentle caress. “Like I said I found the teenager he was sleeping with. Plus another two. Turns out he met them through their school, a football training program they were running that Daniel was involved with through his club. He was in a position of authority over them and therefore, even though they are all seventeen and entered into a sexual relationship with him willingly, it’s still classified as statutory rape. Their parents are furious. They’re pressing charges against him.”
The urge to vomit comes over me so strong I jump off Zayn’s lap and run to the bathroom. I hurl up everything in my stomach while Zayn quietly crouches behind me, holding my hair away from the toilet bowl.
“I can’t believe Imarriedthat man.” I sob. “I married a man capable of these awful things.”
“It’s over now.” Zayn carefully lifts me to my feet and steadies me against the bench before crouching back down to remove my heels. “I can’t believe I let him get near you again. I fucking knew he was blackmailing you but I thought you were safe at Anna’s house until I could figure out what was happening.”
“I was,” I reassure him as he stands and moves to turn on the shower. His jaw ticks as he shoves a hand under the stream, giving away the irritation he feels at himself. “I only came back home today. He was still having me followed, Zayn. There was nothing you could have done.”
He keeps his back turned to me as he waits for the water to heat up. “You should have told me about the blackmail, Gianna.”
I look down at my sequinned gown, which just feels ridiculous now. The gala seems like it happened a million years ago. “I didn’t want you to loan my family the money.” Ihad told Zayn all about the blackmail before Daniel had even regained consciousness.
When he doesn’t respond, I ask, “Would you have? Given them the money, I mean.”
He doesn’t hesitate. “In a heartbeat.”
“I won’t be a burden to you, Zayn,” I mutter. “Not now, not ever.”
He finally turns to face me, his beautiful face tortured. “Not having you is a fucking burden to me, Gianna. I’ll take you in my life any which way I can have you, even if it costs me every last penny I have.”
He steps toward me, then cups my face as he ducks down to look straight into my eyes. “I love you. I have from the first moment I ever saw you. And I will until my last breath.”
Tears appear in my field of vision, then I blink, causing them to start a slow trickle down my cheeks. Zayn gently wipes them away, his eyes tracking the movement with reverence. “Promise me that you’ll always come to me for help when you need it.”
I nod.
