The moment she locks eyes with me her tears run down her cheek. “Don't need to pretend, Christopher.”
“Pretend what?” I ask while I move upstairs. I kick the door open and place her down in my room.
She opens her arms and sighs. “Take what you want.”
I cock a brow at her as Viola knocks on the door and brings us the cake. “If you need anything else, I'll be downstairs.”
“Thank you, Viola.” I follow her while she leaves and I lock the door behind.
Leila starts to take off her dress and my eyes look over her beauty for a second. “Stop.” I hold my hand up while she takes it off all the way. When I spot the bruises on her skin I walk toward her. “The hell is this?” I ask but she says nothing. “These are not something fresh. Who did this?” My eyes hover over her arm, her front and her back.
She looks down at her feet avoiding answering.
I grab her hands, “Who, Leila?”
My voice startles her as she shakes “Nicholas, your father…” She holds her breath as I caress her wrists. “Me.”
“I'm sorry,” I mutter as I shut my eyes. If Nicholas wasn't already dead he'd have been now. I pull her in a hug as she cries her heart out. “No one will ever touch you again,” I whisper while holding her close to my heart. Fuck, it hurts more than a bullet. How the hell did it happen?
After a fight tomake her eat the cake and sleep in my bed, I go downstairs bringing the empty plates with me. I need answers and I know who can have them. Viola has been my rock when I was in the basement. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be alive.
Viola shakes her head when she sees me in the kitchen. “You shouldn't have bothered, Chris. Do you want another slice?”
“No, but I want to know what happened here. Why hasn't Nick married her?”
“I don’t know.” She stammers.
“Bullshit. Viola, please, I need to know.”
“The truth?”
“Everything you know.”
She pats on the seat while peering around and closes the door. “Things became weird the day she came over for dinner. Nicholas seemed to be glued to her. Obsessed I’d dare to say.”She sighs. “The more she put foot in here, the more I had a bad feeling, and when she asked about you, Nicholas lost it.” She pauses, lost in her memories. “He slapped her, making her trip off the chair.”
“Why? Because she asked about me?”
“I think he was afraid she may still have a thing for you.” She meets my gaze. “I heard him saying you were too much into her and he was afraid your dad would give you his place.”
“To me?” I chuckle, “Dad hated me since the day I was born. Nick has always been the perfect son while I was no one.”
“That’s not what he saw. He wanted Seattle, but it was you who got it.”
“Dad forced me to go there, Viola. It was me getting there and forgetting Leila, or her life. I couldn’t bear to lose her because I was too selfish.” I pull my hair, “She has bruises, cuts, all over her body. Why?”
“It began when Leila asked me if you were okay. I told her you’ve been in a coma for two months and she wanted to know when and why. I told her about the fighting and she was shocked. She genuinely didn’t know.” Viola pauses, “Somehow Nicholas knew about our chat and he made sure to erase you from her memories and no one could even say your name anymore.”
“Fucking bastard.” It’s insane.
“He got into drugs and each time he was high, he vented on her. I didn’t know why she was still with him. One day she tried to leave but then I heard Mr. Bonetti saying her dad's debt is paid and he owes her for life.”
“You're kidding right?” For a fleeting moment I believe it but that's not how it works.We're not in movies, come on!When Viola shakes her head, I clench my fists. “For two years?”
“At the beginning it was worse but then it's like she gave up and nothing affected her anymore.”
I growl as I throw the plates against the wall. The moment Dad enters the kitchen, I pin him against the wall. “I've let you destroy me and you destroyed Leila, too!”
He tries to punch me but my grip on his neck tightens. “Christopher, let me go.” He struggles to break free.
