Cristian’s face is gone, replaced with his brother’s, and I’m shaking all over. Sweat beads on my brow and rolls down my spine. The surroundings are gone, faded away like they don’t exist. There is onlyhim, leering down at me, removing his belt, and cracking it in his hand.
My stomach twists, and I’m stumbling away blindly, off tothe side, tripping over something, and falling to my knees. I throw up into a shrub. All I hear is the ringing in my ears. All I feel is the pounding in my head and the pain in my heart. My lungs seize, and I’m struggling to breathe, gasping and sobbing as an ice-cold chill tiptoes all over my body.
“I’ve got her,” someone says, the words barely audible to my ears. Sounds of a baby crying are muted. “What the fuck did you do?” someone with an angry voice asks.
I blink as my surroundings slowly come back into focus.
“Cristian didn’t do anything, Fiero,” Sierra says.
“She’s gone into shock, Fiero,” Cat whispers. “I’m worried about her. You should take her away from prying eyes. I’ll ask Nat to follow you so she can check her out.”
I’m jostled against a warm chest as we move. Fiero’s scent wraps around me like a blanket, and I bury my head in his shirt, clinging to the remaining threads of my sanity. Talking has ceased around us, and I just know everyone is looking at how pathetic I am.
The tears come unbidden. Silent and plentiful, soaking Fiero’s shirt before we’ve even gotten to the car. I’m shaking, trembling, terrified, and broken all over again.
Fiero places me in the passenger seat of his car with my legs out the side, my feet resting on the gray stone of the parking lot. He hands me a bottle of water. “Use that to rinse out your mouth.”
I swish water around my mouth and spit it on the ground, repeating it a few times until the gross taste is subdued. “Chew this.” He hands me a piece of gum as he crouches in front of me.
I take it and chew it robotically, staring at him with tears rolling down my face.
“What’s wrong, kitten?” He takes my hands, rubbing some warmth into my chilly skin. “What happened back there?”
I can’t speak. I’m drained, and I don’t have the energy to form words.
“It’s okay.” He kisses my brow. “I’ll take you home.”
Natalia arrives then with her medical bag, conducting a few quick checksand talking to me in a soft voice. I don’t know what she asks or if I even respond. I hear her talking to Fiero in a hushed voice while I stare numbly at my folded hands in my lap, trying to ignore the pain eviscerating me on the inside.
Nat kisses my head and offers words of assurance before she leaves.
Fiero hugs me before settling me properly in the car, securing my seat belt, and placing a blanket over my legs. I pull it up, tucking it around me as he climbs behind the wheel and starts the car.
I pretend to sleep as he drives us back to Long Island, and it’s late when we arrive.
Fiero carries me from the car, gently strips me, and showers me before drying my hair, brushing my teeth, and forcing me onto the toilet. Then he dresses me in a silk nightie and tucks me under the covers. “I’m losing my mind here, Valentina,” he softly says, sitting on the edge of the bed. “Do I need to call a doctor?”
I shake my head. “No,” I whisper, curling into a ball. “No doctor.”
“Then tell me. What is going on?”
“I’ll tell you tomorrow,” I lie. “Just let me sleep.”
He holds my face in his hands, stabbing me with a worried look. “I love you. Nothing you could tell me would ever change my mind. You know that, right?”
I nod without conscious thought.
A frustrated sigh cleaves from his chest. “Get some sleep.” He kisses my lips. “I’ll be up shortly.”
“Fiero,” I call after him. “I love you too.”
It isn’t too long before he’s climbing into bed and spooning me from behind. He doesn’t fall sleep for ages, and I suspect he knows I’m not asleep either, but eventually, his breathing slows down and his arms loosen around me. Silent tears pour down my face as I carefully extract myself from the bed without waking him.
Pain settles on my chest like a dead weight as I get dressed in yoga pants, a long-sleeved top, my sneakers, and a black jacket. Snatching a duffel bag from the closet, I throw my purse, cash, and some clothes inside.
I don’t want to leave Fiero, but I can’t tell him this. I hoped this secret would remain buried, but I ruined everything today. Cat’s words have been on a loop in my brain since earlier. Fiero thinks there is nothing I can say that’ll make him change his mind about me,us, but he’s wrong. This will do it, and I’d rather run away than watch as that realization smashes my heart into smithereens. I don’t know where I’ll go, but I’ll figure that out once I get away from here.
Fiero deserves better than me, and I’m doing him a favor leaving now. Hopefully, he’ll see that in time.
