I huff a breath, shake my head, and turn to leave. He’s around the table before I can reach the door. He snatches hold of the back of my head, thrusting me into the wall beside the door. He crashes against my back.
“You will not ruin this for the family.” I struggle and spin in his arms, but he steps back and punches me in the stomach. I double over, coughing and spluttering, and he lashes out again, punching me square in the face. The pain rips through me, my head spins to the side as my nose splits, pouring blood down my chin. Dripping onto my shirt as I grab for him. Eyes watering and streaming. I sob out. Shock rings out as I start to panic. I slide down the wall. As my butt hits the floor, he crouches over me, his hand grasping at my throat. I claw at his wrist, trying to hold him back, but he squeezes tighter and leans in, snarling in my face.
“Pull yourself together. You will marry him. You think this hurts? He is a million times more ruthless than me. You don’t say no to me. You certainly don’t say no to Bellino Ricci and live! Now go home and clean yourself fucking up. I will arrange everything. You will get married in two weeks.”
He yanks the door open, releases my throat, and as I stand on shaky legs, he pushes me out into the corridor, slamming the door behind me. I stumble out, and the assistant stands from his desk before he steps in front of me.
“This way, sir. I’ll see you out.” He walks off ahead of me, and I hang my head and follow along while trying to stop my nose from pouring down my face.
I practically run into my dorm room as I throw the door closed behind me. I run to my bed and flop down on it, tearsstreaming down my face. I sob uncontrollably into my pillow as I try to fathom what the hell is happening and how I ended up in this situation. A total stranger walked into my life a few months ago and has turned it upside down because we share fucking DNA?
How is this real? How am I supposed to marry a man? What would that even be for? I don’t know how to get out of this situation. But I’m startled from my spiral by the knock at the door. I stand up and try to wipe my face. I look through the peephole, and it’s someone holding an envelope. I don’t open the door. I head into the shower to clean off and sort out my face.
I shower, clean myself up, and try to control the bruising that is starting to show on my face and neck, and is already prominent on my ribs. I step back into the room with a towel around my waist. Little beads of water still coat my skin. The envelope is pushed under the door. I bend down and pick it up. It’s heavy. The envelope looks expensive. I peel it open and pull out the thick black card, swirling letters litter it with my name, well, Leonardo De Luca and Bellino Ricci.
It’s an invitation to an engagement party. My engagement party.Are they fucking kidding me right now?I drop the invite onto the floor and flop down on my bed. How the hell did it all go so wrong? Where the hell can I get help to get me out of this? The door clicks open, and I scream out as Darius pushes in, looking startled and concerned as I start to hyperventilate on the bed.
“Fuck, dude, you okay?” He looks at me, then comes straight over to me and lifts my chin, the bruising showing more prominently on my skin now. “What the hell happened, Leo?”
I lift a shaky hand to the invite on the floor, and he bends down and picks it up, reading it. He shakes his head. “Fuck, Leo, what have you gotten yourself into?”
I just shake my head. “I don’t know, I just don’t know.”
Leonardo
Chapter Nineteen
I barely slept last night, and I’ve called in sick today. I need to go and see my mum and my sister. They’ll know what to do. I’m sure they can get me out of this. I push in through the door, knocking as I enter. “Mum, Luna, it’s me.”
I take a couple of steps inside, and the pain explodes in my face. I gasp as I step back, but the screaming starts. Luna attacks me. Clawing and scratching at my face as I try to lift my hands to protect myself.
“You fucking devious piece of shit—you stole him from me. That’s my life. I was promised to him. I was promised a better life than living in this shithole, and you fucking stole it.” She pushes and kicks, and I stumble backwards trying to protect my face while shouting out.
“It wasn’t me. I don’t want this. I don’t fucking want this.”
“Liar!” she screeches as she claws again, catching my cheek and my neck. Mum comes running downstairs at the excessive noise, and when she sees me, her face morphs; she pulls my sister off me. I gasp as I stand. My mum pulls her hand back, and it crashes across my face. My head whips to the side, and I cry out in shock.
“You’re no son of mine. You stole your sister’s husband, her future, and you stroll in here like you’ve done nothing. I won’t make excuses for you anymore, Leonardo. I wash my hands of you. You’re no longer welcome in this house.”
“But Mum, listen please, just listen.” I step forward, but my sister lunges for me again, and Mum tries to hold her back.
I turn and run out of the house, tears streaming down my face as I head back towards the bus stop. I can’t believe they wouldn’t listen. I don’t want this. I don’t want any of it. I stutter a breath as I take a seat at the bus stop and rest my head in my hands. I try to breathe, but I stutter on a sob. When I pull back, there are smears of blood on my hands from the scratches, my cheek is sore, and the bruises on my face and neck are throbbing. I have nowhere to go, no way out. If Enzo doesn’t kill me for running, I’m sure Bellino will. I stutter a sob as I board the bus and head back to my dorm, because where else do I go?
As I push into my room, I can’t hold back the tears. I sob uncontrollably. In a daze, my feet carry me through to the bathroom. I stare at myself in the mirror. Blood smears my face. My t-shirt is ruined, clawed and tainted. Blood splatters on my jacket. I strip out of my clothes and throw them all in the hamper, and turn the shower on. Stepping into the cold water, I hang my head against the wall. Tears run free, mixing with the water. I turn my back and slide down the wall to the bottom of the shower. I pull my knees to my chest as the water begins to finally warm up, and I sit and cry. Holding myself together,trying to convince myself that there will be a way out. That I will be okay, but my future looks bleak at best.
I stare at the water as it pools in the bottom of the shower, the red streaks dissipate as the water runs clear, before it starts to cool again. When I shiver, I let out a breath and stand shaking as I climb free. I wipe my hand through the steam on the mirror and stare at myself. The bruising on my face, neck, and ribs is starting to turn darker. Muddy yellows and purples mar my skin. The new scratches litter my cheek and neck, red and angry as fine rivulets of blood start to form. I watch as they seep out onto my skin and wish I were as free as them.
Leonardo
Chapter Twenty
Enzo called yesterday to tell me the engagement party is tonight. I shudder at the thought. I don’t have enough time to flee or plan an escape. Everything is happening too fast. Enzo said he will send a car at six, and to be ready, but ready, in what? I have nothing to wear. The only suit and shirt I have are ruined, covered in blood. And no amount of soaking will remove it. I close my eyes and lie back on the bed. I wonder if I stay here, if they’ll notice. I wonder if I run away and marry the first girl I see, if I can get out of this arranged marriage.
A sharp knock startles me, and I sit bolt upright in bed. My breathing escalates as I start to panic—what if it’s my stalker?
“Who is it?” I yell out, realising how stupid that was because now whoever it is knows I’m in here.
“Delivery for Leonardo De Luca.”
