FORTY-FIVE
Xander parksin front of my old apartment building, glancing over at me. It’s Monday morning. We have just taken Chiara to school, and next, Xander will drive me to college, but first, we have to do this.
Afterward, Xander wants to go and get a desk for me so I have something to do my studies on. I told him I’d done fine the last few years, studying on my bed, but he insisted and plans to use his day off today to assemble it for me.
“You don’t have to go up there. I can go,” he offers in the quiet of the car.
Letting him do it would be so easy and a relief, but I just can’t.
“No, I want to… this is my shit. I love you, Xander, but you have to let me do stuff on my own occasionally. I can do things alone.”
“I know you can do shit on your own, Carolina. But I won’t let you because you don’t have to anymore.” I want to retort something, but he is already opening the door, getting out, and coming around the truck to help me hop out.
We walk up the stairs to the third floor, and my heart pounds in my chest. Fear courses through my veins as I stand before theapartment door. Gripping the doorknob with a trembling hand, I glance at him. “Please wait here, at least. I’ll hurry.”
Xander lets out a frustrated grunt, crossing his arms over his chest in irritation. “Fine.”
Quietly, I unlock the apartment door, my every move deliberate to avoid any noise. This is supposed to be simple—go inside, leave the money on the kitchen counter, and leave as quietly as I entered.
Each step toward the kitchen feels like an eternity, and the floorboards seem to creak loudly beneath my feet.
“Calm down, he is not even here,” I whisper to myself as I walk by his room, the door standing open and no one inside.
But when I near the kitchen counter, an icy, vice-like grip suddenly yanks me backward. I gasp as the cold surface of the refrigerator presses against my back, and I find myself staring into Roberto’s furious gaze.
“Where the fuck have you been?” he hisses out between his teeth, seething with anger.
His fingers tighten painfully around my neck, making it hard to breathe. I claw at his wrists, nails digging into his skin, trying desperately to release his hold. My voice comes out as a rasp, my fear palpable. “I’m… here, as always.”
But he doesn’t let go. His grip getting even tighter. My vision starts to blur, darkness closing in on the edges as the lack of air takes its toll. Panic grips me, and I feel my strength fading away when, suddenly, with a deafening crash, the apartment door bursts open.
Xander stands there, framed in the doorway, a silhouette of raw fury. He charges forward and, within seconds, pries Roberto’s hand from my throat. Air floods back into my lungs, and I cough violently, desperately trying to catch my breath. Tears fill my eyes as I struggle to regain my composure.
Xander’s punch lands with a resounding thud, connecting with Roberto’s face and sending him reeling onto the floor. I watch in a mixture of horror and relief as Xander pins him down, his muscles taut with anger. The veins on Xander’s arm stand out in stark relief even as he leans over my uncle.
“You ever touch her again…” Xander warns, his voice a low growl, “… and it’ll be the last thing you do.”
I touch my sore throat, tears brimming in my eyes. “Let’s go,” I whisper.
Xander stands, casting one last threatening look at my uncle. Then he wraps an arm around me, leading me away from the dark shadows that have haunted my past.
FORTY-SIX
It’s shortlybefore one a.m., and I’m sucking on an ice cube as I finish cleaning the last few tables.
Yesterday was slow at the internship. Sophia and I were feeling down because we couldn’t find the evidence that the captain wanted to reopen the case without the file. My mind was reeling all day, pondering over what angle we hadn’t tried yet, all while my throat ached badly.
I fucking hate Roberto.
Xander made it abundantly clear that I would never, under any circumstances, step foot in that building again. Honestly, I’m ready to let him take charge. He was right.
That was the last fucking time he’ll touch me.
“Heading out,” Donny announces as he opens the kitchen door.
“Night,” I say tersely.
“Bye, babe!” Cindy giggles from behind Donny, and I roll my eyes.
