“You need to eat.” I fisted the burger and held it in front of her mouth. “Open up.”
“So that’s how it’s going to go, huh? You still won’t tell me why you and Aiden deceived me?”
“C’mon, baby,” I groaned. “Eat, and I will tell you everything when we get home.”
She sank her teeth into the burger like a good girl.
Alex
It was all a dream. That was what I told myself repeatedly, hoping I would believe the lie. I stared at the wall as Pops examined my cuts and bruises. I didn’t want him to see me like this, a battered and abused shell of the woman I was before my kidnapping.
After everything I’d endured, I was numb. It was as if the events of the past few days were an alternate version of reality. I couldn’t even comprehend his words as Luca removed my shirt so that Pops could stitch the wounds on my arms and stomach.
“Those animals,” Pops groaned as he studied my wounds. “You better make them suffer.”
Luca grinned like an evil mastermind. “Cruelty is my specialty.”
Stripped down to my bra and panties, which were filthy, I sat in complete silence. I just stared at the damn wall and let them tend to my wounds.
With each thread of the stitch, I didn’t even wince. I could no longer feel the pain as Pops sewed me back together, like a broken doll who’d lost her stuffing. Broken—that was the only word to describe me. No one could understand what I’d been through in the past week. Every time I opened my mouth to speak, nothing came out. I had the conversation in my head on repeat.
I wanted to tell Luca that I was sorry for running away. But I also wanted to punch him in the face for not telling me the truth about my brother. If he hadn’t lied, I never would have left the estate. I wouldn’t have more cuts and bruises than I could count. My skin wouldn’t look like a corpse used by medical students for practice.
“What’s wrong with her?” Luca asked Pops.
“Alex is in shock,” Pops said as he wrapped a bandage around me to heal my bruised ribs. “This is normal for what she’s been through.”
Luca shoved a hand through his dark hair and tugged at the ends. “Will she go back to normal?”
Pops glanced up at him. “She’s never had a normal life. Not with her parents and certainly not with you.”
“You know what I mean,” Luca insisted. “Will she go back to the way she was before the kidnapping?”
My grandfather’s eyes narrowed. “She chose you, Luca. You better take care of her.”
“Of course.” Luca blew out a deep breath. “I just…”
“Alex will never be normal. She’s gone through too much trauma in her life to bounce back from this as if nothing happened. If Alex’s mental illness is too much for you,” Pops said in a menacing tone, “maybe you should let her go. Marcello knows how to handle her better than you.”
They spoke as if I were not in the room with them. Sure, I was in shock, but I could still process their words. Though, speaking seemed to be a whole different skill set I didn’t possess at the moment.
Simple actions like breathing hurt. In and out, I tried not to cry with each breath I took. I felt like a truck had run me over, then backed over me ten more times. Every part of my body ached, from my sore bones to my tired muscles.
Luca hovered over my grandfather, who sat on a chair a few feet in front of me. “If you knew your granddaughter the way I do, you would know she doesn’t need to be handled.”
Pops glared at him. “This is your fault.”
“And I will spend the rest of my life regretting my decision to keep Aiden from her.”
Pops gave him a satisfied nod.
Luca grabbed my shoulder and squeezed like he couldn’t believe I was real and had to check. He hadn’t left my side since the moment he woke me up on the boat.
“Alex needs a bath and rest,” Luca said to Pops.
Pops removed a bottle of pills from his pocket and handed them to Luca. “See that she takes these for the pain.”
Luca glanced at the label on the bottle, then stuffed them into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. After Pops and the remaining Knights left the house, Luca carried me upstairs. He sat me on the toilet in his bathroom as he filled the massive garden tub with soapy water. I breathed in the scent of vanilla and watched him in action.
When he thought no one was watching him, Luca looked at peace, like the man he would have become if his mother were still alive.
“I’m not okay,” I whispered.