COLD TRAP

MIRABELLA

A fist drives into my gut and knocks me out. I choke and cough, my hand clutching tightly onto the part of me that seems completely

ruptured.

I fall face down and sob, there’s not a part of me that is whole; at least not anymore and my father made con of it.

“Enough with your whining!” Father’s voice thunders as he forces me on my knees. “Tell me exactly what it is you saw that day,” he orders and I shake my head ‘no’

“I don’t remember anything.” Ilie; but I do it to protect myself.

“Maybe she’s telling the truth, we’ve broken her in unimaginable ways, yet, she still stands by her word,” my father’s minion whispers to him but I pay very close attention and I hear him.

“Have we? There’s still one thing that is yet to be done to her.” Father sneers and the man’s eyes widen.

“She’s a kid! She’ll not survive it. Isn’t she just ten years old?”

“I don’t care if she dies. Ready the chair, no questions asked.” Father orders as he stands by the side with Annabella.

I know what the chair is. I scream, I fight, I do everything I can to convince my father that I’m utterly unaware of what he’s asking but he doesn’t buy into it.

He nods to his minion and the man carries me and straps me in the chair. “No… please!”

“No!”

“No!”

“Please, don’t let him do it,” I cry out.

I feel a certain kind of warmth when my eyes flutter open. My front is pressed against something hard; something hard that seems comfortable. Something with a heartbeat?

My body st

stiffens when the dangerously dark tattoos come into sight. The tattoo I first take note of is that which seems like an illusion of a snake digging its fangs into the skin of his shoulder.

His shoulder?

Who?

My brain finally snaps out of its break time and I gulp. “Matteo?” My breath is erratic. My mind going ballistic and I almost slump when his hum sends some sort of vibration through my bones.

“I’ll do better.” Matteo says and I’m even more confused.

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“What?” Task.

12:26 Fri, 21 Jun D

DEContent bel0ngs to Nôvel(D)r/a/ma.Org.

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He doesn’t let go of me, he tightens his grip around my waist and pushes me into him still holding firmly, causing my breath to hitch.

The way he’s holding onto me seems more like a cry for he

for help. Like he’s in desperate need of someone who can see him. Someone who truly

sees him.

“I’ve been a terrible human being and husband and I truly regret my actions,” he whispers breathily. “I’ll become better.”

I don’t know why but I hold on to him a little longer as my heart pounds hard against my rib cage. He feels like home. In some twisted way, I feel safe with him and I don’t know why.

This is wrong.

So wrong.

After all, he’s the same man who has shown his hate towards me.

A man who brings me a step closer to death every passing minute.

Matteo holds me tighter until I’m unable to breathe. I wince when his fingers dig into my skin. “You should…” I swallow hard and grip his shoulders, slightly pushing him away.

Matteo buries his head into the crook of my neck and muffles, “please.”

“Matteo you can’t… just…”I stutter as I struggle in his grip.

“Let go, I can’t breathe.” I choke out and Matteo hurriedly let go of me. His gaze remaining on the ground like he feels guilty for how he’s behaved with me in the past month.

“Is it possible that you’re ready in an hour? We’re leaving for Sicily.” Matteo says and I hum.

I lie back down with my eyes closed. This thing with concealing my identity have suddenly become too unbearable for me and I’m so close to spilling everything to Matteo.

But I cannot because I don’t trust him and he hasn’t given me a reason to. I need him in my corner by all means necessary and I have to look for a way to get him standing solidly by me.

“Make sure you don’t stay in the shower too long. I’ll get your clothes ready and your bags are packed,” he mutters and I hum.

“I’ll leave it to you then? Be careful in there.”

Task Matteo to call one of the maids for me. The one who has successfully grown on me in my one month of being in this house; Her name is Garcia.

Matteo nods once and walks out of the room.

Garcia helps me into the shower and that’s when her eyes widen. She sees my eyes and she cannot bring herself to contain her curiosity. She begins bombarding me with series of questions and I can’t help the giggle that erupts from my throat.

I sternly warn her to keep it a secret and she nods enthusiastically. I make the decision to take her with me to Sicily there and then. I might as well go with someone I’ve become quite acquainted with, since the Denaro Estate seems to be a mad house.

A house full of murderers and blood thirsty men.

12:26 Fri, 21 Junio.

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Few hours later and we land Sicily. Garcia helps me out of the jet and into the car. Matteo offered but I’d rather die than accept any sort of kind gesture from him.

I have on an all black two piece sweat shirt and pants, and since I did not care to apply the contact lenses, I had to resort to using sunglasses.

“Figlial” Matteo’s mother-Maria-cups my face and pecks my cheeks as she welcomes me home enthusiastically.

“Mamma,” I give her a genuine smile.

“Sorellal” Matteo’s seventeen year old sister-Julia-beams with excitement as she jumps into my open arms and I groan in pain as I

stumble.

Maria narrows her eyes at me and diverts her gaze to her son who seems engrossed with the conversation he’s having with his father. Matteo seems to have noticed his mother’s eyes burning holes through him and turns to face us. His eyes dart from me to his mother and then back to me before he shifts his focus back to his father.

“Did he hurt you?” Maria seethes and I smile.

“You need not worry yourself about that, mamma,” I breathe out and she strokes my hair mouthing I’m so sorry” to me.

Well I believe it to be a good thing that Matteo’s family at least knows what kind of a monster he is.