Chapter Ten
Seraphina
“Dorian…”
I lift my hands, trying to stop him, but he kicks me again. Another burst of pain explodes through my entire body. “Let me hear your screams, baby.” He rips my dress from my shoulder. “You know how much I love it.”
“Don’t!”
“Sera…wake up.”
Tears streamed down my cheeks, even though it would make things worse. Dorian hated my tears unless he was fucking me when I didn’t want him to touch me.
Then he loved them.
“Please, stop!”
I hoped this time he would listen even though I knew he wouldn’t.
He never listened.
He touched me, and I tried to move away from him, but my body screamed in pain. “Leave me alone!”
“Sera, it’s me, baby. Wake up, sweetheart.”
Sergio?
My eyes fluttered as I tried to push them open. “Sergio?”
It can’t be.
“That’s it.” His rough, calloused fingers brushed my hair away from my face. “Come on, baby. Open those beautiful eyes.”
My eyes opened, landing on Sergio Puglisi. Relief surged through me that it wasn’t Dorian because if he stayed around after beating the shit out of me, that meant it was far from over. However, within seconds that relief shifted to fear.
I attempted to get up, but the searing pain that shot through my body paralyzed me. “No, no, no.”
Sergio’s hand landed on my shoulder. “Be still.”
“No, you can’t be here.” Crippling panic rose inside me. “If he comes back, he’ll kill you.”
Darkness blanketed his face causing a shiver to run down my spine. “Let’s get one thing straight, Seraphina. I don’t give a fuck about Dorian Drakos. Let him come for me.”
“Sergio, please.” Tears filled my eyes, not only because of the pain, but because I was scared for him. Dorian hated Sergio. He wouldn’t hesitate to kill him and his entire family just to prove a point. “You need to leave.”
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Stubborn ass.
His phone buzzed, and he pulled it out of his suit jacket. He looked at it, anger covered his face before he silenced it then pushed it back inside his suit jacket.
“Are you hungry?”
“Sergio, you need to get out of here.”
What the hell was this man not understanding? Dorian had eyes all over this neighborhood. He was probably already on his way back. This was going to be a bloodbath.
“He can’t touch me, Seraphina.”
I shook my head. Sergio was stubborn and a narcissist. Of course, the Puglisi’s had power, but not the kind Dorian and his family had especially in Greece. I’d witnessed for myself how people bowed down to them.
Dorian can’t find him here.
“Dorian can get to anyone, Sergio. Please, for me.”
Most of the time he’d listen if I just asked him to do it for me. It was one of the reasons when he showed up to my engagement party he finally walked away after not taking no for an answer for so long.
There was a knock on the door that drew our attention. “Come in!” Sergio shouted.
My brows pulled together in confusion. When the door opened, in stepped a beautiful, tall woman with the darkest hair I’d ever seen.
She had a smooth olive complexion, a lithe body like she might do Pilates or yoga, and wore a white silk blouse, navy blue slacks, and white heels that looked at least four inches high.
“Good timing,” Sergio said. “She just woke up. She’s a little confused. She believes she’s still in her home.”
Wait. What?
Then I looked around the room, and that was when it hit me. I wasn’t in my room. This wasn’t my bed, and this wasn’t my house.
Distant bells sounded but they sounded different from the bright chime of Greek chapels. It sounded older, duller. My breath caught in my throat when I gazed out the wide picture window at the horizon. No blue domes and no calm crystalline blue waters in sight.
My head whipped toward Sergio, as terror rose inside me. “What have you done?”
He didn’t utter a word, but his expression showed a complete lack of concern for the fallout that was coming.
“What the hell have you done!”
I tried to sit up, but pain shot through me causing me to lose my breath.
“What I should have done years ago,” he said, like he didn’t have a care in the world.
“Mrs. Puglisi, I’m Dr. Vlahos.”
My glare shot to Sergio, and he lifted his brow, shrugging. The doctor was oblivious to the tension in the room, or she just didn’t care.
“Don’t move too much,” Dr. Vlahos said. “You have a few broken ribs, several contusions to your torso, and some other… bruising,” she stammered. “Do you remember anything?”
“Bits and pieces,” I mumbled.
My cheeks burned with shame. This was part of my life I wanted to remain secret, but now it looked like the one person who I tried to purge from my system knew more than he had the right to know.
“Since there are also signs you may have been sexually assaulted, your husband has requested you be given the Plan B pill.”
I took a peek at Sergio. His jaw and fists were clenched so tight, and his nostrils flared.
I could tell he was only hanging on by a thread.
But he had nothing to worry about. I couldn’t have children, thanks to Dorian.
I had so much damage to my uterus, cervix, and fallopian tubes that had caused a lot of scarring.
It was impossible for me to carry a child.
Another secret I’d take to the grave.
“But I need your consent to do that,” she continued. “Now you’ve been unconscious for over 72 hours, which makes the drug less effective. However, the percentage rate of effectiveness is still high. Would you like that medication?”
I sighed, closing my eyes. “It’s not necessary.”
“Seraphina.”
Sergio called my name. My eyes popped open, and I glared at him.
“I said it wasn’t fucking necessary, Sergio!”
He jumped to his feet and stormed out, slamming the door behind him.
“Okay…okay, Mrs. Puglisi.” The doctor stepped closer to the bed. “I need you to remain calm.”
I was as fucking calm as I could get given the circumstances. He didn’t need to know every aspect of my life. He didn’t need to know not only was I a battered wife, but I was also fucking defective.
“I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine. No need to apologize. This is a stressful situation. Your husband has been worried about you.”
I nodded and pushed down the warmth I always felt whenever Sergio was around. I still hadn’t forgiven him for getting my nephew kidnapped, and me being almost killed. That was the only anger I could hang on too, so I didn’t fall back into the same cycle of destruction that was Sergio Puglisi.
“With a sexual assault there’s also other medications that need to be given for sexually transmitted diseases. There are seven. I’m not sure of your reasoning for not taking the Plan B, but I would highly recommend that you take these.”
“Yes, I want those.”
She smiled. “Okay.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, where are we?”
I wanted to know where in the hell Sergio had taken me. There was no way we were still in Greece. If we were, he wouldn’t be so damn comfortable.
“I’m sorry. I’m not allowed to give you any information if it doesn’t have anything to do with your treatment.”
“Of course not,” I mumbled.
She smiled, but pity covered her face. “If it makes you feel any better, he hasn’t left your side. He’s a very scary man, but he loves you.”
With Sergio, love was never the issue.
“If you need anything, I’m only a few rooms away. I’ll give you another dose of pain medicine,” she looked at her watch, “in about two hours. Do you have any more questions for me?”
“How long have we been here?”
“Four days.”
“Four days?” I whispered.
Absolute terror raced through me. There was no way Dorian wasn’t looking for me. I need to talk to Phoenix.
“Yes. Your condition was dire. If it wasn’t for your husband, you could have slipped into a coma with the head and face injuries you suffered.”
I nodded with tears in my eyes. “Thank you.”
“You’re very welcome.” Dr. Vlahos squeezed my arm. “If you need me, you know where to find me.”
She smiled, then left the room. I huffed and stared at the ceiling. I didn’t know where the hell I was or how the hell I was going to get out of here, but I couldn’t stay here. Dorian would go after my family, and I couldn’t let that happen.