43. Alessia
CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
ALESSIA
I pick up my phone and call my girlfriends. I didn’t get to see them much after I got ready for the wedding. After dinner, they must have thought I didn’t see them sneak off with Mikhail and Jay.
“Lessia, are you ok?” River says, answering the phone. “FaceTime her,” I hear Tess say in the back. “Hold on, we’re FaceTiming.”
Moments later, I see their faces.
“Where’s Briar?” I ask.
“She stayed with Teagan. They’re on the way.” I raise my eyebrow and they laugh.
“Any updates on our girl? I’m changing and heading there now.”
“It’s your wedding night,” River reminds me.
“My best friend got shot at my reception. I’ll be there in forty-five minutes.”
“You looked beautiful. I had my reservations at first, but the way he looks at you, he loves you so much. I’m so happy for you, ok?” she says.
“Riv, don’t make me cry, ok? Please?”
“Seriously, bitches, no. Cut it out,” Tess says, wiping her eyes. She nods at me as I hang the phone up.
I quickly change my clothes and head to my father’s study. The door is closed, but there’s still a crack there.
I can hear my father and Astor talking. I stop when I hear the name that clearly holds so many fucking secrets.
“He was here, Ander, at our fucking wedding . You said you had security watching every door. How did he get so close to her?”
“Miles is resourceful, I don’t know. What’s important is that she’s safe.”
“I’m telling her. You know how badly I’ve wanted to tell her. You aren’t going to make me keep this shit from her. It’s eating me alive.”
“You won’t tell her a goddamn thing,” I hear my father say. I peek in and he’s in Astor’s face. Where the fuck is Xavier? Is this a good time for me to walk in? I decide against it, because I’m done with this.
“You signed a contract, Astor!”
“Fuck you and your contract. I was a fucking kid when I signed that. She’s my wife. He fucking raped her! I’m not keeping this away from her!”
Raped. He raped me.
My breathing becomes ragged and I lean over, willing myself to breathe. I refuse to faint when I’ve finally gotten my answers. I take another deep breath and push the door open.
“That’s why I could never stand for a man to touch me...” I whisper, walking in. Astor turns to me and my father freezes.
"Alessia, let me explain,” Astor starts. I hold my hand up to him and walk around him, facing my father.
“How long has he wanted to tell me this?” My father reaches for me, but I push his hands away, my voice getting louder. “Answer me! How fucking long?!”
“Since the moment you lost your memory.” I suck in a breath and clutch my stomach. You’re fucking kidding me. I can’t believe this. This entire time, I’ve been thinking he just wouldn’t tell me. But it was my father—my father was the problem. A contract was the problem.
Astor wraps his arm around my waist when the doors open again, and my mother and his parents walk in.
“What is going on?” my mother shrieks, walking towards me. Astor holds out his hand because there’s no way I can speak right now.
“Eleanor, she knows. I’m getting her out of this house now,” Astor says to her. Tears immediately fill her eyes, and for the first time, I don’t give a fuck. I don’t care that she’s crying. I don’t care that my father is white as a ghost. I don’t care that Astor signed a contract and couldn’t tell me. I just don’t fucking care.
I have to get out of here.
“ Figlia , you don’t understand. Your therapist said to let you remember on your own,” my mother pleads.
“My therapist?! I’m your fucking daughter!” I push away from Astor and storm out of the door.
I grab the keys to Caroline’s car, not looking back when I hear Astor roaring my name throughout the house.
I ignore him, not knowing how to respond to him or how I feel with him in this moment. A hand wraps around my wrist and spins me around. And the moment I lay eyes on him, I know what I feel.
Anger .
“You don’t get to touch me,” I say to him. He frowns and steps back.
“ Malyshka , I wanted to tell you. You have no fucking idea how badly I wanted to tell you.”
“Then why didn’t you? A contract? A fucking contract? We have the best fucking lawyers in New York and you couldn’t get out of a fucking contract! He’s my father! I could’ve talked to him!”
“Alessia, please. You don’t understand. I was working on it. Trying to find him to bring him to you. I was going to tell you…I had to make sure you were strong enough. You weren’t strong enough last time, you don’t understand. You tried to….just please.” he says, reaching for me again, but I step back.
“I tried to what Astor? Let me guess, more secrets. You could’ve told me but you didn’t, ok? You didn’t. I can’t be around you right now. Don’t follow me, Astor.”
“Alessia, it’s our wedding night.”
“Yeah, and you should thank God that I didn’t find this out before the wedding.” He frowns at my words.
“What does that mean?”
I shake my head at him and I head to the car, ignoring his footsteps behind me.
“What does that mean, Alessia!” I climb into the car and he grabs the door, stopping me.
“Look at me. I love you. I’m sorry; but you aren’t leaving this marriage. I will fight you tooth and fucking nail. You aren’t going anywhere, do you understand? I’m not losing you again.”
“Move. Ast, please.” He backs up and I slam the door before pulling out.
I don’t know how my wedding day turned from this magical fucking thing to a complete warzone. Fuck this night.
I need to see my best friend.