Chapter 86
Harlow
Caterina wanted me to meet the people in her life who helped shape her.
It was nice meeting new people, but I was always scared, too.
When I met Roman, I was mortified, but then his wife told me how they met and how he saved her life.
Vera and I had almost the same love story.
We were both taken by our partners and fell in love with them.
When Caterina walked back into the room, I smiled brightly before looking at the man with her.
My blood froze when I saw a familiar gaze.
Caterina saw it, too. My skin felt like I was being eaten alive with a million fire ants as panic engulfed me.
I needed to breathe, to focus on something else, but I was being pulled into the dark abyss of my past.
“You’re beautiful, my dear,” he whispered against my neck.
Alessandro Mario wasn’t the type of man who got off on hurting me like the rest, but he still touched me without my consent. What made it worse was how my body responded to him. I hated how he touched me, but my body reacted differently.
“P-please don’t.”
“It’s okay. I want to make you feel good. Just relax.”
“Harlow, breathe for me, baby,” Caterina soothed, her voice pulling me away from my mind.
“I—he—” My chest heaved.
Caterina looked at Alessandro. “Mario.”
“Alessandro,” I breathed. “He…”
I stumbled back, my vision blurring as memories crashed over me. My stomach heaved, but nothing happened. I was frozen, paralyzed with fear as I looked into those damning eyes. And then a new fear clawed deep inside me. I felt a lump in my throat and a sob get stuck as a tear rolled down my face.
Caterina’s demeanor shifted. “Mario, tell me the truth. Did you pay Vincenzo Mancini money to rape my wife?”
“Caterina, I’ve never seen her before.”
I squeezed my eyes closed, images of his body flashing through my mind.
Mario. Alessandro. Whatever his name was, he never cut me or brutalized me the way Michael Hass or the others did.
Alessandro wanted me to love him and enjoy what he did to me.
My mind flashed to his naked body, my skin burning at the memory of his skin on mine.
His touch felt like fire on my skin as his fingers dug into my jaw.
He forced me to look up at him, his eyes piercing my soul.
This man was different from the others. He wasn’t malicious or dripping with ill intent.
That scared me the most. He was going to hurt me, but it would be different than the others.
His hand lingered on my skin longer than I liked, but I knew fighting would hurt me more in the end.
“You’re gorgeous.” A tear rolled down my face. His thumb caressed my cheek, removing my tears. “Don’t cry. I’ll be good to you. My name is Alessandro, and we’re going to have a great time.”
I watched him take off his clothes, fear holding me down.
He told me to watch him and not to take my eyes off him, or he would have to punish me.
Obeying was better than the pain he would inflict on me.
If he said he wouldn’t hurt me, I should welcome the pain-free night.
I would still hurt, but it would be a different kind of pain.
There’s a mole that caught my eye under his belly button. It was perfectly centered on his tanned skin. I tried to remember little things in case I ever got free, but if no one found me yet nor stopped Vincenzo, no one would. This was my reality, a cruel, miserable reality.
Alessandro stripped out of his black slacks and stepped out of his boxers. He stepped closer to me, stroking himself. He had a dark brown birthmark on his inner thigh that looked like the mouth of a smiley face. I kept my focus on that as he brought my face closer to him.
If there really was a God, he hated me.
“There’s a mole under his belly button and a birthmark on his right thigh.”
Caterina pulled out her phone and called Malachi. “You’ll need the cleaning crew at Mario Gallo’s restaurant.” Caterina pulled out her gun and shot Mario in the leg.
He hissed in pain and fell to the floor. “Cat, we’ve been friends for years. You know me.” He was her friend. Her family. She knew him longer, but she was my wife. I knew she would believe me.
Caterina squeezed my hand, giving me the reassurance I needed. “You hurt my wife. Her words are all I need.”
“Cat,” he pleaded. “Come on, Cat. Don’t do something you’ll regret.” Fear wrapped its icy tendrils around me.
“Harlow, baby.” Caterina pulled me into her. “Did he touch you?”
I looked up at her, feeling the tears roll down my face. “Y-yes. He wasn’t like the others. He didn’t torture me, but he…” I squeezed my eyes closed.
“You touched my wife, Mario. You knew how I felt about rape and how much I hate Vincenzo, and yet you went behind my family’s back and betrayed us. You’re going to die, Mario.
“Cat, you can’t believe the words of a whore.”
Caterina’s eyes flared. “I will always believe. My. Wife.” She ripped his white shirt open, trailing a knife down his torso and stopping at the mole. “You betrayed my family, Mario. I trusted you, and you went behind my back. How many other women did you buy?”
“J-just her. I-I’m sorry, C-Cat.”
Caterina cocked her head to the side. “Sorry? You can’t take back what you did.” Caterina pointed her gun at his head. “Burn in hell, Mario.” I jumped when the gun fired.
He didn’t have time to react before the bullet penetrated his skull and he fell to the ground…dead.