Chapter 4
CHAPTER
FOUR
TWILIGHT ZONE
MINDY
I have no idea who this avenging angel is, but there’s a sense of calmness about him that makes me feel safe. I haven’t felt safe in a long time, so I almost don’t trust the feeling. But this stranger saved me.
I haven’t told him my name, yet he’s taking care of me as if we’ve known each other for years. His touch is so soft and sweet that it almost brings tears to my eyes. I don’t know what will happen after this, but in this moment, all I can feel is relief.
Wrapped in this stranger’s arms is like a dream. As a matter of fact, I sincerely hope Ross didn’t knock me unconscious and I am dreaming. What kind of sick, twisted reality would that be?
“Fuck! I’m not dreaming... am I?” My voice is so hoarse that I hardly recognize it.
“No, sweetheart. This isn’t a dream,” he says with a slight accent.
I’m doing my best to keep my eyes open like he told me to, but my head is pounding. I just want to go to sleep. I’ve had a few concussions in the last year, so I know I need to stay awake. But my goodness it’s so hard.
The blurriness of the room changes color from light to dark as we leave the restroom. The loud music sounds muffled, and I instantly feel the embarrassment of being carried into a club full of people. Even when they see what Ross has done to me, I know they’ll somehow blame me for his abuse.
These people aren’t my friends, they’re his. Ross has them all fooled, and seeing me bruised and broken won’t change their minds. That’s why I’ve been silent. I can’t trust anyone.
“What the fuck, Luca?”
“Go get my car and bring it around to this exit.”
“Do I need to call for clean up?”
“No, he’s alive.”
A chill runs through me at Luca’s words. As tender as he’s being with me, I can’t help but wonder about what happened to Ross. I blacked out, so I’m not sure where he went. But the man talking to Luca just asked if he needed a clean-up.
What the hell does that mean?
“Sweetheart, I’m going to take you out back, okay? You need a doctor,” Luca’s voice is back sweet with no signs of menace it held earlier.
I can’t help but have a flash of Ross and his dual personality. Calm and collected in front of everyone else, but a complete terror with me. Luca is a stranger, and he’s trying to help me. But I really hope I haven’t trusted the wrong person again.
Luca moves swiftly to the back door, and we don’t encounter anyone. I’ve been to this place a few times, and I always wondered why there wasn’t security back here. My fight-or-flight response kicks in, and I start to feel scared.
I begin to shiver, and my heart begins to speed up. I know the panic attack is going to hit soon, and there will be nothing I can do to stop it. I do my best to avoid triggering situations, yet here I am.
I can’t believe all this happened because of the creep.
Ross accused me of flirting with his so-called creepy friend after he told Ross I was making eyes at him.
Whatever the hell that means. I didn’t even hold eye contact with the man, mainly because he creeps me the fuck out.
Ross was standing right there, and he still took this person’s word over mine.
I’m not sure what the creep was trying to do, but getting my ass whooped in the club was not on my to-do list. Hell, I sat in a loud club twiddling my thumbs just to keep the peace.
My husband ignored my very existence all night until he slapped the hell out of me and dragged me to the restroom.
I could tell by his dilated pupils and slurred speech that he was high off something.
The cool air hitting my face brings me out of my thoughts. My body is still shaking, and the fear is simmering just below the surface. However, I don’t know if it’s my memories or the future that I’m afraid of.
“It’s gonna be okay, sweetheart. I won’t hurt you. I promise,” Luca says, looking me in my eyes.
I don’t know what it is, but his words sink in. I can feel the truth in his promise. The look in his dark gray eyes holds an honesty that I’m unable to comprehend.
Who is this man?
I’m still in Luca’s arms when a fancy luxury SUV pulls up.
The man from before is behind the wheel, and there’s not a trace of worry on his face.
Again, it makes me wonder who these men are and how they can be so calm.
Surely sneaking a battered woman out the back entrance of the club isn’t a normal occurrence for them.
Luca opens up the door easily, even with me draped in his arms like a damsel in distress. But I guess I am. I don’t know how it came to this point in life, but something has to change. Relying on strangers to save me will have me six feet under.
This situation is the wake-up call I needed.
I can’t be too embarrassed to ask my family for help.
I can’t let my shame have my parents burying me.
What kind of shit is that? I wasn’t raised like that.
But I can’t think of those things right now.
I just need to get out of here and pray that Luca is just a good samaritan and not some psycho killer.
Luca slides me onto the soft leather seats and gets in beside me. I look up into his face, and I do my best to smile at him. But I can feel the shakiness of my lips, and I dip my head. Shame tries to suffocate me, but I manage to suck it down.
“Thank you,” I say, lifting my head up to look at the beautiful man.
“You’re welcome.” Luca smiles, and the sight almost makes me lose my breath.
“I think I’ll be okay. You can take me ho… no, I can’t go home. Maybe, Talia’s…”
My words get caught in my throat. If I go to Talia’s house, Ross will definitely find me. My pounding head is making me lose focus, and I can’t think of a safe place to hide.
I don’t think I have a safe place.
“You will always have a safe place.” I hear Luca say, I didn’t even realize that I’d said that out loud.
“Paolo, take me to my downtown apartment.”
I want so desperately to object to going to this stranger’s home, but the exhaustion in my body and my throbbing head keep my mouth shut. There’s no sense in my arguing anyway. I have nowhere to go. All of a sudden any energy I had is gone and I feel myself falling into the darkness.
“Wake up, sweetheart. You gotta keep your eyes open for me, okay?”
I slowly open my eyes. My concussion must be extremely bad this time because I’ve never felt like this before. It’s like I’m slowly slipping under water, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
“I feel so tired. I just need to rest my eyes. Just a little,” I say, closing my eyes again.
I know that I shouldn’t, but I can’t help when my eyes close and I’m shrouded in darkness.
I hear unfamiliar voices, but I don’t immediately open my eyes. I do my best to strain to hear what they’re talking about, but it’s no use. The voices are too far away, and it’s making my head hurt worse, trying to hear them.
I do my best to remember what happened and where I might be, but I’m just getting flashes. I remember sitting by myself most of the night. Then a flash of Ross being angry and pulling into the bathroom.
At the thought of Ross, my eyes fling open, and the memories come pouring back. My husband beat me until I blacked out. At a club!
We weren’t at home, or even in his car. I didn’t say anything that he could’ve perceived as out of line. I didn’t do anything out of line. And he beat me… in public. I do my best to think through the dull ache in my head.
I was in the bathroom pleading with Ross, and he punched me several times before choking me. I fell down, trying to cover myself, but then somebody came in and— Luca.
The man with the dreamy gray eyes and enigmatic smile. Luca saved me. He came out of nowhere and literally swooped me off my feet. Then I remember Luca saying to go to his apartment. I open my eyes and quickly sit up.
Shit! My head!
I grab my head and close my eyes again. After a few minutes, I slowly open them to take in my surroundings. Even in the dimly lit room, I can see that this is a luxurious place. The room is absolutely spectacular. I can only guess what the rest of the apartment looks like.
There are floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the glittering lights of downtown Dallas.
The view is spectacular even with all the construction in the city.
There’s a white sofa facing the windows with what looks like a white Persian rug with a glass table in front of it.
The rest of the room features blinding white walls with black and white art displayed everywhere.
Before I can get out of bed, the door opens, and Luca walks in. I thought I remembered everything about this man’s face, but my memory failed me. He is hands down the most beautiful being I have ever laid eyes on.
He smiles at me before smoothly coming to stand in front of the massive bed. I drop my gaze to my hands because staring is rude, and I can’t help myself. I have to be crazy, admiring this stranger when my husband just beat the hell outta me for less.
“Hey, beautiful. I’m glad you’re finally awake,” Luca says, still smiling.
“Uh, yeah. Wait, what do you mean by finally? How long have I been out?” I nervously question.
It’s still dark outside, but the good lord only knows how long I’ve been out of it. I’m not sure what time it was when we left, but I know I was sitting by myself for at least an hour or more. But honestly, I’m not really sure because I didn’t wear a watch.
“Not long, a few hours. But I was worried because we thought you might have a concussion, and you shouldn’t have been asleep at all.”
“A few hours,” I mumble, wringing my hands.
I know Ross is probably looking for me, but I can’t go home. I can never go home. I know that now. There’s nothing I can do to fix this broken relationship. Hell, I don’t want to fix it. If I go back, I’ll eventually end up dead.
“You know, you never told me your name,” Luca says, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“Mindy. My name is Mindy Stewart.” I look up into his sparkling gray eyes.
“Mindy, it’s nice to finally put a name to such a beautiful face.”
My face heats in embarrassment at his compliment. It’s been a long time since anyone has told me I look beautiful. I’m flattered even though I know he’s lying. I can feel the puffiness around my right eye and the knot on my head. I look like a hot ass mess.
“Thank you for everything, Luca. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for saving my life.”
I don’t know what else to say. What else can you say to someone who stepped up and kept you from being beaten to death? A lot of people would’ve turned around and left the restroom when they saw what was happening.
Although Ross has never hit me in public before, we have had some very loud public arguments.
Well, I can’t say that they were arguments; more like Ross berating me in a room full of people.
That’s how I know that nobody would help me.
We’ve been at a crowded party, and Ross has yelled some demeaning and hurtful things, and nobody batted an eyelash.
“I just wanted to help. I needed to help. No need to thank me.”
“Not many people would’ve stepped in. Nobody ever—” I stop talking because I don’t need to tell him my troubles.
He’s already helped me. I don’t need any more of his pity. I do want to keep some semblance of pride. I already feel ashamed and embarrassed that I let this happen.
“Listen, Mindy. I would never leave anyone in that situation. Your boyfriend had no right to put his hands on you…”
“My husband,” I automatically correct.
I don’t even know why I said that. I guess it’s a triggered response. Ross would accuse me of wanting attention from men if I didn’t instantly correct their assumption that I was single.
“What was that?” Luca frowns.
“Ross. He’s my husband. Not my boyfriend,” I mumble.
I can’t help the grimace that covers my face as the words leave my mouth. Once upon a time, I was proud to call Ross my husband. He was a good man that I cherished and loved. I still can’t believe that this is my life.
“Your husband did this? What the fuck?” Luca runs his hands through his hair.
I’m not sure what he’s thinking, but I can take a wild guess. It’s probably not every day he has to save a woman from being assaulted by her husband in a restroom. The thought brings an overwhelming sense of humiliation, and I look away.
“What time is it?” I ask, changing the subject.
Luca glances at an expensive looking watch. “It’s a little after three.”
Ross is probably home by now. I’m not sure what Luca did to Ross, but if I remember correctly, he mentioned not killing him. So, hopefully he whooped his ass.
“Okay, I’ll have to wait to see where Ross is before I can go back there. But you can take me to a hotel or something.” I look back at Luca, but he frowns.
I can’t go back home because I don’t know what Ross will do.
But I don’t know what to do next. I can’t tell my family.
It’s not just the disappointment that they would feel, but they trusted Ross.
He fooled us all, and I know my parents would never forgive themselves.
I refuse to burden them with my problems.
“You’re not going to a hotel, Mindy. The doctor will be in to check you out. I wanted to see if you were awake,” Luca says, getting off the bed.
“Wait. What doctor?”
“My doctor. He makes house calls, and he’s here to make sure you’re alright.”
Luca walks out of the room, and I’m left feeling like I woke up in the twilight zone.