7. Leila
CHAPTER 7
LEILA
I pull my knees to my chest and pray to God to let me die. I can't live this way anymore. I'm losing track of time and it hurts to see no one cares about me. I thought Nicholas was the one but what Nicholas pretended to be was a mere illusion. How foolish I was! Tears run down my cheeks as I remember how my life changed in the past years.
The shots I hear draw me out of my daydream and startle me. I try to pull the chain on my ankle, hoping to finally rip it off, but it doesn't work. The door of the basement flies open and I hold my breath.
“Trovata!” Found her! one of the armed men yells as he comes closer.
I back off until I'm trapped against the wall. Shit!
“Stay away from me!” I scream at the top of my lungs.
He moves away and stands still while another man in a suit comes in. “It's okay, we're here to take you home.” He kneels as I burst into tears.
“Ti prego, uccidimi!” Please kill me, please , I beg him. “Please.” I don't want to go back home. I don't want to go back to Nicholas. Better dead than at the manor again. As foolish as it may seem, it was even better here than near Nicholas.
“Shhh, nessuno ti farà mai più del male.” Shhh, no one will ever hurt you anymore. He comes closer. When I finally meet Christopher's eyes, I start hyperventilating as he fires at the chain and then scoops me up.
It's a dream.
He's not here.
I blink a few times and I barely hear him saying something. Not sure if to me or to the men with him. I'm in trance. Everything seems to happen in slow motion. He walks across the corridors, his mouth moving while he peers at me. Once my lungs inhale the fresh air and the rain drops fall on my head, I meet his gaze one more time before everything goes blank.
I open my eyes and the dim light in the room catches my attention but I try to not move. Where am I? Was it a nightmare? Still, my body hurts so much, as does my head.
When I feel someone moving in the back of the room, I shut my eyes, the steps stop near me and my heart starts hammering in my chest. Nicholas will be so mad at me. Hopefully it won't be worse than the last time but I'm not ready to face him yet.
“I won't move from here if that's what you're waiting for.” The deep voice makes me hold my breath as the light switches on.
I brace myself and open my eyes. “Where am I?” I ask while blinking a few times. This room is not Nicholas'. When my gaze shifts to him, I start to tremble. “Christopher?”
“Seems no concussion, you'll be good.” He turns his back to me and walks around the bed. “Get ready, dinner will be served soon.”
“Dove sei stato?” Where have you been? The question leaves my lips without even realizing it. He stops for a second and then opens the door, leaving me alone.
I try to get up but my ankle hurts. I pause for a second and then get on my feet, realizing I'm wearing a T-shirt and nothing else. On the armchair there are some jeans, a shirt and a dress. I try to get dressed but I'm afraid to step out of here.
What am I going to do now? Why is he back? I look around at the room and see a few suitcases and the laptop on the table. Why am I in his room? Oh fuck, Nicholas will kill me.
I start to panic as my vision blurs and I hold onto the chair. Thousands of ideas pass through my mind. Escape from Bonetti's manor is impossible since it's isolated and he's the owner of the entire city. I'd dare to say region. Nothing happens without him approving it.
The knock on the door skirts me back to the present as Viola, the maid and one of my friends, opens it. “Miss, dinner is ready.”
“I won't join them.” I shake my head at her. “Tell them I'm sleeping or whatever.”
She approaches to check on me. “Leila, you know Mr. Bonetti won't accept it. Especially now you're back after so long.”
“Is Nicholas downstairs too?” I ask while trying to get up. The ankle hurts so bad it forces me to sit down right away.
She makes the sign of the cross and shakes her head. “Mr. Nicholas is no longer with us.”
I gasp as I stare at her. I'm not surprised. I mean, he's always been a reckless dickhead and alcohol, drugs, and his business , as he used to call it, put him in danger more than once. I heard his father complained about him and the fact the shadow wouldn't be there to clean his mess.
“Please, Viola, just tell them I don't feel okay and I won't join them,” I murmur as my stomach knots.
When Viola leaves the room, I start to shake. Now that Nicholas is not here anymore, what will happen to me?