He swore under his breath and tugged me closer until my back hit the hard wall of his chest. I couldn't control the sobs that escaped my throat as he brought his lips to my ear. “The only one hurting the baby is you, cara,” he retorted softly. “You have to calm down.”
Calm down? Calm down when I knew he remembered? Impossible. I would never be able to regain any peace again.
“There are no more secrets to hide. I know everything, Olivia. About the past. About the accident. I’ve known for some time now,” he confessed, and I let out a painful mewling sound. He was going to kill me. He was going to grab that knife and end it right then and there. I knew it. The level of stress that possessed my body was so high I wasn't even capable of begging him anymore. I shivered all over and thought I was hallucinating when I heard him say, “I deserved it, okay? I deserved it because of the way I treated you, piccola. I know I was a cruel, selfish bastard.”
My throat constricted. I attempted to suck in a breath, but air wouldn't travel to my lungs. I made a choking sound.
“Shh...you have to breathe,” Alessandro whispered gently behind me.
I was losing my mind.
“You have to breathe, cara. I know you did it for the baby's sake. It's okay. I swear both of you are safe. I won't lift a finger to hurt you, I promise.”
He sat upright and dragged me with him so that I was nestled in his lap. Despite my attempts to get away, he laid my head on his chest and held me firmly against him. Years of bottled up pain bubbled to the surface. I surrendered to whatever doomed fate awaited me as I sobbed in his embrace. Blood was smeared all over his arm, but Alessandro acted as though it was a mere scratch. He didn't hit me or hurt me. Instead, he comforted me with gentle strokes along the nape of my neck, whispering those same sweet nothings and repeatedly asking me to breathe and relax.
I didn't know how long we sat there, but he told me he wasn't letting go of me until I stopped crying. After what seemed like hours, the tears finally came to an end, and I was exhausted. I offered no resistance when Alessandro lifted me in his arms and carried me to bed.
After he gently lowered my body onto the mattress, he took off my shoes. Then, he sat next to me and captured a strand of my hair between his fingers. My mind was racing because I couldn't make sense of his behavior. I was filled with doubts and questions. “Alessandro...”
“Hush, cara. Not now,” he interrupted in a light voice. “I think you’re still in shock. You need some time to process. Just close your eyes and don't worry about anything. We'll talk when you wake up in the morning. Okay?”
I wanted to relax and do exactly as told, but experience taught me it was beyond dangerous to trust him. I shook my head. “I'm not going to sleep.”
“Olivia, don't be stubborn,” he reprimanded softly.
“No,” I declined in a quiet, alarmed tone. “You’ve done this so many times before. You make me believe everything is okay, and then out of the blue you turn into a monster.”
“That was then, cara. I won't play those games with you again,” he reassured me, and kissed the top of my hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “Never again, I swear.”
“Why should I believe you when you have every reason to hurt me?” I asked in near desperation.
“Try me,” he said simply. “Close your eyes and go to sleep. Take the risk and see what happens.”
The last thing I wanted was to make myself even more vulnerable when I was at his complete mercy, but Alessandro was right. I was both physically and psychologically drained from all the crying, and still in shock. There was no way to know if he was being truthful. I fought the need to sleep for as long as I could, but eventually succumbed to his caresses and incessant soothing whispers.
At last, I gazed at Alessandro's blurring form through half-closed eyelids. His lips lowered to my belly and planted a soft kiss on top of it.
***
When I opened my eyes in the morning, I was alone and utterly surprised I was still in one piece. Alessandro