turned on the lights and gently sat me down on a nearby chair. Then, he left my side to grab a pack of ice and a wet towel. When he came back, he cleaned the blood from my lip and slowly leaned the ice against my swollen cheek as if he was careful not to cause any further damage. No one had ever cared for me like this… The gesture almost made me cry, but I was determined not to allow Broderick to see my pain and witness the true extent of my weakness. The last thing I needed was his pity. It would destroy the last bits of my fading dignity.
“Olivia, why don't you leave him?” Broderick asked as though he couldn’t understand me.
I almost laughed with painful sarcasm. “Do you know what he does for a living?”
Broderick fell silent, then sighed. “Not in detail, but I’ve managed to draw a few conclusions over the past year.”
“Then I don't think I have to tell you why I can't leave,” I snapped, feeling exhausted and defeated.
He shook his head and rested his hand on my shoulder, willing me to look at him. “But you can't live like this. Look at what he's doing to you. No woman deserves to be beaten and live in fear. I can't allow it.”
He spoke like he cared; as if seeing me trapped in this situation truly disturbed him. But, as far as I was concerned, accepting his help was out of the question. How could I risk trusting anyone after what had happened with Lorenzo? Besides—even if Broderick was honest—I knew the price Alessandro would extort for betrayal. I didn't need another innocent person's life on my conscience. I wasn’t prepared to take the dangerous risk of waking a sleeping lion when I knew what hell could be unleashed if I provoked his rage.
I took in a deep breath, adamant to keep my distance from this man who claimed he wanted to help. “Thank you for your concern, Broderick, but it's none of your business.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve just made it my fucking business,” he stressed the words decisively. “I’ve watched you live a miserable life for a whole year and I’ve stood aside, even though I knew something was not right here. Now, I might turn a blind eye to a woman stuck in a loveless marriage, but if you think I'll stand around and watch him hurt you like this, you have another thing coming.”
“It's just one bruise.” I tried to shrug it off, but my voice turned bothered and wobbly. “It's no big deal. It will heal.”
A shadow of a smile appeared on his lips as he removed the package of ice and gently leaned his fingers just below the bruised blemish. “You're right. This might heal fairly quickly,” he whispered, slowly moving his hand down my face all the way to the center of my chest. “But what about this?”
For a few moments, I was stunned, wondering if this man could even begin to fathom the extent of pain his words made me feel. His eyes told me he understood because he could feel the wild beating of my heart against the palm of his hand. It doesn't matter, Olivia...the voice in my head reminded me. Nothing matters. There is no escape. “He'll kill you...and it won't be clean or pretty,” I uttered a serious warning. “Please, stay out of this.”
“Let him try,” Broderick said calmly. “You don't have to worry about me, Olivia. Unlike you, I can hold my own against a bastard like him.”
The muffled noise at the other end of the room caught my attention and I peeked up, instantly freezing in dismay. Broderick's words dispersed into nothingness and every last coherent thought left my mind. Slowly, I turned into a frightened mess of shattered nerves while I stared into my husband's angry cold gaze.
.
.
.
.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
My heart pulsated in my ears as I became an unwilling captive of those dark, condemning eyes. Alessandro stood in the center of the room and calmly observed the scene he had encountered, his hands stuck in his pockets. I couldn't even breathe, let alone make sense of what I could possibly say to deter him from hurting both me and Broderick.
I was aware of one single thing. Alessandro had just seen another man touch and comfort me. He had even possibly heard Broderick was prepared to wage revenge against him. And yet, despite the desperate pleading in my eyes, Broderick didn't move an inch.