==Olivia==
I'd been in the bathroom for close to an hour now, doing nothing but stand while the shower rained on me. My eyes remained open, even with the sting I felt.
Purge. That was what was on my mind. To strip my body of the past and the memories that came with it. Minutes later, when I was sure the warm shower had done its job, I stepped from the stall. Cold frigid air hit me There was a towel hanging on the rack close by. I grabbed the towel and wrapped it around me.
My hair was dripping wet, plastered firm on my scalp. I walked into the room, immediately catching sight of the dress on the bed. It was a long robe. Yes, robe. Not dress. Burgundy with some embroidery around the V-neckline.
I blinked. O
==Matteo==I was there. Again. Surrounded by nothing but darkness. Just like the previous time, I couldn’t move. No matter how hard I tried. No matter how much effort I put in doing so. My lips were sealed, only opening up moments later and just in time for me to say, “Anyone here?”I got no response. Again. I cursed. What a fool I was. Of course, I'd been stuck in this limbo to know what the drill was. So, I waited.It wasn’t long before she appeared.Angela De La Crux, as she had told me. Donning a dazzling white gown, she drew close to me till it was just a foot that separated us.“Could this stop?” I said before she speak. I knew just what she wanted to say. &ldq
==Matteo==I was almost done eating when my butler returned. He didn’t come with Olivia, but rather had a look of concern on his face.“There’s a problem, sir.”“What is it? I asked.“She’s unconscious.” I didn’t know why I had thought he was going to say that she escaped. But this news about her unconsciousness rattled me. I left the dining and stormed into the atrium. There she was, face up. I walked up to her and felt her pulse, my chest pounding, fearing the worst. I could feel a pulse at her neck. That was a relief.Her entire brow was covered in sweat. I carried her out of the atrium and got into a room. I laid her on the bed, instruct
Chapter 20.“How long did you say she’s been missing for?”Leah made a mental note. “About five days.”The officer listened with bored expression as she recounted the events leading to Olivia’s disappearance.“Miss, from the look of things, she went on her own accord. She’s 21. A lot of youngsters do that.”Leah couldn’t believe her ears. Was this a joke? “I’m afraid, that’s can’t be right. Olivia has never run away from home, even though she’s been sad lately because of…”Leah didn’t know why she cut herself shut. Or maybe she did. She widened her
Chapter 21.==Olivia==Swallowing down the heap of excitement in me, I opened the door. As soon as I did that, rays of sunlight hit me. I squinted my eyes. This was officially the first time that I was stepping outside. It was almost as if sunlight and fresh air had become a luxury.I stepped out of the door, into the threshold and took the scene before me. This was the backyard, I supposed. There were a lot of plants. All green. They were everywhere. Lianas on the walls, grasses on the floor, trees, shrubs. A light breeze came through and I sighed. This was life.I stared at the garden for some time, appreciating the nice breeze. The compound was big and there were a lot of twists and turns. How can anyone build such complexity?
==Olivia==I hated periods! Well, was there any girl that cherished it? Of course not. I laid on my stomach, whimpering as my lower back burned with each passing minute. Oh God. I normally relied on painkillers to deal with the pain, but right now, I was handicapped. I didn’t have any pills with me. That meant I would have a whole day of whimpering.I clutched my belly, praying and wishing that time flew past. Then came a knock on my door. Fuck. I wanted dearly to tell the person to go away but I couldn’t bring myself to speak. I instead grunted.The knock came again, and I shut my eyes. Hoping to keep the noise out. I heard th
==Matteo==I found himself there again. That void that seemed to stretch to eternity. I made to shout, but stopped myself. It was of no use. I'd been there before; of course I knew my vocal cords would be magically paralysed. Or would it?It wouldn’t hurt to give it a shot, would it. I’d be an idiot if it failed, but hey, there wasn't anyone here to rain insults on me with their humiliating laughter. So, good.I followed my instincts. I shouted. And surprisingly, a sound came out form me. But there was problem. Something was off. What I’d had in mind to say wasn’t what I actually said. Moreso, my voice was a shrill, tiny like a little boy's.“Mum!”That
==Olivia==I never appreciated the truth in the words: as ever-changing as the weather, until today. Just some minutes ago, it was bright, threating to have me blind for a moment. Now, the once blue sky had become a grey monster and the nice warm breeze was a gale. I squinted my eyes to shield myself from the dust that came with the wind.I began making my way out of the maze, doing quite a job in keeping my dress in place. I let out a sigh of relief when I made it out. No sooner had I done that than I jerk. I wasn’t expecting to see Matteo. Also, I didn’t expect to meet him in such...manner as he was. Something was off about him, given the way he stared at blankly. I waved off any concern. He wasn’t my business at all. All I had to do was get inside, have some nice warm bath and then be buried under my blanket.
==Matteo==My lids trembled before I slowly opened my eyes. First, everywhere appeared blurry, but after some time, I finally gained focus. The familiar chandelier hung above. I shut my eyes again, taking a deep breath.Reopening them, I leaned on the bed head. I was alone in the room, leaving me wondering how I'd made it here. One minute I was in the bar and the next, I was…The bar. Dammit. I’d gotten drunk. I ran my hand across my hair, instantly noticing that it was wet. Did I have a shower or…? I groaned again. This was one reason I hated drinking. It messed with my head.