I instinctively tightened my scarf around my neck. Shit. How did I forget to cover them? “No.” I said, trying to escape his scrutinizing gaze. “They are.” He said, unnecessarily suspicious. “It’s none of your business, Raymond.” I said, walking away from me. To my surprise, he got up at once and tugged at my scarf. Before I knew it, he pulled it from around my neck, exposing it entirely. “Raymond!” I hissed, but it was too late. He had already seen the bruises. Clenching his jaw, he stepped closer. “Who did this?” I huffed out loudly. “It’s none of your business, Raymond.” “Cassie, don’t be silly.” He frowned, “This is serious. Who the hell tried to choke you?” “I dont talk want to talk about it.” “I’m not going to let you go until I get an answer from you,” he said, “This is not something I can ignore. And nor should you. Christ, did you even tell Enzo?” I gave him a glare. Bloody hell. “Right, you didn’t.” He said, wearing a smug look, “If you won’t tell me who did it,
I knew it was the last thing he had to see, but my instinct made me jump away from him at once. I knew he wouldn't do anything to me now, but the angst of the past few seconds have triggered the fight or flight response in me. I was still trying to fight for my life. “How… when did you even come inside?” He asked, looking at my face in helplessness, “I remember falling asleep alone. I didn’t think… I had no idea it was you. I’m so sorry, Cassie.” “I… I came in just now.” I mumbled, wiping off the sweat that broke onto my forehead. Honestly, I had no idea how to respond, “I wanted to spend the night with you. I thought… I didn’t think you were having these… nightmares…” He shook his head in utter dismay, “This is why I wanted to be alone.” He said, “I knew I was not safe to be around. My mind is not in the right space.” “I get it.” I said, “I get it now.” When the doctor said that Enzo was struggling psychologically, I never imagined that it was like this. This was a proper traum
The last I spoke to Enzo was two days ago.Ever since Enzo came back home, his mental health has gotten worse. He refused to speak to any of us. He refused to step out of his room. Heck, he refused to share the room with me. “I’d like to be alone.” Was all I got in response whenever I asked him what was wrong. Since it was never a good idea to push him, I gave him the space he wanted. I worked from home for two days, ensuring he at least took his food and medication on time. But on the third day, I’d had enough. This could not be his permanent coping mechanism for whatever it was that was happening to him in his head. So for breakfast that day, I forced him to join me. “So,” I started, digging into my smoothie bowl, “Did you look up the shrink I told you about?” He paused eating to look at me, “Yes.” He said, and lowered his eyes once again, “I don’t like her.” “Why?” He shrugged, “No reason.” I sighed, rolling my eyes. “Why don’t you try a session with her? Maybe she’s not
Enzo’s POVAll I saw was blood. From the moment I walked into what was once my home to the moment I stepped into the bedroom, all I saw was blood. Everywhere. On everyone.The last time I saw Cassie inside the house was the day I got shot. She begged me to stay, but I didn’t. And that regret haunted me for a year. Not a day went by without me reliving everything that happened that day. Every moment that I spent fearing for my family and every moment that led up to me getting shot. So when I left the hospital and went back home, a place where I left my kid and wife to fend for themselves all alone, I realized that I never found it in me to forgive myself. That day when Kent threatened to kill my family, I believed him. Heck, that was what made me react to him. And that was what made me get shot. “Enzo!” Came Cassie’s strict voice that she only used when she wanted to discipline a child. Right now, I was the object of her disappointment. “What the hell was that?” I turned toward
Cassie’s POV As promised, the doctor did let us go home after two days. The discharge was finalised and all the bills were cleared. One final meeting with the doctor and we were free to go. As I stepped into her office, I noticed that she was just finishing off adding discharge medication to Enzo’s file. “Hey, Cassandra,” She said, giving me her signature smile. “I was waiting for you. All ready to go home?” “Yes, I can’t wait actually.” I said, my voice filled with excitement. “Give me that file and I’ll be out of your face in a second.” She chuckled, “Well, I’m going to miss having you around but it’s always a delight to see a patient finally go back home.” She said, handing me the file. “Here is the file, it has all the discharge medication and instructions in the end. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, okay?”“Sure, doctor. Thank you so much.” I said, holding the file close to my chest as I eyed her with gratitude.“You’re welcome.” She smil
Cassie’s POV “Your husband is doing well, Mrs. DeLuca. At this rate, we could discharge him in a couple of days.” I glanced at Sara, who wore a similar ear splitting sign as me. Ever since Enzo woke up, everyone was eager to get him back home. Visiting him in the hospital for the past one year had traumatized everyone enough, and now we could no longer bear coming back here. Enzo also wanted to be out of this place too. “Can I tell Enzo?” I asked, hopefully. “I don’t want to bring up his hopes unnecessarily.” “Oh, no. Please tell me. Anything to improve his spirits.” the doctor said, closing the file. I gave her a knowing nod, letting out a sigh. While Enzo’s physical health improved drastically over the last one week, the same couldn’t be said about his mental health. As was normal for any patient, Enzo was requiring time to adapt to his new life. All the constant chatter of visitors had made him quiet and reserved. These days, he preferred to spend time by himself. “I’ll te