CHAPTER 40

Sharon didn't have dinner that evening. She stayed up late, waiting for Luca to return

But he didn't

Time passed, and she was still waiting for his return. Her eyes were heavy, her stomach growled. She watched seconds turn to minutes, and minutes to hours

But she was still waiting patiently

Every fiber in her being pleaded with her to give up, to sleep, to forget about him

But she didn't

Her eyelids closed, begging to be put out of their misery. But she would stand up occasionally to walk around, so they would remain open

The time was 11:04

And Sharon was slumped on the couch

Tired, but awake

So tired that she didn't hear the sound of his car. Too tired to notice his jittery movements as he entered the house.

He was wasted, and he reeked of alcohol. His hair was messy . He had a look of rage in his eyes.

But Sharon still wanted to hug him. She remembered what Arman told her. Luca started his spree of drunkenness and fury when he found out about their arranged marriage.

He was a victim, like her. They were both victims of circumstance. It pained her that he was hurting because he had to marry her. She felt like it was her fault.

Sharon opened her hands to embrace him, but he pushed her away, nearly tipping her to the floor

Sharon was hurt. She felt a pain surge in her chest.

She should've stopped there, she should've let him be

But she couldn't ignore the sound of his head banging the wall upstairs. She could already imagine the damage. She had seen it so many times before

He was hurting himself, not her

She took a step, then another, into his domain. Her heart beat faster. Her mind told her to stop. But she kept walking

Untill she was standing three feet away from him.

There was blood on the wall, more blood on his forehead

Tears streamed down eyes and fell to her cheeks.

As he turned to look at her, she could see anger in his eyes, but she could also see pain.

She was in his territory. She didn't need to flick the switch to know.

He didn't want her there, she knew that too

But her legs moved, like they had a mind of their own

“Get out”

Came his cold voice

But she was undeterred, and took another step

“Get out!”

His voice was loud and coarse. Sharon was scared. His eyes were dark and he was angry

Her head told her to get out, to do the logical thing. But her heart was saying something else

Sharon's hands encircled round Luca's back, and she hugged him

Tears poured out of her eyes, she cried into his shirt

She was ready for the worst, but she was going to do what her heart told her to do

Her voice came in almost a whisper

“Divorce me Luca”

*******************

Luca's eyes went wide

“I said divorce me you asshole. You don't like a single thing about me

And everyday you hurt yourself because you're married to me

Maybe you like someone else, and this marriage has trapped you

So divorce me!”

She sobbed, harder than before. Her tears left a mark at the back of his shirt

Luca grabbed her hands and pulled them away from him

And pinned her to the wall. His grip was firm

Her eyes closed shut

And Sharon's mind drifted away, far far away

she started panting, gasping for breath. A tear slipped down her eyes and she let out silent cries from her lips

But Luca's hands weren't on her neck

They were pinning her wrists above her head

Yet—

She choked

The tears poured, and she was in distress. Luca could not understand what was going on

“No!

Stop it!

She screamed, writhing in pain, but Luca wasn't doing anything to her

“Stop it daddy stop!”

Stop—

Her legs kicked as though they had been in restraints, and she was using everything her body could allow to move

She breathed hard and fast for several minutes

Until her panicked breathing subsided, and all she kept muttering

Was stop.

She kept repeating the word, until she passed out in his arms.

Luca hugged her, on the floor. His blood trickled down his face and stained her shirt, and the remnants of her tears fell unto his

She was limp in his arms, a lot lighter than when he first carried her

He took her in his arms, and carried her to his room, completely ignoring his injury. He was being very careful. He felt like he would add more trauma if he made any mistakes

He hated himself for what he had made her go through, hated the fact that she never got to experience the side of him that yearned for her, that longed to wake up with her in his arms, that wanted to spoil her silly, to touch her, to love her

She only saw the version of him that followed his grandfather's script to the book.

Luca gently placed her on his bed and covered her with his blanket

He pulled off his shirt and gathered her softly into himself, so that her head rested on the crook of his neck.

He could still feel her shiver, still feel her laboured breaths. He tried to steady her, tried to soothe her. He massaged her back until she relaxed and their heartbeats were in sync

He pressed a kiss to her forehead. Whatever plans he had to convince her that he was a monster, to treat her like he hated her, to make her life more miserable—

All went down the toilet

Because he was looking at someone who probably had a monster hurt her her entire life.

His eyes scanned her from head to toe. And he knew he was looking at someone that had been traumatised so many times, it hunted her in her consciousness

“Sharon Gray, what in the world did that man do to you—?”