Prologue

Prologue

ANTONIO

(Past)

It hurt.

I didn’t think it was supposed to hurt that much.

But no matter how much it hurt, I couldn’t cry.

I couldn’t scream.

And I couldn’t ask for help.

If I cried I’d be nothing but a weak little boy, no matter that I was just ten years old.

If I screamed Caterina would hear me and she would cry. If she saw what that fucker, who was our father but we hadn’t called him that in a long time, had done to me. It will hurt her.

And out of her loyalty to me she will go against that bastard and to make him see his mistake which will be just another mistake on her part. And if that happens, this time I will not be able to save her. Not with the pain that was spreading through the soles of my feet that seemed to be on fire as I stumbled and took support from the wall. So I bit down on my bottom lip that throbbed from the cut, and kept my silence even as my legs trembled and taking each step became difficult and more difficult by the second.

Breathing deeply, I turned to look back the way I came and my gaze fell on the marble floor, now covered in red bloodied footprints. Mine. When my gaze came to my own feet, it took me a moment to understand that they were my feet. That the pain I was feeling was justified and then I blinked once, only to drop down on the floor as black dots danced in front of my eyes and my knees buckled with the pain.

I didn’t know how long I stayed there, unconscious on the cold marble floor of the house that had more than twenty rooms and no one was allowed in except the prisoners and that was what I and my sister were. Prisoners to the man who should be not our captor but our father. When I felt a soft touch to my head, my first thought was of Caterina and I tried to come up with something to placate her, to calm her down before she went into her protective sister mode. Unfortunately for her, I was more protective than her and I’d rather die than let her get hurt.

But it wasn’t Caterina as I recognised Mario’s voice and his urgent pleas for me to wake up. When I opened my eyes I couldn’t make sense of anything. My body was on fire like someone had locked me in an inferno or maybe it was the hell my father always threatened me with. I was no longer on the hard, cold floor but the soft surface beneath me felt like a burning pyre, making it impossible to calm down.

“Il mio ragazzo... Mi dispiace. Mi dispiace molto.” Mario murmured constantly as he pushed me down when I thrashed and tried to fight him. I knew it was Mario, I recognised him but the pain in my body refused to let me settle down or let me process anything. I realised in that moment it was what trying to survive felt like. When your mind goes blank except how it protects your body from any possible threat and that’s the top priority because anything else is just white noise.

“We are going to the hospital. I am taking you to the doctor. Everything will be fine,” He said, his voice hoarse with emotions. “Please... Hold on just for a while, my little king.”

“It hurts, Mario...” I whispered, this time unable to hold back the pain from bleeding into my words as I saw his face and recognised him through the dark haze. He cried, silent tears trailed down his cheeks and I hated to see him crying. I lifted my hand even though it was a task to do so with the pain and wiped his tears. “Don’t cry, Mario.” I murmured.

He only cried harder and even though I was close to his height at only ten years of age he hugged me to his chest as I was lying half on top of him in the back of a... I looked around and I realised that we were in a cab. “Everything will be okay. Everything will be fine.”

I nodded even though I didn’t believe him, but I kept quiet trying to control the urge to scream as the pain started to become a part of me, embedding deep inside me. “Can you tell me what happened?” He asked but I could see it in his eyes that he was afraid of the answer. I shook my head and closed my eyes, letting him hold me like my parents never did.

When we reached the hospital no one knew whose son I was as Mario filled out the forms like any other person would, knowing every detail that I knew that the ones who gave birth to me wouldn't know the answers to.

Mario didn't leave my side when the doctor came to check on me and even though the pain was unbearable and tears were now freely falling from my eyes which I couldn't do anything about as it was my body’s response, I refused to succumb to the darkness that was pulling me. I needed to know if I could trust this doctor or not.

The doctor looked at my feet before turning to Mario then back at me. With brows furrowed in contemplation, he asked, “How did this happen?”

Before Mario could answer, I said, “I mistakenly walked on the broken glass.”

“Mistake would be a scratch, dear boy. Your feet look like you've purposely walked on the broken glass.” He narrowed his eyes on Mario as he questioned, “Or, did someone make you?” When I remained silent, he asked Mario, “Did you do this to your son?”

“He did not.” I gritted out.

“I did no such thing. Instead of asking questions, please help him.” Mario added.

The doctor stared at Mario for a moment before he said, “We will have to start by removing the glass and then we will see how damaged his feet are, and if he needs stitches or surgery with all the blood he has lost?” The doctor looked at me and asked, “Are you not in pain?”

I wanted to laugh as I said, “I don’t think there’s a word for what I am right now.”

“I will try to make it better.” The doctor said.

He did his best, I knew. But it wasn’t the end of the pain though. The doctor ended up telling us that my feet would heal outwardly but the broken glasses embedded deep in my soles had damaged some of the nerves that would keep bothering me no matter how many pain killers I shove down my throat. It was the parting gift my father left me with just because I stopped him from hurting Caterina who broke the vase in front of him for which he gave her the punishment to walk on those broken pieces. I took that punishment for her. And it was the last punishment I took for her before I decided to get rid of the monster because once again he came after my sister and this time I had no choice but to get rid of him.

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A. Gupta

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