Chapter 3

Blue crystal eyes stared back at her.

He had found her.

There’s no way that he had found her.

Her heart pumped wildly in her chest as he grabbed her harshly by the wrist.

‘No. No. No.’ Where was he taking her? He couldn’t take her back to that hell hole.

With much energy, she tried to pull out of his grip, but he was far stronger than her, his fingers causing her pain.

She wanted to yell and tell Valente to leave her alone, but looking up at his face, she knew when to clump her lips shut though tight sobs wanted to escape.

Where the hell was he taking her? The only thing she could see was darkness all around her. It was suffocating her so badly.

“No, where is the light? I want the light,” she screamed, but her voice was swallowed through thin air not to be heard.

She could see the light at the other end pulling herself out of Valente’s tight grip so hard she started to run towards it.

“Fucking bitch! “Valente yelled, grabbing her by the hair, and a loud scream erupted from deep within her.

He had to let her go to the light. Maybe her daughter Beryl was waiting for her there. She yearned for her little Angel.

Valente pulled her back and held her chin roughly. She could see his lips moving, but nothing could be heard.

He hit her head so hard on the wall of the hallway.

Another silent scream escaped her lips before she fell to the floor. Mariana hadn’t noticed yet that everywhere was starting to clear.

She was back at his house. How had she got here in the first place? The back of her head had started to bleed badly, but she didn’t know. Her eyes were wide.

Valente had started to undo his belt. Was he going to whip? No, he couldn’t do that to her, not this time. She turned around and noticed the blood, but there was no time for her to act surprised.

Mariana got on her fours, trying to crawl away, but the shiver within her body wasn’t letting her, and she choked out a loud sob.

But that’s not what Valente wanted. He grabbed her by the legs and pulled her back, making her lay flat on her stomach.

He turned her around harshly and got on top of her, sniffing on her hair like he always did before whispering the words she always hated to hear the most.

“I’m going to make you so happy, my dear wife,” his tone was mocking. She could feel his hand moving under the white shirt she was wearing.

No, no, no, no.

Mariana sat up so fast, the impact causing her head to hurt for a minute.

‘It was a dream. It was only a dream.’

She could feel the sweat flowing down her face from her forehead, and her hands had held onto the white sheets on the bed she lay on. Looking around the room now, she could feel herself breathe normally once again.

‘I am safe. I am far away from him,’ she chanted mentally and laid back down on the bed slowly. Her blue eyes looked up at the ceiling. The lights she hadn’t turned off still lit up the room brightly.

Soft music tugged at her ears, its soft notes pulling her attention away from everything, especially the nightmares. She wondered where it was really coming from, the beautiful harmony giving her some kind of peace.

A peace that she wanted to enjoy as it lasted. Her feet touched the carpeted floor as she stood up, taking tiny silent steps out of the room. She looked around and noticed the last room down the hallway, open with lights on.

How could she resist knowing what exactly was going on, especially with such music filling the whole house?

She stopped exactly beside the wall of the room and looked inside, trying so hard not to be noticed.

Marco sat behind the large black-painted piano, a big bottle of scotch settled on top of the wood, and another had hit the wall, leaving shattered glass all over the floor.

This man was not the same man she had talked to a few hours ago, the one that was so composed.

Mariana could see behind that cold expression that pushed everyone away. He was broken and vulnerable.

His dark chocolate eyes held unsaid pain.

The whole room was filled with pictures of a woman, her hair beautiful and black. Her eyes were brown like his, and mostly, their facial features were almost identical.

She was curious, but maybe this wasn’t the time for that. She could understand how it felt to be so vulnerable.

Mariana slid down the wall and brought her knees to her chest, letting the music comfort her as memories flashed through her mind randomly.

Like every other time, Beryl crossed her thoughts. Her tears would never stop. She sobbed quietly and rested her head on her knees.

Marco staggered out of the room. He had drunk a lot but was still eager to empty the bottle in his hand. He switched off the light taking a gulp of his drink.

Stepping out, his eyes fell on the petite body of the girl sitting in front of the wall next to the door, her soft snores holding his attention.

He groaned. All he wanted was to go to his bed, yet he couldn’t leave her to sleep here like this.

For fuck’s sake, what was she even doing out of her precious room?

He knelt down, placed the bottle aside, and carried her in his arms, standing up slowly to avoid waking her up.

Mariana’s eyes flew open as he stumbled, almost falling off if it wasn’t for the wall he leaned onto. She held onto his shirt so tight, her blue eyes looking up at him with all the wideness.

How had he managed to carry her while drunk, and she didn’t notice? Mariana pulled onto his shirt multiple times, hoping he would put her down so she could walk herself to her room. In fact, she wanted to speak up but couldn’t since it had been three years without a single word coming out of her lips.

He looked down at her and smiled lightly, making him look younger. His smile caught her off guard. Her inner self wished he knew how he looked when he smiled. Maybe, just maybe, he would do it more frequently.

“Beautiful,” he whispered.