Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-two

Maria pov*

Rico walks behind me leading me to the car, I look outside hoping that I can see Mom because I left but it is impossible, I hop in when Patrick opens the door for us, and Rico follows behind.

While Patrick and Kai both entered and Kai started the car, just as we were leaving, another car came inside, I was unable to see who it was, but I assumed they were here to see my dad for business.

“Go to the nearest hospital around here” Rico ordered and Kai nodded not looking at him.

“Why?”

He stared at me, and his gaze lowered to my neck. He looks more angry than he was earlier, speaking with Shaun. The expression in his eyes is about like I hurt him instead.

“We need to treat your wound” he answered looking away.

“Then we do so when we get home, drive us home,” I said to Kai but he said nothing.

I guess he wasn't the one I needed to talk to, I turned to Rico but he said nothing, I huffed and looked at the other side of the car.

“Do as she said, Patrick call the doctor to tell him where to join us”

“I'm not badly hurt,” I tell him but he won't listen, I took a deep breath and kept quiet.

It took us a while before we arrived back at the penthouse, Rico escorted me inside while Kai and Patrick stayed out of the building, watching us leave which was strange.

My suspicion was confirmed seeing new faces guarding the building, they were going to be punished because of me.

I don't like it, I shouldn't feel pity for them, but can't allow it. We hardly say much, but they were so better than the others, especially Kai.

We entered the house and the door closed, and I was alone with him, he pointed to the couch asking me to sit, too tired to fight him, I took the seat while he stood in front of me.

“The doctor will be here soon” He spoke he took his coat and put it on the couch opposite side bringing out his phone as he pressed it.

“About the men, Patrick and Kai.… What are you doing to them”

He gazed up at me and stopped on his phone. “They failed to protect you, I don't think you should worry about them”

“It isn't their fault, I wanted to leave and it was the only way I could leave. And I'm not that hurt, I stopped bleeding since”

“You were hurt, bleeding. Just because it doesn't mean much to you, doesn't mean it is the same with me, their failure means I failed you”

“The doctor will be here soon, I will see you later” he picked up his coat and approached the door.

Wait, he is leaving. After being absent for two weeks, I stand up and walk after him.

“Do you know what it means to me to feel when you hurt people because for me, how much I hated myself?”

I didn't know what to do, I wanted to say something for him to stay, anything and it worked, he looked at me.

“No, I don't. But If you don't want to feel guilty, then stay put. That is all I ask, it isn't that hard”

“I'm not a fucking doll, just because you ask me to stay doesn't mean I will. You act like you own me, just because I'm forced into a marriage with you”

“I don't act, I do own you.”

“You can't own me, I'm not an object. I'm a human, I have feelings and wants, you have been absent for two weeks and you expected me to be ok with it. Yes, I hurt myself but that was the only way for you to come to me, and now you are going to hurt people because of your fault”

“You hurt yourself” he yelled flinging his coat away and moving closer to me. “Do you know how that made me feel, I was going crazy, and had to drop everything because you decided to make a foolish decision”

“What will you have me to do?” I asked confused, he wasn’t around I should have been glad but I was scared and confused.

“Everything but hurt yourself, I will come running if you tell me you wanted to see. Why will you even think of hurting yourself?”

God, I hate this. I hate him, he acts like he cares about me, when he had me locked up for weeks.

“Too bad I didn’t know, but guess what I won’t. Because I was here alone with no phone, no means of communicating with you, and your stupid guards won’t let me out, they will make fun of me all day, speaking about how they want to fuck me once you are done with me.”

“I hurt myself, but it was worth every moment as long I left this hell” I let out all my anger and started to regret it immediately, his eyes changed to red, and I could tell someone was going to die tonight.

‘Not one, but many’

“Rico?”

“I swear I fucking kill every one of them” he snarls heading for the door but I stopped him.

“Get out of my way”

“You aren’t going to kill them”

“Watch me,” he said but I didn’t move out of the way. “Mia” he warns.

“I can’t, it doesn’t change anything. They aren’t wrong anyway, to you, to them, I’m just an object to satisfy your sexual urges, so please stop” I pleaded but I fear that I have made things worse.

“I never seen you as an object to satisfy my sexual urges, but you always see me as the bad guy no matter what I do” he scoffed and moved back, with pain in his eyes.

He is confusing me, one moment he acts like he doesn’t care then he is like this, it is so perplexing and I dislike that I feel this.

“You hurt the people I loved, Anna, Joshua, Sh…..”

“Everything I have done so far is all for you”

“Hurting my family is also for me” I questioned and he gave me a confused look.

“Something is going on with Emily and Enzo, the look they gave me, and what Emily said after slapping me, I don’t….”

“She slapped you, are you ok?” He asked with concerns visible in his eyes. His gaze went to my cheeks then to my neck, he extended his hand to my wound, touching it.

“Fuck, I hate to see you hurt” he speaks with a soft tone, and his hand stroke through the cut.

“Why? Because you aren’t the one doing the hurting?”

Rico chuckled softly at my word, and it was the most beautiful thing I have seen today. “You see me as the bad guy, I don’t mean emotional hurt, I will never you physically, I would die than hit you”

“Is there a difference between the two?” I imperiled but instead of giving his response immediately, he touched my cheeks and I melted into his touch.

“Does it hurt?”

“Not anymore” I answered. “It was only for a moment”

“I should have been there”

I smiled knowing what he would do if he was there, it made me grateful that he wasn’t there or Emily would be in greater trouble.

He stopped caressing my cheeks but didn’t remove his hand, he stared at my eyes then at my neck and lips.

His blue eyes darkened with desires and I could feel his breath heavy, he brought his head closer to kiss me, but I turned my head away.

“I can’t, not with you,” I said unable to look at his face, I wished we had just stayed like this, without him intending to kiss me or me wanting to give in to the temptation of feeling his lips on mine again.

He just caressed my cheeks without any desire. How glad I would have been if I hadn't been eaten up by guilt.

“I see,” he says, walked away from me, and left the house.

I need no one to tell me, I know I’m not going to see Rico for more weeks.

I put a wall between us, my mind tells me I did well.

But my heart, well it disagrees.