Page 85 of Ravage God

I moved over to where Maura was cleaning to grab a plate, when she flinched and turned to look at me. It took everything in me not to gasp at the sight of her.

A few long seconds went by without any words passing between us. I didn’t know what to say. Tears sprang to my eyes as I took in the black eye already forming.

She shook her head, as if telling me not to cry.

“Are you okay?” I asked.

She grabbed my hand. “Yes. It’s just one hit. Hurry and get some food and get back to your room.”

“But—”

She shot me a look, cutting me off before reaching up for a plate and handing it over to me.

My lip trembled. When I didn’t do anything more than stand there and look at her, she forcefully turned me around and pushed me toward the fridge.

I barely saw anything as I put some chicken onto the plate.

I turned to look at her once I was done, and she made a shooing motion with her wrist.

I blinked, feeling conflicted. I had never wanted to call Valentino and beg him for help more than I did then. But the ramification of Valentino getting involved wasn’t something I was sure I could handle.

I nodded and headed out, hearing loud snores coming from the sofa in the living room when I passed. I quickly walked to my room.

Others would talk. We wouldn't be able to keep it a secret. I wouldn’t be able to keep it a secret, and just the thought of others finding out, of knowing just how weak I was…

I shivered as Chiara's mocking face popped into my head. Shame was a heavy thing sitting on my chest until it felt like there wasn’t enough air getting into my lungs.

How Dad handled his family matters was up to him. If Valentino got involved, no one would take his side.

And Maura.

She wasn’t forced into this.

There had been people forced to work for the families during Amadeo’s reign.

That was quickly shut down when Massimo took over. He didn’t deal with people. I didn’t know if it was because he thought they were too complicated to deal with, or if there were some moral lines that he didn’t cross.

Whatever it was, I was grateful for that.

But that didn’t mean Maura was free to leave. Her mom was forced into this during Amadeo’s time. She knew too much, so Massimo would never let her leave. I could request that she work elsewhere, but I doubted Massimo would take my words into consideration, or even if he did, there was no guarantee she wouldn’t end up somewhere even worse.

I leaned back against my door and looked around the spacious room.

A room fit for a princess.

I felt like Cinderella stuck in the attic, with nowhere to go. I moved over to my bed and sat down.

It wasn’t always bad.

Dad wasn’t always in a bad mood. He didn’t always drink. He knew better than to put himself in that vulnerable state all the time.

I just have to wait it out until…

Until Valentino finds a husband for me, or…

I looked down at my chicken, picking apart the meat and no longer feeling that hungry. One thing about being in love with someone who hadn’t always felt the same was…

I didn’t know if Elio loved me or not.