Page 26

Francesca

The floor was cold and hard, but I couldn't move after Clive’s furious attack.

When I tried to protect my stomach, he aimed for my head and face.

Every breath was a struggle, each inhale sharp and shallow as if my ribs were cutting into my lungs.

My left eye was swollen shut, it had become worse with each passing hour, a throbbing mass, adding to my already aching head.

The room was dark, the only light seeped through the crack beneath the door.

The air was filled with the smell of mildew, the stench made my stomach churn.

I don't know how long I was unconscious for this time.

I tried to push myself up but my arms gave out and I crashed back on the filthy carpet.

I placed a hand over my belly, cradling the possible life of my child within me.

Is this how my mother felt when she was pregnant with me? Did she love me before I was born?

I hadn't taken the test, but we had a vivacious sex life, and lying here alone, in the dark, our baby was my fragile spark of hope.

My hand tightened against my stomach and a whimper escaped me at the thought of losing my baby, of losing Alessio’s child.

Pain clawed at my chest, worse than any blow I’d endured.

My heart leapt into my throat, pounding so hard that I thought it might burst when I heard sounds outside the door, I raised my head in fear that Clive would be back to finish the job he started.

That was when I heard it—his voice.

Alessio’s voice.

Low, furious and unmistakable.

He was in control because he wasn't shouting like he did on the day I met him. I closed my eyes as hot tears burst forth. The Beast of London was here. He had come for me.

Intense relief flooded through me, like the calming ocean waves after a storm.

My eye snapped open at the thought of Alessio—his anger, his passion, his laughter and his dark love.

I drew a long painful breath realising that he had become a part of me as much as I’d become a part of him.

The thought of never seeing him again, never feeling his arms around me night after night after night.

Tears streamed down my face, hot and unrelenting mixing with the blood and grime.

I tried to call out to him but my voice was a broken whisper, lost to the chaos outside.

I dig my fingers into the bare thread carpet, dragging myself toward the door.

Each movement was agony, but I didn't stop.

I couldn't.

The door shook, the sound of splintering wood filled the room, and I froze, my heart pounding in my ears, or it could have been the throbbing injuries.

My mind was usually a mess but never like this.

A defending crash resounded around me and the door flew open, slamming against the wall.

Light flooded the room, blinding me for a moment.

When my vision cleared, he was there, Alessio.

His face was a mask of fury, his eyes dark and wild, but when they landed on me I saw the visible shift.

“Francesca,”

he breathed, his voice raw with unspoken emotion.

In an instant, he was by my side. His eyes rapidly moved over me as he hesitated to touch me. He gently cupped my uninjured cheek and brushed away the tears.

“I’m here. I’m here,”

he repeated.

I reached for him, clutching at his shirt, trying to pull myself closer to him.

“Alessio,”

I whispered, my voice breaking. “I tried. I tried to keep our baby safe…I’m s-sorry.”

“Shh,”

he murmured, pressing his forehead to mine. “You're safe now. Both of you. I’ve got you.”

He gathered me into his arms, carefully lifting me to rest against his chest. I closed my eyes, not wanting anyone to see me weak and beaten. It reminded me of Clive.

“Clive—”

I began to say but Alessio interrupted me.

“Is alive and well, but not for long,”

Alessio said with terrifying calmness, but his body became rigid like a block of ice.

Nero rushed forward and opened the car door for us and Alessio manoeuvred us into the back seat. The movement set the motion for pain to explode in multiple points, I broke out in a cold sweat, trying not to make a sound.

“Where does it hurt, baby?”

Alessio whispered, but when I looked into his solemn eyes, I saw that they were full of torment.

“Head, ribs, and chest,”

I said sagging against him to rest after hours of worry and pain.

The others got in the car and the engine started its gentle hum was as soothing as Alessio’s strong heartbeat. I curled my arm around his neck and pressed my face against him, holding him as he held me. The warmth of his body chasing away the chill in my bones.

“I've got you, baby. Nothing will ever happen to you again. You have my solemn vow. Sei l'amore della mia vita, gattina,”

he said softly causing my tears to flow so fast that I felt them seep into the cotton material of his shirt creating a damp patch beneath me.

You are the love of my life, Kitten.

I knew in my heart that he would keep his vow and extend it to our children. My heart blossomed with resounding devotion for Alessio, the man I never wanted to marry. He was overbearing but no more than myself.

“Ti amo, Alessio,”

I whispered to him stroking his dark curls beneath the pads of my fingers. I love you, Alessio.

“I know you do, Kitten,”

he said with his trademark arrogance that made me smile for the first time since my abduction.

***

I gave Alessio’s men a waning smile as he carried me to our bedroom. When he laid me on our bed, a heavy sigh escaped him, and I saw the relief in his eyes and the tension leave his shoulders.

“The doctor is on his way. I need to take your clothes off,”

he said before a frown marred his face.

“Cut them off. I don't want to move,”

I said gently touching the puffy flesh around my eye.

“Do you need to use the bathroom?”

I thought about it for a moment before I nodded my head. When I was in the cottage I never got a chance to use the bucket because Clive lost the plot and beat the shit out of me. I needed to check my underwear for any spotting. I swallowed hard at the thought.

“What's wrong, Kitten?”

Alessio said, tilting my head up to look into my eyes.

“The baby. I want it to be—be—”

I began to say but a sob ripped through me and tears began to cascade down my face again.

The pain in my body was nothing compared to the thought of losing our baby to senseless violence.

“Kitten, please don't cry,”

Alessio’s tortured whisper broke through my morbid thoughts.

“I was so scared a-and I was trying to be brave—”

Alessio sat beside me and held me in his arms, gently rocking me while rubbing my back. There was a knock on the door but he ignored it.

“It’s going to be okay. Everything will be fine. Do you really think you can get rid of my seed that easily? That’s a Caruso in there, Kitten,”

he said kissing my head.

“A Nardini, too,”

I said with a sniffle.

“Sure, sure,”

he said stroking the back of my head.

“Get me to the toilet,”

I said, poking his stubbled cheek but the dread remained with me.

He pulled back to look at me, and I witnessed the anguish in his eyes. I bit my lip when he lifted me up to take me into the bathroom, but a whimper of pain escaped when I felt the excruciating pain in my ribs.

“I will fucking rip him apart from limb to fucking limb,”

Alessio said finally snapping and allowing his beast out to roam.

“Get in line, buddy. I will be wearing his testicles as earrings first,”

I said when I finally caught my breath.

Alessio’s eyes widened, and his footsteps faltered before he shook his head and walked toward the toilet.

And just like that my equilibrium snapped back into place.