Page 63 of Stolen Vows
Her breath hitches.A tear drips onto the pillow.
“I tried locking myself in the bathroom once, but he broke down the door and got in the tub with me.”
I growl and spin on my heel, needing to move so I don’t explode from anger.The need for vengeance boils in my blood as I pace from the dresser to the vanity.
“He would get disappointed when my cycles were mild and get this gross glint in his eyes when he mentioned my bad ones,” she recalls with revulsion in her tone.
Her breath hitches as her emotions swing from one extreme to another.
“I was so alone.First you became a traitor, thenMammaabandoned me, and Sienna said she never wanted to see me again.My whole world crumbled around me and then my father startedtouchingme.”
I lower myself onto the floor beside her, aligning my head with hers and lying on my side even though there’s no room for my legs under the dresser.
“It was a battlefield in your own home, and after such a sweet and nurturing upbringing, you had no defenses.I’m partially to blame for not being there.I’m sorry, Valentina,” I say.
She releases her hair and presses her fingertips to my cheekbone.I welcome the touch even as her digits cool my flesh.
“But your world crumbled around you too, didn’t it?You had everything taken away from you in one night.”
She mourns for me.I’ve been too filled with hate and fury to process how deeply my loss cut me.Pietro sunk more than his blades into my flesh that night.He took away my family.My home.
Valentina swears to give back everything her father stole from me with her gentle eyes and caring soul.
My plans for my ex-best friend change.He will still watch his life implode around him.He’ll still lose everything.
But his misery will be much more violent.The bullet I put in his leg will look like sunshine and daisies compared to what else I’ll do to him.
I’ll fit two decades’ worth of pain instead of one into a few days because I’m not the only one who deserves revenge.
Valentina said she never wanted to see her father again, so I’ll make sure she never does.
I’ll avengemia paperottaas I crush the man who hurt us both.
And I’ll enjoy every godforsaken second.
Chapter 17
Valentina Luciano
The rawness shiningin Mario’s golden eyes reaches deep within my chest, and the tears dripping down my face become the overflow as he fills the well of my soul.
I’ll never be alone again.He’ll always be by my side.
I take a deep breath and savor the icy fury he feels on my behalf.He vows to avenge me without a word.
Exhaustion steals my energy and I drop my hand to the floor even though I long to cup his cheek and reenact the first time I explored his features with lips and tongue.
He worked so hard to help me feel better, but I destroyed all his efforts with my outburst.
My vision blurs as a cramp steals through my midsection.The sticky warmth between my legs paired with the metallic scent of blood makes me feel nauseous and dirty.
“I still want to shower,” I say.
“I still want to help you,” he responds.
Even though I trust him to the very depths of my soul, my body still quails at the thought of hands on me while it is so vulnerable and miserable.
The only option is to use him as a crutch.If he lifts, touches, or even reaches for me, I’ll swing the knife at him.
