Page 79 of Alessia
“ANNA, WHERE ARE YOU?”
I thrash against someone’s grip, my body caught between the past and the present. Her voice is soft, but firm, like an anchor trying to steady me in a storm. I claw at her shirt, my nails digging into her skin as I struggle to get free, to find Anna.
“Harper, it’s me!” Alessia’s voice pierces through the haze, more insistent now. “You’re here, in the bathroom. Anna isn’t here. You’re safe.”
But I’m not safe. The water keeps pouring, pounding against the tiles like the rush of blood in my ears. My breaths come in short, ragged bursts, and I swear I can still hear Anna’s voice, soft and pleading, calling for help from somewhere just beyond my reach.
I sink to the floor, my knees hitting the cold tiles with a jolt that doesn’t even register. Alessia follows me down, her arms around my shoulders, holding me tightly.
“Harper, listen to me,” she says again, her voice shaking but steady. “You’re not alone. I’m here. You’re not back there.”
Her words filter through, splintering the dark memory that’s gripped me like a vice. My screams turn to sobs, violent and gut-wrenching, and Alessia holds me tighter, her hand stroking my hair, whispering words I can’t fully process. The clatter of the water becomes unbearable.
“Turn it off,” I manage to choke out between heaving breaths. Alessia doesn’t hesitate. She moves quickly, leaning past me to shut off the faucet. The sudden silence is deafening, and it leaves me exposed, raw.
I bury my face in my hands. “Where is she?” I whisper the words like broken glass on my tongue.
“We haven’t found her yet,” Alessia says softly, but with conviction. “We won’t stop looking for her.”
Her words hang in the air, but I can’t take them in yet. The memory of Anna feels too vivid, too heavy. But Alessia’s presence, her warmth against my trembling body, keeps me grounded, just enough to keep the darkness from swallowing me whole.
“I’m here,” she repeats. “You’re not alone.”
For the first time in what feels like forever, I allow myself to lean into her, to accept her comfort. It doesn’t make the pain go away, but it gives me something to hold onto, something real.
Alessia carries me back to bed and I fall asleep again, haunted by nightmares. Alessia tries all she can to comfort me but it’s no use. I’m surrounded by a darkness that swallows me whole, a place where no one can reach me. Not even the woman I love.
28 - Alessia
For the first time in a very long time, I feel completely helpless. No amount of money or fighting can fix her. Harper is going in and out of nightmares all day and night. I haven’t slept in the last forty-eight hours, I needed to keep her safe, to keep her from clawing at herself.
For a brief moment, I step out of the room. Needing to breathe for a second without seeing the love of my life reliving her trauma over and over again. I lean against the closed door, my eyes closed, bouncing my head against it in frustration.
“Sis?” I hear Lorenzo’s voice.
I open my eyes and he’s standing next to me, worry etched across his face. Bella is standing beside him. It’s the first time in weeks she came here.
“What are you two doing here?” I ask bitchy.
“Hold back the bitchiness please,” Lorenzo scolds. “I came to relieve you so that you can go home for a bit with Bella.”
“You know I’m not leaving her alone; I promised her.”
“She won’t be alone; I’ll be here and you’re going home with Bella to get a decent shower and some sleep.”
