'Someone who has undergone challenges but continues to thrive despite everything they've gone through. Sometimes, you don't recognize a broken soul until it's too late'
In which Emilia's escape from her past drives her straight into the next adventu...
♪ Rightfield - Alright: 'Wake up on the floor again, hundred thoughts running through my head. Swear I had a life to give, where'd it go-o-o? Lights out on a road back home, I know where I want to go but it seems like my wheel's got a mind of its own'
"Hey, baby". She heard Daniel say when the video call connected and Emilia saw his handsome face on her laptop screen. It had been almost a week since she came home from Monaco and Daniel was now in America, preparing for the free practises tomorrow. Her lips curled into a smile when she saw her boyfriend for the first time since everything had happened. "Still having fun at Gia's?" Daniel asked, noticing the background and Emilia quickly nodded. Even though Isabel came home a few days ago, the girls decided it would be better if Emilia stayed over at Gia's place for the next few weeks. She hadn't heard from Marcus again and there weren't any more letters or pictures being delivered to her house. "Yeah, Isabel is leaving for work again soon and I don't really feel like being alone at the moment, so I'm staying here for a while". She said.
Even though it wasn't a complete lie, Emilia felt bad. She wanted to tell him, she didn't want to hide things from her boyfriend but she knew it was in his best interest if he didn't know about her ex stalking her. "So, are you going to that steak restaurant that you like so much for dinner tonight?" She quickly added, wanting to change the subject to something a little lighter. Emilia knew Daniel loved Austin and especially the food, so she saw a huge smile appear on his face when she mentioned the steak. "Well, I'm definitely going, but not tonight. Need to think of my diet before the race, but Sunday evening, you best believe I'm going!" He said while he rubbed his stomach to show her how excited he was. Emilia laughed and for the first time in a week, she felt completely relaxed. They talked about their past week, Daniel's training and the upcoming race weekend and after a few hours of talking, they ended the call saying they would speak again soon.
Because of the time difference, it wasn't really possible for them to have their traditional after-race FaceTime date, so they arranged a call for Monday evening. Emilia closed her laptop and stood up off the sofa. She moved to the kitchen to make a cup of tea and grab a little snack. Gia wasn't at home, she was teaching a few yoga classes at her gym, so it was just her in the house right now. After the kettle was done boiling the water, she moved over to a cabinet to grab a mug for her tea, when she suddenly saw a black shadow move across the window. Her heart started racing and her first instinct was to duck underneath the window, so the person outside wouldn't see her. She stayed low, her breathing pattern now completely irregular and her palms felt sweaty, but after a few minutes she slowly stood up again. The first thing she did was turn off the lights in the kitchen so that she could look out the window easier.
There wasn't anything to see, the parking lot looked normal and she didn't see anyone outside. Emilia grabbed her cup of tea, instinctively as some sort of weapon and moved to the front door. There it was, another envelope on the floor. It was pushed through the letterbox, just like the one at her house. Again, there was no name or address on it, so she knew the dark shadow must have been Marcus or someone else delivering the letter for him. With her head now almost pounding from anxiety and shaking hands, Emilia picked up the envelope. It took a while before she managed to open it and her mouth fell open when she spotted what was inside. There was no letter this time, it was just a picture. She was naked, laying on the floor of their bedroom after one of Marcus's attacks. Emilia felt the tears prickle in her eyes and she immediately dialled Isabel's number, starting to hyperventilate.
Emilia was scared, cold and shaking and it felt like ages before her best friend finally arrived. Isabel held her in her arms for the first few minutes, trying to calm her down but it didn't really work. She handed her friend the envelope hesitantly, not really certain she wanted anyone to see these pictures, but she knew Isabel had seen her at her worst already. "Oh.. my.. god.. Mil, I don't know what to say". Isabel said and Emilia saw a tear roll down her cheek. She knew it must have been hard for her friend to see her like that, naked and vulnerable on the floor. With shaking hands, Emilia took the picture again and placed it in her handbag. She had calmed down a little now and just wanted to leave this place. "I just want to get out of here for a while.." She whispered and the girls stood there thinking where to go for a few seconds.
"Come on, let's grab some gym clothes and head over to Gia's. We'll attend the next yoga class, maybe that will help you relax a little before we go to sleep tonight. We're not leaving your side again, I promise.." Isabel said, throwing her arm around her best friend and dragging her to Gia's closet. Being a yoga and fitness instructor meant she had lots of gym clothes so the girls both picked some, grabbed a bag with towels and some water and headed out to Isabel's car. The drive over was silent, both of them not really knowing what to say. Emilia's mind went back to the picture. She felt sick knowing he took pictures of what he did to her, while she was unconscious or asleep on the floor. All she wanted was for Daniel to hold her and tell her it will be okay, but he was miles and miles away.
Gia looked surprised when she saw her best friends enter her gym, but after she saw the look on Emilia's face, she knew enough. She walked over to hug the two girls quickly before she wrapped up her first class. She would have a 5-minute break before the next one started. Emilia was sat at the bar, talking to one of the girls that worked there, when Isabel walked over to Gia. "It is bad, G. He sent her a picture.. I have never seen anything like it before. She was lying on the floor, naked with all kinds of bruises over her body. I'm so scared for her.." Isabel tried to speak as quiet as possible, not wanting anyone to hear this conversation. Gia's hand brushed through her hair, she didn't know what to do anymore. They thought that he wouldn't be able to find her at Gia's place since she recently moved, but evidently, he did.
"Let's just get her to relax for a moment now and we'll figure something out tomorrow. We just need to be there for her now. She can't be alone again until this is resolved.." Gia said and her best friend nodded. "I just wished she let us tell Daniel or Michael or even her brothers. But I understand she doesn't want to be a burden to them. It's quite the news of course.." The girls chatted for a while longer until it was time to start the class. Gia moved to the front of the room while Isabel and Emilia grabbed a mat and joined the back of the class. Gia made sure to make the routine extra relaxing, knowing she wanted Emilia to have a good night's sleep tonight.
"Thank you girls, so much. It really helped me relax a little.." Emilia said after they just finished. It was Gia's last session, so she could go home with her friends as well. The girls took a couple of pictures together and on the way back home, Emilia decided to post one to Instagram. Time to pretend like everything was fine..
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25.563 likes @emiliagiordano: attended my bestie's yoga class tonight. thank you for everything girls, I wouldn't know what to do without you ❤️ tagged:@gia-accardi, @isabelrusso
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@gia-accardi: love you, babes!😍 ----@isabelrusso: together forever! @danielricciardo: you look stunning, babe! @user1: 🔥
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The next morning, the girls convinced Emilia to call the police officer again to inform her what happened last night. "They promised you they would keep an eye on him, but clearly they're doing something wrong!" Isabel said, getting angrier by the hour thinking of the picture she saw of her vulnerable best friend on the bedroom floor. Emilia listened to her friends and called Kate, the female officer she spoke to last time. She told the story about the shadow, the envelope on the floor and the picture and she could hear the frustration in the woman's voice. "We have been trying to keep an eye on him, but he keeps getting away without us noticing. I'll report this and we'll put more people on the case. Stay with your friends for now. We'll get him somehow". Kate said and Emilia sighed. It was not what she wanted to hear, but at least they were doing something.
A / N:Little shorter chapter this time, but the story is finally really getting started. Let me know what you think and what you want to happen with Daniel and Emilia. Thank you for reading!
