The Lombardozzi Sorellina

Chapter 2 - Meet The Parent

This chapter contains: Vivid descriptions of physical abuse.

Now I stood here on the first few steps to my house, I've never had a home. A home is cosy, comforting, loving and... homy? I look at my watch only to feel my heart sink to the bottom of my ribcage... I was forty seconds late and that was not good.

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Vivianna POV:

My hand trembles as I reached out to the doorknob, but the door swings open before I can feel the cold brass against my warm, clammy hand. I stand glued to the porch, staring into the dull, chartreuse eyes of my abuser. He was never my father figure, and he will never be. I will never even consider him as my stepfather. "Where have you been?" he growls in a deep, bone chilling voice. I can't answer him because I have nothing to answer.

Luca grabs onto my hair, bunching it in a fist and yanking my head to his "I asked you a question" he sneers, getting irritated at the lack of interest he is getting from me. I swallow the bile rising to my throat at his breath reeking of alcohol, smoke, and a few days of no toothpaste. "I – uh" the words can't leave past the tips of my lips. I desperately want to say something, tell him the truth – that I came home directly after school. But I would be punished no matter the words that left my mouth.

If I tell him that I had come home directly after school, he will punish me because he'll believe that I am lying. If I make up an excuse, with the odd chances that he'll believe that, I will also be punished because I was late. So, I decided on telling the truth. Why tell a lie if it won't help the situation?

"I was at school" the words come out a bit shaky, but I manage to escape a stutter. "Then why are you late?!" his voice is becoming impatient, his face red with the prominent vein popping out on his forehead and his grip tightening on my hair. I want to yell at him and tell him it is his fault. If it wasn't for his poor excuse of a "parent" I wouldn't stare at happy families. Or I would be able to walk faster, without heaving or cringing from constant pain. "I don't know. I am sorry for being late" I never liked apologizing for something that wasn't my fault or something that didn't need apologizing, but if I didn't, the punishment would be worse than it already was.

"That's all you have to say?" he quirks an eyebrow at me and when I just nod my head hesitantly, a smirk appears on his face. "Looks like my little girl is learning. She's remembering most of the lessons her father has taught her, except for being on time" He pulls me into the house, kicks the door closed behind me and drags me to the kitchen. "How many times do I have to punish you for being late?" He let go of my hair, just to push me to the floor.

"Time and time again, I let it slip or went easy on you. But not today, today you will be sorry for everything." He turns his back to me, to retrieve something from the kitchen counter. My heart is pounding against my chest, screaming at me to do something... anything, just to live for another day. Luca never did anything that could kill me. Sure, he's cut me and left me to die on the cold floor and I lost consciousness, but when I woke up, I always found myself on the floor in my room. But today... he looks beyond angry. He is furious, an almost murderous rage shining in his eyes.

I have been scared of him in the past, but today I am petrified. He is going to kill me if I don't leave soon. As I go to get up, he roughly pushes me back down. A sharp pain shoots through my lower back when I fall directly onto my tailbone. "Don't try and leave. I thought you were starting to become a very good girl, don't prove me wrong now" he crouches down beside me. "Unless you want some more punishments?" the smirk on his face grows at his suggestion and I want to smack it off his face, whilst simultaneously cowering away and waking up from this nightmare. But this wasn't a nightmare where I'd wake up and someone is there to comfort me. It is my life, my fate and I have nowhere to hide and no one to find solace in.