No Strings Attached

CHAPTER 45

"If I were you I'd be angry too," is all I say, "Ana you have every right to be angry for what he put you through, you should be fucking angry,"

"No Enzo," she says softly, shaking her head. "I'm angry because of all this," she points a shaking hand at the glass on the ground.

"I prom- I promised myself I'd never drink because he would hurt Mom whenever he did, and I don't want to be like that," she shakes her head as her tone turns earnest, as if trying to convince me that she doesn't want to hurt people.

"What I said before still applies," I say quietly, sitting down beside her and patting the ground beside me.

"How?" she asks like a confused child, sitting down beside me and putting her hands in her lap.

"You deserve to be angry, he didn't. You don't want to hurt people. He did. You are nothing like him," I say, saying each word slowly so she understands what I'm saying, despite the amount of alcohol in her system.

"I don't want to be angry though, Mom was always happy, and I want to be like her," she says, a small smile on her face.

I feel my heart tug at her innocent words, her wide eyes fixated on me as if I'm the most important person in her world. Everything about her mimicking a small child, lost, and searching for guidance.

"I think your Mom would be so proud of you if she saw you Ana," I say truthfully, hoping with everything in me that she believes me.

"You do?" she asks, leaning closer towards me as her eyes shine.

"I do," I smile, using my thumb to gently wipe away a tear which escaped her eye. "You're finally escaping the man who abused you both, how could she not be proud of you?" I chuckle.

"Do you think she knows I love her?" she asks, clutching onto my hand.

"Oh definitely," I say in a firm tone, nodding at her as she sinks into my lap, resting her head against my chest. "That's good," she breathes out.

"I should've told her I love her," she says, her voice barely audible.

"Told her when?" I ask, sitting her up properly as I hug her to my chest.

"When Leonardo killed them," she murmurs, her fingers tracing lines on my wrist.

"How would you have done that? Don't beat yourself up over that Ana," I say gently, my lips lingering against her forehead.

"I was there," she says, her tone even as her words make my body stiffen.

"You were there?" I repeat, unable to fathom what she would've felt since that day.

She nods, "He dragged me into the room and made me watch," she says, her tone more even than it had been all night.

"I'm so sorry Ana," I whisper, pressing a kiss onto her forehead as her eyes flutter shut.

"I've never seen Dad cry before, but he cried when Mom was killed," she says, her shoulders shaking.

"I'm so sorry sweetheart," is all I can think to say, unsure of how to comfort her right now.

"I'm going to kill him," she says in a cold voice, her tone sending shivers down my back. "And I'm going to laugh as I do it," I feel goosebumps crawl over my skin at how detached she sounds.

"I'm sure you will," I chuckle, my throat going dry for some reason.

A comfortable silence settles between us, my body finally relaxing under her touch, her fingers continue to draw lines on my skin.