Pretty Girl

Chapter 26

Hello, hello! I am so sorry that I have been gone. I hope that you guys can forgive me. I have been dealing with a lot in my personal life and have had really bad writers block because of it and because of all my health issues. But, I promise you, I have not forgotten about you guys or about Sydney's story! The song I attached is called 'Self-Sabotage' by Ruelle which I think is perfect for the themes in this chapter. I am excited for you guys to read what's coming! Let's just say, you are in for a wild ride....Enjoy! Love, Hannah

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CHAPTER 26: Marcello gave into the emotions warring inside of him as he watched the car Sydney was in pull out of the parking lot and leave.

 She was leaving...with his brother.

 That only fueled the fire that had been smoldering inside him, sparking alight before it burned an unrelenting blaze that destroyed everything in its path diminishing into an ash that he tasted on his tongue. With a roar of pure frustration, heartbreak, and anger, Marcello let loose that fire.

 He flung the lamp sitting on the desk that sat in the corner across the room against the wall, the sound of glass shattering furthering him by making the fire burn hotter. It felt so good that he picked up and flung the desk, wood splintering and plaster exploding into mist as both materials collided as it hit the wall. 

He let his emotions take hold, tearing apart the room, not even aware of what he was doing as he did so, he just wrecked everything that was in his past, just as he felt the very tattered ruins in his soul. 

His mind bounced between Sydney, the engagement with Stacy, his brother, Alice, and Syd's safety. All of those things clawed at the corners of his mind until he thought he would lose his sanity completely.

 He was nothing but a beast, lost to everything but the violent commotion inside. He rammed his fist against the wall, barely registering the pain as his knuckles split open with a sharp burn and warm oil-like rivulets of blood running down his forearm.

 Finally, he collapsed against the wall, letting his back slide down until he hit the floor, hanging his head as small stray pieces of his hair hung in his eyes.

 Slowly the rage that had darkened his vision began to recede. Panting, he looked at the destruction around him. It looked as though a large and wild animal had been let loose in the small room. He sighed and looked at the door, sorrow taking the place of where all of his frustration and anger had just been. 

He knew what he was doing to Sydney was wrong, he knew that he was going hot and cold. He tried so hard to be indifferent to her, to simply be a friend, but then he would see her smile, hear her laugh, look into her eyes and it fled him like a burst of wind blowing through an old rickety house, shaking his very foundation. 

She was unavoidable, she was as needed as oxygen when he didn't have her and as sweet and addictive as a drug when he gave in to his desire, his longing and love for her. 

Then, when he felt himself inevitably falling deeper into her was when he started pulling back because he knew the deeper he got in, the harder to get away from her, the harder it was to make himself pull away from her, it became. 

That wasn't fair to Sydney though and he knew that but he had chosen to be willingly blind to it. If not, if he had let himself be fully enlightened he wouldn't hold back anymore and he hadn't been willing to potentially hurt Alice that way. 

 Last night, when Sydney had broken down and he asked her to trust him, when he had stripped her all but bare physically, mentally as well as emotionally and when Sydney had done so with nothing but trust in that sweet gaze of hers, he became well and truly undone himself, as well.