Unlovable

.27.

At that very moment, my existence felt unreal and matterless. My hands, still tied, my forehead, still covered with perspiration and my lips, still shivering from the aftermath of the destructive my eyes just underwent. I tried to blink my heavy eyelids twice, thrice but nothing helped. The words displayed in front of me didn't seem to change anymore. My body shook as I read the initials in the portrait hanging before me, each word sending shockwaves through my already fragile reality.

Adrian Salvatore, my former professor, my friend, my company. How could it be possible?

I had spent memorable hours with Adrian, sharing secrets, dreams, and fears. He had been there for me when no one else was, offering support and guidance when I needed it most. From the moment he walked up into my life near the lake till he took me shopping to lift up my mood, he was Adrian, that one person I was starting to see in a new light. And now, to discover that he was the mastermind behind our abduction and every single thing. it was almost too much to bear.

But as I thought on, the pieces began to fall into place. Adrian Salvatore, former professor turned Maria's brother. We had his sister killed before I came to Harvard. Did it mean he was-

"American mafia," those words ran like shiver inside my mind as he spoke those words.

I heard his echoing footsteps behind me but I was too devastated to even turn around to face him. My existence became fragile. He was walking closer to me and I heard the ropes which tied his hands dropped on the floor. That was also a creation. He was never tied after all. I could feel his presence right behind me that moment. He was standing behind and his cold breath was hitting my ears, making electricity run inside my veins and my heart skip a beat or twice.

His hands slowly made its way to my hands tied behind, as he swifty untied me and pulled out the rope, freeing me much to my disbelief.

Dropping the rope on the stained floor of this goddam place which looked like a old, closed down factory, with utter gentleness, Adrian held my hand up from the side while he still stood behind me. After holding my warm hands with his cold ones, he kneeled his head down and laid a gentle kiss on my wrist, where the rope was tied.

"Did it hurt you?"

I couldn't believe anything anymore. What was even happening, was beyond my basic human understanding and comprehension.

"What kind of sick game are you playing with me?" Warm tears of betrayal ran down my cheeks as my voice broke in a mere whisper. He turned me around immediately and wiped my cheeks with his hands.

"I don't want to kill you, but I gave you a chance to believe that Lorenzo was behind this and you didn't. You leave me no choice, darling."

Saying that, he caressed my hair gently and I could feel the petrifying mindset this monster was hiding for so long. It was a twisted tale of betrayal and revenge, woven with lies and deceit.

My mind reeled as I tried to make sense of it all. Adrian had always been so kind, so gentle. How could he have become entangled in such darkness? And what did Maria's death have to do with me? What was he?

Suddenly, it all became clear. Maria had been Adrian's sister, but she had also been my boyfriend's ex-fiancee. A bitter breakup, fueled by jealousy and resentment, had ended in tragedy when Maria was killed by Lorenzo's men. Adrian blamed Vincenzo and Lorenzo for her death, holding them responsible for the pain and suffering his family had endured.

And now, it seemed, Adrian had decided to take matters into his own hands, using me as a pawn in his twisted game of revenge. I was nothing more than collateral damage, a means to an end in his quest for justice.