Lost Gem (PART 1)

Chapter 43 (Like a Gem)

Arabella sneaks out of her university feeling something unsettling in her chest. It feels like something is going to happen and it has been worrying her a lot.

Taking in a deep breath, she runs alongside the pedestrian path knowing well that she had to get away from whatever she was feeling.

Running seems as the best option to her to burn up some steam and worry.

While doing this, she thinks about Anastasia. It has been a week already since she is taken away. The thought makes something in her heart churns.

Her disappearance should have brought her relief but everything she felt is opposite. The thought makes her sick that she may have been starting to worry about Anastasia.

She bites her lower lip hard, enough to draw out blood. Arabella curses as she prays that Anastasia come back home soon, really hating herself at this moment.

Her mind is continuously playing pictures of Anastasia in front of her.

Never ever Anastasia had wronged her even she had tried to humiliate her several time. She had even shown worry for her when she was hurt and sick. These last two years, she never even realized when she even began to tolerate Anastasia's presence.

It all feels like a horror movie to Arabella as she understands that she is missing Anastasia. The thought makes her nauseous or maybe she pretended to feel that way.

A yelp escapes her lips as she trips and falls down hard on her knees. She pants loudly while trying to catch her breath. All the while ignoring that she has entered wood side area of the town.

She grips the fabric of her pants tightly. It hurts her passionately seeing how Ermanno has closed himself in the room. Stefano is skipping meals and all the time he does is drink his head off in order to forget everything that has been going on.

Anastasio and Giovanni never returned home since Anastasia's disappearance. They have been searching day and night, trying to find some lead that get them to Anastasia. Adriano is drowning himself in the work load. At last, Allesandro. Her father is finally starting to look like his age. Whenever Arabella sees him, he is always coming back home after tireless searching for Anastasia and other times he locked himself in his room.

It tears something apart in her chest seeing how her whole family is suffering. At this time, she wants nothing but--

"Please come back, Anastasia."

****************

Anastasia looks up as the door opens. She thought that this might be Isabella again, arriving to inflict pain upon her but she is mildly surprised seeing Alexander.

He approaches her silently and takes a seat in front of her. Anastasia watches him cautiously.

"Your mother was my first love." She flinches inwardly at the words that leaves his sick mouth.

"But that fucking Allesandro got her. She just had to fall in love with him." He mutters crazily.

Anastasia blinks silently as he places his hand on her shoulder. He ignores the silent tremble of it and looks deeply at her face that reminds him so much of Angelina and Luna. He decided that that was the right moment to take Luna with him too when Gianni had told him a plan to take Nora and Anastasia. Their main motive was to find out who could be the real key. It turned out that it was none other than Anastasia because her presence alone had triggered a tiny discarded piece of that weapon, blowing up an entire space in the radius of several miles.

They are so close to their motive.

All this time Anastasia keeps staring at him, noticing how his smile gets darker and creepier with each passing second.