Silent Scars

CHAPTER 40

Leonardo's voice thundered through the walls, shaking the very foundation of the house. His fists slammed onto the table, the sharp sound making even Marcus flinch.

"How many times do I have to tell you!"

Leonardo roared, his eyes blazing with fury. Marcus stood beside him, his hand raised in a calming gesture.

"Leo, breathe. You're not helping by yelling." 

Marcus urged, his tone steady but firm.

But Leonardo was too far gone. His rage boiled over, his voice echoing in the room, bouncing off the walls like gunshots. 

Each word he spat felt like a whip crack to Ariana, making her flinch involuntarily. Her chest tightened, breaths coming in sharp, uneven gasps. His voice wasn't just loud, it was suffocating, curling around her like a vice, squeezing the air from her lungs. Leonardo's anger was too familiar it mirrored the fury of her stepfather. The same venom, the same suffocating presence. It was as if his rage had reached out and dragged her back into that dark, inescapable place. She couldn't hear Leonardo or Marcus anymore. Only the haunting echoes of the past filled her mind, growing louder, drowning everything else.

"Don't look at me when I'm talking to you!"

Her stepfather's voice snarled in her ears.

The sting of a slap.

"Speak and I'll make you regret it!"

Her vision blurred, the present slipping away as she spiraled into the clutches of those dark memories. The room spun, her heart pounding violently in her chest. She couldn't breathe, couldn't think. She gripped her hands tightly, her nails digging into her palms in a desperate attempt to anchor herself, but the memories kept dragging her down.

Then, cutting through the chaos like a blade, Domain's cold, sharp voice snapped, 

"You! Go back to your room. Now!"

The room fell into a deafening silence.

Ariana blinked, Domain's voice dragging her back to the present. She looked up, realization dawning that he was speaking to her. Without a word, she gave a small nod and bolted from the room, her breathing ragged as she stumbled toward the safety of her room.

Once Ariana was gone, the tension in the room thickened.

Luca shifted uncomfortably, his eyes lingering on the doorway Ariana had disappeared through.

"She looked shaken. I should check on her..."

"No!" 

Leonardo cut in, his tone brooking no argument. He took a deep breath, trying to steady himself, but the storm inside him still raged. 

"How many times do I have to say this?" 

Leonardo barked, his piercing gaze fixed on Kendric and Luca. 

"You do not leave this house without telling me! Do you think this is some joke?"

Marcus interjected, his voice steady but calm. 

"Let's not blow this out of proportion."

"Blow this out of proportion?"

Leonardo turned on Marcus, his frustration spilling over. 

"I never said they can’t leave, I just need to know where they are! I can’t let something happen to them like....."

Leonardo's voice faltered. The unspoken memory of Domain's kidnapping loomed heavily in the air.