Love and Lust (The Hamartia Trilogy Book 2)

Capitolo II

When I woke up the following day, I was alone. The curtains were shut, the door closed and the lights were dim enough to make it comfortable. Being alone was a relief. I needed a moment alone to think—to try and remember.

The clock on the wall opposite my bed told it's five in the morning. I was thirsty. And hungry. Really, really hungry. I've been trying to swallow saliva a few times to test whether or not my throat still hurts. This morning, it was bearable enough to talk. Although my voice is barely a whisper, I could do it nonetheless. Which means I could ask questions.

What's the last time you remember, Caterina? I asked myself. Think! Think!

Japan. Something with Japan. Yes! A Japanese man rained bullets in a museum in New York. My father and I talked about that over a meal.

My father...

Where is my father? Why isn't he here?

What happened after your meal, Caty? I barked at myself. Priority. But nothing came. It was just there. The rest were just hazy fragments and I didn't know when it was nor the entire picture. Like the talk I had. I had a talk at a university I cannot remember what.

BANG!

...I was on the floor. A man was hovering above me. I cannot move nor hear anything except for the chuckle of his voice and the hanging sound of disorientation. The man was familiar. I knew that crooked teeth and that sick smile anywhere. It's Freddy. I recognized him.

"Say your prayers, little Caterina," he said and he took the shot. I screamed from the pain as the bullet blazed through my skin...

"MARI!" a loud voice shook me off from the memory. I was shaking, lips trembling and eyes watering. I was pulled into a hug by someone I didn't know. But I gripped an arm so tightly I feared it would bruise. Then I was sobbing, warm tears ran down my cheek. "You're okay." The voice came again. It was him. The man from the back of the room. Lucas. My fiancé. "You were screaming. I heard you from the hall."

"I'm sorry miss, Santelli," the nurse who was picking up capsules on the floor. "The tray must've slipped."

I couldn't respond, I was too shaken up to comprehend anything that's going on around me. But Lucas held his ground, unmoving beside me, tightly but comfortably gripping me still. I see how his jaw tightens every now and then, and I can feel the drumming of his thumb on my arm. I was taken aback with the mild memory that followed. Lucas and I were at dinner with my father, I couldn't remember what was being said but Lucas looked like he was ticking. The way his index finger drums the table was the same as he was tapping me.

"Please leave us," Lucas commanded and the nurse nervously nodded and departed the room carrying with her the tray with scattering pills. When the nurse was gone, Lucas slowly let me go, giving me time to breathe and relax. He settled the paper bag he's holding onto the table beside me. Whatever it was, something that smelled good was inside. It made my stomach rumble. "Are you—"

"I remembered," I whispered, frowning as I gripped the memory once more and this time, the tears were unstoppable. "It was him—Freddy. He was holding a–a gun. And I was on the floor." A whimper escaped me and I brought my hands to my mouth to quiet it.

"Mari," Lucas soothed, sitting on the bed with me. He took my hand and I welcomed the warmth he offered. I could see the pain in his eyes as it stared into me and I couldn't ignore how a subtle growl escaped with his breath. "That was supposed to be me taking the bullets. Not you."

"But it was me on the floor," I stared at him through my wet lashes. He took a lock of my hair and tucked it behind my ears, smiling.

"It was you because you decided to take all the bullets that supposedly were for me."