"Babe I'm home" I sighed and turned off the TV
"I'm in the living room" I yelled back unwillingly
I heard his footsteps and stared at the TV
"Hello my beautiful flower, have you been behaving?" He kissed my cheek and I kept staring at the black screen infront of me
"Yes" I replied quietly
"Did you clean the house?" He took off his jacket and placed it on the couch arm
"Yes" I yet again replied quietly
"Well that's good, what's for dinner?" He pulled me up from the couch and wrapped his arms around me
SAVE ME
SOMEONE PLEASE SAVE ME FROM THIS MONSTER
I screamed in my head hoping someone would hear my unspoken request
"I made pasta" I replied again trying to get away from his arms without angering him
But it was too late
"you foolish woman trying to get away from me are you?" He chuckled darkly
No
Please help me
Anyone please
But that was too late too
"I'll show you how to respect me! After tonight you won't even be able to move to leave my arms!" He claimed my lips forcefully
I kicked and screamed trying to push him away but his grip just tightened as he pressed his lips on mine shutting the screams that are trying to leave my body, the cries of help I beg to release
"I'll break your fucking legs if you try kicking me again Riley! You're MINE! Get that little flower? MINE COMPLETELY MINE and your duty is to serve me, to show me your sign of love" tears were the only thing that could escape because neither my screams or my body could be freed from this monstrous creature
PLEASE ANYONE HELP ME PLEASE
but it was too late...
I felt my clothes get ripped off and I closed my eyes knowing what's about to take place
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
I opened my eyes noticing the sweat covering my body
Austin fisher...the nightmares are back
Mom used to stay with me when I have one
Until they eventually stopped coming
Where are you mom?
You're not here anymore to help me...
I need you please...come back
Or take me mom take me to heaven with you...I just want to be with you and dad
I curled into a ball on the bed as the sobs ripped out of my body
I just need anyone...
Mom...
Dad...
Aunt Linda...
Layla...
Lilly...
Jaden...
Aiden...
Jacob...
Please anyone I just don't want to be alone please
When the panic attack came I didn't have the energy to fight anymore
My breathing got heavier and heavier until I wasn't able to get any air to my lungs
But I only begged for one last person in my mind before I fell unconscious
Xavier please come back I need you
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Xavier's pov:
13 hours earlier...
"What do you mean?" I narrowed my eyes at Alessandro
"What I said doesn't need explaining Xavier. If you want your beloved Riley she'll have to stay with us in this house it's as simple as that" he rolled his eyes
"Why? This can't happen she's not even from italy she doesnt know Italian for God's sake!" Why would she even want to come with me?
I'm a mere stranger that she met a few months ago...
She'd be crazy if she agreed to that and I'd be even crazier to offer such a ridiculous thing
"Well it's unfair since I still don't know If I'll keep Bianca, if you want your lover I'll allow you to be with her but under my eyes and conditions. And I'll cut ties with people we work with in California so dear brother tell me what you'll be doing there if the gang and the people we work with aren't there. You can't lead the gang by a phone Xavier like you used to do I only agreed to that since your fucking school and majority of our gangs' allies were there. But now the only people we need from these people will move to either italy or Sweden so no need to stay there you can continue your unimportant school studies online or just switch to a school here." He's fucking insane
Italy is the most un-fucking-safe place to bring Riley
Am I crazy to bring her to where all my rivals are at?
I'd rather stay away from her thank you
"No, I'll stay away from her. Even if you decide you want Bianca I still won't bring Riley to Italy. I won't bring her to the lion's cage by my own hands. Are you crazy do you want her to get killed?!" I replied furiously
"Behave yourself and watch your fucking mouth when talking to me Xavier king! And what I say goes, it's not even an option for you anymore, bring Riley to Italy by tomorrow or I'll tell Tyler to bring her, it's your fucking choice!" he didn't wait for a reply as he left the room
I added to my fist collection on the wall another punch
I'm so sorry Riley
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Now...
I arrived at California and went to Caleb to inform him of the news...the thing is...if I have to stay there permanently Caleb has to too...
With Layla and Olive in the equation that isn't easy
But we both signed contracts we can't leave the gang until 10 years pass
When we signed that we were stupid kids...now we have to face the consequences
I knocked on his apartment door to find him rocking Olive in his arms
As soon as he saw me he shushed me and gestured with his hands for me to come in
I rolled my eyes at him and got in and waited until he went and put the little, sleeping baby upstairs
"Why did you come back weren't you staying In Italy permanently?" Technically I was just gonna stay for a few months but Ok
"About that....um..." I scratched the back of my neck and started telling him the story
"Heck no! Are you serious I can't go back to Italy man Layla and Olive are here..." I looked down
Tough situation Caleb...
"What about April?" He asked
"Well April isn't involved in the gang she still can come visit and leave like she used to do" I replied
"And your parents?" I rolled my eyes
"Fuck them man" like they even care
"What am I supposed to do I can't just leave my child and girlfriend!"
"You can visit them" I suggested
"Oh really so I'll fly thirteen fucking hours everytime I want to see them?!"
"Listen you settle this out with Layla I've got a big problem of my own" I can't just force Riley to come with me
"Whatever just tell me when to come back" I nodded and left
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Caleb's pov:
Why can't I just be happy?
Fuck my younger self for joining the stupid gang
"Layla" I whispered when I went up to our room afraid to wake Olive up
She stays in my apartment most of the time these days
"She's awake you don't have to whisper" she sighed in a tired voice
Olive barely sleeps and so does Layla
I can't just leave them...
I'd rather have Alessandro kill me
"We need to talk about something..." She turned to me rocking Olive in her chair
"Which is?"
This is gonna hard...
"I need to leave to Italy"
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
Xavier's pov:
I'm excited to finally see Riley!
I parked my car under the building and went up to my penthouse
I already knew she was in my room
It's the only room with a lock
"Riley?" I knocked on the door before coming in
My eyes found the precious beauty sleeping on the bed
She looked in a deep slumber I didn't want to wake her up
But she needs to be in Italy fucking tomorrow
I have to wake her up...
"Riley" I shook her gently
"Riley wake up" I whispered in her ear
But I received no response
Damn she's a heavy sleeper
I chuckled in my mind
"Riley can you wake up? Riley" Ok it's getting alittle annoying can she just wake up already
"RILEY" I yelled but still got no response
What the fuck?
"Riley are you okay?" I shook her a few times but still got no response
Fuck
I put my hand on her forehead to find her burning up
I quickly picked her up in ny arms and went to the car
This wasn't what I expected to come back to...
I layed her In the backseat gently and got in and drove off to the hospital
As soon as I got in I yelled for someone to see what's going on with her
Some nurses took her to a room and I sat outside waiting
A doctor came out
"Mr....-"
"King" I said
"Mr King, Ms Stewart fainted from lack of oxygen I'm assuming she had a panic attack and couldn't get air in her lungs...she fainted for a longer time than how much a time of a panic attack faint is supposed to last, not to mention that since she couldn't get enough oxygen in her lungs for a long time this caused a fever, she's okay now...she's awake, we'll just run some tests on her then she can go home, Mr King if Ms Stewart gets these uncontrollable panic attacks often I suggest she sees a therapist to help her. You can go continue the hospital papers until we finish the tests" the doctor said
Maybe it isn't a bad idea for her to see a therapist
But what caused this uncontrollable attack she normally knows how to control them
"Can I see her?" I asked
I just wanna see her
"I'll give you ten minutes stress isn't good for her at all at the moment" he nodded my way then left
I wasted no time In entering the room they moved Riley In
As I entered the room I felt her ocean eyes on me
Should I bring up the Italy thing now....?
No it's better to bring it up when we leave the hospital
"Xavier" she whispered and I looked up only to see a broken girl...
Not the stubborn Riley who would've gotten up and punched the shit out of me for leaving her and then locking her up in my house
I liked being in control and having what I say done without questioning but with Riley...I liked her arguments...
I liked how she fought with me to make her point of view clear
All I saw now was a broken girl who just wanted to live a peaceful life and to be surrounded by her loved ones
"Hey" I smiled a small smile as I got closer to the bed
She gave me a smile back but it wasn't a genuine one
It was so forced I just wanted to yell at her to stop the fake smile
"So...what happened" I asked after a moment of silence
I really just wanted to hug her and never let go but seeing this side of her...I just wanna know what happened to her
"Nothing...I had a nightmare, I woke up, had a panic attack, couldn't control it, fainted then woke up here" she looked down smiling a bitter smile
"I-" she cut me off and when she looked up at me I wished anything but for the look In her eyes to be directed towards me
It was so cold, so bitter, full of hatred that it made me want to get my gun out and kill myself without even knowing why she's giving me that icy look
"You locked me up in your house with no one around me! Not Layla not Aunt Linda not any fucking person who could've just reassured me I'm not alone and I wouldn't have fainted! YOU weren't even there! I needed you! You said you'll keep me Safe! there wasn't anything safe about me crying, fighting for air ALONE in your fucking house because you wanted me away from Austin! You think if Austin really wanted to take me you can stop him? He's just doing more important things but when he's done it's over he'll take me back, just because I said I never want to go back to him doesn't mean I won't. Austin fisher is one hell of an asshole that can get anything he wants and by anything I mean ANYTHING! you can't stop him when he comes after me but you could've stayed with me and held me in your arms reassuring me that I was safe with you at that moment but what did I get instead? Being alone In a house surrounded by guards." She chuckled bitterly
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
Fuck
Here I thought she'd welcome me with open arms...
But I never saw things from her point of view all I wanted was to protect her that I didn't even think about how she might feel as long as she was safe
She's wrong about one thing though Austin can't take her. I have to admit I can't take Austin down on my own but he can
I just have to persuade Alessandro to talk to him about it
The line that hurt the most was that she needed me and I wasn't there
I always manage to fuck up things when with her
"I'm sorry" I whispered and wrapped my arms around her careful not to hurt her in anyway "You're right I should've been there when you needed me I'm sorry I won't leave you again, and I won't let you do anything against your will again I'm sorry baby" I kissed the crown of her head and rested my head on hers
But then she started shaking violently as sobs escaped her body
Her cries felt like a hand crushing my heart so tight
She hugged me tight as she continued to cry
After she calmed down a bit the doctor came and told me I had to wait outside for the time being
I was angry to leave Riley but they needed to do the tests so I just went to finish the hospital papers
I thought about telling Layla that Riley had to come to the hospital but I decided against it
Riley doesn't need a crowd right now
I meant what I said...I won't force her to do anything against her will
Even if she decides she doesn't want to come to Italy I'll go to Alessandro with empty hands if he wants to kill me then he can but I won't allow him to touch a strand of her hair as long as I'm alive. I'll protect her with my life
I just really wanna know what Austin did to her
She's an angel why would anyone hurt her in any way?
.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.
We went back to my house but Riley was silent the whole ride back
When I parked I looked at her "Do you want to leave? I can go up and get your things and drop you off at your aunt's house"
She just shook her head silently and got out
I don't like this
I don't like how broken she is
God kill me if I ever leave her side again
Or make her mad
I got out too and as soon as we entered the house she turned around and hugged me
I gladly welcomed her hug, hugging her tight
I missed her so much
She led me to the couch and we layed there with her head on my chest as I played with her hair
Both of us silent
I wanted to know what was going on inside her pretty head but if she doesn't wanna talk I won't force her to
She took a deep breath and then uttered three words that made fire visible in my eyes
"He raped me" I clenched my fists hard
Fucking asshole If I don't make him pay for what he has done to Riley then I shouldn't carry a gun around anymore
Anger wanted me to destroy the house but I didn't want to scare her so I just layed there listening to her
"We were a good couple I loved him and he treated me good, even my parents loved him. It started the night he told me he's a gangleader. I went to his house alot and everyday I'd find weirder things but the night I found a gun I confronted him. He told me he leads a gang I told him I don't want to be with him anymore and he got angry and....took my virginity when I was 14, he locked me up in his house for a whole year and my parents couldn't get to me, they even thought I was dead until I sent them a message from Austin's phone telling them I'm alive but Austin was so powerful back then they couldn't do anything, not even the police could've done anything. I was a maid In his house, I cooked, cleaned and did everything to please him because whenever he got mad he forced himself on me. I finally had the courage to run away and left through the window when he was out of the house. My parents protected me with everything they had after I came back to them so he couldn't get to me. We didn't hear any news from him for years....until I saw him with you. The night you told me you were a gangleader I thought that history would repeat itself...but I'm so glad it didn't because you're all I have now Xavier" I wiped her tears putting on my most gentle look but inside my mind a murder plan was going on
Austin fucking fisher will pay for everything he has done and I'll make sure of that myself
"My panic attacks and nightmares are all because of him. The nightmares stopped a while back but when I had one yesterday while I was alone In this house I couldn't do anything about it. My mom used to stay with me whenever I got one of these nightmares...but now she's gone" I hugged her tight
It's true I had a fucked up childhood but listening to Riley's past just makes my childhood alot more bearable than hers
I stayed with her hugging her tightly to my body until she fell asleep
I got up and picked her up then went to my room and layed her down
I kissed her forehead gently before looking at her beautiful face
And that night I vowed to myself I'd protect her with every ounce of my being till the day I die
_________________________________________
Long chapter and without a cliffhanger aren't I so nice this time? 😁
As promised after 20 votes I updated
How did you like this chapter?
Do you prefer long or short chapters?
And the next chapter do you want it to be more about...
Xavier and Riley
Alessandro and Bianca
Caleb and Layla
Or
Do you want the next chapter to be about the mysterious man they all think can take Austin down?
Anyway lots of love and kisses 💋
K.m.