Chapterfour
1122 Words
Third POVs
The last stare she made, through the mirror before dashing out of her room and downstairs. Everyone awaited her; she glanced at Luca, who didn't move an inch, his head bowed to his food as he devoured it in silence.
Maybe it wasn't him, the one who had burned her pleasures into his palms; she stared at him without a word, biting her lower lip.
“Our lovely daughter." "Lucia, Luca's mom," voice echoed from the dining room as she waved at Elena, who got lost in her thoughts.
After a few seconds, she got herself up and made her way to the dining room; each step she made was like she kept on counting them. She finally arrived at Luca, who didn't lift his head, but immediately she pulled the seat beside him to sit.
Elena's eyebrows rose as she glanced at Luca, who rose and pulled the seat for her as she sat there.
She swallowed the lump down her throat and pitched her fingers as she stared at the large tray of food in front of her, already swallowing the saliva, picturing how it could be inside of her.
“Don't you want a bite?” Luca, Mom asked, her gaze fixed on Elena, who curled a fake smile and tugged her fingers into the fork and started devouring the cabbage with the chopped meats that filled the plate.
Throughout the lunch, Luca didn't utter words, like he was reading her; every moment she answered his mom's question, he spied like a devil scanning his pawn.
Not until the door slid open as someone walked in. Her eyes fixed on Luca, with a smirk of happiness.
“Can't you greet?” A lady in a pink gown, below her knee, as she widened her hands for a hug. But instead, Luca turned, stared, made a sigh, stood up, and walked straight to the hallway, leaving Elena to scan the lady, who held her red handbag like it was the last thing left for her.
“Why are you standing? Hurry, don't mind him.” Luca mom said with a smile as the lady walked where Elena was and sat on Luca's seat.
Elena felt like punching her, but who was she to do that? The tears that rang through her eyes didn't allow her to devour the food; the meat suddenly tasted sour, and the water burned as acid.
She tightened her gown, stood up, and faced Luca's mom.
“Excuse me, I will be right back, Mom." Before Lucia could utter a word, she had left toward the hallway.
The wall still reminded her again of how she wasn't welcomed. Maybe she stole her sister's place, or there were secrets she wished to be aware of.
Immediately after she arrived in Luca's room, the air slashed down her dry skin, pulling her into shivering and folding hands.
Sobbing grew stronger the more she came closer. Not until she stopped was the door slid open.
Luca sat on his bed, with his cigarette hung on his index finger, as he smoked in silence; he faced the window, maybe deep in thought.
He didn't notice her until she stepped inside and cleared her throat.
“What are you doing here?” he barked. Immediately he saw her, and his eyes turned into those dark, cold ones she knew.
But this time, he wasn't the one she feared, but the one who got scared.
He folded his legs while glancing at her for a response, but Elena didn't speak; she stood there, body laid to the wall, scanning his movement.
Then, her eyes paused at the white table beside his large mirror, stacks of papers split all over it. Elena strode toward the room at the table, picked up a piece, and read it gently.
Her jaw clenched down as she stumbled on his handwriting, well-written, unlike his personality. The letters were filled with apologies; he never wrote the receiver's name on them.
“What's this?” She turned to face him, her hands tangled around the paper.
“You must be mad; get out of my room, now!” he yelled, veins pumping, like she had said something she wasn't supposed to.
Her legs were heavy, unable to make her way. But her eyes watched him pull out of the bed and then toward her.
Her breath hitched, her eyelashes blinking faster; she clutched her gown, eyes shut finally. One minute, he was already in front of her, their eyes locked. Before Elena knew what was happening, Luca held her neck and pinned her to the wall as she tried to wriggle free.
“Please, pl—" Her voice hitched, like it was buried inside. Hot tears rolled down her cheeks; she closed her eyes, accepting her fate.
“Don't you ever mingle in my life, never!” he yelled, then released as she landed roughly onto the ground, her butt screaming in pain.
“Get out!” Elena watched him, with his eyes popping out. She stood up and ran outside without looking back.
“The devil."
She cursed those words under her breath as she ran in the hallway until she arrived at her room. She unlocked it quickly and rushed inside, shutting the door behind her. Her body lay on the door as she rolled her body to the ground.
This…
“God, please help me.”
The night felt so long for Elena; as she woke up, her eyes already burned out from the night trauma. She stood there, unable to move her legs, like it placed a burden she never expected.
Just then, as her finger rubbed her eyes, her phone buzzed. She rolled, picked up the phone, and stared at it.
“Not again.” She grinds her teeth, already sick of the caller.
“Yes?” She rolled her eyes, even though her mom wouldn't have noticed.
“Don't be rude!” Her mom's voice turned.
Silent.
Elena stared at the phone, her lips snapping open and shutting back as she wiped the sleep off her eyes.
“Can't you talk?” Someone spoke; it wasn't anyone other than her knowing-all aunty.
“Aunty, I'm not in for your drama. Please hand over the phone to Mom, and not you, do I need to speak to."
“This girl, you must be crazy. After everything we did for you, and now you can't send money home, are you that heartless?” Her aunty, Sara, spoke from the phone, with a voice sharp.
“Excuse me?” Elena sighed.
“If you don't send the money today, we’ll tell Luca the truth. About why you married him.”
The phone rang.
- Writer
