Chapter 1
Valentina POV
I ran with all my might, my weary legs straining as the rough pavement bit into my bare feet. The cool winter air was piercing my skin like thousands of needles, all attacking at once. The only piece of white sheet that I could find in that hellhole was wrapped around my body as my cloth of protection. People who were busy with their daily chores raised their heads to look at me, but no one tried to give a damm about my situation. I dared not to turn my head back to see if they were still following me or not. Suddenly, my vision started to blur, indicating that I had used all of my energy, but I knew that I couldn’t stop. This was my only chance.
I stumbled on my foot and fell on the hard concrete road. I tried to use my hands to get up but fell again. I lifted my head to look up. To my luck, I saw a police car at a distance. I waved my hand toward the car, trying my luck. It was as if the whole universe was against me because the car passed by my side without even looking at me. Blackness started to come before my eyes, and a tear slipped past my eyes as I accepted my fate. But as I was about to welcome the darkness, I felt warm hands on my arms, and with little vision, I saw the vague appearance of a man. “Saveeeeeee meeeeee……” I mumbled with my little voice, and then darkness surrounded me like an unwelcome guest.
I woke up to the sterile smell of antiseptics and the constant beeping of large machines. The harsh hospital lights blurred into focus, revealing the unfamiliar surroundings of a white-painted hospital room. I instinctively tried to sit up, but a searing pain shot through my body, a reminder of the brutal ordeal I had endured.
As my senses crept back, I noticed my sole presence in the room. I looked down at myself. My own body felt alien, wrapped in bandages that hinted at the extent of the damage done. The cold reality of what had happened settled in. The memories of the unrelenting tide of terror, violence, and the haunting echoes of the night rang in my head. My breath quickened, matching the pace of the rising panic within me. I clenched my fists, trying to anchor myself to the present, but the voices persisted, insidious and unrelenting.
"Your father asked for this, didn't he? Tell me how he will feel when he comes to know that his own daughter was violated just the way he violated our sisters, daughters, and mothers." Their words echoed each syllable, a venomous reminder of how I lost my precious dignity.
I closed my eyes, covered my ears, and screamed as loud as I could to muffle their sinister laughs, their taunts, and their voices clawing at the edges of my sanity. Tears blurred my vision, and a torrent of emotions washed over me—shame, fear, and a profound sense of loss. The hospital bed, once a refuge, now felt like a cold slab of judgment.
“Calm down, calm down! You are safe now." I felt someone shaking me in reality. The words that should have sounded soothing sounded like nothing but a reality check on my mental health. I opened my eyes back to the hospital room with a doctor in front of me, barely shaking. I knew that I was trembling badly. Moreover, her hands on my body felt like acid. I pushed her away and hugged my knees to my chest, desperately trying to pull myself together so that I wouldn’t fall apart.
“I promise I won’t touch you; just breathe; you will be fine. Breathe; take the air in from your nose and exhale it out; follow me.” If the doctor hadn’t said so, I didn’t even notice that I had stopped breathing. I slowly tried to follow her actions as if a kid were learning something for the first time.
“Very good. Now tell me your name.” She asked in a very polite manner.
I kept quiet for a while. She remained patient as if giving me space to adjust. From the badge, I read her name. She was Doctor Amelia. Her name reminds me of my late mother. How I wish to hug her at this moment and cry my heart out.
"Valentina,“ I mumbled, my voice barely above a whisper.
“What a beautiful name, just like you. Now tell me, do you feel pain in any part of your body?” She questioned me, her gaze wandering over my body for any signs.
I shook my head, though I was in slight pain, but it was bearable enough for me to stay silent.
“You are under the influence of heavy sedatives; you might not feel the pain now, but once it wears off, you will feel the pain. There were many wounds on your body, and you also had two broken ribs. It has seriously affected your heart vessel; I was surprised that you managed to survive after all these injuries.” Doctor Amelia told me while writing something on her notepad.
“I am surprised that I am alive even after all this,” I said to myself.
“The police officer who saved you will be here shortly. Tell him the contact information of your parents; he will help you find them. Also, if you are willing to talk about it, then please tell him the details of the people who did this with you. I assure you that those bastards will be punished."I wanted to laugh at the words of the doctor; she was too decent to know the world of the mafia, and catching bastards like them was not within the limits of police officers.
When I gave no reply to the doctor, she checked my IV drip and then went out of the room, leaving me in my own sea of thoughts.
The moment she walked out of the room, I detached the IV drip and got out of bed. Though it hurt like hell, I had more important things to do. I stumbled on my way to the washroom with my wobbly legs and immediately discarded the hospital gown that I was wearing. I then took off the bandages and opened the shower.
Standing below the cold water, I cared for nothing, then just scrubbed off the filth that those bastards left on me. Sitting beneath the shower against the wall on the cold floor, I rubbed and rubbed my body till it was red. The cold water on my fresh wounds didn't sting because the scars on my inside were far worse than the wounds on the outside.
I didn't know if those scars would ever heal or not, but I knew for sure that those scars would never fade. Those morons will pay for what they did, and I will make sure of it. I wiped the tears off my face, got up, wore the gown again, and walked out of the door.
I was a bit startled to see the police officer waiting for me in the room. He was a young police officer with a stern face.
"Did you save me?" I asked without giving him a moment to speak because I knew that I was not in the state to answer his questions.
"Yes,” he gave a one-word answer. He was holding back, taking into account my state.
"Thanks; you will be rewarded for this,” I said, walking back towards my bed.
He was about to open his mouth to ask more when I cut him and spoke up, “I am Valentina Fusco." His eyes widened upon hearing my name; a wave of fear crashed over his face, and he immediately got up from his seat.
“Daughter of Ivan Fusco?” He mumbled in a low voice. It just took a nod of my head to make him run out of the room.
“Wait, don’t let anyone come into my room," I said before lying on my bed. I wanted to take a breath before facing what was about to come next.
