Love Me Harder [R18]

CHAPTER 9

We all sat around the table. My mother introduced herself and we all continued talking.

"I wasn't expecting you to come back so soon," my father voiced to me from across the table. He grabbed Ace's attention as well as mine.

"Oh yeah, I decided to come visit." I shrugged as I watched my mom.

"It feels like nothing's changed since you left." My father smirked evilly knowing that what he said would hurt me.

I glanced down at the table.

"She's made a big difference in my mafia so I'm surprised there's no difference here," Ace announced as he lit his cigarette. My father's face instantly dropped from an evil smirk to a blank expression. "Everyone wants my wife." Ace pressed his lips against the cigarette, savouring it as he sucked in the smoke. "But no one can have her except me, she is mine to keep."

It's like he was subtly threatening my father even though nothing he said was true. He was lying to me, to spite my father.

"Excuse me, I have to use the bathroom." I smiled politely as I stood up, breaking myself away from the awkward silence and scowls.

I strolled down the hall into the bathroom. I shook my head as I stared in the mirror. I checked my stitches, to make sure they were still intact. My lip was swollen, and I was surprised my family hadn't bothered to ask about it.

I wouldn't be surprised though, I had always appeared at the same dining table, with black eyes, and multiple bruises and nobody ever bothered to ask, even my mother would look away.

The handle of the bathroom door started wiggling like crazy. I unlocked it, thinking it was Ace, only to realize it was my father.

"What the f**k did you tell him?" My father pinned me to the wall with his hand around my throat. He shut the door with his foot.

I gasped for air as his hand tightened around my neck.

"Nothing," I squeaked as I struggled to speak due to his tightening grip. "He abuses me also." I lied as gasped for air, clawing at his wrist. The only way to get out of this situation was to lie. If my father thought Ace abused me, he wouldn't be as paranoid.

"Ace hates everyone," I begged him to believe me, feeling like I was on the brink of passing out. My father released his grip.

"I believe you, only because I know how unlikeable you are," my father grumbled and shut the door as he walked out.

My breathing was heavy as my hands shook uncontrollably. I glanced in the mirror to see the shape of my father's hand imprinted into my neck. I shut my eyes and wished to be anywhere but here; Anywhere but home.

I would always be weak. A weak, worthless nobody who would never be anything to anyone. I was nothing more than a punching bag on my best days.

"Hey, Sofia," I heard Raul say from behind the door. I opened the door and greeted him with a fake smile. "Hey." I smiled slightly, hoping he wouldn't notice my discomfort.

"I was just checking up on you plus Ace is just glaring at everyone," Raul said to me, that same comforting smile that would try to cheer me up after my father would beat me.

"Yeah, he does that plenty," I admitted as I stepped out into the hallway, brushing past him. I wondered if he could notice the redness around my throat, or if he chose to look away, like everyone else.

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My family and I talked for a while before I decided I wanted to leave. It was better that I stayed away, from this point forward. I had seen what I needed to give me some closure.

The tangy smell of alcohol filled my nose. It was oozing from my father, but what other smell would you expect from an alcoholic?

We were all sitting in the living room watching TV and the only people who were talking were my brothers. Stefano and Marco hadn't come back yet. I had waited for their return but I assume they had more important matters to attend to, than chat with their sister and her forced fiancé.

Ace was sitting on the couch next to me.

"Can we go?" I whispered to Ace. He looked slightly surprised as he glanced around the room.

"You were so excited to come and you want to go already," he asked, and if I didn't know any better I would've said he seemed slightly worried.

"I don't feel the best," I muttered, lying through my teeth.

"Okay, we'll go now." He nodded before standing to his feet.

"I have some urgent matters to attend to, so Sof and I will be leaving now," He announced to the room, which wasn't many of us.

I said goodbye to my family as I felt guilty for leaving again so quickly. I think I feel guilty because I feel more at home in Ace's home than I ever did in my own. Yeah, he doesn't show much emotion but he doesn't punish me for things I do; Maybe his dad will though. There will be a time when Ace isn't around to protect me, and Kai will get his claws on me.

Ace said he'd wait in the car for me as I said goodbye to my family.

"Bye-bye, my princess." My dad grinned happily with a cheeky tone.

"You reek of alcohol," I whispered under my breath as I hugged him. He froze when he realised I had said something back to him.

No, no, no, my stupid mouth. I had done the same thing with Kai in his home a couple of days ago. Why do I do this to myself?

"What did you say?" My father's tone turned bone-chilling.

"N- nothing... I didn't say anything." I almost pleaded with him to forget my foolish words and let this house leave alive. Fear ran through my veins.

"Did you make a remark about me?" My father gritted through his teeth.

"N-no," I responded pulling out of the hug, my eyes watering from the fear of what he would do to me. He's done so much worse, for so much less.

"You have fallen out of line," my father shouted at me, catching all my family's attention. "It must be all that time you're spending at Ace's home. You think you can speak to people that way because you're engaged to a powerful mafia boss. Let me remind you, dearest Sofia, that I made that arrangement and I can shatter it as easily. You must be punished for your words." He grabbed my wrist tightly as he pulled me towards the house.

"No Father, please" I begged, yelling at him. I cried out as we approached the door. I shut my eyes as hard as I could. All my family looked away, ashamed that they couldn't do anything.

"Fernando," Ace snarled from the bottom of the garden. My father froze, forgetting who my fiancé was but I had also told my father that Ace abuses me... which was a lie. He didn't abuse me, in fact from what Ace had shown me so far, he is against the idea of abusing me. Or I think so anyway.

My father let go of his grip on my wrist. I ran over to Ace who positioned himself in front of me. His arm was across my body, but not touching me.

"You told me he abused you." My father scowled, shocked at the fact I had lied to him. I don't know what disgusted him more; the lie or the fact I dared to lie to him for the first time in my life.

"I'll be taking my fiancée home and if you ever lay another finger on her, I'll cut them off one by one." Ace's face grew into a vicious smirk as he watched the fury wash over my father's face. My brothers looked shocked and confused but they also looked relieved.

"You can't do this. She needs to be put in her place," my father roared, losing his mind as he pulled at what was left of his hair.

Ace placed his hand on the small of my back, guiding me to the limousine. He opened the door and helped me in before we drove away.

Ace's POV :

I sat in the living room, staring at her. She didn't seem as happy as earlier; It had been ever since she left the table. Her father's an asshole like mine. I have my suspicions that she's abused but you can't exactly tell her she's abused, or get her to open herself up about it unwillingly, even though I know that as ignorant as I can be.

But as she sat silently, twiddling her thumbs across from me, I couldn't help but admire how beautiful she was. Like a flower that had bloomed from nothingness.

I had never dated girls, I used them only for pleasure and then I kicked them out. Marrying one is a whole different lifestyle for me. I haven't made up my mind if I want to try with her or not. I could be unfaithful, it seems like the choice I'm leaning towards right now. A blooming flower shouldn't be suffocated by darkness, and that's what I was; I was darkness. It followed wherever I went, and whatever I touched. Eventually, I learned to use it to my advantage, to make people intimidated by that same darkness.

I was pulled from my thoughts as I noticed a glare appear from Fernando, toward Sofia. I don't like how her father treats her and I don't like how my father's currently treating her; Kai, my father, stares at her like she's a punching bag waiting to be hit. If he hurts her I swear... I noticed my hand was clenched at the idea of her being hurt. The fork bending beneath my grip. s**t.

It was funny how someone, who grew under the same conditions as me, turned out so differently. Where I lacked kindness, she was overflowing with it. Where I lacked mercy, she was drowning in it. She was so full of light.

I couldn't try with her. Light and darkness are forbidden to be together, yet I couldn't help but feel pulled toward her in the few days I've known her.

I find her, interesting. She likes going to school... I've heard it's miserable but then again, I wouldn't know. She flinches every time I raise my hand. What has been said about me to her?

There's not much to say, to be honest, most of it is rumours; I don't tell anyone anything about myself for that reason.

She would glance over at me every so often to make sure I was okay. My god, those eyes. Those doe brown eyes made her seem so innocent. I wondered to myself how truly innocent she was. Had she had her first yet, or would I-

I needed to control myself yet all I could think about was her. I tried desperately to shake the thoughts out of her out of my head.

Today, I watched her laugh and enjoy some of her time with her family but she was constantly walking on eggshells around them due to her father. He is her abuser. I'd make sure she'd get her revenge.

But that smile I caught a glimpse of today, and that laugh that made my ears dance with satisfaction, I wanted her to laugh always, even if it wasn't with me.

I glanced around the room, trying to distract myself from her yet again. Raul seemed like a coward who protected nobody but himself. They were all cowards for letting their little sister be abused when there were five of them but she doesn't see it that way; she blames no one but herself for what happens to her and it drives me insane.

A few hours had gone by and she surprisingly asked to go home. I thought I'd have to drag her away. I waited in the car as she said goodbye to her family. I flicked through my texts, making sure Ice hadn't let the mafia crumble. Our stockpile of drugs was good, and money was flowing.

I was interrupted by a cry for help. I cringed at the horrible, pleading sound; It was Sofia.

A rush of adrenaline flowed through me, hearing her cry out with fear. I immediately jumped out of the car, to see that her father had a grip on her wrist, making it impossible for her to escape. I felt like killing him, killing them all right there and then. She knew she was going to be hurt if she stepped through that door so she could only think to cry for help.

"Fernando," I roared, grabbing everyone's attention. He let her go; If he hadn't, he would've wished that he had.

She instantly ran to me with tears rolling down her cheeks. Is this what people speak of when they talk about sympathy? I took a stance in front of her, holding out my right arm. It was to let her know that I was the barricade between her and him. I felt a rush of relief once she was behind me. Her hands wrapped around my arm as if searching for something to keep her stable. I don't think she realised she had even touched me.

I had this instinct to protect her, I don't know where it came from or how long I've had it, it just appeared from thin air.

"I'll be taking my fiancé home and if you ever lay another finger on her, I'll cut them off one by one," I smirked at the last bit because I knew I'd love to hurt him.