Page 86 of Doll's Eye
The severity of his look diminishes, and he eases up on me to provide slight relief. His hazel eyes hold mine with unvoiced sentiments, yet uncertainty holds his tongue.
To my surprise, he allows me to feed myself and shower alone. We don’t speak at all unless he gives me orders, and I yield without argument. The fight in me is suppressed for the night.
Even when he locks the cuffs around the wrist to my unbroken arm, I turn on my side with my back to him, and I beg for sleep.
There’s always tomorrow.
Chapter forty-four
Alessia
This morning, I woke up alone and no longer restrained.
I stretched out my stiff limbs and noticed a glass of water on the side table, along with a folded piece of paper addressed to me.
Alessia,
You are one wrong move from making the cell your permanent residence. Do not think for a moment you are pardoned for everything you have pulled so far. I’m only allowing you more time to heal.
I’ll be down in my office most of the day if you wish to speak to me.
Your brother is coming over for dinner tonight.
Remember. This is your last chance.
Behave.
Balling the note up, I toss it across the room. “Behave,” I mutter and scoff. “Stronzo.”
No matter my evil plans for the day, I need to wash up first. When I head into the bathroom and grab for the toothbrush, Ifreeze. The damn ring I yet again threw at him is on my finger. Again! How the fuck did he slip it back on without waking me? I stare down at the colossal rock, then glance over at the toilet and then the trash can.
One wrong move from making the cell my permanent residence.
Not worth the risk. And though it’s in my nature to be stubborn and irascible, I might need to play nice for a bit if I want out of here anytime soon.
Besides, it’s just a ring. It doesn’t mean anything if I don’t let it. Just a big, gorgeous ring that I felt naked without for years. It means absolutelynothing.
Even though I took a shower last night, I need a minute before making any moves. I tie my hair up and sit on the bench with hot water running to bask in the steam. I need to switch up tactics. I can’t physically fight my way out of this. I’d have to really build up some trust with them first. Find someone I can easily manipulate and use to get me out of here.
The only problem with conceding, even if only for a moment to gain his trust, is that I risk falling into his trap, forgetting what’s real and what’s not. I risk falling madly in love with him again and I cannot allow myself to do that. If he were to break my heart again, and he will, I know I could pick myself back up and move on, but who would I become?
After hurting me once, I turned to killing people for money to cope. Hurting me a second time when I have yet to heal from the first, how would I cope with it then? Become a terrorist or something?
He had taken my heart, then crushed it. Now, he threatens the entirety of my being, and I will not allow him to lay waste to it.
Feeling as if I have detoxed enough of the bitterness to function, I get out of the shower to get ready for the day. I headinto the closet to stare at all the clothing, completely at a loss for what to wear.
Part of me wants to dress sexy to toy with Massimo some. Part of me wants to dress like my old self in a modest dress to mess with him more. But then there’s a part of me that wants to show him that I am no longer the Alessia he knew. No longer the one who wears pretty dresses and an angelic smile, trying to disguise my demons.
Massimo wants to pretend like nothing ever happened, then let the games begin. Debutant it is.
When I open the bedroom door, I come to a halt. I knew there would be guards standing outside, but I didn’t expect to see his cousin. “Monte.”
He smiles and there’s no sign of what Massimo had done to him. “Alessia.” He closes the small gap and we kiss each other’s cheeks. “How are you?”
“I’ve been better.” I shrug. “So, he put you on babysitting duty again?”
He chuckles and rubs the back of his neck. “Yeah, seems like it.”
