“Paolo, take me to my downtown apartment.”
I want so desperately to object to going to this stranger’s home, but the exhaustion in my body and my throbbing head keep my mouth shut. There’s no sense in my arguing anyway. I have nowhere to go. All of a sudden any energy I had is gone and I feel myself falling into the darkness.
“Wake up, sweetheart. You gotta keep your eyes open for me, okay?”
I slowly open my eyes. My concussion must be extremely bad this time because I’ve never felt like this before. It’s like I’mslowly slipping under water, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
“I feel so tired. I just need to rest my eyes. Just a little,” I say, closing my eyes again.
I know that I shouldn’t, but I can’t help when my eyes close and I’m shrouded in darkness.
I hear unfamiliar voices, but I don’t immediately open my eyes. I do my best to strain to hear what they’re talking about, but it’s no use. The voices are too far away, and it’s making my head hurt worse, trying to hear them.
I do my best to remember what happened and where I might be, but I’m just getting flashes. I remember sitting by myself most of the night. Then a flash of Ross being angry and pulling into the bathroom.
At the thought of Ross, my eyes fling open, and the memories come pouring back. My husband beat me until I blacked out. At a club!
We weren’t at home, or even in his car. I didn’t say anything that he could’ve perceived as out of line. I didn’t do anything out of line. And he beat me… in public. I do my best to think through the dull ache in my head.
I was in the bathroom pleading with Ross, and he punched me several times before choking me. I fell down, trying to cover myself, but then somebody came in and— Luca.
The man with the dreamy gray eyes and enigmatic smile. Luca saved me. He came out of nowhere and literally swooped me off my feet. Then I remember Luca saying to go to his apartment. I open my eyes and quickly sit up.
Shit! My head!
I grab my head and close my eyes again. After a few minutes, I slowly open them to take in my surroundings. Even in the dimly lit room, I can see that this is a luxurious place. The room is absolutely spectacular. I can only guess what the rest of the apartment looks like.
There are floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the glittering lights of downtown Dallas. The view is spectacular even with all the construction in the city. There’s a white sofa facing the windows with what looks like a white Persian rug with a glass table in front of it. The rest of the room features blinding white walls with black and white art displayed everywhere.
Before I can get out of bed, the door opens, and Luca walks in. I thought I remembered everything about this man’s face, but my memory failed me. He is hands down the most beautiful being I have ever laid eyes on.
He smiles at me before smoothly coming to stand in front of the massive bed. I drop my gaze to my hands because staring is rude, and I can’t help myself. I have to be crazy, admiring this stranger when my husband just beat the hell outta me for less.
“Hey, beautiful. I’m glad you’re finally awake,” Luca says, still smiling.
“Uh, yeah. Wait, what do you mean by finally? How long have I been out?” I nervously question.
It’s still dark outside, but the good lord only knows how long I’ve been out of it. I’m not sure what time it was when we left, but I know I was sitting by myself for at least an hour or more. But honestly, I’m not really sure because I didn’t wear a watch.
“Not long, a few hours. But I was worried because we thought you might have a concussion, and you shouldn’t have been asleep at all.”
“A few hours,” I mumble, wringing my hands.
I know Ross is probably looking for me, but I can’t go home. I can never go home. I know that now. There’s nothing I can do to fix this broken relationship. Hell, I don’t want to fix it. If I go back, I’ll eventually end up dead.
“You know, you never told me your name,” Luca says, sitting down on the edge of the bed.
“Mindy. My name is Mindy Stewart.” I look up into his sparkling gray eyes.
“Mindy, it’s nice to finally put a name to such a beautiful face.”
My face heats in embarrassment at his compliment. It’s been a long time since anyone has told me I look beautiful. I’m flattered even though I know he’s lying. I can feel the puffiness around my right eye and the knot on my head. I look like a hot ass mess.
“Thank you for everything, Luca. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for saving my life.”
I don’t know what else to say. What else can you say to someone who stepped up and kept you from being beaten to death? A lot of people would’ve turned around and left the restroom when they saw what was happening.
Although Ross has never hit me in public before, we have had some very loud public arguments. Well, I can’t say that they werearguments; more like Ross berating me in a room full of people. That’s how I know that nobody would help me. We’ve been at a crowded party, and Ross has yelled some demeaning and hurtful things, and nobody batted an eyelash.
