I try to open the door, but it’s locked.
“You’re not going anywhere until you hear me out. I know of Roman’s viciousness firsthand. He’s tortured me.” Leo drops my hands and pulls up the side of his shirt, revealing his ribs. And something more terrifying. “He did this to me. He carved his initials into me to remind me of what he’s capable of.” He waves his hand in my face, and I realize he’s missing his ring finger. “He fucking chopped my finger off! I barely made it out alive. That’s why I haven’t been in touch in so long. He threatened my friends and family if I reached out to you. He said he’d kill them all then me. He has a warehouse full of torture equipment. He tied me up and almost beat me to death. He's a psychopath.”
“Oh, Leo. I’m so sorry you went through that.” I grab his hand and rub it soothingly, trying not to look at the nub of themissing finger. “But you’re wrong. It must’ve been someone else. I mean, why would my Roman torture one of my friends?”
“It was him. Right after my birthday at the club. He drugged you, took you home, then found me. He kidnapped me, brought me to a warehouse, tortured me, threatened me, deleted your contact from my phone, chopped off my finger, and carved his name into me.” Venom is laced in his voice.
“But why?” I ask, confused. There is no motivation there.
“He wanted you all to himself. He was jealous of our friendship. I bet he even blamed me for drugging you. He probably threatened Gracie into vouching for him. Poor Gracie must’ve been terrified. We know how skittish and pathetically paranoid she can be.” He snorts derisively.
“No. Roman never blamed you for drugging me. He just said it was a stranger. I don’t understand. He was with me the full night. I woke up to him sleeping on my floor.” It comes out weak, but I refuse to give in to his claims.
“You were drugged. You were passed out all night. He left, tortured me, then came back to you. He’s a sadistic fuck. He even used lemon juice to burn the carving worse. He’s a sick fuck that gets off on pain. Why can’t you see it?”
My eyes widen, and my heart stops at the mention of lemons.
All the times Roman’s been gone then comes back smelling like lemons flash through my mind. Over the months, it must have been dozens of times. Sometimes multiple days in a row.
It can’t be true.
I can’t even fathom the amount of people he could have hurt in that period of time.
“You’re starting to understand. But that’s not even the worst part. He’s manipulated and hurt you time and time again.” Leo pinches my chin and lifts my face towards his.
“No,” I whisper, begging him not to tell me.
Because I know whatever he says will change me forever. Will ruin Roman and me. And I just can’t bear that.
“He drugged you that night at the club. He tortured your friend into abandoning you. But that’s not all. He orchestrated the break in at your apartment. He paid the man to show up, scare you, and ransack the place. Wasn’t it so lucky that you never saw the robber? That he never hurt you? That Roman came immediately? He arranged the whole thing so you would be forced to move in with him,” Leo pleads with me to believe him.
“No,” I whisper again, unable to connect the evil monster he’s discussing to my sweet, caring fiancée.
“You didn’t get fired for no reason. After your boss was a little rude to you, Roman beat him as well. Threatened his life if he didn’t fire you. He wanted you completely dependent on him. So you could never leave him,” Leo continues.
“No.” It’s a frail denial.
“I didn’t want to have to show you this, but here,” Leo hands me his phone.
On it is a video of two men by a dumpster taken from far away. It zooms in, and I realize I know these men. It’s Roman and Dr. Sanders.
It’s too far away to hear what’s being said, but I don’t need to hear to understand the fists flying. Roman punches Dr. Sanders repeatedly. He knees him between the legs. Pauses the pounding to talk to him. I feel nauseous. Not even halfway through the video, I turn the phone off.
“How could this happen?” I beg to understand.
“It’s okay, Cecilia. You didn’t know. You see the best in people, and he took advantage of that,” Leo says, rubbing my shoulder in what should be a comforting way. “But that’s notall. The man that robbed you earlier this week? Roman tortured and killed him after Sebastian found him. That’s how you got that ugly ring back so quickly. It wasn’t a work of magic. It was the work of the monster we all hate.”
“Killed?” I say, doubt despite reason seeping into my voice.
Leo sighs, grabs his phone, and does something on it.
“See for yourself,” he tells me as he hands it to me.
Pulled up is a picture of the robber, clear as day. But his shirt is off. And on his chest are Roman’s initials, carved into him just like they are on Leo’s side.
I roll down the car window and throw up. Over and over again. I throw up for what must be five minutes. Leo rubs my back the entire time. It isn’t comforting. Not at all. It just makes the whole experience worse.
Once I’m done, Leo hands me a bottle of water, and I rinse out my mouth.
