Chapter 77
Alejandro nodded slowly, as if that was the answer he had expected from Antonio.
“Just don’t be too harsh on her,” was what he said as he stood up and started to make his way toward the door, his footsteps echoing softly in the quiet room.
However, before he left, he paused, glancing back at Antonio. “what it’s worth,” he said, his tone lighter now, almost teasing, and Antonio squinted his eyes as he prepared for the stupid thing Alejandro was about to say next.
“If you want her to believe you, maybe try not to be such an ass about it”
“Get out, or I’ll swear, I’ll Antonio wasn’t able to complete his words as Alejandro chuckled softly, shaking his head before leaving the room.
As soon as he was all alone, his thoughts took over, but he was no longer as upset as he was before Alejandro walked into the
Looking at the wine bottle in front of him, he placed it aside and stood up to go to his room.
He had purposely not gone up to his room as he didn’t want to go to Zabelle while he was upset, and he wanted to give her time so she could fall asleep so she wouldn’t have to deal with the reality of sharing a bed with him.
When he entered his room, he saw Zabelle sleeping on the far edge of the bed, and he rolled his eyes due to how dramatic
she was
Thankfully, she had fallen asleep, but if she moved just half an inch, she would fall off the bed.
Antonio immediately wanted to go and help her, but he didn’t want to risk her waking up and them having another fight.
However, if he didn’t do something and she moved, she would fall off the bed. Zabelle was a deep sleeper, and he hoped that was still the case at that moment.
Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the bed and gently adjusted her to properly lie on the bed. He did so as quietly as possible, not even daring to breathe.
As soon as he was done, he heaved a sigh of relief as she didn’t wake up.
Without wasting time, he walked to the other side of the bed and got in. Zabelle’s presence was going to be a test, as he wanted to see if he would fall asleep again.
The feeling of sleeping peacefully after years was far greater than whatever second thoughts he had about sleeping in the
same bell as Zabelle.
Sighing, he closed his eyes in a bid to start the process of falling sleep.
“One sheep, two sheep,’ he began to count, as that was one of the things he normally did whenever he was trying to fall asleep.
It didn’t work back then, but it was time to see if it would this time
Six sheep, seven sheep, eight sheep…
His eyes snapped open just as he had closed them as a sound woke him up. Turning to the clock beside his bed, he did a double–take when he saw that it was already four in the morning
He had actually fallen asleep once more, and it had been peaceful, without any nightmare.
18:20 Sat, Dec 28 G
Chapter 77
The sound of heavy breathing broke liim out of the celebration e was having in his head, and it reminded him of the reason he had woken up.
“Zabelle,” he called as he turned to face her,
His eyes widened when he saw her gasping for air as thought he couldn’t breathe while tears rolled down her eyes.
She wasn’t moving. Antonio pointed out to himself as he moved closer to her. From all indications, it seemed she was having a panic attack, but what could have caused it?
The thunder cracked, loud and jarring as the rain began to pour, and Zabelle’s eyes shot open.
She felt her body tense and the horrible memories flooding back in an instant.
The rain, the cold, the hurt she had felt that night after being betrayed, the fear she felt while being sexually assaulted, the blade plunging into her skin..
Everything came rushing back to her.
Her breath hitched in her throat, and she could feel her heart pounding in her chest as if it would burst.
The storm outside, the sound of the rain hitting the glass door to the balcony, felt all too familiar.
It was a cruel reminder of the night her ex–boyfriend had betrayed her, the night she had been stabbed and had almost lost her life in the heavy rain.
Zabelle squeezed her eyes shut, her body going rigid as she struggled to breathe through the panic.
Her hand reached out instinctively, fingers grasping for anything to hold onto, anything to make the memories fade and to/ make the panic she was feeling go away.
Zabelle found the sheets, and she crumpled them, but doing so didn’t, however, help with the rollercoaster of emotions she was going through.
The panic increased, and she found herself unable to breathe properly as tears immediately filled her eyes.
It was all happening again; those two men were going to come for her, and they would finish what they had not been able to do that night.
to her as she felt a touch on her arm.
“Zabelle,” she heard a familiar voice say to
At that moment, the world seemed to freeze. The storm outside raged on, but all Zabelle could focus on was the warmth of the person’s skin as it was pulling her back to reality.
Antonio looked at the woman beside him, and he immediately pulled her up to sit so she could regain control of her body. He didn’t speak immediately, as he wanted to give Zabelle time to catch her breath
“I–I can’t,” she whispered, her voice shaky. The thunder rumbled again, louder this time.
Zabelle flinched, and she threw herself into Antonio’s hand as he appeared to be the only solace she had at that point in
time.
