"I am good at two things. Murder and sex."
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Xavier Visconti expected one thing on December 3rd. And that was getting his money back from a spineless woman he had taken pity on. What he didn't expect, though, was to meet his damsel-in-distress.
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tw: please read with caution.
She wasn't sure when they fell asleep. They'd both woken up abruptly when Emma came in, climbed between them and promptly went to sleep. Before life got in the way, Lydia had been the same. With her parents, she used to fall asleep in the car on the way to the grocery store. A grocery store that was ten minutes away. The surface never really mattered.
Even when she moved in with her aunt, there had never been a moment of peace before she started using her as a personal experiment. But habits are difficult to break. So, she learned the hard way that sleep was a luxury she couldn't afford. It came to a point where her body forgot how to relax. Even before he turned into a monster, Lydia often found herself holding her breath, waiting for something bad to happen. The night she let him sleep with her, it took him a while to get her to relax. She couldn't deny the time with him had been good. Until it wasn't. She felt sick thinking about how he'd been before because it made him seem human when he was anything but.
In the far corner, the clocked showed it was just after two am. For a few minutes, she stared at her daughter as she slept peacefully, a loose grip on one of her stuffed animals. She looked so peaceful and safe that it almost brought a smile to Lydia's face. That was all she'd wanted for her.
Then she looked at Xavier. There was a furrow between his brows as he slept. She knew it was her doing. Yesterday night had been difficult for him.
She wondered if it would be her silence that eventually brings him to a breaking point. Despite all the life betrayals, she couldn't imagine him being cruel to her in ways that people in the past had been. No, he wouldn't hurt her like that.
He'd do something far worse.
He'd leave.
She stayed frozen in fear, afraid to blink as she stared at him in the dark. She stayed still even when his eyes fluttered open, instantly aware that he was being watched. He relaxed when he noticed her before a concerned look overcame his features.
"What's wrong?" Xavier murmured, placing his palm on her jaw.
"I was afraid I'll blink and you won't be with us anymore."
He smiled at her like she was ridiculous. She loved when he smiled. Xavier Visconti was achingly beautiful and she hoped he knew that. If not, she'd tell him. If he stayed, she'd tell him all the time.
"Let's go to the kitchen," he whispered.
They both stood up silently and he made sure Emma was tucked in before gently guiding Lydia outside. Pressing a kiss to her head, he moved towards the refrigerator. She didn't know if a glass of cold milk and a spoonful of honey was what really made her sleep but it seemed to work. Perhaps because he was the one making it. She was sure if she made the concoction herself, she'd remain wide awake and think over things out of her control until her head exploded.
