Psychotic Love (a mafia love story)

Chapter 17

ECHO'S POV

After ringing the doorbell to Vic's house I stand impatiently waiting for her to answer. It's been a day since I got home, I would have called Vic but I sort of wanted to surprise her.

I don't hear anything so I ring the doorbell repeatedly until I do.

"I'm coming, chill the hell out!" Vic yells from behind the door. Her voice brings a smile to my face. I can't wait to see her.

She opens the door and before I can get a word in Vic springs towards me. Her arms wrap around me tightly.

"Omg, you're...you're here." her voice comes out like she's just run a marathon.

"I'm so sorry, Ech. I didn't mean to leave you like that. I was coming back, I'm so sorry. I'll never leave you again." Her rambling makes me giggle.

"Vic it's fine, I promise. I'm not mad at you. It's not your fault," I say.

"I shouldn't have left you." Her voice starts to shake and crack before she falls into a complete ugly cry. I pull away from the hug to see her face.

"Hey, don't cry. I'm here now. There's a lot of things we shouldn't have done that night, but we can't change them. Let's just be happy that everyone's okay," I assure her.

"You're okay?" Vic says, tears still flowing from her eyes.

I nod. She pulls me back into the hug.

"I love you so much," She says softly.

"And I love you, now let me in. I have a lot to tell you," I say preparing for the roller coaster of emotions I'm about to take her on.

•••••

I spend hours telling Vic what happened, her emotions are all over the place, just as I knew they would be. For a second she doesn't believe me.

She goes from crying about the way I told her Luca treated me, to laughing about my experiences with Dario, to crying again about Noah's death. She's so emotional, I think she cried more than I did when I was Luca's hostage.

I tell her about everything except for my suicide attempt. I was gonna tell her but she's already so distraught. I think maybe I should save it for another time. The last time I told her I was having thoughts about it, she got on her knees begging me not to leave her, saying that if I went she would go too. It was enough to keep me from trying. I don't want to leave her with all of my pain, that's all I would be doing anyway, passing my pain on to the ones who love me. Possibly causing the cycle to repeat itself.

Vic's no longer crying, she gives a loud gasp. "IN FRONT OF THE MAIDS!" She shouts.

"YES! It was so embarrassing." I cringe at the memory as I sink myself into Vic's big pink bean bag.

"Is this Luca at least hot?" She asks bringing herself to the end of the bed.

"Like a fucking volcano, but that's beside the point. He's a fucking psychopath. Not only did he kill Noah, but he turned it into this twisted game. I'm so traumatized, every time I close my eyes I see Noah just sitting there, lifeless."

The room falls silent for a bit. The sight of blood splattering on the wall and Luca's evil smile lingers in my head. "And then the worst part about it all is that I give into him. I don't know why, I just do. Every time he cupped my face in his hands or touched me I'd just forget about all he's done. I'm so fucked up."

"Sounds like your daddy issues were clouding your vision," Vic says nodding her head.

I pull a pillow from behind me and throw it at her face.

"Says the girl who called all of her exes daddy."

"Hey, I don't deny my daddy issues. I embrace them," Vic says with her eyes closed and a wide smile.

I look over to the window. The sun is getting ready to set for the night. My mom wants me home, so I'd better get going.

"Okay, I think I'm gonna head home, I don't need my mom worrying."

"My mom should be here in ten. I'm sure she won't mind giving you a ride," Vic gives me a concerned look.

"I'll be fine, Vic. My house is two blocks away. I got here okay and I'll get back okay."

I give her a long hug before sliding on my sandals and heading out the door. Once I get outside the sun is no longer beaming down on me. It's low, casting a pinkish-orange across the sky. The breeze is still warm and the way it blows through my hair feels calming. Now would be the perfect time for AirPods and music, but unfortunately, Luca has still yet to send my phone.

As I enjoy the summer breeze I dread the tension that lingers through the air at home. While my mom is glad that I'm back, my dad doesn't seem to feel the same. When he came home the night I returned, he was drunk, and I overheard him talking to my mom about me. He talked about how I probably ran away and realized I couldn't survive on my own, so I came running back. He talked about how he thinks I ran away to do things that I will not even repeat. To sum it up, he basically called me a whore.

I mostly try my best to avoid him. I won't have to do it for long. I'll be going to college soon. My mom and I made a deal. If I agreed not to go to a Fine Arts school she'll make sure all of my expenses are covered. I'm aware that it's her way of controlling me but I can't afford art school by myself, so the option she gave me is my only option.

Before I know it, I'm home. I was so caught up in my thoughts that I don't even remember most of the walk.

Once I'm in my room I plop on my bed and do some more thinking. I will never admit it to him if I see him again, but I miss Dario. He's just about the only thing that kept a smile on my face during my stay there, besides Adele. I guess I'll miss some parts of Luca. Like the false sense of security he made me feel at times. I know it wasn't real but it feels like it when you don't usually have a sense of security at all.