Psychotic Love (a mafia love story)

Chapter 49

ECHO'S POV

My lids feel like they weigh a ton as I peel them open. The bright, white lights above me are blinding, but the fact that my eyes are nearly swollen shut helps. I still squint though, the lights bring an excruciating amount of pain to my head.

"Nurse, dim the light, please." A deep, husky voice erupts next to me. It's blaring at my already ringing ears. "Hey, how are you feeling?"

When I turn my head in the opposite direction of the new voice, my gaze meets with Arturo's. He stands with his arms crossed, the space between his brows wrinkled, and his dark eyes narrowed as he watches me like a hawk. I scurry away from him. My left-hand misses the bed and I nearly fall to the floor before I'm caught. I frantically move away and turn to see who saved me. Not only just now, but when Arturo was beating me. It was his voice I heard, I remember.

His eyes are a toasted brown, like coffee beans. His hair is chocolatey and dark. He looks a little like Arturo, but softer, younger. My heart pounds as trepidation seeps into it. Who is he? Will he hurt me too?

"You're okay. Calm down," he says. He places his hand atop mine and sure enough, it calms me. I don't think he'll hurt me, but I've always been too trusting. I shudder as he gently pushes me back to rest on the bed.

"Who are you?" I nearly whisper.

"I'm Valentino, but you can call me Val. I'm...Arturo's brother," he says looking up at him.

I look up at the ceiling...to think. He's awfully nice compared to his brother, why? From what I've observed so far, the two are complete opposites. But Valentino could be acting. What if he's just as bad as his brother? What if his tactics are to get me to trust him first?
But why did he even stop Arturo from beating me? Maybe he'll help me. He wouldn't. He wouldn't cross his brother, would he?

Arturo's ringing phone snaps me from my thoughts. He exits the room to take the call, leaving Val and me in a pool of silence. I can feel his eyes burning holes into my battered face. I wish he would stop staring. I'm sure I'm not the first his brother has beaten.

"I'm sorry he did this to you. He can get...crazy."

My brows knit together and the small movement nears tears to my eyes. Everything fucking hurts. "Look at my face. Crazy isn't half of what he is." I've yet to see my face, but the fact that I can barely open my eyes, says it all.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm sorry." Is he really? Probably not sorry enough to get me the hell out of here.

"Is there anything I can do for you? Water perhaps?"

Oh, more than anything, I would love a belly full of food, but I wouldn't love the beating for it. Fuck the food. The sweet taste of death might be the most flavorful thing in the world right now. I'd like a serving of that. "Do me a favor and push air into my IV," I say softly.

"That could kill you." He chuckles a bit.

I huff and slowly turn my head to look at him. His laugh disappears when his gaze lands on my face. "Well, that's the point." He looks away from me. That sort of sparks a bit of anger. Just a second ago I was upset because he wouldn't stop looking at me. But now that I'm looking him in his eyes with my face black-and-blue, and his gaze full of guilt, it angers me that he can't look at me.

"If you can't put me out of my misery or help me out of here, please stop talking," I say.

He nods his head before sitting back in his chair. I close my eyes and wonder why he's still here. I know he has something way better to do than watch a battered, broken girl.

"So you're Luca's future wife?"

"Stop talking," I spit out.

"What's your name?"

"Oh my fucking god. What part of stop talking do you not understand? My brain feels like it's going to explode from my skull, and my intestines feel like they've been permanently rearranged." My hoarse voice cracks and shakes. Tears begin to fall. "I don't feel like talking."

"Okay, I'm sorry."

We only sit in dead, still air. Val doesn't make another peep as I rest my weary eyes.

Arturo walks back into the room. My eyes shoot open and every muscle in my body stiffens. He pulls my IV out before grabbing me from the bed and onto my feet. A groan leaves my lips as pain surges through my core.

"Arturo, what are you doing? You could at least give her a minute after beating her half to death," Val says.

Arturo pushes me to the side before grabbing his brother by his shirt. He looks at his brother with a deep hatred. It gives me hope, maybe they're not as close as I thought. "Mind your fucking business, Val. What I do with her, and what I do with this mafia is none of your concern anymore. You made your choice, so leave." He roughly releases him.

Arturo grabs hold of me again. He practically drags me from the infirmary and all the way back to his bedroom.

I peer through the window, watching the stars shine brightly under the moon. I remember being a young girl, my father telling me if I looked long enough, I'd find the face of a man in the moon staring back at me. Of course, this was before he started poisoning himself. Staring at the moon is one of my only good memories with him.

The things I'd do to go back to being a little girl. The things I'd do to have my sister again, to have my mom cherish me, to have my dad at least love me, to be... trouble-free. Pain-free.

As I look at the moon, I never find the face of the man. Maybe it was just my childish imagination, or maybe I'm not looking hard enough.

Arturo breaks my attention away from the sky of dusk when he snaps his fingers at me. He makes me remove my hospital gown, before putting that collar back around my neck. It always feels like it weighs the equivalent of an elephant.

He grabs hold of the collar, pulling me closer to him. "If I ever see you talking to my brother again, I will kill you. And it won't be fast like you want. I will drag it on for fucking days, weeks, months if I can. I will make your death hell."

My eyes stay pinned to his chest as he threatens me. I'll kill myself before he ever gets the chance to torture me painfully to death.

"Look at me," he demands.

I bring my gaze from the black fabric of his shirt to his eyes. They are dark and sharp like shards of glass, threatening to cut me If I dare look away.

"Do you fucking understand me, slut?"

I swallow my pride like I have a thousand times before. "Yes."

He pushes me backwards. I stumble but manage to catch my footing.

"Arturo," I say faintly.

He meets my gaze. Almost astonished at my speaking. I don't usually say anything unless I'm spoken to, but I need to ask this question. It will give me the answers I'm looking for, as of now.

"What's the date?"

He frowns at me. His face relaxes before looking at his phone.

"November 28th."

My heart does a flip in my chest, and my legs suddenly become noodles beneath me, but still, I keep my face steady and nod my head.

"Thank you."

It hits me. I haven't had my period since being here. I thought those little cramps I'd been having were telling me my period was close. I thought that my malnourishment would result in a late period, but it seems that it's not coming at all.

Maybe I'm just that malnourished. Maybe my body doesn't have enough nutrients to give me a period. No, it's only been two months. I don't think it would disappear that quickly.

After that, no period only means one thing, I'm pregnant. But I can't be. Please don't be pregnant.

Arturo has me shower and get into bed with him. I lay on the very edge of the king-sized bed and luckily Arturo doesn't force me any closer to him. He falls asleep long before I do, leaving me to my dark thoughts.