Lissy Romano

74| Talk to me, please.

Lissy Romano

"Sweetheart, wake up. Domenico is here." Santino's soft voice and gentle touch roused me from my sleep.

"Mh?" I murmured, slowly opening my eyes.

"Domenico wants to do some more tests," Santino explained, offering me a comforting smile.

"I want to sleep. Let me sleep, please...?" I begged, giving him the best puppy eyes I could muster.

"Lissy, I need to check your bruises and take a blood test. Then you can sleep, okay?" Domenico said, standing in the doorway.

"Alright..." I mumbled, glancing at him.

I was still curled up in Santino's bed, wrapped around him, with Jax standing beside us, wagging his tail.

"I already took him on a walk," Domenico added, walking toward me as I slowly sat up.

"Thank you," I whispered, wrapping my arms around him for a hug.

He kissed the top of my head, and I pressed my face into his chest, feeling the comfort of his embrace.

"It looks like you both had a sleepover," Domenico chuckled.

"Something like that," I replied, and Santino simply nodded. He wasn't about to snitch on me.

"Okay, princess. Come with me," Domenico said, offering me a hand to help me up.

I stood, walking alongside him. Before leaving the room, I glanced back. Santino waved me goodbye, and Jax barked a few times. I smiled and continued on.

"So, kiddo. Tell me how you feel," Domenico asked as he opened the door to his office.

"I'm great," I lied, looking away.

"Angel, I'm your doctor. You don't have to lie to me," he gently reminded me as I took a seat.

"I'm... I'm okay. I've been better, though," I admitted, lowering my gaze.

"Does it hurt?" he asked, pointing to the bruises on my stomach.

"Yeah, a little. A lot when I try to raise my arms or make other movements," I explained, staring at my lap.

"That's okay. It can be like that. I'll check the bruises. If it hurts, just tell me, and I'll stop, okay?" Domenico said. I nodded.

I lifted my pajama top, and he gently pressed his fingers to the bruises.

"Okay, it hurts. Please stop," I said, instinctively pulling away.

"I'll take the blood test now, hm?" he asked, and I nodded.

After doing what he needed to do, Domenico sat in front of me and looked into my eyes.

"Lissy, I can see you're not okay. Talk to me, please," he urged softly.

I bit my lower lip, feeling the weight of everything inside me.

"I keep seeing nightmares. I see him... over and over again," I whispered, my body shivering with the cold memory.

"Oh, sweetheart... why didn't you tell me sooner?" he asked, pulling me into a hug. "I can prescribe you medication so you can sleep normally," he added, his voice full of concern.