Meet me in the Middle

Chapter 52

Cosa ho appena fatto? The concern in Maya's eyes is the final straw. I slam the door shut in her face before I can watch the worry transform into pity on her features. As soon as I hear the bang of the door I jump and squeeze my eyes shut. I can't believe I just said that to Maya, when she has been nothing but nice to me after donning on her cape and stepping in to save me from that piece of garbage that didn't understand the word no, no matter how many times I said it. The sunset looked mesmerizing when I parked at our apartment, and I wanted to take a stroll to take it in. I felt every hair on my body raising when I saw the guy walking towards me and jogged across the street to walk on the other side, away from him, only for him to catch up to me from behind.

At first, I thought he wanted to mug me, but he made his intentions clear as soon as he pressed his hard-on into my hip and made some crude remarks about my body and accent. I was frozen in fear and couldn't say anything but no, over and over again, while trying to walk away from him. I saw myself losing the battle and was building up the courage to scream when Jack and Beckett appeared out of nowhere. Grazie a Dio per i piccoli miracoli. I was still terrified, especially when he possessively grabbed my arm to prevent me from running to them. As soon as I tried to pull away from him, he tightened his hold, and I was sure that he left bruises on my skin. It was his grip holding me close that triggered the flashback of my sexual assault all those years ago, my first year of university.

The professor that chaperoned our trip took a liking to me during class on my first day. I was naïve enough to think that he was just impressed with my interest in the subject and all the questions I had. I had a teacher in high school that took me under his wing and was the reason I wanted to specialize in obstetrics, and I thought the professor's attention was similar to that. So, I didn't think twice when he invited me to go to the leading hospital in the country to tour their OB wing. It was the first time I witnessed a birth and from that moment on, I knew that I would never want to be anything else. I wanted to be part of bringing life into the world and join in the celebration and joy of the family that I'll be helping.

We walked back to the hotel afterwards and I was so excited to talk about my experience that I didn't notice when he deviated from the path we came from. It wasn't until we were standing in front of the wishing fountain, and he took my hand in his that I realized something was very wrong. Il diavolo si nasconde dietro ogni angolo. He took out a few francs from his pocket, looked around to make sure no one was paying us any attention and then threw the coins into the fountain and made his wish as a whisper in me ear. 'I wish you'll be a good girl and keep your mouth shut.'

I was so taken aback when he slipped his hands under my skirt and touched me where no one was ever to touch a woman without consent. When he figured I wasn't going to fight him, he pulled me into an alley, pushed me against a wall from behind and hiked up my skirt while unbuckling his pants. I knew what was coming and too bad for him, wishes rarely came true. Because as soon as I felt him penetrate me, I started screaming bloody murder and attracted the attention of a local bakery owner who came to my rescue. He called the university who informed the other chaperone of the incident, and she supported me through all the tests and interrogations with the police, and by daybreak the next morning, the French police arrested my professor and charged him.

For once, the law was for woman and not against them and not only did the professor get fired and put on a sex offender list, but he was extradited back to Italy. Where a few other students came out to accuse him of similar assaults, which resulted in a fifteen-year prison sentence. There were a lot of support groups and the university provided counsellors to assist the victims through the legal proceedings, but I stopped going after he was sentenced. The flashes of my whole first year at university plays behind my closed eyes, and a shiver runs through me like my soul is trying to shake them off. I refused to let the assault change my life and fought hard to come out on top. Sei più forte di così, Carina.