SLAVES TO OUR SINS: BOOK 1

CHAPTER TWENTY

MIA

I returned to my room the next day at around noon. Thank God it is the weekend so I don't have any classes to attend. Cassie visited me for two hours in the dispensary. Matteo never showed his face though. He simply stayed away. I won't lie and say that I didn't feel hurt by that. I enter our dorm room to find everything neatly done. The room is empty and Cass is not around. I walk to the bedroom remove my dress and go to the shower.

As I step into the shower, the warm water cascades over my weary body, soothing my muscles and washing away the remnants of yesterday's worries. It feels good to have a moment of solitude, allowing my mind to wander and reflect on recent events. As the water rejuvenates me, I can't help but think about what happened with Cassie's father. When I asked her about it she only said that Alex would take care of everything. However, a lingering disappointment tugs at my emotions as I recall that Matteo never showed up. I can't help but wonder why he chose to stay away, questioning if I had done something wrong or if there was another reason behind his absence.

After I am done with my shower I slip into a top and sweats and find some water. I feel very hungry so I decide to walk to the cafeteria and grab some lunch. I take out my phone and call Cassie but she doesn't respond. I send her a text and tell her that I will be getting some food and that she can join me. Immediately I send the text a call comes through. Without thinking about it I receive.

"Hello?" I say.

"Where are you right now?"

"Who is this?" I ask clearly knowing that it is Matteo's voice.

"Quit playing around. Where are you right now?" He asks again. Startled by Matteo's sudden call, my heart skips a beat as I try to gather myself. His voice carries a sense of urgency, leaving me both curious and apprehensive about the reason behind his call.

Taking a deep breath to compose myself, I respond, "I'm headed to the cafeteria, Matteo. What do you want from me?" I say in an annoyed voice. He has the audacity to call me when he never came to see if I was okay in the dispensary. After all the bullshit talk about how we would be engaged and sign the contract and whatever, then he just stayed away? Now he has the audacity to call me?

There's a brief pause on the other end of the line, and when Matteo finally speaks, his voice brims with a mix of frustration and concern. "Listen, I need you to come to our house right away."

"Jeez Matteo, and what if I say no h8uh? What if I just want to be left alone?" I say in a mocking tone.

"Mia, I don't have time to play fucking games with you right now. You either bring your ass here or I will come and carry you myself in front of the other students." He says.

"Fuck you Matteo, you don't own me and you don't get to tell me what to do." I say and hang up on him. As I hang up the call, a mix of anger, confusion, and hurt swirls inside me. Matteo's words, laced with frustration and urgency, sting deeply. The realization that he hasn't shown up when I needed him the most fuels my resentment. It's as if he thinks he can dictate my actions and manipulate me to do his bidding.

Feeling a surge of defiance, I contemplate whether I should just ignore his demand and carry on with my own plans. The idea of asserting my independence tempts me, pushing me further away from complying with his wishes. But a small part of me still yearns for answers and wants to understand why he has behaved the way he has. I decide to walk into the cafeteria to grab some food and carry it with me to their dorm. I get to the cafeteria and as I walk around surveying the buffet, I notice that most of the students have gone silent or rather the tone of their gossiping is louder in hushed tones. I ignore them and assume that they are probably gossiping about me as they always do. I grab some fruit salad but before I can serve myself actual food I feel HIS presence behind me. I go completely still.