Love & Affinities (18+)

50

SOFIA MARCELLO

I'm so tired of hearing those voices in my head. With the wedding rumours, the recent attack and pretty much anyone's loud voice has managed to infiltrate the barriers I had set to protect myself. I don't blame him. I just need space. You don't really know how these things work when all you've experienced is being coerced into doing things. 

I shouldn't have used the elevators. The tiny space makes me feel suffocated and more tears cloud my vision. I look at the numbers in red as we go down each floor. 39, 38, 37. I look down again and close my eyes, trying to think of something else. Suddenly, the elevator stops and the door opens. I assume its just another person using the lift when the doors open and someone enters. 

Just as the door closes, I open my eyes to find a pair of polished shoes in front of me. Why is he still facing me? Very carefully, I look up his dark slacks, the belt on his hip and the white shirt with a few buttons opened on top and jerk back when I see the unmistakable tattoo on his chest. I can never forget that chest and the little scar running through the eye of the tiger.

It's the scar I gave him using a pen. My legs tremble and I sob hysterically when I see him. Alex. "You're supposed to be-"

"Dead?" He chuckles in the same voice that still haunts me. He inches towards me before pressing the emergency stop button on the elevator screen. I corner myself into the little space and wish I was a little stronger. 

He touches me with his lousy fingers and runs them down my face as I tremble in disgust. "How could you let him touch you? You're mine, Sofia. My little whore." He runs his hand down the side of my stomach and to my crotch before I can even stop him. I scream in agony and scratch him but he grabs me by the face and slams me into the metal walls. 

"Please, just let m go, please! Please!" He finally removes his hand and gropes my chest. He pushes my hair aside and whispers roughly. 

"Tell him, I'm coming back to get what's mine and I'll break him so bad that all that'll be left of him will be a shell." He pushes away but not before leaving a few of his marks on me. He sucks on my neck as I cry helplessly. And then he pulls down the fabric of my dress and sucks on my breast, and then one on my inner thigh. 

When he finally leaves me, I collapse on the floor and cry so much until I'm numb. I pull myself together and get ready to get off the elevator once I reach the ground floor. By the time I come out, I've wiped my tears and see a bunch of men in black suits raiding the entire place. I walk lifelessly to one of them and say nothing but watch as a sigh of relief leaves their mouths. 

He immediately reports back to Adriano and requests me to walk back with them. I walk lifeless and numb to the bone as they steal glances at each other and look at the surroundings with scrutinizing gazes. When I finally reach our room, he opens the door and grabs me into his arms. 

He hugs me tight and cups my head, murmuring all sorts of stuff. "You scared me, baby. Never run away from me like that again." I don't say anything but just stay wrapped in his arms. Tell me you're okay, just say something." When I don't reply he finally pulls away to look at me and knows something's wrong. "Did something happen?" My eyes tear but I blink them back and look up into his blue nervous orbs. 

"Kiss me, Ad." His eyebrows narrow in confusion. 

"What are you sa-" I cut him off again and say, "I said kiss me. Will you do it or not?" His expressions look pained and I hate putting him through this so I kiss him myself. I kiss him but he doesn't kiss me back. 

"Kiss me, damnit!" He wipes my face with his calloused thumbs again and again. I don't realize that I've started crying. I push his hands away and start unbuttoning his shirt.