Amara

Chapter 22 - Tears

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"Crying does not indicate that you are weak. Since birth, it has always been a sign that you are alive."

– Charlotte Brontë
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Amara's POV:

For the next couple of seconds, I just stood there. My mind has still not fully comprehended what was going on, and my body is like a block of steel, unable to move.

Salvatore is standing in front of me. His head turned away, and his hands still balled in fists, one of them dripping with blood. I'm not sure if I should say something or if I should just stay quiet. The man is unreadable.

A draft fills the room, reminding me that my hoodie is only covering my front and my back is still bare. So I go to put my jumper on, and I'm stopped by a small "Wait".

I lift my head back up to look at my dad. His eyes flushed with red. "Just... Just wait," he says in a small voice. I nod in agreement. He walks towards me. His movements slow almost so he doesn't scare me away.

"Can I...Can..." His voice breaks through the sentence making him unable to fully get out his thought. But I know what he's going to say. "You wanna look at my back again?" I say, finishing his thought. Before he can reply I turn back around. Silence fills the room for a couple of seconds. Before I feel him place his cold hand on my shoulder, his eyes piercing my back. "Why didn't you tell me?" He asks me, his voice imitating the sound of a child.

I take a large breath in and out before answering. "I just couldn't" is all I managed to say. And it's the truth. I wanted to, I wanted to tell someone for so long, it's just that I couldn't.

A breeze flows through the room causing me to let out a small shiver. "Put your jumper back on," Salvatore says from behind me, reaching over to help me cover up my back. once the jumper is covering me again, he rubs the top of my shoulders. "Better?" He asks. I nod in reply.

I start to turn around, and before I even register what's happening I'm pulled into a strong hug. My dad's arms are wrapped around me, like a protective shield. "I'm so sorry this happened to you bambina," he says, tears finally flooding from his eyes. "I'm so, so sorry."

"It wasn't your fault," I say, my voice muffled as he holds me close to his chest.

"It's my job to protect you. It's my job to keep you safe," the defeat evident in his tone.

"You didn't even know I existed until recently. It wasn't your fault," tears now flow from my eyes.

"That is no excuse."

Salvatore pulls me away from his chest, both of his hands moving up to my face. "I promise you, Amara. I promise you with every fibre of my being that I will keep you safe. I will never let anyone lay a hand on you ever again, or so help me God." All the time he is looking in my eyes. Almost like he thinks that if he looks away I'll disappear.

Before he can carry on I rush back into the warmth of his body. In that moment, the desire to be held and comforted overwhelms me, as I wrap my arms around him. And for the first time in my life, I am not pushed away, but rather welcomed with open arms.

Salvatore's POV: Mention of R-pe.

I was always told that love could destroy you. That it would make you weak. And if you have to choose between following your head or hollowing your heart, you should always follow your head. And right now. I couldn't care less about what my head has to say, because I have never felt so much fear, and so much love at the same time.