Tangled Alliances

16

The door slammed behind Valentina, the sharp sound echoing through the quiet house. I stood there, staring at the closed door, my jaw clenched so tightly that my teeth hurt.

The anger still simmered in my chest, boiling just beneath the surface. I should have stopped her, maybe said something to defuse the situation, but the truth was, I didn't want to. Not right now.

She didn't get it. None of this was easy. I had just saved her from getting hurt worse than she already was, and she had the nerve to throw it back in my face.

She was sitting there, all bruised up, and instead of being grateful, she just... blamed me. Like I was the one who dragged her into this mess.

I walked over to the window, pulled a pack of cigarettes from my jacket pocket, and lit one up. The familiar burn of the smoke hit the back of my throat, calming me down, if only a little. I exhaled slowly, watching the smoke curl up towards the ceiling.

She thought I didn't care. That I was just going through the motions because I felt some obligation to protect her. It pissed me off more than I wanted to admit.

If I didn't care, why the hell did I even bother going after Lorenzo in the first place? Why did I bother dragging her out of that situation before it got even worse?

I took another drag, the cigarette glowing faintly in the dim light. The silence in the house was heavy, oppressive even, but I wasn't ready to fill it with apologies or regrets.

Not yet. I was still too angry, still too wound up from everything that had happened.

She didn't understand what it was like to live with this constant pressure, to be responsible for so much more than just myself.

She thought she could just walk into my world, make all these moves, and not have it come back to bite her. And now she was mad at me because she didn't like the reality of it.

Fine. Let her be mad. Let her leave.

I leaned against the wall, taking another long drag from the cigarette. The nicotine was starting to work its way through my system, dulling the edge of my anger.

But the frustration was still there, coiled tight inside me, refusing to let go.

She had no idea what it took to keep her safe. And maybe I didn't want to show her. Maybe it was better if she kept thinking I didn't care.

I flicked the ash off the cigarette, watching as it fell to the floor. I'd clean it up later—if I even bothered. Right now, I didn't care. About the mess, about the fight, about any of it.

All I cared about was getting through this night without completely losing it.

So, I smoked. And I waited for the anger to fade. Because once it did, once the numbness set in, maybe then I could figure out what the hell I was supposed to do next.

But right now? Right now, I didn't give a fuck about anything but finishing this cigarette and trying to forget the way she looked at me before she walke out that door.

The car felt stifling, the silence between us heavy despite the low hum of the radio. Sabrina kept glancing over at me, her worry almost tangible. I could tell she was trying to hold back, but it was only a matter of time before she exploded with questions.

"Val," she finally spoke, her voice a mix of concern and frustration. "You look like you've been through hell. What happened?"

I tried to shrug it off, keeping my gaze fixed on the passing scenery outside the window. "It's nothing, Sabrina. Just... a bad night."

"A bad night?" Her voice rose, incredulous. "You're bruised all over, and you're bleeding. That's not just a bad night, Val. Who did this? Was it Matteo—?"

"No!" I interrupted quickly, shaking my head. "It wasn't him."

"Then who?" Sabrina pressed, not letting up. "Who did this to you?"

I sighed heavily, the weight of everything that had happened pressing down on me. I didn't want to talk about it, but Sabrina wasn't going to let it go. She never did.

"It was... some guy," I muttered, still staring out the window. "I don't even really know who he was."

"Some guy?" Sabrina repeated, disbelief dripping from her voice. "Val, that doesn't make any sense. What happened?"

I hesitated, trying to piece it together in a way that didn't sound completely insane. "Matteo... he took me to this warehouse he owns. I was just on my phone, Matteo was doing his work,—and then this guy just showed up out of nowhere."

Sabrina's eyes widened. "What? Some random guy just showed up at Matteo's warehouse?"

I nodded, biting my lip. "Yeah. Matteo didn't look too happy to see him, either. They clearly knew each other, but it wasn't... friendly. And then... things got bad."

"What do you mean, 'bad'?" Sabrina's voice was trembling now, her earlier frustration giving way to genuine fear.

I swallowed hard, the memories of what happened flashing in my mind. "The guy... he yanked me out of my chair. Pulled my hair, shoved me to the ground. He didn't even care that I hadn't done anything. He just... wanted to hurt me. Matteo tried to stop him, but it was already too late. He got in a few punches, but it didn't stop the guy from grabbing me again, pushing me around like I was nothing."

Sabrina's grip on the steering wheel tightened. "And you fought back, right? You didn't just let this guy—"

"I tried," I snapped, the frustration bubbling up inside me. "I tried, but what the hell was I supposed to do? He was stronger than me. I was just... sitting there, Sabrina. I didn't do anything, and he just... came at me."

Sabrina's grip on the steering wheel tightened, her knuckles turning white. "Val... I'm so sorry. I can't believe that happened."

"Yeah, well, it did," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "

The car fell into a heavy silence, the only sound the distant murmur of the radio. Sabrina's face was a mixture of guilt and concern as she reached over to squeeze my hand.

"I'm sorry, Val. I didn't mean to push you. I just... I hate that this happened to you."

"Yeah," I muttered, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. "Me too."

Sabrina glanced at me, her grip still firm on my hand. "We'll figure this out, okay? You're safe now."

I nodded, but the words didn't bring me any comfort. Safe felt like a lie. And I wasn't sure if I'd ever feel safe again after tonight.

AUTHORS NOTEE

I find it adorable how Sabrina's there for Val it's so cute!!
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