Heart of Stone - Stone and Fire #1 [17+] (REWRITING)

Chapter 29

ENJOY LOVELIES

Adriana's POV

I slumped down the stairs just as a knock sounded on the front door.

The night had been a blur of panic, a sharp sting of remembrances, and the rawness of being back at square one. The cold marble under my feet did little to calm me, and the scabs across my arms were still raw and unexplained. Even if my body was a mess of tangled hair, puffy eyes, and scratches marring my arms, I suddenly wished I could run out the house and pretend Matteo was by my side for a morning run.

I didn't think they would come back, but they did. I don't exactly remember what happened last night- maybe a panic attack or two, the spitting image of when I first started getting them, and then the vague memory of me falling asleep on the floor, only to wake up tucked in my bed, like usual.

Just as I creaked open the door, the weight on my chest nearly exploded in two.

"Surprise, surprise!"

Layla's voice, familiar and bright, cut through the last wisps of exhaustion. I blinked at the sight of her, half-obscured by a massive, brown paper-wrapped parcel she carried. It was enormous, too big for her to handle alone.

"You gonna let me in or let my arms snap in half?"

"Sorry. Come in."

She huffed, somehow getting the parcel inside diagonally. Then, with a gentle thud, she laid it on the floor, wiping sweat from her brow.

"My goodness. Might as well walk around naked, it's so hot out there."

I felt her gaze drop down my body, and because she was so accustomed to noticing everything about me, I'd forgotten that my arms were a dead giveaway.

"Adriana."

I shook my head, plastering on a smile, even though the sudden exhaustion in my limbs nearly pushed me onto the living room couch. "What'd you bring?"

The air choked up with an unspoken tension.

"Adriana, your arms.." Her voice was softer now, careful, as if trying not to startle me.

"It's nothing," I cut in, trying to keep her from instigating. "The neighbors have a cat-"

"Your neighbor's house is up for sale."

Fuck.

"Oh. Then it was probably a stray cat." The casualty came out more like a paper-thin lie. "Should I ask Diamo to check me for rabies?"

I grazed the brown paper wrap with a few fingers, trying to distract myself from her pitiful gaze. I hated that. Hated when people saw a few marks and thought that spoke for me as a person- when, in fact, all they did was signify that I'd been through some shit. That didn't account for my character. It shouldn't.

I sighed, meeting her worrisome eye. "Just.. Just ignore it. Let's just pretend my past isn't lit up with memories of a deranged man I've been trying to get away from for years."

She swallowed, then made the worry fade away. She was good at that. Masking her emotions when the situation called for it.

Ha. Wish I could relate.

The mood swished over to light and sunshine as soon as she fingered the seam of the.. gift? I still didn't know what it was.

"It's your wedding gift."

I wouldn't be surprised if her smile lit up the entire block.

My eyebrows shot up to my forehead. "A gift?"