𝐆𝐈𝐔𝐋𝐈𝐀 𝐕𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐎, a young girl who's never known stability. Raised by a reckless, unstable mother, she spent her childhood caught between drug runs and police raids, ruining her right for a normal childhood. One night when her mother go...
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I groan and turn on my back, staring at the ceiling. My room is too quiet, too dark and I'm absolutely restless.
My heart won't settle, my brain won't shut up, and sleep is nowhere in sight.
I roll over and grab my phone. The screen lights up, searing my eyes. 1:37 AM
I was really looking forward to sleeping in this weekend.
I toss the phone aside, pushing off the blankets and sitting up. Maybe I could walk around or read or something boring enough to knock me out. I rub my eyes and swing my legs over the edge of the bed. My toes sink into the plush white carpet.
My room smells like vanilla and amber from the candles I lit earlier. It's warm and familiar now, not the hollow space it used to be. I've really settled in these past few weeks. My stuff scattered across the dresser, a few of my old Polaroids pinned to the wall.
But I haven't. Not really. Not in the way that counts.
I stand up and stretch, letting out a breath. The air feels heavier tonight. Or maybe that's just me, restless and over-caffeinated.
I walk over to the terrace, sliding open the glass door as quietly as I can. The breeze rushes in, salty and cool.
I lean against the railing, arms folded on the cool metal, and look out.
Below me, the beach stretches out like a forgotten painting. Soft dunes, dark sand, and the occasional glint of moonlight catching on the water. The waves roll in slow and steady, a rhythm I could almost fall asleep to if I weren't so wired.
In the distance, just beyond the curve of the coast, the city glows faintly under the night sky. It's far enough to feel untouchable, close enough to remind me I'm not as alone as I feel.
The night is quiet, but not empty. For a second, I wonder if anyone else in this house is staring at the same sky, just as lost in their own thoughts.
Last night keeps replaying in my mind like a broken tape. I really hadn't meant to cry. And definitely not in front of Rafael. It was just like everything that had happened yesterday, with Luca and Damon, had finally boiled over.
He wiped my tears and softened his voice in a way that had completely caught me off guard. He just made me feel so safe. I'm not used to that. Safety. Especially not from him.
I don't know. It was weird. Because now I don't know what to think of him. I still have doubts. What if he was just acting nice so I'd trust him? And what if it was just damage control, so that I wouldn't sneak out again?
But it didn't feel fake. Which is what confuses me even more.
A sudden sharp smell breaks me out of my thoughts.
Cigarette smoke, bitter, sharp, lingering in the air. That and a subtle manly cologne. Musky and clean.
I turn my head, eyes scanning the shadows below. Nothing.
