Angel (Damiano David & Victoria De Angelis)

Chapter 9

It was already past 7 when they were on their way back but the sun was still very strong. They were walking hand in hand and even though it was quite the romantic walk, she could tell that he got more and more tense, the closer they got to their villa. "It's gonna be alright, Honey...I promise. We're gonna have dinner and then we'll sit down with your Mom and have a talk. Before they entered through the front gate though, she saw a car that hadn't been there before. "Oh my God...", she let go of Damiano's hand and sprinted inside, followed by him. Immediately, she threw herself into the arms of the woman in front of her: "Mom...Mom, what are you doing here?" Her mother hugged her tightly: "Hi, baby girl. I haven't heard from you in such a long time. I only saw bits and pieces of videos and yesterday I saw your Livestream on Instagram. I just had to come. Maybe I can help out a bit...", she then noticed Damiano and pulled away from Victoria, walking towards him. He looked scared because just like Lucinda was a second mother for Victoria, Marcella was like a second mom for Damiano. But she reacted completely different than Lucinda. She brought him into her arms, holding him tightly: "Oh, darling. I am so sorry." She was very gentle but didn't seem to have words for the situation. Damiano was extremely stiff, definitely overwhelmed by the sudden affection. Her mom seemed to notice that as well, so she pulled away: "Let's all sit down together...I already talked to Lucinda...I think it would be best to just talk about everything...clearly, we don't know everything that happened and it would be good if you could tell us...explain everything to us."

Half an hour later, they all came together in the living room. Once again, she was really nervous and she could tell that Damiano was too. They were sitting next to each other, holding hands. Ethan and Thomas were standing behind them for support. Lucinda and Marcella on the other hand, were sitting across from them. "Okay...uhm...I think it's easiest if I just tell you...you have to understand that it's hard for Damiano to talk about it." Lucinda scoffed, looking disappointed at her son but Victoria's mother just smiled warmly: "It's okay, honey...we get that...just tell us what's going on and how we can help." She nodded, squeezing Damiano's hand, looking at him for permission. He nodded. She took a deep breath and looked at the two women: "Okay...well...I'll try to keep it short. I found out about everything during the tour. At first I thought he was just sad for some reason because he was crying a lot...but then I found out about the self harm and the anxiety. One evening I followed him to a hotel and...and I heard some horrible stuff. Carla was verbally and physically abusing him, forcing him to hurt himself, she forced him to please her and then, finally when I heard screaming, I kicked the door in. She had been raping him for over a year. That is no joke. We aren't claiming this for attention. Men can be raped too." Her mother looked like she was about to cry but Lucinda still didn't seem to believe that: "And how would that work? A man being raped by a woman?" Damiano tensed up again and she began to caress his hand:" It can happen in many ways...she forced him to touch her, to please her...and...when I found him, he...he had a dildo inside of him...and he was bleeding...a lot." He was trembling a bit and Victoria was close to tears herself...saying that out loud was extremely hard for her. "Okay, baby girl...take a deep breath. Tell us what you're dealing with...I know you are the one taking care of him...and tell us what we can do to help." She nodded, holding onto Damiano's hand a bit tighter: "He...he's struggling with self harm...he suffers from anxiety and panic attacks. He can barely eat or shower or sleep...he does have better days but overall, he's suffering from the aftermath of the abuse and from all the hate we are getting...especially because very few people believe him...", she said the last part while eyeing Lucinda who was still looking disgusted. She then continued: "I...well...I am the only one who he really trusts. I can calm him down...I am allowed to take care of him. So, I don't think you can do anything other than support us..." Marcella kneeled down and pulled both of them into a loving hug: "You two are doing such a good job. I am so sorry that happened to you, honey...", she whispered to Damiano, who just very quietly replied with: "Your daughter is a lifesaver...without her, I would be dead." That made Victoria tear up and she clung onto both her mom and Damiano: "I'm so scared of losing you, Angel...you're my everything." Her Mother pulled away a little, giving her into Damiano's arms: "Hold her, Damiano...she needs you just as much as you need her. She's my daughter...I know her...she has never cared for anyone like she cares for you. I'll stay with you for a while...to help you guys out around the house." Damiano had immediately wrapped his arms around her, whispering a weak "Thank you" to her mother.

Her mother was a wonderful person and while she had always looked up to Lucinda as well, she was really disappointed when she saw that she was still not willing to believe them: "I'm gonna stay as well...to make sure that you stop with those lies. I did not raise you to be a liar." After that, dinner was awkward. Especially because hearing things like that from his own mother really hurt Damiano. Once again, while everyone was having pizza, she had cooked some soup for Damiano. She was still feeding him but he actually managed to keep all of it in.

Later, when they were already in bed, he once again complained about cramps and feeling sick but this time they had the peace they needed, so she could fully focus her attention on him. She was glad that her mother was staying with them though...that made the emotional stress a little more bearable. "Just take deep breaths, Damiano...the cramps are gonna stop eventually, I promise", she soothed as she was gently rubbing his stomach area while her head was resting on his shoulder. It was already pretty late but she could enjoy just cuddling with him while trying to make his pain go away...nowadays she was able to find beauty and value in almost every single moment, no matter how dark it was. He was all quiet and she already suspected that something was about to happen. And then, he finally spoke up.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Hey ;)

So, what do you think about Victoria's mother? Is it a good thing she's here as well now? And what do you think Damiano is gonna tell Victoria? Let me know in the comments.

Thanks for reading.

- Thalia