One Night in Santiago/Football Under Flashing Lights (Neymar Jr. Fan Fiction)

26.

-Katerina POV-
Since my not so minor panic attack earlier, I had put forward a good face in front of Anada and Rafinha. Anada and I focused on trying to solve the mystery of Alexis' secret girl while the boys played FIFA, however, we came up dry and ended up playing with them. I wanted to show Neymar that it didn't bother me anymore and that he didn't need to worry. Of course, he didn't look like he believed me one bit and was still adamant to talk about it. Deep down I knew I had to tell him eventually but I was scared his feelings toward me would change and he would feel obligated to take care of me. Sympathy was the last thing I wanted from him.

We stayed silent in the car and I just stared out the window. Our silence was unbearably awkward and it only made me more nervous. Neymar parked his car in the driveway of his house and we both exited. He unlocked the front door and let me go in first like the gentleman he was then took a seat on the couch. I didn't know what to do so I remained standing. "Come here," he murmured softly, opening his arms for me. I obeyed him and he pulled me onto him so my legs were over his lap and I was curled into his side. I stayed quiet not knowing how to start. "You know you can tell me anything, Kat," he encouraged, kissing the top of my head.

I nodded slowly before grabbing his hand and fumbling with his fingers as I began. "A few months after Damon and I were together, he asked me to live with him and I agreed. We were.. Happy, in a way, I guess. There were a lot of times when I had thought that he was with other girls and times when I knew and left him, but I always went back to him, every time," I stared at his hands while I described the distant memory. He stayed silent for me to continue. "He told me he loved me and I gave him everything. A part of me always felt like I was an object to him, like he only wanted me physically. We used to go out to parties and he would tell me to wear the shortest dress I owned because his friends would be there. He used to say I needed to give him something to look at or he'd look somewhere else. I was never the type of girl who strived for male attention by using my body, and I never will be. It disgusted me that women go that low. He got mad at me when I didn't do what he asked and said I 'owed him.' I quickly found out what that meant when he kept trying to force me to sleep with him. When I rejected him, he snapped and called me 'worthless' and told me sex was the only thing I was good for," I mumbled and blinked a few times to try and get rid of my wet eyes. Neymar removed his hand from mine and wiped a tear from my cheek with his thumb delicately. He placed his hand back in my palm.

"I cried myself to sleep that night and never could look at him the same again.. But I stayed with him and never told anyone, not even Anada. It only got worse since that night. I knew where I stood and never slept with him again. It wasn't like I was the only girl he was sleeping with anyway. However, that only made him angry and he chose to take that anger out on me. My body was a million shades of black and blue and it hurt to do something as simple as taking a shower. I lost so much weight and it was getting harder and harder to hide my suffering from the public eye. I had never worn so much makeup in my life but I had to cover it up because he told me it would be worse if I told anyone," I said in a broken voice. My throat was beginning to get dry and I felt more tears coming.

"A year had passed and I felt like I was dying.. Every morning I woke up thinking it would be the last time I ever would and I'll never forget that for as long as I live. Neymar, I- I was terrified," I managed to choke out the last part before I sobbed.

He held me close to him and rubbed my back soothingly while he cooed, "shh, it's okay." He pressed his warm lips to my forehead and continued to mumble sweet nothings in my ear until I calmed down. "You don't need to finish if-" he started.

I shook my head to stop him and took a deep breath. "No, you should know," I told him. He sighed but nodded for me to go on. "Damon always left to work at 6:30 in the morning so I planned to call Anada and tell her to come get me. She was confused as to why I needed her but told me she would be there as soon as she could. I prayed that she would come before he got home later that day. When I heard the front door slam and Damon called my name I hid in the closet. He walked around the whole house calling my name then he calmed down and asked me to come to him. I crawled out of the closet and walked out into the hallway but I didn't see him. He grabbed me from behind which made me scream and he whispered, 'relax, it's just me,' and squeezed me so tightly that I heard my own rib snap," I said in a cold voice as I stared into space. Neymar flinched and I knew he was feeling the pain in my words and tone. "I won't burden you with the other details but the next morning I woke up in a hospital bed with Alexis holding my hand and Anada next to him. That was the day I met my brother for the first time," I felt a huge weight off my shoulders for finally telling Neymar. Of course it made me uncomfortable to be so exposed and open but he deserved to know.