Under My Skin

Chapter 18

I returned to the dark. I was Lucia Colombo. My own small hands covered my face as I sobbed in Enzo's office. A stuffed rabbit doll lay in my lap. It wore a periwinkle dress.

"Don't look, Lu." I heard the voice of a young boy call out. His voice emanated from the out-of-place closet to my right.

Screams echoed throughout the villa. People fought down the hall and out on the pool deck. I heard gunshots upstairs.

The sounds subsided as heavy footsteps echoed throughout the room. Someone hushed my quiet sobs. It wasn't comforting at all. It was terrifying. I knew that was my last moment. The cold metal of a gun pressed against my temple.

"Arrivederci."

I looked up.

I saw myself.

I pulled the trigger.

My head jolted up from Enzo's desk. I searched for danger as my irregular breathing stabilized and my heart stopped pounding. As I looked around, I whispered under my breath, "There is no fighting, and I am okay. Enzo is in the kitchen, and I am okay. Gianni is watching TV, and I am okay. It is sunset, and I am okay. I am alive, and I am okay."

During the hours prior to dozing off, I studied Enzo's Uncle's notes. The sleep deprivation became too much to bear at times, and I fell in and out of sleep in Enzo's chair throughout the day. However, I couldn't resist the urge to reread the same information until it was deep-rooted into my brain as if it was my own memory.

My name was Lucia Colombo.

I was the daughter of a wicked man who sold me to the mafia.

I was Enzo's childhood friend.

I had a trust with millions upon millions of dollars in it.

I was contracted to marry Niccolò Barbieri.

It was all here, just like Enzo said. Yet, I couldn't digest it. It was all too surreal. I was just a normal girl a few months ago. I worked in my parent's jewelry store. I hung out with my best friend, Jade. I got dumped by a super average and kind guy, who is now dead. How did I get here?

"You're draining yourself," Enzo commented as he leaned his shoulder against the stone archway leading into his office. He looked at me with a content expression, which diminished the concern in his statement.

I looked up to acknowledge him before rereading Mr. Colombo's will and testament once more. I didn't want to miss any information that might help my case. However, legalese gave me a pounding headache. I had to read sentences three or four times to understand what they meant.

Enzo approached his desk and took the pile of papers away from me. Before I could detest, he locked them in the safe. "It's time for dinner," he announced.

Pulling the chair out, Enzo waited for me to get up. Gianni heard the word dinner from the living room and skipped into the dining room. As we walked from one end of the villa to the other, Enzo matched my sluggish pace.

"What did you make tonight?" I asked to fill the space.

"Chicken cordon bleu."

I paused and laughed, "It's not Italian for once."

"I know how to cook many kinds of cuisines. You haven't asked me to make anything else," Enzo defended himself as we entered the dining room. I hadn't been in the villa for two months. Of course, I didn't have the opportunity to ask him to make something different. Once we reached the table, Enzo made me sit next to him.