Untangle Me

Chapter 26

Giada

Vincenzo is visibly losing it which startles me enough to put my own meltdown on hold. Honestly, why is he a hands-running-through-his-hair, cursing-in-Italian-under-his-breath kind of mess when I just got a piece of my fucking memory back?

"Okay," the man breaths out to himself. "Okay. Well." He clears his throat and pulls himself together even as he can't seem to meet my eyes. "Where do I drop you off?"

"What?" I snap quickly. Drop me off? What is he talking about now?

"Your place? Is it still the same one? Is that where you want to go?" he clarifies, staring at the steering wheel as he starts the car. He's holding the poor thing in a white-knuckled grip so hard I'm surprised he hasn't broken it yet.

"I- you're taking me to my place? Why? I thought I was your prisoner." I should probably shut up and be happy, right? I should take the win and go home, return to my old life and forget everything that has happened since I entered that cursed flower shop.

But the thought of returning to that cold apartment now that I'm so close to actual answers feels like the last thing I want right now.

"And why's that?" Enzo asks me suddenly, still staring straight ahead.

"What?"

"Why are you my prisoner?" he clarifies.

"I don't know. That's exactly what I've been asking myself, and you, from the start," I bite back, so done with his stupid game.

Like what kind of question was that just?

He cusses once more. "That's why I'm taking you home. So, same place as always?"

"I'm not answering that question and you are not dropping me off somewhere until you've told me everything I want to know!" I protest as he speeds up.

"You are not in the position to make demands!" Enzo snaps back.

"Why? I thought I was no longer your prisoner. Then tell me why I can't ask questions."

"Christ, woman. What do you want to know? One question, you have three seconds."

"What? You can't just-" I'm cut off when he loudly says the number three.

"Enzo, I don't-" he says the number two and I panic.

"Please!"

"One," he counts calmly so I say the first question on my mind.

"Why do you hate me?" I blurt out. For a moment, both of us fall completely silent. Me because I'm angry at myself for asking such a useless question and he for whatever reason.

The thing is, I know what I saw in that memory. I know what I felt that night as if it were yesterday and what I felt was happy. I was at ease with Vincenzo and he seemed genuinely content with me as company as well.

Then where had it all gone to hell? Why had he abandoned me after the accident and what happened to make him detest me so much?

Enzo hums to himself before replying calmly. "That would be due to the attempt you made on my life."

At his words, my body turns to stone. Attempt on his life? Me? What the hell is he talking about?

"What? No, I would never have done something like that. What on earth makes you think I would?"

"Well, I was there, that's how."

"Where? When?" I demand, panic clawing at my throat as we speak. He must be wrong, right? I'd never try to murder a person!

"The "Accident", Giada. You know cars don't just flip for no reason, right? Whatever messed with your memory didn't damage the rest of your brain, did it?" I don't even have time to think about the hurtful comment he made before the next words tumble from my lips.

"The accident wasn't me," I say silently, shaking my head to myself. This makes no sense. Why would Enzo think that I'd blow up his car when I and my father were with him?

"How would you know? I thought you didn't remember," he pushes, still staring straight ahead.

"I know because Luciano told me. He said it was him who planned that attack and that my father and I were never supposed to be dragged into it," I explain.

At that, the man beside me becomes utterly still.

"No," he then mutters. When I stay silent, he finally turns to look at me. "He confessed to that? You're sure?" I nod, at a complete loss of words.

You're telling me I've been kidnapped and mistreated, not to mention tortured, all because Vincenzo thought I was responsible for something I had no hand in?

As the silence drags on, I can feel my chest slowly caving, those crashing walls taking everything inside of me with them until there's nothing left. They cut off my veins one by one, their sharp edges digging into flesh and bones until lastly, they collapse on top of my bleeding heart.

I wrap my arms around me in a shallow attempt to protect myself from the pain and bite back a sob.

"Why?" I finally force through gritted teeth.

Once again, Enzo is not meeting my eyes. Only this time I'm glad about it. "No, it made so much sense. It all added up so perfectly," he mutters to himself, looking more in distress than I thought possible.

"It made sense! Your dad hated me. He used to be obsessed with capturing me. That night you asked me to give you a ride. You told me not to take the highway because your way was faster and led me right into the trap. Then I woke up and was told you were dead." He exhales roughly, running a hand through his already messed-up hair.

"Then my mom called me a few weeks ago, telling me you just bought flowers at her shop so I sent my men to check if it was really you. My mom had only met you once so I didn't have high hopes that but there you were.

"Only you were calling yourself by that stupid name and acted so differently that I got suspicious. I never caught the person responsible for the attack so I figured it was your and your father's plan to finally get rid of me but that it had gone wrong and your dad died instead so you went into hiding. It all added up."

I'm barely listening to him as he keeps muttering something under his breath. Instead, I'm looking out of the window, my body turned as far away from the man beside me as possible while silent tears streak down my face.

It's all I can do not to fall apart completely. Not to start ugly-crying and sobbing in front of Vincenzo on top of everything else.

No, he won't get that. Not that too.

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