Forced to Love (Original Version)

Chapter 3 - His Eyes

Trigger Warnings:
~ Explicit language
~ Panic attack

Isabella's PoV <3
........................................

I didn't sleep at all last night.

Considering the fact that I hardly sleep normally, it doesn't make much of a difference. But I'm still exhasted.

I hug knees to my chest as I rock myself backwards and forwards on the bathroom floor. My body won't stop shaking and it's left me a crumbling wreck full of nerves.

I lean against the sink, and the handle of the cupboard behind me presses sharply into my back. Loud sobs escape my lips and my body jolts with each cry, causing the pain to intensify.

The Italians are arriving in just over two hours, and I still haven't confessed to Lexi about the arranged marriage.

I know it's not decided, but what if it actually happens? What if he forces me to live in Italy with him? What will happen to Lexi?

I can't stop myself overthinking. I know it's wrong but it's like my brain won't listen, and is torturing me with all these horrible thoughts.

Tears start trickling down my cheeks as I gasp for breath. My throat closes up and I grip the side of the bath, struggling to force air into my lungs.

I can't breathe.

"Bells?" Enzo's voice is at my door in an instant, making sure to knock before barging in anyway.

His eyes fall to my body curled up on the floor and he runs over to me quickly. He slowly sits on the floor opposite me and crosses his legs.

His hands go to mine and he grips them lightly. I can feel his soft fingers rubbing circles on my palms. He smells like strawberries.

"Breathe, Bells. You're okay, just breathe." He tells me like it's that fucking simple.

I continue choking for air between sobs, and after what feels like hours my throat seems to open up again. My head throbs from lack of oxygen and my head slowly starts to spin.

He walks me over to my bed and I lay out on top of the bedsheets, still in my black and blue sweats. The bed dips under his weight beside me.

"What's going on, Bells? You told me you weren't having panic attacks like that anymore?" His voice is laced with concern and I immediately feel quilty about my moment of weakness.

"I'm not. I swear, honestly. That was my first one in months." I'm not lying to him. Things have been better lately, or at least they were.

Enzo's sympathetic eyes meet mine and it's clear that father told him everything. He knows that's why I had a panic attack.

"Please don't tell Lex." My voice is barely a whisper and I hang my head in shame.

Enzo sighs and tucks several strands of my fallen hair behind my ear. I fiddle with my rings and wait impatiently for his response.

"I won't tell her about the panic attack." He says, tucking another piece of my hair behind my ear.

"But she already knows about the arranged marriage. She's being protesting outside father's office for hours." He chuckles at the thought and I manage a genuine smile.