Forgiving Him is a Sin

17

Stefano POV

This girl has my mind so occupied these days I can't focus on anything. I can't help but feel bad about what I did to her last night, my heart hasn't settled since then but I'm unwilling to give up yet.

I'm going to make her speak using my last card. I remember the doctor mentioning an old scar she got from a snake. If it happened when she was a kid, even better, it would horrify her.

I unlock the door to my favorite room, at the end of the hall on the third floor. My hobby room, collecting rare snakes. I love here, it gives me a sense of peace and power. It's quiet, it helps me think.

Looking around the room, filled with snakes and scorpions, my eyes catch the canebrake rattlesnake, Sahara. She's one of my favorites with her beautiful black and yellow skin, she's staring right back at me... maybe she wants some air.

I open the glass door and extend my hand, letting her decide whether to come out or not. Almost immediately she wraps herself around my arm, greeting me with her pretty tongue, making me smile.

I sit on the couch for a while and let her do whatever she wants. She's already bit 9 of the 11 pet caretakers I hired. None of them were able to take care of every one of my snakes. Not gonna lie, Sahara even bit me a couple of times, she's a moody one so I never know when she's gonna attack again, that's why I have antivenom ready in the kitchen.

Once again, I go deep into thoughts, thoughts of Julia. I am positive that she's afraid of being raped, that's normal, it's every woman's fear, but her reactions were abnormal. No matter how much the old perv tried to let her know he was harmless, she wouldn't stop screaming the same words 'No, go away, don't get close, Stefano'.

Somehow, she knows I don't plan on crossing that line and that's why she was calling for me, but her petrified look, that cry for help, they were abnormal. She remained silent when Champ punched her, kicked her, drowned her, dragged her, and hit her with various objects. Even when I held a gun to her head, she didn't say a word. But the fear of being raped made her run, scream, cry...

There are two possibilities. One, she's been raped before. Or two, she's a virgin.

The later is less likely, someone her age is most definitely not a virgin, it's still a possibility I can't ignore. But being raped also has it's signs, I already saw the psychological effects but it's not enough proof, there should be scars or something on her body and yet according to the doctor, she has never had a scar on her body other than the snake bite before she got here.

I'll get the bottom of it sooner or later.

I shake off these thoughts, grab Sahara from my lap and head out to her room. Thanks to my luck the door to her room is open, I put Sahara down with her head facing the room, making sure I stay behind the wall so Julia doesn't see me. After letting her go, I slowly open the door to my room and grab my phone from my pocket to see her reaction.

Turning up the volume, I sit on my bed and watch carefully as the snake slowly moves forward. Julia is back to her usual corner staring outside the window, she hasn't noticed the snake yet.

A few minutes later she turns her head and her eyes widen at the sight before her.

That's it!

Her gaze is on the snake, she slowly tilts her head and smiles... what?

"Hey" she greets the snake like it's a 5 month baby.

"Where did you come from?"

I watch as she straightens her feet for the snake to crawl up, with a big smile on her face, her cheekbones popping out.

What am I seeing? Isn't she supposed to be scared?

"You're all clean it means you have an owner, I wonder... how does your owner treat you?"

She's never talked this much, with such sereneness, with such casualness... she's stroking the snake's skin with her fingertips, totally unfazed.

Am I dreaming?

She doesn't say another word, just lets the snake move around on her legs, then she stares out the window again, with one hand on the snake.

What is this? Isn't she a woman? Isn't she supposed to be scared? Why is she treating it like it's hers? Don't tell me her daddy bought her exotic pets! Fuck my life!

Suddenly I hear her hissing, what seems like a reaction to a sudden pain. I look at my phone to see her checking her wrist. Without realizing, I'm not running to her room.

"Did it bite?" I ask as soon as I get in the room. She just looks up at me with a confused expression, blinking rapidly.

I take her hand to check it, she moans in response. As expected, the snake did bite her.

What have you done Stefano?