Lost Gem

Chapter 17 {LOVE VS HATE}

With the same restrained and heavy feeling in her chest, Anastasia sits down on the comfortable floor, ignoring her bed in the room. Her mind plays the same scene over and over again and she finds a certain gnawing feeling in her stomach.

She curls her body into a small ball and squeezes her eyes shut, feeling cold wetness on her cheeks as tears rolls down.

A whimper escapes her lips, remembering all the abuse she has gone through under Paul. The horrible memories keep playing in her mind like a horror movie.

She is safe!

Still she cannot feel safe.

The sudden urge to hurt herself remains hidden behind the depth of her thoughts. All her life Paul told her that she deserves this pain-- and now 'they' say that everything happened to her was unfair.

Is it even right?

Paul  had beaten something opposite in her mind throughout the whole 13 years and now, her brothers suddenly came and indirectly told her that 'it isn't right. So they are saving her and taking her back.'

They accomplished in their goal, finding their lost family member alive but they found her-----

Broken.

Her spirit had already died long ago. She is of no use to them.

Anastasia jerks from her thoughts as the door opens and someone steps in.

She clutches her knees tightly to her chest.

"Ana." There is that nickname again. But it sounds strange coming out from Allesandro's mouth.

Allesandro who is her 'father'...Someone who has recently taken position of Paul.

But it was Paul who stole his position at first place. Now he had something of his back.

"Why are you on the floor, love?" Allesandro says this while sitting down on the floor beside his daughter.

His eyes suddenly come across the bruises on her neck which are peeking out from the collar of her shirt. Seeing this, his heart clenches....The rage that he recently calmed down just to get along and cherish the good news that his Ana, his daughter is back. Nothing more mattered than that for him.

But after seeing the bruises covering her body, he somehow gets the idea of what is going in her thoughts.

He places his hand on her slightly trembling shoulder. His heart shatters as she flinches in fear.

"Everything will be alright, my daughter, I promise." He gave her the same promise that earlier her brothers have given her.

Anastasia wants to trust. But she is scared.

Everytime she looks at Allesandro, she gets reminded of Paul.

His gentle hand on her shoulder should feel comforting.

But from inside, it feels like he is squeezing her shoulder tightly with an attempt to dislocate it or just break it.

Something that Paul had done several times.

"You should take the bed, Ana. You don't deserve to be sleeping on the floor."

Deserve?

Again, this deserve word.

First, she was used to hating this word in some part of her mind. Today, it is sounding a bit likeable.

Only word that always rings in her mind is just 'obey'.