Beautiful Trauma (Complete)

Chapter 24 - My Past

Aria's POV

My eyes fluttered open as I woke to the sound of birds chirping. I lay there listening to them for a few seconds then the events of last night flooded my memory. I felt an arm tighten around me which caused me to turn and look at him. He was stirring in his sleep but looked peaceful. His hair was messy but he still looked sexy none the less. I probably look like a disheveled dog since my hair wasn't tied up before going to bed. 

I watched him sleeping. His breathing was steady and he had a light snore which made me smile. I placed my hand on his chest and leaned my chin on the back of my hand.

"Stop staring." He said in a deep voice.

"I'm not staring... I'm admiring." I said to him. 

I pushed myself up and started getting out of the bed only to have him pull me back into him. I squealed as he pulled me into a hug with his arms engulfing my body. This hug was different than usual. It was like he was afraid of letting go. 

"Aria... We need to talk about yesterday." He said softly. 

"I know..." I sighed. 

I know he wants answers. I don't know if I was ready to give them though. 

"Who was he and what did he do to you? I need to know not just for me but for you. I cannot protect you if I don't know what to protect you from. The thing is he isn't just your past but he is involved with the Russians who are trying to start a war with me." 

Fuck. This goes deeper than I realized. I have to tell him. Most of it at least. 

"Fine. Can I shower then I'll meet you in your office? But only you Dom." 

"Very well." 

I gave him a smile before getting out of bed and heading to my room to shower. I stood underneath the hot water unsure of how this conversation would go. How much do I tell him? Could I tell him the whole truth? Would he still look at me the same? I'll just tell him what he needs to know for his safety. The rest doesn't matter. 

I finished up, got dressed and made my way to his office. The door was open and he was leaning against his desk reading through a file. He looked up at me, closed the file and put it down then placed his hands on the edge of the desk. I closed the door behind me and made my way to one of the chairs in front of him. 

I sat down and began fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. He was silent and did not move. He knew not to pressurize me. When I get put under pressure to do something that's when I won't do it. I took a deep breath before starting. 

"His name is Anatoly but people call him Tony for short. I met him at a party 6 years ago and he knew all the right things to say. A charmer. We spoke most of the evening and he wanted to see me again. He seemed like such a perfect guy. And I was so damn naive." I scoffed. 

Dom now had his arms crossed and he listened to me with no emotion or judgment. 

"Everything went well for the first 6 months. Things progressed quickly and then I made the mistake of moving in with him. That's when the isolation began. He isolated me from my friends and made me dependent on him. He wanted to know my every move. He would always take me to varsity and collect me. He would also make random appearances to check up on me." 

"One day I befriended a younger student. He asked me to tutor him in some subjects which I accepted. I helped him for a couple of weeks during free periods. One afternoon I contacted Tony and told him I needed to stay a little longer to study in the library which wasn't a lie. I did study but I also tutored this other student. This student had a boyfriend who came to fetch him after we had finished. Just before they left Tony showed up. He saw me hugging them goodbye and that's when it all started. He lost his temper accusing me of whoring around. That was the first time he struck me."