Page 67 of Siren's Heart

Of course, all of them are dressed to the nines, with a bad self-tan, blindingly white teeth, and buccal fat removal, causing their faces to look ghostly. They look like Barbies gone wrong, but I'll keep that little titbit to myself since I have manners,.

I start the sink to wash my hands, doing my best to ignore them.

"Aren't you ashamed?" A high-pitched voice cuts through the air like a knife.

Just ignore them, Millie. I know that what they want is a reaction out of me, and I’m not giving them that satisfaction. But my heart pounds rapidly, each beat echoing in my ear canals so loudly I fear it’s bursting my eardrum, but I force myself to remain calm and keep my breathing steady.

"Bitch, she's talking to you."

Ignore them, Millie. I reach for the paper towels and dry my hands, taking a second to fix the lipstick that got smudged slightly in the corner of my mouth. Then I turn to the door and try to leave.

"What the fuck?" One of them curses. Now that I'm walking past them, I can smell that they must have already had quite a few cocktails and champagne already. Not that alcohol is any excuse for how they're behaving, but it makes my shoulders tense to the point they actually hurt, because it makes them unpredictable. I just want to get out of here.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" Suddenly, a hand is in my hair, pulling with one strong and abrupt yank, making me stumble and fall backward to the ground. I scream in terror as I lose my balance, the breath being knocked out of my lungs once my body hits the cold marble. Instinctively, I cover my head with my arms while I fall.

"Look at that bitch, thinking she's better than us." They build themselves up in front of me like a wall, and I scurry to get up. But before I can regain my balance, one of them kicks my shoulder until I'm flat on the ground again. My heart is beating in my throat, and my blood runs ice cold as my thoughts rumble, and I notice a sting in my wrist.

"Leave me alone!" I shout, utilizing all the strength I know I can push into my voice. I know I’m loud. But they don’t care. They burst into laughter. With a ragged breath, I try to crawl backward, bringing distance between us so I can stand up, but they stalk right after me, like lions zooming in on their prey, until my back hits the cold marble wall.

"What the hell is your problem?" My voice trembles with fear, but I try to mask it.

"Our problem is that whores like you get things they don't deserve," the woman I heard first says with a cruel laugh, and a cold shiver runs down my spine, the hair on my neck standing straight up.

Then, suddenly, the door flies open, and within a moment, all hell breaks loose.

People rush in and apprehend the three women, pulling them out of the bathroom while they’re screaming bloody murder, and then suddenly, Luca kneels in front of me, shielding me from the view of nosy people gathering at the door, and cups my face with his hands.

"Hey, Millie?” he tries to get my attention, and I hear the worry dripping from his voice. “Sunshine, can you breathe for me?" I draw a sharp breath, but it doesn't feel like enough air fills my lungs. I don't even realize I'm crying until his thumbs wipe away my tears, and I hear myself sobbing. "Are you hurt?"

I assess my body quickly. My ass hurts, and my wrist stings but apart from that, I seem to be okay. Thank God I didn't hit my head on the stone floor. I nod, and his shoulders sag in relief.

"I want to go," I croak once I've caught my breath.

"Yes, of course, we’re going to my place," he promises, but I shake my head.

"I don't," I press out. My whole body is starting to feel numb: legs, arms and brain. "I can't- I need some time to process. Can you please just drive me home? I need to be alone for a bit."

"Of course." He offers me his hand, and I let him pull me up. "Thank you." I'm wobbly on my feet, and he quickly puts his arm around my shoulders to offer support as we walk back to the car.

Luca

"Go upstairs," Kayla hisses and gathers Millie from my arms. Of course, news of the incident spread like wildfire, all over the internet within minutes.

It didn't help that everyone in the restaurant had their phones out after Millie's scream cut through the restaurant like a firework just before exploding, and security stormed into the women's bathroom. Turns out all discretion is out of the restaurant’s hands when some assholes livestream an assault. I know where I’m not returning to.

My heart broke into two when I saw her cowering on the ground, curled into a ball, and scared out of her mind. She looked like a stray cat being threatened by a herd of feral dogs, and I fear that's a pretty accurate metaphor for what happened.

I'm worried for her. Anger at myself has my blood boiling to a point that makes forming straight thoughts challenging. How could I let this happen to her? I’m so goddamn mad at the world. But especially those sorry excuses for women who fucking threw my girlfriend to the ground. Just what the fuck is wrong with people?

"Luca!" Kayla yells and snaps her fingers in front of my face, and I guess I can be glad she’s not taking the opportunity to leave a red handprint on my face instead.

"Sorry."

"Apartment 23-5. Asher is in there, and he'll let you in."

I nod solemnly and return to the elevator, completely numb. I feel like shit. I should have said no about going out. All of this wouldn't have happened if we'd just stayed in and had dinner as we had planned.

Asher is already leaning in the doorframe to Kayla's place when I step out of the elevator. Wordlessly, he lets me walk past him, only clasping my shoulder in an attempt to be comforting. He tries to steer me to the couch, but there’s no way I could sit still.

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