Page 6 of Cardinal

The more I thought about it, the more I wondered why I was even bothering with this ungrateful brat.

Simple, really: I was a good person at heart.

Yeah, laugh it up. A ruthless mafia boss having some goodness in his heart. It was ironic that I turned out how I did, given my name, Luciano. Granted, I don't think my mother foresaw this future for me when she named me.

I might not have much—or any—light in me, but I definitely had rage and lots of it, especially when I saw the damage done to this woman's body in the full light of the guest room. Regret was something I seldom felt, but it hit me hard when we'd gotten home, and I carried her up to the guest bedroom, where I settled her on the bed and flicked the lamp on. Yeah, I felt a little bad about thinking ill of her. Sex worker or not, she didn't deserve to be in such a state.

Most of her delicate body remained swallowed up by my jacket, but her face, hands, and shapely legs perfectly displayed to me. If only they were in pristine condition as they should be. "Gia!" I didn't mean to sound so loud, but my anger slipped through as the sight of the blood and semen staining her thighs burned itself into my mind.

"Yes, sir? Oh my!" The sharp gasp from my loyal housekeeper sliced into me as sharply. "Luciano! You better—"

"Oh God no, Gia, you raised me better." If it were any of my other staff members, then I wouldn't let them have such a tone with me. Gia was different; the older woman had been a part of my life ever since I could remember. She practically raised me after my mother passed, so I have a special place in my dead heart for her. Besides my biological mother, she was the only other motherly figure I knew and had in my life.

After a few deep breaths and gripping at my hair, I turned to leave. "I found her like that… I couldn't leave her… Listen, I can't—can you get her cleaned up and changed? I'll have Leah check her out in the morning while she's still here." I feared my anger would build and explode if I saw any more damage to the poor girl's body.

"Of course, I will take good care of her. You go change and eat. Dinner is on the table for you." Gia told me with a sad smile as she kept her eyes on the slumbering woman, who really did look more like a girl.

What happened to you?

Who did this to you?

Chapter 4

Juliet

This can't be heaven; there's too much pain for it to be paradise.

I'd rather be hit by that car again than wake up, if I can even wake up. Everything felt so heavy, almost like my body was out of my control. My eyelids refused to open, and they felt like they were super glued shut.

"…Wa…ing…" Well, at least the soft voice sounded like an angel.

A wave of needles assaulted my body at the feeling of something touching my arm, and a whimper of pain left me instinctively. "Sorry." I heard the same voice apologize as I forced my eyes to open against their will. "Good morning, sweetie."

It took a few heavy blinks for the face of the Asian woman to come into focus, but her gentle smile sent a wave of ease through me even though she was a complete stranger to me. I opened my mouth to ask the flood of questions in my mind, but my parched throat refused to cooperate. The only sound that came out of me was my own coughs as I went into a tearful fit.

Instinctively, I sipped at the water when I felt the rim of the cup press against my lips. "Slow, slow, and small sips." The woman maintained her soft and calm demeanor as she spoke to me. "It's okay. I'll keep things as simple as possible. I'm Doctor Nguyen, but you can call me Leah if that makes you feel more comfortable. Luciano called me in to make sure you're okay and to look you over. Is that alright with you? It looks like you've been through a lot, so if you want a moment to yourself and want me to come back in a bit, then that is completely fine with me."

Digging through her bag by the bedside, she pulled out a notepad with a pen and handed it to me. "Here, your throat's probably killing you, so go ahead and use that to communicate for now until you feel comfortable to speak." I didn't want to see a doctor or anyone right now, but she didn't seem too bad. "Are you fine with all of this right now?"

Taking a deep breath, I nodded before gripping the pen. Might as well get this done and over with, and I can have some peace and quiet after all of it. "What's your name?"

"Juliet."

"Okay, hello Juliet, can you write down your birthday for me?" She continued with a kind smile on her face.

"04/21/2005."

"Oh, happy birthday..." The smile on her face quickly faded with her voice when the dots connected for her. Regret instantly filled her eyes, and she looked at me apologetically and sympathetically, "I am so sorry."

Unable to help it, I let my full body break into a full sob when it hit me fully. I had no concept of time in the place, so naturally, I had no clue about the date. I don't know exactly if it passed midnight before I was brutally raped repeatedly, but either way, it probably happened into or on my birthday despite the start time.

Fucking happy birthday to me.

A fucked-up way for me to go into adulthood.

Completely lost and helpless.

The feeling of warmth slipping into my palm made me jump from the surprise, but I didn't pull away from Leah's comforting touch. Even though Leah maintained a smile on her face, I saw a slight twitch at the corner of her lip. "Do you feel comfortable telling me what happened to you?"

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