Page 49 of Shattered Echoes

The sob that escapes me is guttural, torn from the very depths of my being. It's too much— the grief and anguish threatening to swallow me whole as I flee down the front steps and into the driveway with no sense of where I'm going, as long as it's far away from my brother and the torment he's inflicted on me.

Maybe if I keep running, I'll be able to outrun the demons that haunt me. I keep walking, focused on putting one foot in front of the other, until I find myself on Antonio's doorstep without even realizing that's where my subconscious has led me.

After a few dull knocks, the door swings open to reveal Antonio watching me with worried eyes. He takes one look at my devastated expression and moves aside to let me enter without a word. Such a small gesture, but the care and understanding behind it is enough to crumble the last remnants of my fraying composure.

I press my face into his chest as I cry in earnest, my entire body trembling with the force of my sobs. Antonio's arms enfold me, holding me close as I unravel against him. I clutch at his shirt, hanging on for dear life as the tumult of grief, fury and heartbreak threatens to pull me under.

"Shhh," Antonio soothes, one hand cradling the back of my head as the other rubs soothing circles against my back. "It's okay, Col. I've got you."

His murmured comfort only makes me cry harder. Here is the one man who has seen the darkest, most damaged parts of me without flinching, and he still treats me with unrelenting care and tenderness. It's more than I can process right now; I don't deserve the kindness he shows me.

"I'm so s-sorry," I hiccup between sobs, the words emerging in gasps and stutters. "About H-Henry and what he s-said to you. T-That wasn't f-fair. He's so s-stupid!"

Antonio shushes me again, pressing his lips to the crown of my head. "Don't you dare apologize to him. This isn't your fault, Col. None of it is."

A harsh knock on the front door punctuates his words, making me flinch. I already know who it is without having to ask. Antonio's jaw tightens, his eyes flickering toward the sound before returning to me.

"Just ignore it," I mumble, dropping my forehead to rest against his chest once more. I can't face Henry right now, not when the wounds are still so raw.

Sure enough, a few seconds later my brother's voice rings out, muffled through the wood. "Colette? Antonio? I know you're both in there. We need to talk about this like adults."

Silence falls between us for a long stretch. His useless pleas to be let in filling the strained quiet, interspersed with a series of insistent knocks and bangs. I tune him out, focusing instead on the steady cadence of Antonio's heartbeat thudding against my cheek, letting the rise and fall of his chest lull me.

Henry seems to give up, and eerie stillness descends over the house once more. Only then do I feel the tension leave Antonio's body as he exhales a soft sigh, his fingers resuming their idle strokes through my hair.

"You're safe here, Col," he murmurs, loud enough for only me to hear. "As long as you want to stay."

A shuddering breath escapes me at his reassurance. In his arms, wrapped in his solid warmth and soothing scent, I felt safe. Protected in a way I haven't allowed myself to feel since… well, since before my ex.

That sense of security finally allows the tears to subside, leaving me drained and hollow in their wake. I shift in Antonio's embrace until my cheek is pillowed against his shoulder, my eyes drifting shut of their own accord. There's so much I want and need to say to him, to share. But for now, my energy depleted, leaving me wrung out.

As if sensing my exhaustion, Antonio cradles me closer, maneuvering us toward the living room. I shuffle alongside him, our footsteps muted against the plush carpet. He guides me to the sofa, and we sink into the cushions together, his arms still locked around me in that steady, grounding hold.

For a long while, I breathe. In and out, letting the rhythm of it calm my stuttering heartbeat. Antonio strokes my hair, my arm, any part of me he can reach in quiet reassurance, grounding me in the present moment. The menacing shadows of the past are kept at bay, if only for now.

When I feel strong enough to speak without breaking apart, the first words that leave my lips are a strangled, "I can't believe he did that to me."

Antonio's hand stills in my hair, his body tensing almost imperceptibly. I can sense the effort it's taking for him to remain composed as I pull away to meet his gaze head on.

"I trusted him," I continue, my voice wavering with the depth of my lingering hurt. "Henry was the only person I had after…after him. And yet he was just using me, treating me like a bargaining chip rather than his own flesh and blood."

The agony of that realization still lances through me like a jagged shard of ice, impossible to ignore. Betrayal stings deep, made even more potent because it came at the hands of the person who was supposed to protect me above all others.

Antonio gathers me close once more, tucking my head beneath his chin as he rocks me. I let the embrace soothe me, concentrating on his solid presence wrapped around me while I try to sort through the tangled web of emotions.

"I'm so sorry, bella," he murmurs, the low rumble of his voice vibrating against my cheek. "You didn't deserve any of that shit, and Henry's actions are inexcusable. But you know that none of it is your fault. You hear me? None of this lies at your feet."

He cups my face then, tilting my chin until I'm forced to meet the sincerity burning in his eyes. "You're one of the strongest people I know, Colette," Antonio says, holding my gaze.

"What you went through… what that monster did to you..." His jaw tightens, a muscle feathering, and for a moment, I think he might actually fight back tears of his own. "It would have broken anyone else. But not you, Col. You survived."

A soft, tremulous sound escapes me at his ardent words. His faith in me, his mere presence at my side, is the balm I didn't know I needed to soothe the sting of Henry's actions. Antonio understands my pain in a way my brother can't — or won't allow himself to.

Leaning in, I capture his lips in a slow, trembling kiss. It's almost chaste, an echo of the deep gratitude and affection I feel for this man blooming in my chest.

When we part, I rest my forehead against his, our mingled breaths fanning between us. "Thank you," I murmur, trailing my fingers along the sharp line of his jaw. "For being here. For listening. Just…thank you."

The corner of Antonio's mouth curves in a gentle, lopsided smile. He turns his head to graze a lingering kiss to my palm, sending a shiver skittering down my spine.

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