Page 96 of Stolen Seconds

“I’m going to start cutting now.”

My face heated with uncertainty. “Wait!”

I tried composing myself before Luca walked inside, his footsteps faltering as he glanced between Aurora and me.

With one look, he stripped me bare and my body ignited to life, every nerve ending yearning for him to come closer.

Aurora cleared her throat, fidgeting in place, but I was too lost in him to pay her any attention.

He stepped further into the room until he opened the drawer below the sink and pulled something out.

A buzzing sound filled the space, and my breathing turned shallow as I saw him shave his hair off with ease.

The erratic pounding of my heart spread through me like wildfire, burning me from the inside out.

I was held captive by every piece of hair that fell to the floor, along with it the heaviness in my chest.

Moments later, he shut the razor off and dropped it back inside the drawer.

Without a word, he crossed the room as he held my gaze, caramel eyes warming every inch of my body.

The second he was out of sight; I felt his absence like a dull pain that never went away.

“I was right. . . ” Aurora stood behind me, her hands resting on my shoulders. “He’s so in love with you.”

I ignored her comment, still reeling from what Luca had just done for me. Again.

It gave me the push I needed to carry on because I wasn’t alone in my torment. He was always there.

“Cut it.” My voice trembled, sounding weak to my own ears. “Now.”

The first snipe of the scissors echoed, my shoulders becoming rigid with every cut strand.

I hoped by the time Aurora was done; I’d feel like I had some sort of power back in my hands.

It was more than a haircut. This was something I could control, and I wanted to take back what was taken from me.

With every feather of hair that fell down my body and pooled at my feet, the tenseness in my body dissipated, a lightened feeling replacing it.

“All done.” My best friend moved to stand in front ofme, grinning mischievously. “In case you didn’t know, you’re sexy as hell with short hair.”

I grudgingly reached up and touched the even strands, letting my fingers get accustomed to the length.

My hair didn’t define me, nor did my body or face. It was a hard pill to swallow now that my beauty was tarnished after having been praised for it.

I never needed the validation, but holding that power was mine. It had been my identity, and I couldn’t blame myself for feeling lost. But this was a step forward.

“Thank you, Aurora.”

We shared a silent moment of tenderness, understanding reflecting in her eyes before she hugged me close.

Another week had passed, and I felt myself slipping away. Luca was hurting me more than he knew and if he did, he wasn’t acknowledging it.

His obsession with me was blinding him from seeing that I was suffocating.

I was shut out from the outside world, and I was slowly losing my mind.

The last rays of sun shined through the window when Luca came to the bedroom.

---