Page 79 of Sworn to My Heart
My eyes struggle to open, and sharp pain shoots through my body, making movement impossible. Why is this becoming a recurring nightmare?
The harsh fluorescent light blinds me, its buzzing aggravating the throbbing in my head. I turn my head slowly, blinking to clear my vision and orient myself.
A sharp pain burns my shoulders as my neck stretches, and now I remember everything. Stas shot me.Where the hell am I? Did he lock me up again?
Panic floods me as I remember trying to signal Luca.Was he there? Did they reach him?
Ignoring the intense pain with newfound adrenaline, I bolt upright. I need to escape, no matter the cost.
Glancing down, I see I’m clad in a faded white gown, stained with small patches of blood.Is it mine?
I’m connected to strange machines, with many wires. What the hell are they putting into my body? What is this needle in my arm? I rip it out quickly, cursing as the pain from the quick motion hits me. I need a water source quickly so I can heal my injuries.
There’s no one else in the room, which looks like an old storage space. The walls are painted mint green, and the windows haveworn-out blinds with deteriorating plastic frames. The only things in the room are the bed I’m on, a chair, and the machines I’m connected to. I now pull off a clip that was annoying me from my other hand.
What is all this crap?
Is Stas experimenting on me?
The machine begins beeping loudly, and I panic, fumbling to replace the clip on my finger. A man in a white coat bursts in, rushing to gently ease me back down, careful of my wounds.
“Alin, hello. I’m so glad you’re awake. I’ve been treating you. Your family has been waiting for you,” he says with a warm smile, while I, on the other hand, am horrified.
“My family?” I ask in disbelief.How did my family get to the mainland? Did they find me?Panic overwhelms me.
“Yes, I need to perform a few more tests, but I’ll update them on your condition. They’ll be happy to know you’re awake,” the doctor says with a smile and leaves before I can protest.
I have to get out of here. I pull myself back up with all the strength I can muster, wincing from the pain immediately.
I take a deep breath, gather myself, and stand up despite the pain. I try to occupy my mind with other thoughts to distract myself.
I take the first step, and a quiet curse escapes my throat as the pain intensifies, feeling like my skin is on fire and peeling off slowly and torturously.
I sit back down carefully on the bed, trying to think of how I can get out of here. It seems my fate is carved in the depths, and there it will remain.
Tears threaten to spill from my eyes as the door slams open, and Cora runs in crying, hugging me tightly.
I groan in pain, and she immediately releases me, apologizingthrough choked sobs and quickly wiping her tears, as if it were forbidden.
“I was so worried about you, I thought I’d lost you,” she says, crying.
And now relief floods over me as I realize he meant her when he said “your family.”He meant the Spallo family.
“Cora, I’m fine. How are you feeling?” I turn the question to her and bury myself in her embrace as if it’s the last time I’ll ever see her. I missed this feeling of home so much.
“Are you really asking how I’m doing right now, Alin? You risked your life so I could get out of there alive,” she continues to cry.
I slowly start to recall everything that happened over the past few days, not even knowing how much time has passed.
“What happened when I was gone? How long has it been?” I ask, trying to understand how I got here.What about Luca? Did he bring me here?
“The moment Stas released me, I ran out of the building and down the street, stopped the first person I saw, and called Luca and Mariano immediately,” she sits on the bed beside me and recounts.
“Alin, Luca lost it. When he arrived at the warehouse where I was held, no one was there. Everyone had disappeared, including you...” she continues subbing.
“Cora, just tell me. How long has it been?” I insist, sensing her reluctance to tell me.
“A week. A whole week without knowing your location. A week of Luca turning over every stone in this city and every informant; he was close to setting the whole city on fire.” She finally answers, and I can’t believe how much time passed in that filthy cell Stas locked me in.Fucking madman.
