Page 56 of Unruly Obsession
“You will sit down, Lily. Henrith promised me?—”
With lightning speed, Lorenzo steps into Riley's space, and I jump at the sound of something being slammed into the table. Riley’s eyes and mouth widen, and as he goes to scream, Lorenzo covers his mouth with his hand, staring him dead in the eye, his back blocking my view of whatever just happened.
“You can tell whoever you want about this night, but know I will find you, and it won’t be pretty when I do. You don’t come anywhere near her ever again. You tell Henrith the date was pleasant enough, but that you can't continue seeing her because you’ve chosen to pursue the stripper you knocked up months ago. Do you understand?”
Riley’s eyes bulge as tears stream down his reddening face, and he shakes his head frantically.
It’s not until Lorenzo steps back that I see the fork embedded in Riley's hand and the blood spreading across the white table cloth.
My mouth gapes at the sight, and I’m reminded of the men in Italy. Flashbacks of other memories I try to shove back down. My mother’s face bleeding. My own cut hands…
“We’re leaving,” Lorenzo says, grabbing my hand and dragging me out.
“I’m not—” I’m swept from my feet and thrown over his shoulder. The shock of his gentle force shakes away the memories I struggle to force away.
“Not up for discussion,” he growls. I look up, facing Riley for the first time, but he’s not even looking at me. He’s weeping as he stares at his hand in shock.
A slight sense of satisfaction unfurls in my stomach, and I’m disgusted with myself for even having the feeling.
Lorenzo is a bad person.
I know this, and yet… I don’t fight him as he takes me away, tears welling in my eyes as an exuberant amount of relief washes through me.
It’s selfish, and quickly taken over by the reality of the situation. We’re already halfway up the street as the shock subsides and sheer horror about what’s to come creeps in.
My father is going to lose his mind.
“Put me down, Lorenzo,” I demand. He ignores me. “Put me down!” I knee him in the stomach and then curse as I hurt myself on his ridiculously hard abs. But he puts me down gently, and I’m humiliated at the few people who walk past us, staring.
“You have no idea what you’ve done,” I tell him, eyes wide. But it’s not just his fault. I'm just as responsible, because I found relief in the fact that he came for me.
My mother’s face comes to mind, and I’m terrified of how my father might respond to what happened tonight. I’m petrified that my mother lives in that house with him. If he has an outburst over this, she's the one who will face the wrath for my selfish actions. Even if I wanted to be taken away, it’s still only Lorenzo who has the courage to do it, and it only serves to remind me of how weak I am.
I can’t stand it. He’s everything I’m not.
"I’m scared."I can hear my eight-year-old self as a memory hits me.
"It’s okay. Everything will be okay," my mother says as she hugs me.
"Can’t we run away?" I beg, terrified of the monster my father has become.
"No, Lily, we have to stay."
And stay we did.
I push away the painful memories bubbling to the surface, and it only ignites the fire in my stomach. Anger toward my father. Toward Lorenzo. But mostly at myself. I push through the crowd, furiously trying to run away from my own self-loathing.
I’m still such a coward.
Like I'm hiding again with my mother, covering my ears and wishing for it all to go away.
Every step I take, I’m aware of Lorenzo’s that follow. I can’t breathe with or without him, but I don’t want him to see this partof me. I don’t need to be reminded of how much of a coward I am by facing a man who is anything but.
He takes what he wants. When he wants. Unapologetically.
And now I’m comparing myself to a killer.
I really am losing my mind.
