The next morning was filled with tension and anxiety. My stomach twisted dangerously, and my heart was constantly aching. Stepping out of our bedroom, I saw Viktor walking around the corner. His steps faltered at the sight of me.
Giving me a nod, he walked closer. “You should have let Alessio explain,” he stated curtly without any greeting.
“I heard what I needed to know. Nothing he would say can change the truth,” I replied, holding his cold eyes, and they burned into mine.
He shook his head. “And that’s where you are wrong. Let him explain, and you’ll understand.”
“He hurt me,” I whispered.
Viktor’s eyes softened, and he took a step closer until we were only inches apart. “He is a confused man, but he cares about you deeply.”
“If he cared, he wouldn’t have touched Sasha.” My voice was barely a whisper as Viktor’s words registered in my mind. I wanted so badly to believe him.
Alessio cared. I knew that. I saw it in his eyes. But his betrayal still left a gaping hole in me.
Viktor’s hand came up to my face, and he pressed his thumb lightly over my cheek, brushing away the single drop of tear that had escaped. I looked up and saw him glancing briefly over my head. Something flashed in his eyes. It was so quick I didn’t have a chance to catch it.
And then everything happened so fast.
One minute, Viktor was standing in front of me, comforting me in some way, and then his lips were on mine.
I blinked rapidly and let out a gasp, my hands going to his chest. He didn’t kiss me. His lips were just there, pressing into mine gently and almost feather light.
When I heard a roar from behind me, I flinched and quickly pulled away, Viktor releasing me without any struggle.
It was almost a blur. Viktor was ripped away and slammed against the wall; Alessio held him tight against the wall as he landed a few furious punches into his face.
“Oh my God,” I squeaked, my hands going to my mouth in shock. “Stop!” I yelled.
Alessio’s face was filled with murderous intent. Viktor punched him back, but it only pissed him off. “If you fucking touch her again, I will kill you,” he hissed into Viktor’s face.
Running to them, I tried to pull Alessio off Viktor. But he was unmovable. Holding his arm, I pulled hard, finally bringing his attention to me. Alessio glanced up, his glare intense and fierce.
“Stop! Let him go, Alessio.”
I felt his tense muscles relax under my fingers. That was when I noticed my hand on his back, and without thinking, I was rubbing his shoulders, almost soothingly. Quickly removing my hand, I took a step back, and he pushed himself away from Viktor.
Alessio tried to wrap his arms around me, but I skirted around him, moving away from his touch. “What is wrong with you?” Without waiting for his answer, I turned to Viktor. “And you? Don’t ever do that again.” Glancing at Alessio, I continued. “Don’t lower yourself to his level. You are better than that,” I said, my words meant for Viktor.
I watched Alessio flinch at my words, hurt flashing in his eyes. I wanted him to hurt. I wanted him to feel what I was feeling.
Giving the man who held my heart in the palm of his hands a final glance, I walked away. I heard him call my name, but I kept walking.
I needed Maddie.
Making my way to the kitchen, I found it empty. It was still early in the morning. She probably wasn’t even awake yet. I walked back upstairs, where I knew her room was.
I heard a sleepy reply, and a few seconds later, the door opened to reveal a half-asleep Maddie. “Ayla?” she questioned. “Is everything okay? I heard yelling.”
“No. Nothing is okay,” I replied, walking inside and closing the door behind me. Her eyes widened, and she quickly grabbed my hand, pulling me to the bed.
“What’s wrong? Did Alessio do something?” she asked, her voice rising with alarm.
Taking a deep breath, I let everything out. Her eyes glittered with anger at my words, and finally she let out a tired sigh when I finished. She placed a comforting hand over my knee.
“This is a mess.” I agreed. “Why didn’t you let him explain?” she questioned.
“I don’t know, Maddie. I was just so angry and hurt. If I had let him explain, I would have probably not believed anything he would have said,” I murmured, looking down at my lap.
“I can’t believe he would do something like that,” Maddie grumbled under her breath. “What are you going to do now?”
I closed my eyes with a sigh. “I don’t know.”
I didn’t know how to feel. So I was just going to retreat back and lick my wounds, needing time to think and understand.
I needed to be away from Alessio. Until this pain disappeared and I could breathe normally again, without it feeling like my chest was being squeezed tightly.
***
I was sitting on my bed when I heard a knock on the door. “Come in,” I called out, placing my book down.
The door opened, and Viktor walked in, holding a tray of food. I winced at the sight of him. His face was multiple shades of red and purple. When I raised an eyebrow at him in question, he grumbled something under his breath.
“What is this?” I asked as he placed the tray on the nightstand and sat down on the bed beside me.
“I brought you dinner. I heard from Maddie that you didn’t eat anything since this morning,” he replied briskly.
“Oh.” I looked at the tray and then back at him again. “Thank you.”
“Did you talk to Alessio?”
My shoulders went rigid at his name. We hadn’t seen each other since this morning, when he fought with Viktor. It wasn’t because of his lack of effort. Alessio had tried to talk to me on numerous occasions, but I walked away every time.
“No. I haven’t talked to him,” I replied before taking the book in my hands again. I stared at the pages but couldn’t bring myself to read. My concentration was elsewhere.
Viktor and I were both silent for a few minutes. “About this morning, I apologize.”
Glancing up at him, I waited for him to continue. He was staring at the wall, and I saw his lips lift up in a small smirk. “Scratch that. I’m not apologizing for kissing you.” He turned toward me before continuing. “I never apologize for kissing a pretty lady.”
I mentally scoffed and looked down at the book again. “But I had my reasons for doing what I did. I needed to get my point across.”
Curious to where he was going with this, I glanced up again, this time giving him my full attention. “To you, I needed you to see his reaction. If he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have reacted the way he did. He doesn’t give a shit if I fuck around with the other women he slept with. But you…only you can get that type of reaction out of him.”
My stomach warmed at his words.
“And it was barely even a kiss. He cares deeply, Ayla.”
My fingers tightened around the edge of my book as he continued. “And to him. He is a stubborn son of a bitch. He needed to come to his senses, and that was the perfect way to do it.”
I felt my heart wrench, and my eyes stung with unshed tears. Blinking them away, I refused to cry again.
When I didn’t answer, he got up and gave me a nod before walking away. As he neared the door, I called out, halting his movement.
My gaze moved to the tray on my nightstand. Keeping my eyes on it, I asked the question that I already knew the answer to.
“It was Alessio who sent you here, right?”
From the corner of my eyes, I saw Viktor turning around to face me. “He knew you didn’t eat. Alessio was bringing the tray to you but realized he wouldn’t be welcomed. He didn’t want to cause you anymore pain.”
His words made my heart ache. Not in a good way. A sense of guilt overcame me, but I quickly pushed it away. One thing I knew for sure was Alessio didn’t eat, either.
“Can you please make sure he eats?” I asked softly. Viktor sighed and then nodded before leaving the room.
As soon as the door was closed, I pushed my book away and laid down on my back, staring at the ceiling thoughtfully.
Maybe I was being too stubborn, but it had come to a point where I didn’t know how to face him.
All my life I never had a choice. Whatever was done to me, I had to accept it without any complaints. I didn’t want Alessio to think that everything was acceptable, because it wasn’t. I had a choice now.
I didn’t know how long I laid there, lost in my thoughts, but when I check the time, it was almost ten p.m. This was our time. Just us. Alessio would be waiting for me in the piano room.
My fingers were itching to play. I wanted to be there, but a small nagging part stopped me.