216
Matteo’s POV
The phone rang once, twice, then a third time. I paced the length of my living room, gripping my phone very tightly. Every second that she didn’t pick up stretched unbearably long. My frustration boiled just beneath the surface. I’d been trying to reach Emilia for days-no, weeks-and it felt like I was shouting into the void.
“Come on, pick up,” I muttered under my breath.
And then, finally, the click of the call connecting.
“Hello?” Her voice was soft and hesitant as if she wasn’t sure if she should answer.
“Emilia!” I nearly yelled into the phone, relief washing over me. “Finally. Do you have any idea how worried I’ve been? I thought something happened to you!”
There was a pause, and my heart was beating wildly in my chest. I could hear her breathing on the other end, and I could hear the faintest tremor in the sound.
“Matteo…” she started, her voice breaking slightly. “I-there’s so much to explain.”
I stopped pacing and sat down heavily on the couch. “You better start. I’ve been losing my mind over here. I mean, what the hell happened? Where have you been? And why haven’t you called me back?”
Another pause. This one felt different, loaded with something I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
“I was kidnapped,” she said quietly, the words hitting me like a freight train.
For a moment, I thought I’d misheard her. “What?”
“I was kidnapped,” she repeated, her voice firmer this time. “It’s why I couldn’t call you. It’s why everything has been so… chaotic.”
My stomach twisted into knots, anger and fear battling for dominance. “Kidnapped? By who? When? Are you safe now? Did they hurt you?” The questions poured out of me in a rush, each one more frantic than the last.
“I’m okay now,” she said, trying to reassure me, but her voice cracked on the last word. “But it’s… complicated, Matteo. So much has happened, and I don’t even know where to start.”
I pressed a hand to my forehead, trying to steady myself. My sister-the girl I’d promised to protect no matter what-had been kidnapped, and I hadn’t even known. “Start from the beginning,” I said, forcing myself to stay calm for her sake. “I need to know everything, Emilia.”
She took a deep breath, and for the next several minutes, she unraveled the story piece by piece. How she’d been taken, how she’d been held against her will, and how she’d eventually gotten free. She didn’t go into graphic detail, but the pain in her voice was enough to fill in the gaps.
By the time she finished, I was gripping the phone so tightly my knuckles had gone white. “Jesus Christ, Emilia,” I said, my voice low and raw. “Why didn’t you call me as soon as you got out? Why didn’t you tell me any of this sooner?”
“I couldn’t,” she said, and I could hear the guilt in her tone. “I was dealing with so much, and I didn’t want to drag you into it. You have your own life, Matteo. I didn’t want to burden you.”
“Burden me?” I repeated, incredulous. “You’re my sister, Emilia. I don’t care if you’re older than me, I’m still supposed to protect you. There is nothing you could ever tell me that would make me feel like you’re a burden. Do you understand that?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the line. When she finally spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry.”
I exhaled, trying to push past my frustration. “Don’t be sorry. Just… don’t shut me out like this again, okay? I want to help you. I need to help you.”
“I know,” she said softly. “I’ll try.”
That wasn’t enough for me, but I didn’t press her. Not yet. “Where are you now? Are you safe?”
“I’m safe,” she said quickly. “I’m with Alaric.”
The way she said it made me pause. “Who?”
“Alaric. I said I’m with Alaric.”
“Yes, Emilia I heard the bastard’s name the first time! What the hell?!” I exploded. “Why do you keep going back to that guy? The same guy who keeps putting you in danger? You cannot tell me that you don’t know that you were kidnapped because of him.”
“Please don’t say that,” she whispered weakly.
“Don’t say what? The truth? Where the hell was he when you were kidnapped? He couldn’t even rescue you. You had to put yourself in danger just to escape, Emilia!” I yelled.
“He was trying to get me out. He didn’t know who exactly it was. He can’t just rush into a fight blinded,” she defended and I scoffed, shaking my head.
“He was trying to get you out? How do you know that?” I asked and continued before she could answer. “Oh wait, let me guess, that was what he told you?”
“It’s not just about what he told me, Matteo. It’s what I know. And I know he fought for me, ok? Do just suck it up and stop being an ass!” She snapped.
“I’m being an ass? I’m telling you the simple truth and you say I’m being an ass? That guy couldn’t protect you, why the hell do you keep going back to him?” I questioned and then shook my head. “You know what? Don’t answer that. Whatever it is, I don’t want to hear it.”
I heard her sigh. “Matteo-”
“Don’t call my name. That guy doesn’t care about you. He’s just using you. You know it yet you’re still choosing to stay with him. Are you so blind that you can’t even see it? That you can’t see that whatever is going on between you both will end in tears and regrets?” I yelled into the phone.
“It won’t. Matteo, I’m an adult. And I can make decisions for myself. That said, when you’ve decided to stop being an asshole, you can come visit me in Alaric’s house.” And with that, she hung up on me.
“Fucking bastard!” I cursed, throwing my phone against the wall.