ANASTASIA
“Anna, what happened?” Arnold came into the room to meet the place messy.
I was sitting right in the bathroom, feeling lost.
He walked in and squatted next to me, checking my hands to see Diego’s handprints on me.
He was stunned.
He lifted his eyes to look into my gaze, carefully cupping my face in his hold. “Anna, what led to this? Why is this place so messy?”
“Arnold,” I called, taking his hands off my face. “Please help me.”
“Anna.”
“I don’t want to stay here with that man anymore. I want to go, please!” I begged, crying before him.
Arnold became worried. He begged me not to think about leaving, promising to talk to Diego.
“I’ll go and see him and…”
“I DON’T CARE ANYMORE!” I sparked angrily at him, expressing my frustration. “NO MORE, PLEASE! The Diego I fell in love with is gone. I don’t this man. I don’t know him!” I sniveled.
“Anna, Anna look… Please hear me out.”
“Arnold, if you really care about me then you’ll help me out. Take me away from here before I end up dying!”
“Don’t say that!” He pulled me into his hold, embracing me tightly.
“Anna, I’m so sorry. What has come over him? I wish I was here to stop him. I’m so sorry.”
“Arnold please… I want to go. I don’t want to stay here anymore!” I cried.
“Please don’t make me stay here. I won’t survive this anymore. My Diego is gone. He’s gone, ” I wept.
“Please Anna. Don’t cry,” Arnold comforted.
While he was patting me, I noticed we weren’t alone. Opening my eyes, I was terrified to see Diego looking at us from the door!
He just stood there staring right at me!
And his presence… It only increased my fear.
Trembling, I pulled myself out of Arnold’s hold and hid behind the door, begging Arnold to send him away.
The Beta looked hurt and sadly got to his feet, going out to see Diego.
Once he exited the bathroom, I hurriedly shut the door, just to be safe.
In fact, when Arnold came back knocking, I didn’t open up. I just wanted to be alone.
After spending hours till the sky went totally dark, I came out of the bathroom and found the room free from both Beta and Alpha.
Only the messy room, which reflected Diego’s fury, weakened my heart.
Uncomfortable with my surroundings, I took just a pillow, exiting the room to find a safer place in the mansion to hide away until I can feel my senses returning to me.
Since there were so many rooms, I decided to hide in the one where Diego hasn’t neared before.
It was one of the dusty rooms located at the far end of the corridor at the right.
I went inside and carefully tucked myself on the floor to sleep, hoping this nightmare would pass me by.
“We were never like this. Mate or not… We were very close. Now we’re just two walls apart,” I sniffed, feeling so hurt.
I closed my eyes and managed to fall asleep. But it felt like a few minutes to me when I sensed something falling gently on me.
Opening my eyes, I froze on seeing Diego covering me up with a blanket! He knelt next to me and paused right in the dark.
I don’t know, but I think he saw me looking back at him. I just couldn’t tell but shiver right in my spot!
The blanket came over my body, with Diego carefully tucking it on me. Feeling his hands on me made me troubled. All I could imagine when he placed them on me, was his rage taking over and his hands reaching to grab me roughly again.
I almost jumped and made a run for it, but I didn’t want Diego coming after me. So, I just pretended to be asleep, waiting for hin to leave.
But he showed no readiness to leave. Instead, Diego suddenly laid right next to me!
He’s not leaving!
But I want to know how he found me in this room. This is one of the places he doesn’t get closer to, so how… Crap! It’s either he saw me through the surveillance camera or he picked my scent.
It’s one of those two.
But now that he’s here with me, I can’t help but feel scared of what might happen next.
I made no move.
My heart was beating real fast and my breathing had turned heavy. I had to close my eyes shut and wait for him to fall asleep.
After spending what felt like more than forty minutes, I carefully drew myself out of the blanket and away from Diego.
I did this quietly without making any sound.
Once I had a good distance away from him, I crawled out of the room without my pillow, and ran off into a different room far from him.
Again, I tucked a space for myself on the ground, getting ready to sleep when I began to hear footsteps drawing closer to the room.
In fear, I looked down at the door and saw a shadow standing right outside entrance.
The scent coming was clearly Diego’s! But I wanted this to be my imagination. Let it be that my nose is playing a trick on me and the person outside is just a guard passing by!
“Goddess, please,” I prayed, biting down on my hand.
But that prayer wasn’t answered.
The door came opened and I saw Diego walking into the room with the blanket in his arms. He looked right at my direction way I laid, staring at my point.
I pretended to be asleep, squinting my eyes to see what he’ll do.
And just like in the other toom, he came up to my spot to repeat the same thing he did.
He covered me up and laid right at my back, going totally silent in an instant.
Now I couldn’t tell if I should be afraid of him or stop to think about his chase.
He’s coming after me even after seeing that I don’t want to be close to him. He… He’s chasing me.
I laid there in my spot for an hour this time around, suspecting Diego was asleep for sure. Then, I carefully pulled myself away from the blanket and from him, creating a gap between us.
I silently sat up, preparing to crawl away from Diego when something prompted me to turn around and check on the sleeping Alpha.
When I did… SHIT! Diego’s red eyes were flashing right at me!
He’s not sleeping but staring and watching my every move!
Terrified, I carefully laid down on the ground, feeling my heart thumping fast after locking eyes with his gaze.
That’s when Diego’s hand fell on my stomach and pulled right back to the exact spot where I escaped from.
I didn’t dare to struggle. I stayed still, until I was buried right in his hold. He didn’t leave me directly on the side where I laid before but pulled me closer to his body, with his arm falling around me in a lock.
Now this is a sure sign that I can’t leave.
I’m not escaping this room no matter…
“Please.”
I gasped on hearing Diego whisper to me from behind.
“Please… Don’t leave,” He pleaded, tightening his grip on me.
My heart sank when I heard him begging. I didn’t know what to say.
All I wanted to do at that moment was cry and scream out all my pains at him.
Why is he doing this to me?
“Stay with me, Anna. Please.”
“Why?” I questioned, feeling the vibration in my lips.
“Why should I stay with you? Why can’t I leave? You made it clear already, so why stopping me?” I questioned, but Diego gave no reply.
“The walls keep closing on me every minute of the day. I no longer feel safe in this place or near you. I… I don’t even know you anymore.” I sniffed, holding back my tears.
“I don’t know who are. You look nothing like my Diego.”
“I’m still the one. It’s still me,” He said, pulling me tighter but more dearly. “I’m trying to put myself in order. I’m working on it.”
“For how long, Diego?” I sniveled, failing to hold back my tears. “Is it another month or even years? I can’t keep living around someone who doesn’t share his deepest troubles with me, his plans, his… Look… All I want is my Alpha. I want my Diego,” I cried.
“He would never hurt or harm me in anyway. In his eyes, I’m his partner, Mate or not… He would never make me cry. Never!”
I buried my head on the floor, weeping.
That’s when I felt Diego turning me face front. I looked up and found him staring hurtfully into my eyes.
Sadly, I said one more time, hoping I’d see that spark again, “I want him back… Please.”
Like a twinkle, his eyes glowed. Diego lowered his forehead down on mine and said, caressing my face, ” I’m sorry.”
His apologies only broke my heart even more. It’s hard for me after all the hurts he delivered.
“I’m sorry,” He repeated, carefully dropping his body on mine, and squeezing me close.
His grip on me slowly ignited the spark, but not fully. I still had the fear and worry that I might lose him again to his quest for revenge.
If Arnold says he has done this before, and he’s doing it now… Then what assurance do I have that he won’t do it again?
Honestly, I’m petrified.
.
I managed to survive the night without letting my infection take over again.
Diego stayed the night with me, giving me comfort and care. And when I woke up, I found myself lying in his room, but he wasn’t there.
All alone, I felt like staying for some minutes to wait for him, but having no guarantee of what mood he’d return with, I gently pulled myself out of his bed and made my way to my room to sleep.
At around nine in the morning, I was woken by a maid, who came over to give me my breakfast in bed.
Arnold also came in to see how I was doing. He took his time to plant a smile on my face, before revealing today’s plan. “Get dressed. We’re heading down to the lab.”
“But I thought there was no check up today?” I asked, getting confused.
He smiled at me and said, ” Just be fast. We need to move before eleven.”
Then he exited the room, leaving me alone to prepare.
Well, I felt I didn’t take note of the dates Jeremy had given, so I had to hasten myself and get ready.
Once I was dressed, I came down the stairs and found Arnold waiting for me. He smiled at me and complimented my beauty, making me chuckle.
“You don’t have to be worried. Jeremy won’t kill you with his needles,” Arnold joked, leading me out of the mansion.
I was laughing at this, following him from behind. When we got closer to the car we’d be taking, I realized that Diego’s ride was still here.
That means he hasn’t left for the office yet.
I turned to look back at the mansion, only to see Diego coming out in a hurry.
I pretended not to see him and drew closer to Arnold, who opened up his car for me to step in.
The moment I sat down at the backseat, the door at my left came open. I turned and was stunned to see Diego entering the same car, sitting next to me!
Um… Has he forgotten what his own car looks like?
Diego said nothing nor looked at my point. He was busy looking at something on his phone with seriousness.
“Arnold,” I called the Beta, who got into the driver’s seat and turned to face me.
“Yes?” He asked, sounding calm.
Can’t he see the person sitting next to me?!
I signalled my eyes at the Alpha so he’d see who’s in his car.
That’s when Diego said, making me compose myself, “I hope Jeremy knows I’m coming?”
Huh?
“Yes, he does, ” Arnold responded, smiling at me.
Wait, he’s coming with us to the lab?!