Griselda POV
People say when you fall in love it is the best feeling in the world but I never knew it could come with fear of losing them in the blink of an eye. My fear took over me as I saw Kulah”s face once again on that poster. Arcado had a hold of me that no one had ever before. I was afraid of losing him just because life liked to mess with me.
It slowly began with my own thoughts, until I couldn’t control it anymore. The anxiety I’ve felt was nothing else like before. It felt like millions of needles were poking me everywhere leaving me to bleed while no one heard my screams of agony crying for help. When I marched down the hallway, I had no idea where I was going, but when I stopped at his office door and knocked on it, I knew my purpose was to see Arcado.
Before I came here and met him, my plan was just to escape Kulah. It didn’t include falling in love, but when I saw Arcado, it was like my whole world tilted. It seemed fate had a funny way of getting people together because love wasn”t in the mafia world’s definition. For women, they were just born to pleasure men and take what they gave. But Arcado changed my perspective as I got to know him.
Unlike Kulah, he respected women and protected them as if his lives depended on it. Although he seemed cold hearted and detached most of the time, he was a man who kept his promises. Maybe that”s why many women adored him and wanted to be with him.
When he opened his office door, he seemed shocked to see me there, and when I sobbed into his chest, he whispered sweet nothings into my ear until I calmed down. After that, he laid me on the bed and I was scared of falling asleep alone, so I asked him to lay down with me. When he did, I was shocked but also glad. As soon as his arms curved around me protectively, sleep took over me.
I was in the room once I woke up. The office was clean just as usual and I felt out of place in this large room. Standing up, I looked around me and saw a little paper attached to the desk. Walking towards it, I lifted it up, it was a beautiful heart shaped paper. A smile tugged its way onto my lips as I read what it said on the front.
To my beautiful angel.
Striding towards the door, I got out and closed it softly behind me, it felt like no one was upstairs since it was eerily quite. Walking down the stairs, I was surprised to see most of the guards gone and the maids talking and laughing amongst themselves. Sophia waved me over and I made my way to her.
“What’s going on?”, I looked around me once more.
“Oh, Arcado and few of the guards left to tend to some business”, She shrugged carelessly.
Nodding my head, I turned towards the fridge and took out leftover cake from yesterday. It seemed good enough to eat, plus I was hungry. Getting out a fork, I took a bite out of it and my eyes closed instinctively enjoying its taste. When my eyes opened, Sophia was grinning at me.
“What?” I wiped my lips with a napkin.
“You look flushed”, she commented, taking in my appearance.
Confused, my eyebrows raised at her reply, she just rolled her eyes playfully but a coy smile was playing on her lips. I wanted to say something, but decided against it and just took another bite of the cake. It been twelve hours since I”ve eaten something and my stomach was grumbling for more.
Once I finished the cake, I rubbed my stomach and let out a content sigh. Sophia let out a chuckle at my antics and got back to her work of cleaning. Turning towards her, I picked up the dishes and began to wash them. The maids continued to talk animatedly and the guards watched us with amusement written across their faces.
Turning off the water, I wiped my hands on a towel and leaned on the counter top looking around. People here looked happy instead of miserable. They seemed content with their lives and that put a smile on my face. All my life I”ve believed that people who live in the mafia didn”t get to be happy but now it seemed all of what I thought were a lie.
A set of footsteps turned my attention towards the door and immediately warmth began to envelope as Arcado entered. His face gave nothing away, instead his jaw was clenched but once his eyes fell upon me, they softened just a little, giving me a tingling feeling.
By now the maids were bowing their heads and their voices weren”t heard anymore. Instead they all began to work quietly and guards began to patrol around the house. I glanced towards Arcado who somehow now stood in front of me.
“Hi”, His hands cupped my face.
“Hi”, I whispered back, taking a deep breath as his intoxicating scent took over me.
A throat was cleared breaking us out of our little bubble. Arcado closed his eyes for a moment and turned around. Skyler and Dexter stood at the door tapping their foot impatiently. As Arcado glared at them, they straightened their posture and bowed their heads.
Arcado took my head in his and pulled me out of the kitchen. We made it to the front door of the mansion and my heart leaped in my throat at what I saw. Half of the Russian men were here and their eyes widened when they settled on me. They were the same just as I remembered. Glancing towards my left, I saw the man who helped me escape.
His lips were pressed into a thin line and his eyes showed shock as he looked over at me. My throat closed up as I saw the few men who raped me before. My whole world stopped and soon fear settled over me as I saw a smirk tug it”s way onto their lips.
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Oh woow, I didn”t expect that chapter ending tho.
Griselda POV
Panic attack is one of the worst things to happen to a human. At first it slowly begins with your throat closing up. Until you feel like the whole world is spinning and there is nothing you can do except to gasp for air. Everything starts to become blurry as your tears fall none stop, you beg and plead for someone to save you.
The guards stood there unmoving with a smirk on their lips and an evil glint on the eyes. I wish I could say I was used to that look but no matter how many times I tried to convince myself everything was okay and I was having a nightmare, I knew I was telling myself a big lie. It felt like every fiber of my being burned until I turned to ashes.
Tears stung my eyes, as I remembered the lustful looks I used to get as I walked around naked in the mansion and suddenly I felt ashamed of myself. A person should never feel like this. I begged to the gods above that they wouldn”t say anything to Arcado or take me away to bring me to Kulah.
My throat kept closing up making it harder for me to breath. No matter how much air I took, it made it worse. It felt like thorns were scraping against my skin making me bleed as I screeched for them to stop. My ears were ringing and I couldn”t hear anything. I opened my mouth to say something but only a gasp fell from my lips.
Forcing myself to turn towards Arcado, I saw his lips moving but didn”t hear anything. Maybe I”ve gone deaf and if I did, I would be thankful because then I wouldn”t have to hear disgusting things the guards uttered my way anymore. But the one person kept getting stuck onto my mind and I forced the ringing in my ears to stop.
“Griselda, Griselda, you”re shaking”, Arms held me close to their chest.
His scent took over my mind and I instantly relaxed against him as he kept rubbing my back in a soothing manner. Glancing towards where the guards stood, confusion took over me as I saw their space empty but their footsteps gave them away and I knew they were making their way inside.
A breath of relief left my lungs and I placed my hands against Arcado”s chest to pull away slightly. Worry was written all over his face as stared down at me. My body felt light and my head spun. Taking a lungful of air, I forced myself to calm down or otherwise I would faint.
“I am okay”, I tried to convince him.
“Don”t give me that bullshit Griselda”, He burst out and took a hold of my arm pulling me towards him.
He gently cradled my face in his arms and that was my undoing. A sob broke out of me and he immediately once again laid my head on his chest. With them here, I didn”t know what to do, Kulah”s face came to my mind and more tears flowed freely as his hands on my skin burned in my mind.
For once in my life, I wanted to just forget everything about past. I wanted to be free again, wanted to feel the light without any burden. But forgetting seemed impossible because the weight of what I”ve been through would always be with me.
“Please, please just make me forget”, I begged, clutching his shirt in my hands tightly.
He hugged me tighter and buried his face in my neck. My arms slowly wounded themselves around his back and I burrowed deeper into him seeking his comfort only he could offer. Minutes passed before we finally pulled away, I wiped my tears away and stared up at Arcado.
His jaw was set and without a word he turned away from me making his way in through the door. His action stabbed painfully into my heart but I knew he needed answers. He wouldn”t ask questions until I cracked and answered them myself.
Following behind him carefully, I stood at the door as he glanced back and nodded at me to come with him. We walked up the stairs and made it into his office. Once he was situated on his chair, my nerves began to kick back in making me gulp nervously.
“What happened Griselda?”, His face held concern.
“Nothing”, Murmuring, my eyes strayed away from his nervously.
Standing up, he advanced towards me until we were chest to chest. My tongue flicked out to wet my chapped lips and his eyes followed the movement. My whole body tingled with electricity as heat pooled into my core. I shouldn”t be feeling like this, but his gaze held hunger as he stared at me.
“Okay, But you”ll answer me when you”re ready”, He turned his back and sauntered towards the couch.
My heart wanted to pour every truth out, but I bit my tongue from saying anything. If I did tell him, he would do something dangerous and god forbid if anything happened to him I couldn”t live with myself. Patting the seat next to him, he gestured for me to sit.
Hesitantly, I made my over to him and sat down. Suddenly, his body pinned me to the couch as his minty breath fanned over my lips. Peering up at him, I held out my hands to push him away slightly but my arms were pinned against his heart.
“Do you hear this?”, His heart was beating loudly.
“This happens whenever you”re around”, He whispered.
“I will always choose you, Griselda. Even if we”re hundred miles apart, I would always find you and choose you because I can”t live without you. Whenever I am not around you, I feel like a piece of me is missing”, He rested his forehead on mine.
My breath hitched in my throat and I closed my eyes savoring this moment and him. I wanted the time to stop so I could gaze at his eyes again and again because his eyes seemed to glisten with so much love that made my head spin.
“Please tell me, what happened downstairs”.
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Omg I am crying, the part when Arcado said I would always choose you, just pierced its way into my heart ???.