89

Nightmares plagued me and I couldn't help but wake up screaming from this chaos of my subconscious. My whole body was shaking as sweat poured down my forehead and I could still hear Carlo's voice in my head. His selfish words...

I shouldn't do this, he'd said. He deserved it, he claimed, and while the sound of his voice slowly disappeared from my now waking mind, I looked around and realized dejectedly that Emilio was no longer with me.

Out of breath, I immediately put my hand on the couch next to me to feel if his place was still warm, but the fabric was already cold. So he had been gone for a long time and had left me alone.

Frustrated, my glassy eyes wandered to the small window in the corner, through which the warm sun was already shining. Taken by this brightness of the room, I then slowly calmed down again to some extent. Because it was the darkness alone that frightened me...

Just as I wiped the sweat from my forehead and had my breathing under control again, melancholy about to get up from the sofa, the door to the bathroom suddenly opened and I was almost scared to death when suddenly this man from last night came out of the small room entered the living room.

He also seemed surprised at my panicked eyes and only very slowly approached me.

"Hola," he smiled encouragingly, and despite his friendliness, I was frozen at his unexpected appearance.

What was he doing here? Why had Emilio left me alone with a stranger? These questions buzzed through my head, but I couldn't find an answer in myself.

"Hector, right?" I asked despite my increasing nervousness and caught his nod of agreement before he turned to the small kitchen alcove and I got up carefully with my paranoid gaze fixed on him.

And now, all alone with Hector, I had the bitter realization that I might never really trust a man again...

with one exception...

"Where is he?" I demanded, driven by my thoughts, watching Hector calmly fill two cups with black liquid.

"Away," he said without looking at me and so he also missed that I rolled my eyes annoyed at his short answer.

Then don't stop, I just thought to myself irritated about him and turned around to the bathroom until I stopped again when I reached the door.

"I saw that," I heard Hektor's voice behind me, and I was instantly ashamed of rolling my eyes at him. Who knew if Emilio had even told him where he was going.

Also, for my overall situation, this Hektor was the least...

"Sorry," I spoke honestly, turning to him briefly. He was meanwhile leaning casually against the bright refrigerator with a cup in his hand and only nodded to then take the newspaper from the counter while I disappeared into the bathroom.

My bare feet enjoyed the cool tiles, for although Hector and the sun had briefly distracted me, my body was still on fire. Carlo's rough touches were like fire on my skin. It hurt and it didn't feel real. Traces of his humiliations that I would probably never get rid of.

My eyes met in the mirror in front of me and as I let them roam to my lips, something incredible happened.

I forgot Carlos. I forgot his hands on me, his words, his breath. Forgot everything that had to do with him and this bad night and only felt one thing at that moment.

Emilio's demanding lips on my...

My heart skipped a beat just from this fleeting memory and, as if of my own accord, I gently stroked my lower lip with my fingertips. It was like wanting to grab that moment of happiness all over again. As if I wanted to feed off of it, but it was all just happening in my mind. But even if it was such a brief memory, she managed to banish some of the darkness from my soul. I was more than relieved because it showed me that there was hope.

Hope for a life that had nothing to do with dark clubs, loud music and intoxicating alcohol. no This rush was different. He was special and had nothing toxic about him.

"Isalie?", suddenly a knock on the door ripped me out of my trance and I looked over at her, startled.

"Yes?" I asked, simultaneously turning on cold water in the sink below me to cool my wrists.

"I put something to wear on the couch for you and took the key to your apartment! I'll just go and pack some things!"

"Okay," I replied, still preoccupied with my thoughts, until I suddenly realized what Hector had just said. "Wait!"

I quickly turned off the water and immediately ran to the door, only to push it open in such a hurry that Hector nearly got it smashed in the shoulder. But he was very quick in his movement. Almost too fast, as if he had already expected my panicked reaction.

"What do you mean by that? I'm not staying here any longer!"

I looked at him questioningly, but he just held my keys in front of me and looked at me intently.

"What do you need?"

"Where did you get my key from?" I wanted to know first, because I didn't even know where it was anymore because of all the chaos and alcohol.

"He was in your shoes," he explained, grinning slightly, and I just looked at him in total confusion.

"Thanks, but I'm going home soon anyway," I finally said confidently and wanted to reach for my key, but he grabbed my wrist and hid the key behind his back with the other hand.

"If you don't tell me what you need, I'll just get what I can find first," he let me know, looking at me expectantly.

"That would be burglary with theft," I replied with a raised eyebrow and didn't understand at all what it was all about. I really wanted to go home, even though I was scared. It wasn't permanent living here with a man I hardly knew. Add to that the pictures on the wall where I still didn't know who this woman was...

"And I wouldn't care," he smiled and then let go of me to take a few steps backwards away from me. "Orders are orders Isalie. Either you say something now, or-"

"Just something to wear and some books," I admitted defeated to him, but only because I didn't know him. As soon as Emilio got here, I would make it clear to him that no matter how bad things were, I still wanted to go back to my apartment.

It was my life and I wanted to decide for myself how and where I lived.

"See you soon," said Hector triumphantly, and before he could get past me and out the door, I quickly took a deep breath.

"If you're always so assertive, then I really feel sorry for your nieces!"

I held my breath, startled at myself, and watched him wide-eyed as he slowly turned to face me.

"Nieces? I have no nieces."

And as he then disappeared outside, I lost all trust in Emilio...