Part 8

Her Pov:

The whole day passed by doing nothing. I am so hell bored, but there's literally nothing I can do about that. I tried to watch the TV, but I was never a telephile, so I gave up after a while.

Back in the US, I didn't even have time to get bored. Classes, studies, part-time jobs, and Antonio ...

My chest tightens from the memories as I try to push them on the back of my head.

How strange it is, isn't it? The memories you once used to live for can turn into the reason that kills you from within with every passing second!  Even when I try my best to not think I can't help myself.

Sometimes, I wonder if I would still choose Antonio once again if I knew the events would turn out like this?

Tears threaten to gather in my eyes as I try to shake that thought off my head. No... I won't think ... I don't want to think anymore...

But boredom is getting the best of me.  I tried to talk with the maids, but they were so busy with their work that they showed no interest in talking with me.

I didn't have my phone with me for long enough now since I have come to Italy. I tried to go to the kitchen to make something and pass my time somehow, but the maids chased me off, saying no outsider is permitted in the kitchen.

It was almost evening, and I was standing at the rooftop getting lost in my thoughts again when I felt someone standing beside me. I looked at the person and found David standing there.

" Why are you looking so dull all of a sudden?" He asked with concern in his voice.

I try to give him a smile. " Nothing, just a little bored."

" Yeahh, I should have guessed that. Any living person in this house will be dead bored."

I smile and nod.. To be honest, I think David is a nice person.  A very nice person. I know he doesn't need to, but he's still keeping me company. But I don't really want company now. I just want to be alone. Just alone.

I look as far as my eyes can go. But I don't see anything. Like always, I am in a haze as I do look at things, but I don't see them.

" Rosalina.. Hey.."

And I am pulled out of the trance as I look at David with my blank eyes. Slowly coming back to my senses and the present world.

" Yes?" I ask him pretending I was here all along.

" Are you okay?" He asks me as his eyes try to study me.

I force a smile on my face. " Yes... What were you saying? Sorry I didn't quite catch it."

" Do you like to read books?" He asks me, taking me off guarded.

This time, a small but genuine smile forms on my face as I look at him and nod a little. " Yes, I do love to read books.."

I have always loved reading books. In my childhood, my mom and  then my grandma both used to read me books. I have loved books since my very young days. When mom passed away, I used to read the books she read to me over and over. It somehow made me cope with the situation. Whenever I used to read books, I had always felt my mom and grandma live within me.

" Perfect! I have a place for you then!" He smiles as he gestures me to go in front of him.

I hesitate for a bit before I start to walk with him. It's better to see where he takes me than standing here and getting lost in my endless loop of thoughts.

It took us around 10 minutes to walk to the west part of the mansion. He takes me in front of a huge door as he pushes the doors, and I gasp in shock.

As far as my eyes go, all I see are shelves full of books. I take in the amazing view with my yearning eyes. And for the first time, I forget my past my present and all the voices in my head goes silent for a second as I look around the huge room.

It's so beautiful, classy, and just so perfect. I look at David with my stunned face.

He chuckles, seeing my face. I ignore his chuckle as I look at him carefully.

" I never imagined that  you're a bookworm!"

He dramatically bites his tongue as if I have said something very inappropriate.

" Please don't disrespect me like that, Rosalina." He says dramatically.

" What do you mean?" I furrow my brows." These aren't your books?"

He shakes his head." No, it's all of brother's. I and Susan never liked books."

I raise a brow." Susan?"

He nods.." Yeah, my sister. Didn't my brother tell you?"

I shake my head, and a look passes on his face and vanishes before I can tell.

" Strange... I thought you would know . You know Susan is the apple of his eye. I thought you would know.."

Now, how do I tell him the relationship I have with his brother isn't the usual ones. We never talked about anything related to our lives. Wait, it can't even be called any sort of relation...

To him, I am just a property he bought with money, and to me, he's just someone who can give me back my freedom.

He smiles.." Never mind, now you know. So yeah, it's all his kingdom. Every book here belongs to him."

Honestly, it surprised me more than it should have. I never thought Leonardo was someone who would love books, let alone own such a huge library. He just doesn't look the type who would be into books.

The ringing of a phone pulls me back from my thoughts as David receives the call. His brows furrowed as he listened to the other side.

" Okay..." He replies and cuts the call off.

"I have to leave.. Enjoy your time here, Rosalina." He rushes off to somewhere, and I walk around the library.

It's so huge. It has only a table with two chairs facing the huge window of the room. The fields can be seen from the window.

There are a huge number of books on several topics, but it seems like they weren't touched in a while. Most of them are on business studies and self-help books.

I take a book that interests me, and I take a seat as I turn the pages of a book after a long time. It was a really long time. I smell the book, and a tear leaves my eye. I feel a little at peace after a long time as I start to read the book.

I was so lost in the book that I didn't notice it was raining heavily until thunders started to storm in loud noises and lightning strikes the whole place making it visible for a second before everything becomes dark again.

I look at the wall clock, and it's 11 pm! How did I not notice the time! I keep the book at its place as I get up and leave the room. I walk through the corridor, but I don't see any maid in the mansion.

I guess everyone has left to their quarters.

Another huge thunder storms as the whole mansion goes dark. What the fuck! Don't tell me it's a load shedding!

I try to fasten my pace but it's not possible in all darkness. I tried to call someone, but my voice echos in the void hall and comes back to me, haunting me.

I hear footsteps behind me, so I look back in the hope that any maid must be left in here. But I don't see anyone but only the footsteps.

" Is there anyone?" I ask as I try to look through the darkness of the hallway.

But no one replies. I was about to ask once again,  but before that, another lightning strikes and the whole mansion flashed with the light for a second through the windows.

And I freeze. My whole body goes rigid as I feel a cold sweat run down my spine. A huge tall and dark figure is standing a few steps away from me with an axe in his hand. His face is not clear, but he seems to be drenched in blood.

I feel my legs are of tons as I can't move them from the floor. And he takes a step towards me.

I come back to my senses as I scream on top of my lungs, and I run. I fucking run! I can hear heavy footsteps behind me. Chasing me. I don't see anything in the darkness but I still run.. I clash with a table hard and a vase or something of glass falls on the floor as it breaks into pieces.

I have lost it by then. I could still hear the footsteps getting closer. I run on the broken glasses I could feel them cutting through my thick socks and cutting my feet but I couldn't care any less.

I scream for my life and cry for help as I try to run with my now sorely wounded feet.

I couldn't see anything so I was clashing with things here and there. I could feel the tears running down my cheeks burning my skin.

It's true I didn't want to live. It's true I still don't know what I am even living for. But I still tried. I fucking tried. To give myself a chance. To give mom's rosalina a chance.

Now... Is this how my life is going to end? A crazy man stabs me with an axe till I die?

I suddenly feel there are stairs ahead of me. This is my last chance. My last hope. Maybe these are the stairs leading to downstairs.

I run down the stairs while looking behind me, looking for any trace of the man.

Suddenly, I missed a few steps and fall right to someone's arms. My whole body crashes with a wall of muscles.

I scream on top of my lungs as I jerk away from the person and push the person hard as I try to take my steps back on the stairs, locking my eyes on the dark figure...

Another huge thunder storm and the lights of the mansion comes back.

And Leonardo's standing in front of me. A few steps away from me. His cold hazal eyes run over me, and a flustered look takes over them as he scans me.

I looked at him, and suddenly, I could feel my whole body shaking , sweat running down my face, and my feet bleeding.

And I run, run down the stairs as I run to him and hug him with all my might.

I don't know why I did that. Maybe I was just looking for an ounce of comfort. I was not even in my senses completely as I run to his arms and wrapped my arms around his neck, my breast clashing with the hard miscles of his chest and my bloody feet tiptoeing on his shoes.

He halts for a moment. As if he doesn't know what to do. He stands there like that for a moment before finally wrapping his hands around my body and taking me in his arms. My legs go slightly up in the air.

His huge shadow covering my tiny body.

I don't want to accept it ... But the cold and almost emotionally dead Leonardo, whom I always believed to be deprived of any emotions from the very first day, provided me comfort at that very moment.

The comfort I was looking for... The comfort I was looking for a very, very long time....