Chapter 77

Marabella’s POV

Luca grinned as he walked toward me. “You’re so damn adorable when you pout”, he commented. I grabbed onto his forearms to steady myself as I pulled to my feet. The pressure on my leg made my knee momentarily buckle. Luca tightened his hold, keeping me from falling. “Easy, piccola”, Luca said. I steadied my feet and took a deep breath.

I took a step forward, putting my weight on my bad leg. “Principessa”, Luca protested. “I’m okay”, I said, taking a full step. “I could just carry you”, Luca said, watching my feet. “No. The more I move, the quicker I heal”, I snapped back. “You’re a hard-headed woman”, he sighed, as we continued walking. “I am”, I agreed, letting go of his arms. “Wait, no”, Luca said, grabbing at my waist. “I’m okay, Luca. I can walk”, I sighed. “I don’t give a damn. I’m not letting you go”, he fulminated.

I sighed and shook my head as I let Luca guide me to the toilet. As I did my buisness, Luca grabbed the bandages. “Do you want a shower, bambina?”, he asked. I shook my head as I made my way to the sink. Luca realized what I was doing and immediately rushed to brace me.

“Dannazione, sei cosi futtutamente testarda, piccola (God damn, you’re so fucking hard-headed, little one)”, he cursed. I frowned as he picked me up and sat me on the counter. His hands came up to gently cup my face and make me look at him. “Do you want something for the pain, piccola? I can get you anything”, he said in a serious tone. I shook my head, “No, I’ll be okay”, I uttered. “Are you sure?”, he reiterated. “I’m sure”, I answered with a nod.

Luca frowned and nodded. “Okay. Let me know if you change your mind, bambina. Alright?”, he asked softly, his lips close to mine. “Okay”, I whispered. Luca grinned as he leaned in and captured my lips in a gentle kiss. “Good morning, mia bella moglie (my beautiful wife)”, he murmured, as he rested his forhead against mine. I smiled affectionately, “Good morning, il mio bellissimo marito (my handsome husband)”, I whispered.

“How did you sleep? Considering?”, he asked, rubbing his thumbs along my ribcage. “Pretty good, actually. It was just waking up that hurt”, I chuckled. Luca laughed lightly. “Good. I’m glad to hear that, bambina. Let’s get your bandages changed”, he said, taking the hem of my shirt into his hands. He gently pulled my shirt over my head.

I forgot I was braless until the cold air hit my nipples. I immediately covered them with my arms. “You don’t have to hide yourself from me, piccola”, Luca whispered, running his hands up my thighs. “Well, it’s a bit cold in here”, I retorted. Luca chuckled as he reached over to flip on a switch, making a heating lamp come on above where we stood.

I looked up at the light curiously. “Huh”, I uttered. Luca laughed deeply, “Oh, you’re so adorable, gattina”, he breathed out. A blush crept over my skin as I looked away. “Let’s get the one on your side first”, he uttered, reaching for the bandage. I stayed still as he pulled off the old bandage. “How did this happen? I don’t think I had the chance to ask”, Luca inquired softly, looking between my eyes and my wound.

I turned to the side so that I could see the cut and bruise. The bruise already covered over half of my side, just for a two inch cut. “The chair”, I murmured. “The chair? I don’t remember there being a chair in that room”, Luca said, as he prepared the clean gauze. “That’s because it crushed under our weight when he tackled me to the ground”, I explained, the event flashing through my mind like a scene in a movie.

Luca frowned, “Can you tell me about it, please? Like from beginning to end. Not knowing what happened to you is killing me”, he explained, a pained expression etched into his handsome feautures. I bit my inner lip as I watched him prepare a sav on the gauze. “Well, I guess it started in the restroom at school. I had gone pee and had went to wash my hands. Someone had struck me in the back of the ehad and knocked me out. When I woke up, I was in that basement room”, I started, as I watched Luca’s hands. I could feel his eyes continuosly lift up to study my face.

“I was tied to a chair, hands behind my back, ankles to the legs of the chair”, I uttered. His eyes traveled to my wrists, examining the bruises. “A woman stood in the shadows of the room. That’s when she spoke about you being too powerful to have an unpure wife”, I explained. “What else did she say?”, Luca asked with furrowed eyebrows. I frowned as I begin to recall the scene once again.