ATTRACTED TO HER - Episode 19
Alessandro’s pov ?
It’s been three days since I’ve last seen Athena. She sent Jasper, my best friend, and Kano here every day to make sure I was fine, and it made me miss her even more.
She’s too good for someone like me, for anyone for that matter.
I called her for the thousandth and it, as usual, went to voicemail.
“Athena, please baby, I miss you so f-__-k**ing much. I’m so sorry.”
I was cut off by it saying her voicemail box was full, probably because of me.
I drunk the rest of the bottle of whiskey, becoming a bit light-headed, as the two most annoying voices came into focus.
“It’s noon and your drinking?” Kano said with a scoff.
“Athena. How’s Athena?” I managed to slur out as I tried to grab another bottle.
“Nope.” Jasper grabbed and took a swig. “She’s fine. How’d you manage to fu*ck that up? She’s funny and she’s gorgeous, that’s some hard $h|t to find.”
“Has she spoke about me?”
“Clearly if she’s been asking us to check up on you every d@mn day.”
Jasper rolled his eyes as him and Kano grabbed my arms. “You drinking isn’t going to get her attention.
Be a man and show the woman you love her.”
Love? Is that what I’m feeling for her? I love Athena, I love her so f-__-k*ing much.
“Is she still at Serene’s place?” I know it may sound weird but I’ve been keeping in contact with Serene and she’s been giving me little information, to respect Athena.
I only know that she’s been fine. Better than me.
“Yeah, don’t act like a ?îtçh and sober up before you go see her.”
Kano slapped my face playfully after they set me in the bed. “We’ll help ourselves and take the alcohol.”
“@$$h0les.” I groaned, the headache coming harder than last night.
“Yeah, yeah, we love you too.”
Athena pov ?
If it weren’t for Serene, I’d be right back in Alessandro’s arms by now.
I miss him so much and it’s so hard to ignore his messages and voicemails.
Hell, he’s even started emailing me on both my regular and business email.
Serene told me he’s been calling and whenever he does, I sit close just to hear his voice, even if he’s drunk off his @zz half the time.
Three more days until Brinda’s court date and I’m stressing about other things.
The press has still been on my @zz, especially with the cheating scandal.
Not only did Oliver kiss Kattie but they also had segz. Multiple times.
They found out I was staying at Serene’s, and they’ve been hounding her home day and night.
It’s honestly exhausting, having to somehow distract the press so the other is able to leave the house without running someone over.
“You ready?” Serene asked, adjusting her white shirt. The two of us, including Rachael, were getting ready to go out to the gym.
“Yeah.”
“Did he call again?” I nodded. “Your better than me. With the type of voicemails and messages he leaves you I would’ve ran back to him.”
I laughed as we went out the back door. We’d put a car there now, one the press had never seen us drove. “I want to.
I really, really do. But I also don’t want him to think it’s going to be easy to get back into my good graces whenever we get into an argument.”
“I understand. Gotta make him regret everything.” Rachael said as she climbed into the backseat and I nodded.
The press was lined up outside of Serene’s place and I couldn’t help but feel a little bad for bringing all this attention to her.
By the time we had gotten in the car I’d realized I had forgotten my gym bag so, much to Serene’s annoyance, I went to retrieve it.
As I walked in, the house had some weird vibe like something bad was about to happen.
I would be lying if I said I wasn’t scared as $h|t.
I took a deep breath and went looking for my bag.
I started to go through it to make sure I wouldn’t annoy Serene and leave something again.
Her car horn honked and I laughed, throwing the bag over my shoulder and beginning to walk out.
A hand came out, covering my mouth and dragging me back inside.
“Just drop it.” The voice said angrily. I knew it from somewhere I just couldn’t pin it because I was in shock.
All I could think about was if I was going to die.
The duffel bag had dropped to the floor, with one hand on his arm that was suffocating me the other reached down into my pocket to grab my keys.
I was getting more dizzy the longer he choked me but once I stabbed the key in his arm he let go.
I started coughing falling to the floor and gripping my neck as I tried to breathe in air.
Instead of just sitting there I got up feeling light headed and making a run for the door.
Just as I was close I was yanked back by my hair and thrown onto the ground.
The masked man tried to land a punch to my face but I rolled over, making him fall to the ground.
I crawled into the kitchen and tried to stand when he gripped my hair again.
“You brought this on yourself.” He said and pulled me down onto the floor.
He stood over me and I took the opportunity to kick him in the balls.
Getting up as he held onto his crotch I grabbed a knife but it was twisted out of my hand and he turned me around to face him.
“Stupid f-__-king ?îtçh!” He punched me in my face sending me falling to the ground and almost passing out.
Blood had spilled from my mouth and nose and when I tried to get up he kicked me in my stomach.
“We warned you.” Another kick. “But you didn’t listen.” I winced at the hardest kick he’d sent me. There was blood. Too much blood.
It took all of the strength I had to grab his leg just as he was about to kick me and pull him to the ground.
I stood up, shaking and feeling a weird hard pain in my stomach as more blood dripped down my legs.
I grabbed the dirty knife that sat in the sink and turned around just as he stood up.
Tears had fell down my face as I pointed the knife at him.
I know I’d gotten kicked repeatedly but something in my body felt off.
“I swear to God if you don’t leave I will ki|| you.” It was a lie, of course, I was to weak and feeling way to much pain in my stomach to try and ki|| this man.
He lunged at me and the knife was able to scrape his neck before he knocked it out of my hand.
His hands wrapped around my neck and I gripped his wrist.
“I told you you’d regret this. He will not go to prison because of a wh-_-re like you.
You will not let him get ki||ed in that prison.”
I choked and choked, trying to get him away from me.
It started to hurt to breathe and my eyes started rolling to the back of my head.
“Get the f-__-k off her you @$$h0le!” Someone yelled, jumping onto the strangers back.
I passed out before I could hear or see anything else.
I woke up feeling happy for once.
I was going to see Athena and apologize, tell her how much I love her, and do anything to get her back in my arms.
I wore a white dress shirt, black slacks, and her favorite watch of mine.
I had a blue bouquet of flowers in hand along with a box of her favorite donuts.
I’d rehearsed everything over a thousand times. And made a few adjustments here and there.
Fuc*k I’m a nervous wreck. I’ve been making sure the flowers and donuts looked perfect for the last thirty minutes.
If I fu*ck this up not only will I h@?? myself Kano and Jasper would probably murder me and get away with it.
After another ten minutes of checking everything I decided to finally leave the house.
I took over a hundred deep breaths and kept on reassuring myself that everything was perfect.
I took one final deep breath when I get closer to Serenes house.
Don’t ask how I got the address. Confusion took over my features at the sight of cop cars and ambulances.
Is Athena okay? The worst case scenarios played in my head as I hurried out of the car and into the home.
“Sir, you can’t go in there! Sir!” An officer yelled but I pushed past all of them and ran through the front door.
“You can’t be-” Their voices faded when my eyes landed on the bloody handprints, knife on the floor, then slowly to the puddle of blood. Where the fu**ck is Athena.
My heart was racing and I felt myself stop breathing at the thought of possibly losing her.
“Alessandro? Alessandro, it’s okay.” Serene was in front of me now, the officers had gone elsewhere.
She had a cast on her arm and a worried look on her face. She already knew what I needed to hear.
“Athena’s at the Sinclair hospital. She’s fine but in critical condition. Do you-”
I thanked her before rushing out of the house. I needed to see Athena and make sure the love of my life was still breathing. I needed her to still be breathing.
She probably wouldn’t want me speeding down the road and almost crashing but I could care less.
I was surprised I made it to the hospital without cops pulling me over.
I ran inside to the front desk. “Mr. Sinclair, how can I-”
“Athena Mallory Escarra. Where is she?” I was getting impatient as she typed her name.
“I’m surgery right now. She’ll be out in a few minutes.”
“How long is a few minutes.”How long is a few minutes.”
“Um, twenty minutes.” I chewed on the inside of my bottom lip as I paced back and forth.
The receptionist said something but I was already walking away.
It took everything for me not to walk in the surgery room and hold her hand.
To see her face and feel her soft skin. I needed the reassurance that she was still here. That we still had time to be together.
To hopefully get married and have mini versions of us running around.
I needed to know she still had time to be Athena Sinclair-Escarra.
My leg bounced for the entire twenty minutes and I hadn’t noticed Serena and another woman come in and sit beside me.
“She’ll be fine. Athena’s a fighter.” Serene assured me but I could tell she was just as worried.
There was way to much blood for her to be fine.
I flew up out of my seat as the doctor came and walked to us, blood on his gloves.
She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay. She’s okay.
The doctor spoke. “She’s okay.” And I felt relief flood my body. She’s okay. My butterfly is okay. Serene started crying and hugged the blond woman.
“What room is she in?” I asked, my hands itching to feel her skin.
“104 but-” I didn’t stay to listen to wh@??ver he said but wh@??ver it was made Serene cry harder and louder.
I ran towards her room and the sight made my heart crumble.
Her hand had been bandaged and there was a bruise around her neck.
I walked closer and saw the bruises that disappeared underneath her gown.
Her eye and lip were busted and she had a bruise on her cheek.
For the first time, I wanted to cry. I wanted to cry because the sight of her made me feel bad. I wasn’t there to protect her like I was supposed to be.
I grabbed her hand and kissed it over and over again.
“I’m so sorry, butterfly. For everything.” My eyes were closed as I kissed her hand.
I heard a cough then a wince right after it. She was awake.
“Baby, Athena, how are you. Are you okay? Never mind, that was a stupid question-”
“Alessandro.” She said, her voice strained. “Water.”
“Fuc*k, right, sorry.” She returned her gaze back to the ceiling.
I poured her a glass of water and walked back over to her with a straw. She opened her mouth and took a few sips.
“Thank you.” She cleared her throat which seem to make it hurt worse”No, no. Don’t talk it’s okay.”
I kissed her forehead and moved hair out of her face.
“Your okay.” I smiled but it quickly fell when she started crying. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
She cried and cried, shaking her head and apologizing.
“Please don’t be mad. I didn’t know. I- I- I didn’t know. I’m sorry.” She cried and I wiped the tears away from her face.
“What? What didn’t you know, butterfly?”
She took my hand and squeezed it with very little strength.
“I lost it. I- I lost our… our baby.” She cried, and I froze. She was pregnant? She lost the baby. Fu*ck, she lost our baby.
Her crying grew harder and I carefully moved her to the side, crawling in and cradling her head to my chest. ”
Shh, shh. It’s okay, I’m not mad. I would never be mad. It’s not your fault, baby.” I kissed her hair, letting my lips stay there as she cried more.
We lost our baby. We lost our baby. She would’ve had my child.
We would’ve had kids if it weren’t for- “Do you know who did it?” I asked, my worry turning into anger.
“N- Nate.” She sobbed, moving closer to me and I wrapped my arms tighter around her.
Nate… Nate… “Nate, the guy that thr_@tened you?” She nodded. “Your positive?”
“Yes, he kept talking about how he told me I was going to regret it and that I should’ve listened.
I know it was him. He- he-” She started to cry again which made me more angry. “I want him dead.” She cried out.
“Baby, butterfly, I need you to breathe.” I made her look up at me and placed her hand on my chest where my heart was.
We breathed in and out until she started breathing normally.
“I-” Someone opened the door frantically, cutting me off and catching Athena and I by surprise.
“Athena?” Oliver said but stopped moving towards the bed once he noticed me.
Oh great, just make my day worse than it already is.
He scowled at me and his fists were balled by his sides. ”
Why are you holding my wife.”
“No.” Athena cut in before we could start arguing like children. “Leave. Please leave.”
“But-“Get him out of here. I don’t want to see him.
” I nodded, kissing her forehead before getting up. I grabbed Oliver by the arm and against his wishes dragged him out and locked the door.
He was like a little kid, fighting me and calling me all types of names.
Security came and grabbed him and literally threw him out.
“He’s gone, butterfly.” She tried covering her face as I got closer.
I got back into the small bed and moved her hand away.
“Your beautiful. You’ve always been beautiful and always will be.”
I kissed the bruise on her cheek, her busted eye, and her busted lip.
I glided my lips down to her neck and kissed along the path of the bruise around it.
“How-” Her voice came out pinched so she cleared her throat. “How long are you staying?”
“However long you need me to.” Her stomach growled lowly and we looked at each other.
“When was the last time you ate?”
“Uh,” She chuckled nervously. “I had a pop tart for breakfast.”
I rolled my eyes, “I’ll be back.” Her face dropped as she silently begged me to stay. I pressed my lips against hers softly. “I’m just going to my car.”
“Promise?”
I picked up her butterfly hand and kissed it. She smiled.
“Promise, love.” I quickly left out of the room but had a bit of trouble leaving since paparazzi surrounded the front side.
When I made it to my car in one piece I grabbed the flowers and donuts before jogging back in.
She probably couldn’t eat them right now but wh@??ver.
I opened the door and set the food down on the chair, not looking in her direction just yet.
“Hey, baby, I don’t know if you can eat donuts but-” I didn’t see her in the bed but a bit of blood was on the floor and went into the bathroom.
That’s when I heard muffled crying and ran inside to see her crouched on the floor, blood still spilling out of her.
“I’ll call a nurse.” She didn’t respond, kept her gaze on the blood and cried.
Once I called for a nurse they quickly came in and cleaned her, she never stopped crying.
For the hundredth time today, I wanted to cry. For Athena, my love, who is going through so many emotions.
For our baby girl or baby boy that would’ve been so loved. It hurts me that I’ll never get to meet them.
It’s weird how, even though I’m just now finding out about them, I already have this strong feeling of love for them.
A feeling that I’ll never be able to show them because they were taken away from me.
But I needed to stay strong for Athena. I would grieve after I made sure she was okay.
I helped change her out of her hospital gown and into my dress shirt. She was facing me, looking down, as I tied her hair up into the neatest bun I could.
“Butterfly?” I said when she kept her head down.
“Look at me.” I tilted her head up by her chin and as soon as her eyes landed on me they became glossy.
“I’m sorry. I’m so fu**cking sorry, Alessandro. Please don’t h@?? me I didn’t mean for it to happen.
I didn’t mean for any of it to happen.” She cried, putting her forehead on my bare chest. “Please…”
I stroked her back and blinked back any tears. “Athena, I need you to hear me when I say this.”
I pulled her head back so she could look at me, my hands cupping her face and wiping at her tears. “You did not do any of this.
None of this is your fault it’s Nate’s. I’m not mad and I don’t h@?? you, okay?
I kissed her soft lips then her cheek. “You know I’d do anything for you, right?
Even ki||.” I had my forehead pressed against her, eyes closed but i I could still feel her eyes on me. “What do you want me to do to him, Athena?”
She hesitated before saying, “Torture him. I want him tortured for what he did to our baby.”
Our baby.
“Done.” She hugged me tighter, I picked her up and wrapped her legs around my waist. She had her head nuzzled in the crook of my neck as I carried her to the bed.
I set her down first so she’d get comfortable before going to turn the lights out. I basically owned the f-__-king hospital so I was staying all night.
Crawling in next to her, she set her wrapped arm on my chest and her leg over mine. I held her thigh while my other hand rubbed her back.
After all of the hours I’ve spent with her, she finally felt relaxed.
I kissed her butterfly hand before falling asleep with her in my arms.
TBC