Chapter 4

My mind exploded with a loud buzz. I never expected Alana to pull something like that. I pushed her away at once and stumbled back. "Alana, stop. You're married to Freddy now. If someone sees this, it'll explode into something huge." She let out a cold snort. "Luca, you've gone soft. Back then, you were bold enough to stab Freddy's eye out." I didn't even know how to answer her. What happened back then had nothing to do with courage. It had been a total accident, driven by panic. Alana seemed to read every thought in my head. "Luca, you always liked me. You stood up for me that day and took the hit for me. Now you watch him beat me every day, and you feel nothing? "Freddy is a monster. He married me to get revenge. He thinks he lost an eye because of me, so he hurts me whenever he feels like it." Then, she did something that froze the blood in my veins. She slipped her dress off her shoulders. I was about to tell her to put it back on, but the words died when I saw her body. She stood there in nothing but a pale pink bra. Most of her skin was bare, but none of it was beautiful. Her chest, stomach, sides, and back were covered in bruises, welts, and scars. Some marks looked like burns from a cigarette. It was hard to imagine what kind of twisted abuse Alana had endured during this time for her body to be covered in so many wounds. I just stood there like a fool, forgetting even to tell her to get dressed. Tears rolled down her cheeks. "Luca, are you blaming me too? Are you blaming me for not visiting you in prison and blaming me for making you spend three years behind bars? "But what did I do wrong? I was a victim too. I never asked you to help me. You're the one who rushed in. You stabbed Freddy, and because of that, look at where I ended up. "If not for that day, I wouldn't have completely failed my exams. I wouldn't have fallen apart in high school. I should be holding an offer from a top college right now. I shouldn't even be here anymore. I should be living in a city." Her words struck me like a blade. It was a sharp, merciless blade that tore straight through my chest. I had hated her once. When I sat in that cell, I blamed her for never visiting me. I blamed her for the way everything fell apart. I even blamed her for Mom's death. But could I really blame her? She was right. She had not asked for help. I was the one who acted. I was the one who stabbed Freddy. I was the one who ruined both our lives. Alana had every reason not to visit me. By the time I went to court, the high school entrance exams were already over, and she had completely bombed hers. She must have been in a terrible state back then, so how could she possibly have come to see me? She probably hated me then too. "Luca, tell me. What did I ever do wrong? Why do I have to suffer for everything? I'm the biggest victim here." Her whole body shook as she cried harder. I didn't know what came over me at that moment. My mind blanked out, and I pulled her into my arms. "I'm sorry." Alana didn't push me away. She tilted her head slightly, and those tear-filled eyes met mine. Our faces were so close that I could feel her breath come and go, and it hit me all at once. She was beautiful. It was the kind of moment I had fantasized about since we were young, something I thought would only ever live in my imagination. Yet somehow, here it was, unfolding in front of me for real. A thousand thoughts flashed through my mind. For a split second, I even imagined taking her far away from Stonebrook, to somewhere no one knew us, so we could start over and live a new life. Feeling the warmth of her body against mine and looking at that face I had dreamed about for years, I couldn't stop myself from leaning in and bringing my lips close to hers. Alana still didn't pull away. As the moment deepened, she even leaned in to meet me halfway. She must have liked me too. I had always suspected it. If I had just been a little braver back then and confessed before Freddy did, would she have agreed to be my girlfriend? At that moment, her breath brushed against my skin. I could almost taste the sweetness of her lips. And then, just as our mouths were about to meet, a furious roar shattered everything. "Luca, you bastard! How dare you touch my wife?" I barely had time to react before a sharp kick slammed into my side. The force sent me flying, and I crashed straight into the nearby pond. "You whore! How dare you cheat on me!" Freddy tore into her first, grabbing her by the hair and slapping her across the face again and again. I tried to push myself up from the water to stop him, but before I could even get my footing, two big guys pinned me down and forced me back under. They weren't from our village, but I recognized them. They were part of Brandon's crew, and now, they were working for the Ford family. After Freddy finished beating the hell out of Alana, he finally turned and stalked toward me. His face was twisted with rage. "Luca, you've really got some balls, huh?" He stopped in front of me, squatted down, grabbed a river stone from the ground, and smashed it straight into my forehead. My skull exploded with a sharp ringing. A sharp burst of pain tore through me, and warm blood streamed down my face, blurring my vision in red. My mind went blank, and I blacked out for a second. However, in the very next moment, I snapped awake, only to feel Freddy grabbing my head and shoving me underwater. I choked on mouthful after mouthful of muddy pond water. Every time I managed to break the surface and gasp for air, he slammed my head back down again. After being dunked over and over like that, I was barely hanging on. The pain in my skull and the suffocating burn in my lungs made me feel like I had already brushed past death's door a few times. "I'm killing you today." Freddy had completely lost it. He yanked my hair back, and at some point, a knife appeared in his hand. The gleaming tip of the knife was aimed straight at my throat. My eyes widened. I could already picture the blade piercing through my neck. However, right at that critical moment, a huge hand clamped onto the back of Freddy's neck and yanked him away. "Cut the crap. That's enough."