Chapter 9

Anagapesis

(n.) no longer feeling any affection for someone you once loved.

Willow’s POV

Diego and I moved to the mansion his mother bought for him in Buenos Aires.

She was worried when I told her about the attacks I had been getting. She promised to visit us whenever she had time.

I have also learned a few things about Diego, he is allergic to nuts, and he hates avocadoes and kiwis. He likes to eat chocolate but in secret, no one knows apart from him and me. He loves to gym, and he loves his family, especially his mother and his niece.

“Morning,” I greeted them, and Diego didn’t reply. You can say that he is in a battle with his heart and his head. I stared at him and took an apple from the fridge.

“Hey,” his second in command said and Diego just stared at me, as if reading me. To find all the darkest, dirtiest secrets I keep from the world.

“I will be in my room,” I said and went to my room. I sat on the bed, staring at the wall like I have been doing since we got here a week ago. I need to do something fun, like hitting a person or killing somebody, or maybe robbing a bank. It has been so long since I broke the law, yet I’m married to a mafia man.

“Morning, madam,” I looked up at the person who broke my train of dark thoughts. It was an older dirty looking dirty. Someone would have said she and the other ice cream man were related somehow. She looked like she was in her late thirties or early forties.

“Hi, how can I help you?” I asked and she took a step back like she feared me or something. What did I do to her in the past life?

“The boss said I had to come and take out your dirty clothes to wash,” she said, her hand gripping her dress, so that is what she does when she is scared.

“I don’t have any dirty clothes,” I said and she nodded before she ran out of my room. I stared at her back with my eyes wide. I walked out of the room and went to where the lady ran to. A young voice was heard apart from the scared cleaner.

“I apologize again sir,” the cleaner’s shaky voice said and the other girly voice kept laughing. “Mrs. Gallegos doesn’t have dirty laundry.”

“You asked her that?” the lady was quiet, so I guess she nodded because Diego hit the table and the girly voice laughed louder.

“I didn’t say ask her if she had dirty laundry, I said go and take her dirty clothes and wash them. Isn’t that what I pay you for?” Diego asked and I rolled my eyes. Feeling sad for the poor lady.

I walked in and said, “And I said there aren’t there. And I’m not gonna allow her to go to my closet and do as she likes even when I’m telling her that what she wants isn’t there,” Diego scoffed and the girl who seemed to be the same age as me or a year older giggled.

“This is my house, Willow,” he said and I craned my head to the side and waited for his boring lecture to begin. “And as long as you live under my roof-“ I cut him off and trust me he didn’t like that even one bit.

“Kick me out then,” I challenged and he huffed before walking toward me. The maid walked quietly out of the kitchen and I glared at Diego. He gripped my elbow and dragged me to my bedroom which was opposite his.

“I won’t have you disrespecting me or my staff,” he said throwing me onto the floor. I rolled my eyes and got up.

“Or what, Don?”

“I’ll hand you over to the Italian mafia,” he said and I chuckled walking closer to him. I hope he didn’t think that would scare me.

“Please do,” I told him and grabbed my gun then walked out of the bedroom and out of the house to the garage. I took my car and drove out of his property. I went to the forest and let out the loudest scream ever.

“Why did you leave me, papa? Why didn’t you take me with you?” I asked only the skies and let the tears fall freely. It felt like the world was against me somehow.

I heard a rustling sound behind me and before I could turn, everything went black.

I woke up in a dusty room. With rusted pipes and a wall full of my pictures in front of me. Pictures of my dad were also on the wall. And of mom and Steven. Steven’s face was marked with a red x. Kimberley’s face was cut off and Diego face had red X too.

“You’re up?” a voice asked and I rolled my eyes as the man came to stand in front of me. I stared at the hooded figure and gave him a look of boredom.

He removed the gag that I didn’t know was there and brought a bottle of water close to my lips. I drank the water with my eyes locked on his covered face.

“You are dying to see who I am aren’t you?” he asked as he removed the bottle from my lips. He opened a can of Nutella and dipped his finger in it and brought it to his lips.

“You planning to kill me?” I asked and he laughed, showing his white pearl teeth.

“Maybe.”

“And you gave me water to stay hydrated?”

“Hunger is much better than dehydration, don’t you think?” I rolled my eyes and looked around me, every wall had my pictures along with Diego's and Lorenzo’s. The one in the middle was clearer than all of them, it belonged to Lorenzo’s father. The Italian mafia leader.

“Why am I here?” I asked and he placed the Nutella jar on the side and turned fully to me. He brought his face closer to mine and inhaled, he smelt divine, just like the Nutella he just had.

“You want to cry?”

“You think?” I asked and he smirked, still not removing the hood from his face.

“No, you never cry. Apart from today every year. The day before your father’s death anniversary. I’m surprised you even remember that pig,” I stared at his moving lips. His disrespect for my dad was long forgotten.

“Really?” I asked and he nodded his head. He brought his head closer to mine, his intoxicating Nutella breath knocking me out of my senses. For a second it felt like I was falling in love again. I’ve had a crush before, but that’s all it ever was. And when I asked him to have sex with me, he made fun of me. Stupid boy.

“Yes really. You used to be innocent,” he said, his breath fanning my face as he spoke.

“Release my hands,” he didn’t hesitate to remove the ropes from my wrists and then started on my ankles. Once he was done, he leaned on the table and studied me. I stared at his lips, he had them in a straight line.

I got up and walked toward him, driven by lust, I stopped in front of him and rested my hands on his chest. I brought my lips closer to his, I enclosed my lips on his. They felt gentle and powerful at the same time. I slowly pulled away and allowed my hands to rest on his hoodie.

“Stop me,” I told him but he didn’t react. He just watched me from under his hood. I slowly removed the hood and found his eyes on me. He had blue cartoon-like eyes. He looked nervous and good-looking.

“Now that you have seen my face, I have to kill you,” he said and I chuckled, ignoring his comment or whatever that is called. His eyes looked heartless like he would kill me at any given moment.

“Wouldn’t that be fun?”

“Would it?” he asked and I touched the scar he had from under his ear down his neck. He shut his eyes closed and leaned forward.

“Wouldn’t death be an amazing adventure? Especially on the day before my dad’s death anniversary.” I said and he chuckled. I turned around and looked for the door, before I could turn around to leave, he pulled me back and kissed me.

“That might be the last time you get a kiss,” he stated and I smiled at him before leaving. I was almost at the door when I turned to him only to find him with a gun pointed at me.

“Oh, my goodness, you fear me,” I said and he slowly lowered his gun. He didn’t fear me, he had feelings for me, and that scared him.

“I fear no man or woman.”

“You won’t kill me while looking at me. Why?” I asked and he smiled or smirked in a thin line. Showing less feelings, his smile didn’t reach his eyes.

“You don’t remember me, it is kind of funny,” he said and placed his gun on the table, his eyes still locked on mine.

“Where is my car?” I asked, he chuckled and shrugged before walking in front of me. He led the way to where my car was before turning to me. He looked me up then down before putting his hood on again, I watched him walk away before getting in my car and driving back to the mansion.

“Where have you been?” Diego asked once I got inside the house. I looked at him with a raised eyebrow.

“Somewhere,” I said and he stood up and then kicked the table that separated him from me, it broke due to the impact.

“Where. Have. You. Been?” he asked, saying one word with each step toward me. I rolled my eyes when he thought he was smarter.

“That doesn’t make your point clearer. It just makes you take long to say basic, stupid sentences.”

“Damn it, Willow!” I jumped back when he shouted.

“I went to get fresh air!” I shouted back and he rolled his eyes before heading back to his seat.

“Where is the Italian mafia?” I asked and Darius stared at me in shock, Angelica started rubbing Diego's back as if to calm him down. He was pretty pissed and I bet nothing would calm that beast.

“Why would you expect the Italian mafia in a Spanish home?” Darius asked and I stared at Diego.

“Ask him,” I said and walked upstairs to my bedroom.

What would it be like if dad was still alive? Or if mom loved me? What if she had married a normal husband? Would I have still gotten married to a man that makes me feel good one minute and then looks like he wanna rip my head off the next?