I groaned, my eyes slowly fluttering open. Startled, it felt as if I were facing a ghost. With a gentle moan, I whispered, “Dante,” my voice tinged with shock.Dante remained composed, his countenance void of emotion, while I struggled to piece together the events preceding this moment. Closing my eyes briefly, my head throbbed mercilessly. It flashed in my mind: the last memory—breakfast interrupted by sudden, searing pain and the onset of bleeding.Shifting my gaze away from Dante, I surveyed the room, a paradox of brightness and darkness. It dawned on me—I was in my own room.“What happened?” My voice trembled, the awkwardness of the situation magnified by Dante’s unsettling presence. His face, once pale and distant, now flushed slightly, his eyes darkening. My heart raced, my head ached.“Maria,” Dante’s voice, a gentle growl, softened the hardened frown. He drew closer, and with each step, a surge of anxiety coursed through me.Swallowing hard, I winced in pain as Dante abruptly
MARIA While sitting on the bed, fear clutched me, uncertainty about what lay ahead seized my thoughts. Tears welled up, blurring my vision as I clasped my hands, haunted by the grotesque memories, the painful echoes of repeated violation. The room seemed to shrink, suffocating me with its walls. Dante’s departure left an ominous imprint, his eyes burning with a mix of pain and anger, a terrifying sight etched in my mind.Summoning courage, I rose from the bed, yet my legs faltered, a lingering dizziness refusing to dissipate. Shuffling to the closet where I stored my bag, I retrieved my Franciscan Crown Rosary. Kissing its familiar beads, I returned to the bed, sinking to my knees, hands entwined, shutting out the world. Amidst the emptiness and agony, I felt cursed, as if destiny conspired against me, burdening me with misfortune. Doubts about God’s protection gnawed at me; the weight of this ordeal felt unbearable, contradicting the promise of divine shelter.Tears streamed down, a
MARIA “Here’s your drink,” a maid pushed a cup of juice in front of me abruptly.I turned toward her, eyebrows furrowed. “A drink? I didn’t ask for anything,” I said, shaking my head slowly and shrugging.“Take your drink,” the young woman with dark hair and a scowl, a mole close to her nose, snapped.I couldn’t fathom her hostile demeanor and sharp tone.“Okay, thank you,” I managed a strained smile.She huffed and made a face as she walked away. I held the juice, watching her until she left the room. Looking back at the cup filled with Mango juice, I felt uneasy. My heart raced, and my eyes broadened at the thought that Dante might have sent it. Quickly, I placed it on the balcony chair beside me. My heart fluttered in my chest, rising to my throat before sinking back to my stomach.Since that odd breakfast with Dante, where he had fed me despite my discomfort with deadly words, I’d felt unsettled. I wondered about his intentions, what he might have planned. I paced the balcony, cl
MARIA My heart pounded heavily as I stared at the package given to me by Dante. It was a red box, and as I collected it with shaky hands, my eyes locked with Dante’s beautifully darkened eyes. Terrified as I was staring at him, there was something about his eyes that I could not resist.“Open it,” Dante growled, his voice booming in my ears and head, making me jerk for a minute. I gulped down saliva as I slowly lowered my gaze to the red box. I rubbed my fingers on the edges of the box, my heart pounding rapidly. What could be in the box, I thought? Was it the tools he was going to use to harm me? My head began to feel heavy, as if it wanted to fall off my neck.“Please, Dante…” I lifted my eyes to beg, but Dante’s stare silenced my plea without a word from him. His eyes were like a burning furnace that held a number of souls captive, commanding authority with their intensity.I lowered my gaze back at the box once more and slowly opened it, my hands trembling. My mind raced with tho
AUTHORS POV“Carlo! Calogero! Mary! Where are you all at!?” John Wicks’ voice echoed in the Wicks mansion. There was a hide and seek game between one of the richest man in Naples, Italy. He rolled from one point to the other with a white fabric covering his sight. His hands were swinging around like a floss dancer.The kids were chortling and rushing from behind one couch to the other. It was a great sight to behold. You’d agree with me that finding rich families having such family time is rare or better still impossible to see which causes a deficiency in the mental growth of kids.“You can’t see us dad!” Carlo, the youngest twin, whiffed while standing beside the white settee, very close to the packed brown Curtain. Calogero was on the other end with his mom holding his hand with Mary’s too. “I got you!!” Mister Wick snickered and grabbed Carlo from behind. Carlo struggled in his grasped while he tickled him. They were still enjoying the splendid moment when all of a sudden there
MARIA’S POV“Hi, please I need your help” a stranger's voice spat from behind me. I creeped my hand away from the tin of milk I was about to pick from the ledge in the grocery stall. I met a handsome and stunning man. He had brown curly hair with deep chestnut brown eyes. “Hi” I reciprocated with a smile. His body fitted perfectly in the thick blue shirt and gray pants he wore. “Please I need your help, I don’t know if you can help out” he echoed in his husky baritone voice. “Sure.” “Okay, so the thing is, I have been trying to make Ribollita, but then I just can’t seem to get anything together.” His right hand held his phone as he glided through the screen with his eyes gawking at it. His left hand hung behind his neck, scratching his hair in confusion. “Cooking is just so hard,” he added. I couldn’t hold back my chuckle. His expression was goldenly hysterical. “Okay, I think I can help out with that” I moved closer to him still chortling. “It’s all easy, you just have to know
MARIA’S POV“I have nothing, I am only a nun!” I shrieked with my eyes blindfolded with a cloak. Sweat leaked over my face. I felt a harsh pain on my wrist as I struggled to break free from the hold of the tie to the chair I was seated on.“Please, please just let me go,” I pleaded.There was almost silence in the room but there were faint footsteps I could still pick out amidst the tranquilly. My words were reverberating so I knew it was an empty and enclosed space.“Here she is boss” a burly voice roamed out of nowhere. I was already filled with trepidation and anxiety. My heart was pummeling the fastest it could. My palms were wet and I was on the verge of tearing up. I only watched kidnapping scenes in movies. Being in that position made my stomach churn. I could hear some soft Italian in the background. I wasn’t so sure how many voices I heard, but I think probably three different voices. “Please don’t harm me” I whimpered in fear with my whole body shivering. My legs itch as we
MARIA’S POV“Maria Goretti was born on October 16, 1890 Corinaldo, Province of Ancona, Marche, Kingdom of Italy.” I paused and mulled overcon what I was saying. It was time for Spiritual reading and I was the one to take that day. The last day to me taking my perpetual vows. Ironically, Maria Goretti was my name sake and there was more to it obviously. She also died by forceful rape and she was stabbed fourteen times to death. Everyone’s eyes were on me. My whole body was stiff. It was a month now after the grotesque incident. Though I told no one about it. It was too nefarious and stigmatic, so I was better off without telling them.“Maria!”Mother superior's voice sparked my consciousness back to life. I gasped and looked around as everyone peered up at me, waiting for me to continue. My hands were wet. “I’m sorry” I smiled. Yes it was fake, very fake, but it was a smile. Abbess’ gaze directed at me and I knew she felt something was off. I managed to clasp myself together and fin