The whole story!
I wake up to Nicco's soft snoring in my ear.
I try to get out of bed without waking him; my steps are light and barely make a sound.
"You don't have to walk like that, Elena. I woke up the moment you moved to my side," Nicco says when I reach the bathroom door.
"And why did you let me walk like that?" I ask irritably.
He laughs and sits up in bed.
"Because it was so much fun," he says humorously.
I roll my eyes and slam the bathroom door.
It takes me a while to get back to my room. When I return, Nicco has already left, and I see that the clock reads ten in the morning.
Well, I guess I won't go to school today.
I decide to take a long shower to get rid of last night's thoughts.
As I change after my shower, I remember that I have a meeting with Silas this afternoon and need to talk to Lorenzo.
I excitedly go downstairs, hearing voices coming from the living room, but I head straight to the kitchen.
I find Leonardo and Vicente talking while they're on their phones.
"Good morning, have any of you seen Lorenzo?" I ask, making myself noticed.
"Good morning, he's in the office in a meeting," Leonardo replies, his tone strange.
I look at him confused.
"Is everything okay?" I ask.
I haven't spoken to him much since we got back; we haven't had a chance to talk about Gael's story or the kidnapping yet.
"No, Elena isn't here," he says, and I raise an eyebrow at his rude tone.
Vicente lowers his phone and stares at us, deciding whether or not to intervene.
"What's your problem?" My tone matches his.
"You, Elena, you've been my problem since you arrived, and now you're acting like a coward," Leonardo snaps.
"Leonardo," Vicente warns.
"She needs to hear it," Leonardo snaps, and I take a step back. "We're all trying to end this war. The only chance you have to help is to chicken out."
I hear footsteps coming from the living room, and soon everyone is standing in the doorway, confused.
"What do you want?" I ask, my heart racing. "Do you want me to tell you how I was tortured? How that son of a bitch broke me to get information?"
Leonardo takes a step forward, and no one stops him.
"Exactly, because if it's your story that will help us, then yes," he shouts loudly. "Now stop acting like a coward and help the family that's doing everything for you."
My blood boils this time.
"I did something for all of you too," I shout, and Leonardo stares at me in confusion. "When Edgar tortured me, I didn't break, I didn't give him information about the house or you."
"What do you mean?" Vicente asks, and I wipe away a stubborn tear. "I wanted to know about the house, the number of security guards and the access codes," I say, clenching my fists.
"And you didn't give in," Giovanni says softly.
"He cut my leg with a dull blade, burned my wrists with the metal of the chair, cut my skin, opened old scars," I say, and feel my nail pierce my skin.
"Sorella, I'm sorry," Vitório says, approaching me, and I recoil.
"Don't touch me, you wanted to know what happened, well, that's the story," I say with hatred.
"No, there's something you haven't told us yet," Lorenzo says coldly, standing in the doorway.
I stare at him with a plea; not even the dark part of my mind has the courage to access that memory.
"Edgar wouldn't brag about that," Lorenzo adds.
I look at everyone and feel suffocated, I feel trapped.
"Speak, Elena," Leonardo insists, "End this damn story so we can get this over with."
I feel blood dripping from my hand, the pain easing.
"He marked me," I say through gritted teeth. "He made sure every time I looked in the damn mirror, I remembered him."
I pull at the side of my hair near my neck, where Edgar's name is engraved.
Then I pull down the side of my pants near my waist, where his name follows the path of my groin.
"That's what he did," I say, my voice trembling. "He'll never let me forget what happened because it's branded into me."
Everyone falls silent; I see anger in their eyes.
"Are you satisfied?" I ask, feeling betrayed; they didn't respect my wishes.
"Elena," Fernando calls, and I glare at him.
I run my hand through my hair, trying to control my anger.
"I'm going for a walk." I need to get out of this house.
Giorgio and Dante, who are at the door, make way for me. I walk out the front door and through the house, even going into the shooting range, but that's not what I need.
I call Lorenzo and ask him to let one of the security guards take me somewhere in the city.
It takes a few minutes for him to give me permission.
Minutes later, I'm in a black SUV heading to the ice cream shop near the park.
"I won't be long, so if you want, park across the street," I tell the security guard, who waves and parks the car so I can see the ice cream shop.
I go into the ice cream shop and wait in line.
My head is full, and I feel overwhelmed with all the information I need to process.
I don't know how to feel about my family, who are so focused on resolving their issues with the American Mafia that they don't care if they hurt me.
I want to scream in irritation and frustration at not being able to control any situation in my life.
I'm pulled from my thoughts when it's my turn to order.
I order vanilla ice cream with strawberries and dulce de leche topping.
I decide to go to the park and ask the security guard to come with me.
I tell Silas I'm early, and he says he'll be at the park in half an hour.
We walk in, and I walk past the families having fun and sit under the same tree I sat under with Silas last time.
The security guard follows me from a distance and sits on a bench where he can see me.
I eat my ice cream calmly.
And I feel like this is what I needed: silence and fresh air, but more than that, I needed my own company.
I finish my ice cream and am ready to leave when a voice speaks from behind the tree I'm leaning against.
"If you lift the girl sitting next to your security guard, you'll put a hole in his chest," Silas says, coming into my field of vision.
I glance at the security guard, who seems oblivious to what's happening, as he can't see Silas from where he is.
"Now let's talk, Elena. After all, I'm your best friend," Silas says coldly.