Chapter 22: Chapter 22: Stroll Down Memory Lane

“At first it wasn’t that bad, at least compared to before. I guess he was just happy I went with him without fighting.

“He’d take me out to dinner and the movies and ask me stuff like he was trying to catch up on everything he missed.

“The second week there, he asked me if I was happy, and I told him I wasn’t. I said I wanted to come home and he—he just got so mad.

“He hit me for what felt like hours and made me sleep in the bathroom. He woke me up by turning on the cold water and soaking me.

“He beat me that day too because I wasn’t ‘being the perfect girlfriend he made me into.’ He put me in school two weeks later when the bruises had gone down.

“He wanted us to be a power couple. I couldn’t get any grade lower than an A+.

“I got Valedictorian and he got Salutatorian. I got beat for that too because it was supposed to be the other way around.

“He wanted for us to be prom king and queen, but I didn’t want all of that attention, so I snuck around asking people not to vote for me.

“When I didn’t get it, he beat me for not being pretty enough to get queen, and when he found out that I asked people not to vote for me.

“Basically, the five years I was with him I got beat on for everything. For being in the shower too long, for breathing too hard, for not smiling when we were out with friends.

“He slept with other girls, but if I was to so much as help a guy with something I’d pay for it. He made sure I had nobody but him,” I said softly.

Flashbacks started to go through my head and my hands shook as I brought them up to my face to wipe my cheeks.

“Why did he shoot you?” he asked softly.

“I was trying to leave. He did something he promised he’d never do because I made a mistake,” I said, squeezing my eyes shut.

“What happened?” he asked gently.

I released a shaky breath and explained what happened when we left his office.

“What happened after you said my name?” he asked.

I shook as a sob racked my body and he hugged me tightly.

“Did he touch you?” Bebe asked, stepping into the room with everybody else behind her.

I bit my lip hard and nodded my head.

Giovanni tensed and I looked up at him immediately, regretting saying anything.

“Where?” Alex growled, clutching his jaw.

“The day we were in your office, he dug his nails into my thighs,” I said, trying to take back what I said.

“That’s not what I meant by touch and you know it. Talk to us,” Bebe said gently. She kneeled in front of me and reached to touch my knee, making me jump.

“You won’t let anybody touch you. It’s a miracle you let Giovanni touch you, so what aren’t you telling us?” Alex asked slowly.

I shook my head again and stood up. “I need a break,” I said before walking into the bathroom.

I stood in front of the mirror and studied myself. I went through all of this with him before, and I refused to do it for a third time.

I took a deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom.

Alex walked up to me and frowned. I could see the frustration and hurt in his eyes. I used to be able to talk to him, and I could tell he felt hopeless.

“You’re still my best friend,” I whispered before he could say anything.

He smiled weakly, and I took a step closer to him. I took a deep breath and slowly wrapped my arms around him.

He tensed like he was shocked I was touching him but quickly got over it and hugged me tightly.

“You’re going to be okay,” he said softly.

I buried my face in his neck and sobbed. I heard a knock on the door and looked over Alex’s shoulder at the door.

A man wearing a suit was standing in the doorway holding a clipboard. He let his eyes linger on me for a second before turning his attention to Giovanni.

He stood up and left the room, followed by the man.

I opened my arms wider, and the boys smiled and joined the hug. Bebe walked up to me and pulled the boys off me before hugging me herself.

“WHAT?” Giovanni screamed.

I tensed, and Bebe pulled away from me.

“Stay here. I’ll go talk to him,” she said softly.

I nodded my head, and she stepped out of the room. The boys smiled and hugged me again.

“What have you guys been up to for five years?” I asked as we pulled away from each other.

They shared a look and awkwardly scratched the backs of their necks.

“Well, we graduated,” Alessandro said sheepishly.

“Barely,” Lorenzo mumbled.

I giggled and shook my head. “Why didn’t you go to college?” I asked, looking between them.

“We never stopped looking for you,” Alex admitted.

I frowned and sighed sadly. “Fine, but start looking for colleges. I’ll help you guys apply, and then I’ll make sure you graduate,” I said, smiling.

They looked between each other and opened their mouths to disagree when they got cut off.

“What did he do to you?” Giovanni growled, stepping into the room.

Bebe slowly walked in with tears running down her cheeks.

My mouth opened and closed as I tried to find a way to respond. “Nothing,” I croaked.

“STOP FUCKING LYING,” he screamed, making me jump.

“Don’t scream at her,” Alex said, looking between the two of us.

Bebe gently touched Giovanni’s shoulder and walked up to me. She sat beside me and hugged me into her. “I’m so sorry he did that to you,” she cried in between her sobs.

I tensed as tears filled my eyes. “How—how do you know?” I asked softly.

“Not from you,” Giovanni growled.

“Know what?” the boys asked.

“That he raped her,” Giovanni said bluntly.

The air got stuck in my lungs and my eyes burned with unshed tears.

“WHAT?” the boys yelled.

“What the fuck is he talking about, Lulu?” Alex asked, looking at me.

“Everybody calm down. She won’t tell us anything with everybody overwhelming her,” Dimitri said, looking around at everybody.

Bebe let me go and turned to look at Giovanni as if she knew he was going to argue. He shut his mouth and crossed his arms over his chest.

I took a deep breath before telling them everything, from us leaving the office to him forcing himself on me and him shooting me the next day for running.

The room was dead silent and I hadn’t looked up once.

“Were you going to tell us?” Giovanni asked and his voice cracked, making my heart clench. I looked up at him and the look on his face made my heart break.

He looked down like it was hard for him to look at me and I fought hard to keep myself from sobbing.

“No,” I said softly.

He chuckled humorlessly and walked out of the room before I could explain.

“I’m going to kill him,” Alex said suddenly. I had never seen him so angry in my life and I had no idea how to feel about it.

“Agreed,” the boys said before they all walked out of the room.

“Why weren’t you going to tell anybody?” Bebe asked.

“I didn’t want these reactions,” I whispered.

“I don’t understand. So you were trying to protect him?” she asked, genuinely curious.

“No. I’m trying to protect them.

“I wasn’t just with Johnathan for appearances—he taught me everything about his business and I know how his mind works,” I said, running my hands through my hair.

“Is that all?” she asked like she knew I was holding back.

“Like I said, I didn’t want these reactions. Giovanni won’t even look at me and everybody’s too busy being angry to realize I just want a hug.

“I want somebody to tell me that everything is going to be okay,” I sobbed.

Her eyes filled with tears, and she opened her arms. I leaned forward and hugged her as I sobbed. She gently rocked me back and forth while running her fingers through my hair.