Chapter 3: Three: Nightmares

Trigger Warning: Mentions of Rape in Chapter

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Just as they were climbing into the black Mercedes, Luo Xueli's phone began to ring. She glanced at it: Caller Unknown.

"Lorenzo."

He walked over, and she showed it to him. "Should I answer it?"

"Let me," he offered, holding out his hand.

She nodded and gave it to him. He hit the answer button and raised the phone to his ear.

"Hello?" Lorenzo asked in Mandarin.

"Who is this? Who has my daughter's phone?"

Lorenzo held the phone out to Luo Xueli. "It's your father."

A confused look crossed her. "How? I changed my number back when... back then."

He shrugged. She took the phone from him.

"What, Father?"

"Xueli, if you need a place to stay, you can go home. Your mother will be delighted to see you've returned."

"No, I've got my own place set up. I'm going to be living there."

"Alone?!"

She rolled her eyes and shifted on her feet. "Father, it's the twenty-first century. I can live on my own. But, I have my men to protect me. Don't worry, everything will be alright."

"Alone, unmarried, with six men?! No, go home. Stay with us, Xueli. Don't be with those laowai. How can you trust them?"

Because I trust them more than you, she thought.

"They've been with me for the past two years. I know they won't do anything bad to me."

"Xueli, please just go home. Xuehe is on her way back there now."

"No, Father. I got used to living on my own these past six years. I think I can handle myself."

Then, she hung up. With a growl, she stomped over to the car. Lorenzo was the only one who hadn't climbed into the vehicle yet.

"Scar, is everything alright?"

"My father wants me to go home. I'm not going anywhere near that place. Come on, didn't Alessandro say he set up a secure location for me? Just up into the mountains a bit?"

"Yes, we're routing to there now."

"Alright. Let's get going."

+++

When they pulled up to the security gate, Marco leaned out and pressed the code. The wrought iron gate slid open with a creak. They drove inside and pulled up to the fortress-like house.

After Marco had parked the van, they all climbed out. Luo Xueli opened the front door and stepped inside. Lorenzo grabbed her suitcase from the trunk and followed her.

The foyer was grand and made of white marble. A shining, gold chandelier hung from the ceiling. The spiral staircase that led up to the second floor was decorated with an iron railing and white marble steps. The rest of the house bore a similar resemblance.

Luo Xueli took in the sight. She hadn't expected her husband to have such a lavish home built for her. Lorenzo came up beside her.

"It's magnificent, isn't it?" he asked.

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"Have you seen it? Or is this your first time as well?"

"Alessandro sent me here once to oversee the building. But no, this is my first time to see the finished product."

"I can't believe I'm going to live here."

"The master bedroom is upstairs. the rest of us will sleep down on this floor. Don't worry, Scar. My brother knows how to keep you safe."

"I don't doubt that at all, Lorenzo. He's been good to me in the past two years. Alessandro pulled me from the darkness that I was in and saved me from my hell. I owe him my life."

He turned to look at her. "I have never once questioned you about this before because it's not my place to do so. But Scar, did you marry my brother for protection or for love?"

She glanced at him. "You know what I've been through. You know all of my secrets. You know my pain. Yes, I married Alessandro because he has the power to protect me and keep me safe. But in the past two years, I also came to love him."

"Alessandro loves you deeply. He'll come eventually."

Luo Xueli sighed. "I don't mind waiting. I know he's busy back in Italy. Plus, I have Paradise to manage now. I'll be kept busy with work."

"Marco should be getting supper prepared. Do you need anything from the store?"

She shook her head. "No, Alessandro said he got this place stocked up. Have Ferdinand take inventory of our stock. See what is here."

"Of course, Scar."

He walked away, and she climbed up the stairs to the master bedroom. Luo Xueli walked into the master bath, locked the door, and undressed. She turned the gilded handle of the faucet, and water came gushing out. After a few moments, it ran hot. Steam rose up from the bathtub. When the tub filled, she turned off the hot water and let some cold water mix in. She tested the water and stepped in. After settling in, Luo Xueli closed her eyes.

+++

Darkness. Complete darkness.

A small, dank room.

Cold, rusty, metal cuffs ensnared a pair of dainty, vanilla colored wrists.

Dressed in rags, a skinny, emaciated body was curled up in the farthest corner of the room, away from the door. The wooden barrier slowly opened, and a tall, imposing man walked in.

A cruel laugh echoed from his lips. His eyes blazed with a dark desire. The woman looked up and shook with fear. She curled away, shaking. The man approached her, fumbling with the zipper on his pants. He knelt down and loomed over her. Her ragged nightgown rode up. His stiff cock plunged into her in one go. The man grunted as he thrusted into her.

"AHH! NO, STOP! PLEASE!"

Jolting awake, Luo Xueli sat up, sweating and panting. There was a banging on the door to the bathroom.

"Scar?! Scar?! What is it?!" Lorenzo's panicked voice demanded.

She shook just as he finally barged in. Turning her back to him, his eyes raked in the sight of the scars on her back.

"Scarlett," he murmured sadly.

"Lorenzo, I- I- I had another nightmare. Every time I close my eyes, I recall that isolation room. I recall Haverston and the things he did to me. In the year he held me, I lost count of the times he forced himself upon me. His torture was just as bad. He loved to belt me. You've seen my back. Those scars will never go away. They're a permanent remind of him and what he has done to me."

Lorenzo walked over to her and knelt down at the side of the bathtub. "Scar, look at me."

She shook her head, but glanced at him.

He continued on, "You're safe now. That was three years ago. Killian Haverston is dead; Alessandro killed him. You will never be hurt like that ever again."

"I know. I know Alessandro wiped out Haverston and his whole network. But the past is still deeply imprinted on my mind. It's hard to forget such cruelty and fear."

"Groups all over the world fear the Moretti name. No matter if it's bastards like Haverston or other men in the Underworld, people steer clear of offending the Morettis's. And with you being Alessandro's wife, it's a suicidal decision if anyone dares to touch you. The head of the Moretti family will protect his beloved wife with everything he has. Don't worry, Scar. You have us, and you have my brother. We won't let anything happen to you."

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