Chapter 228: He Misses You
Chapter 228: He Misses You
Camilla
"It is me, Camilla. I am…I was Domenico's girlfriend, remember?" I pleaded, praying she would recognize me.
"I was wearing that pretty dress and you gave me the most beautiful taira to go with it."
I didn't realize I was crying until one of my tears hit the top of my hand, moving in its place.
I didn't even bother to wipe them away as she stopped fighting, giving me the chance to undo her waist and wrists from the chair. It was silent as she stilled but the second everything was undone from around her, my eyes glanced up. She was already staring at me, every single mark of fear dissolving into something that filled both of our lungs, not with the expected heaviness of pain but instead with the light rush of relief.
"Princess?" She sniffed in the most heartbreaking way and I didn't even get to nod my head in confirmation before she was leaping onto my arms, wrapping around me like a koala bear and sobbing into my shoulder.
I fell back onto my butt at her surprising strength and returned the gesture just as intensely, ignoring the sight of blood welling from the no doubt torn stitches in my arms. She was shaking so hard that it broke me, not being able to do anything but run my hand down the face of her head, repeating to her again and again that she was okay. The fact that she called me princess made it so much worse, though.
"Are you okay, Harper? I am going to get you back to your family and it will all be alright again."
I repeated those words in my head again afterwards but it came to a point where I couldn't tell any longer if I was saying that as a promise for her or a prayer for me.
***
It has been a few hours since Harper was able to calm down a little bit, currently lost creating the sixth drawing she has made of the two of us. In the short while we have been alone together, I have managed to fix the torn stitching in my arm, biting through the pain and telling myself I deserved it for all of the hurt that I have caused everyone. Harper wouldn't be here if it weren't for me and that was something the both of us were going to carry for the rest of our lives now.
Even with her quietly drawing by her bed in the colouring book I had requested, I knew the day was far from over for me. I was getting out tonight and I would never ever come back even if my father truly didn't know about this. What I do know was the he wouldn't leave Mabel for what she did and that was almost worse than the act itself. Her connections to the Italian Mafia were the reason The Camorra Mafia has been able to grow so powerful but if the triplets doesn't, I am going to kill my stepmother one day and feel no regrets over it. I would give her a fate worse than Edward's and I would make no apologies for it.
"Why did you need…." A woman's voice spoke quietly as she walked in without a knock, just as I had asked Harper scrambling over to my back and gripping onto my right leg.
I could already feel the child's terror against me even though I had warned her about the guest we would be having. Louise's voice cut off as her eyes dropped down to the eight years old girl at my side, a sad yet horrified expression crossing het face. It was the most emotion I think I had ever seen from her. In her arms were the items I had requested, clothes for me, a blanket, a bag full of essentials and a tall glass of chocolate milk.
I had taken a huge risk in asking her for help even before she knew just how serious this was but I knew there was no chance I could be getting out of this place without it. Jacob's supervisor was already taken care of at Marble's demand but everything else was now up to me.
"Oh," she exhaled as she silently shut the door, stunned at the sight before her.
I doubt she even knew her sister had a daughter, but from what Domenico had told me, she was the mini version of their aunt, which was Lousie's younger sister. There was no mistaking who this child belong to.
"Hi, Harper." She smiled softly as she placed my much needed items down on the desk, taking note of how tightly the girl clung to me for safety.
Now wasn't the time to question how she knew her name but it had left surprise ripping through me nonetheless.
"Are you okay? I am not going to hurt you." She tried to soothe with her voice but the only thing that happened in response was Harper's large eyes blinking up at me, her little hands squeezing onto my thigh like her life depended on it. It broke my heart because to her, it did very well.
"Come here," I smiled for Haper's sake as I bent down, picking her up into my arms and tucking her against my side where she could feel safe.
I forced my frown away at the tired little sigh of relief she let out against my shoulder, knowing I wasn't about to leave her. Until her safety was guaranteed, she would not go out of my sight or reach for even a second. Louise may be helping me now but she was too secretive to have my undivided trust in anything, let alone this.
"Mabel did this." She looked to the already healing cut across the child's forehead, not as a question but as a statement.
My silence was her answer and the twin flame of anger in her eyes made me wonder just how well she knew of Harper, more importantly how she knew of her to begin with. From what I knew, Louise has been faking her death for more than twelve years now. But that curiosity, however, was a question for another time, sometimes I didn't have right now.
"Did you poured the exact amount I told you to?" I verified as I walked with the little girl in my arms over to where she had placed down the cold glass of chocolate milk Harper had wanted.
Picking it up, I didn't miss the hungry eyes she gave it.
"Yes, though I will admit, it makes a lot more sense than I know who is with you." She said as I transferred Harper onto the creaking bed to our right and moved with her, I tuck some of her still tangled knots behind her ear, holding the glass out.
"This is going to make you just a little sleepy." I explained with a small sad smile, not wanting to lie to her but anything that was about to happen.
"But…" I added with a little bit of hope.
"By the time you wake up, your family will be here too."
It killed me to see her smile, the way her eyes crinkled and widened at the corner with excitement.
"Really?" She gave a little raise of her eyebrows, taking the cup from my hand before a soft splash of confusion crossed her features.
"And I will see you too?" She asked even as she took her first long sip of the drink.
"I don't think so," I said to her quietly, my voice almost a mere whisper but she kept drinking.
Despite the food I had fed her in the little time we have been together in this room, she drank every last bit of the chocolate milk given to her, drugged with enough children's NyQuil to keep her out for hours. The drowsiness would hit her soon and that would be it, there was no going back.
I kept smiling as she placed the empty glass down on the small bedside table and I kept smiling as she crawled onto my lap, once again wrapping around me like a koala bear. Louise was silent as the small girl in my arms nestled her head against my shoulder and I kept smiling.
"Princess?" She whispered softly against my skin after a long stretch of silence, her body already going lax despite it only being minutes.
I suppose I could understand that, though. These last few breaths alone have felt like a painful eternity.
"Umm?" I hummed as I realized I was rocking her back and forth in slow languid movement, my tears too stubborn and too cowardly to fall.
"He misses you," she mumbled, but that was the last thing that was said before she passed out against me, the drug working their way deep and unchangingly into her system.
As for me, I allowed myself to relax a little bit as well, submitting to the coldness I knew I would need to leave all or this behind. Louise had managed to get me a burner phone and a plane out of her, everything else would be up to me and there would be no opportunity of turning back after this. By the end of the night, I would be gone for good.
Already, my body was adorned in dark clothing all over again, the backpack looped around my shoulder snugly as I bent down to the smell bed. Harper's been out for about ten minutes now and as my hand slipped under her fragile form, I wasted no time tucking her close to my chest, still forcing myself to feel every bit of the pain bursting in my shoulder.
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