Divine

Chapter 26- Heart to Heart

"Take a shower, change and then call me. I'll get some food for you till Gio gets here and check out your injuries. Ok?" Mateo asks me as he opens the door to my bedroom.

I manage a weak nod and he leaves, closing the door behind him.
I strip out of Elijah's bulletproof vest and my tattered slacks, till I am bare. I don't even glance once at myself in the mirror and walk into my bathroom and get under the shower with scalding hot water. THey burn my cuts but I am so used to it that it actually feels nice on my sore muscles. The blood turns the water pink and going down the drain, just like how I have seen it go down a thousand fucking times. 
Before I know it, tears start streaming down my face. I fall down and pull my knees to my chest, letting more tears fall under the shower stream. I just sit and cry for, I don't even know how long. I sit there till no more tears are left to fall.

I finally pull myself together and turn off the shower. I wipe my body with a towel and then wrap it around myself. I walk into the closet and wear my panties and bra, and put on a huge hoodie that belongs to Gio and baggy sweatpants. Then I walk downstairs to the kitchen and see Mateo pouring some soup into a bowl. 

He looks up at me and gives me a little wobbly smile, "Perfect timing. Come, sit."

I sit on the chair and he passes the bowl to me, smiling. I can tell he is trying not to breakdown and remain strong for me but I can see right through it. I it is written all over his face. His smiles lacks the usual crinkle and shine in his eyes, along with the tenderness he holds. 

I look at the soup but make a move to drink it.

"Mat?" I ask and look up at him.

"Yeah?" He whirls around and I can see his eyes glistening with tears. 

"Please don't pretend. Don't pretend that it is all fine. That you are all fine and none of this affects you."

I hear him sniffle and he comes around the counter to hug me. I hug him back and then he breaks. His shoulders start shaking and tears cascade down his face and onto my sweatshirt. He buries his face bet ween my shoulder and neck. I don't say anything and just let him cry. I run my hands up and down his back in a consoling manner.

I have never seen Mateo cry. He has always remained with that mother hen nature.
Only crying behind closed doors. 

I pull him away from my shoulder and wipe his endless tears and say, "Talk to me."

His voice shakes as he speaks, "I- I was so scared, Adriana. When Gabriella first took you away, everyone was so worried, Ricardo and Dad did not eat for 2 days. If I had not noticed and not fed them, they wouldn't have eaten till they would have been on the brink of starvation. I started making recipes for everyone and made sure they all ate ad then I started making more and more complex and full meals.
Xander was the most affected by your kidnapping. He cried in my arms every night.. He didn't go to school for a month, barely ate anything and as he got into his teenage years, he hid his emotions like I did but he converted everything to rage. Just pure, carnal rage. Xavier was the only one who could calm him down and in return Xavier got to see flickers of emotions other than rage.
Rafael just put everything to gym and people's faces. Unlike Xander, Raf did not show any emotion. Not even anger. He was always the silent but hot-headed one.
Alessandro pretended to be normal, even though I heard his sobs every night. It got so bad for him, he used to get nightmares. He would scream in his sleep and wake-up sweating and panting and touched everything to make sure it was real. He also had to take sleeping pills to sleep for just a few good hours."

I did not realize I crying, till Mateo lifted his hand and swiped his thumb under my eyes. He then tells me finish my soup while  he gets a first-aid box to clean and bandage some minor cuts till Giovanni comes and checks their damage.

***End Of Chapter***