< Anastasia

(Ashton's P.O.V)

"Hey, you asleep or something?" I asked Anastasia. A long time had passed since our previous conversation, I wondered if she had fallen asleep.

She chuckled as a response. "Yes Ashton, isn't this the most comfy place to fall asleep in?"

"Sorry, I'm just not good with silence. Needed to say something." My arms had started cramping from being in the same position. I feared that if they remained this way, tied behind my back, they would fall loose at a point.
"Can't we do something about these stupid ropes? I mean, shouldn't you be an expert or something at untying yourself."

"Probably. But you're safer this way, as long as they think you're helpless."

"Anastasia?" I asked in annoyance.

"Hmm?"

"Are you deliberately keeping us here when we could be running?"

"No, we are waiting so that when you run, you don't end up getting shot and possibly dead."

"Waiting for?" I questioned but there was a loud thud at the door. My eyes snapped towards it, my body once again shifting back to alert mode. I faintly felt Anastasia's arm brush against mine again.

"Don't try to be a hero," she whispered right before the door opened, and Ace Angelo himself stepped in, the annoying look of a pleased smirk ever so present on his face.

"What do you mean?" I asked, not understanding what point she had tried to make.

"If you want me alive, don't move," she answered in a rush before Ace came to kneel right in front of her. I was horribly confused at her choice of words, and something told me that she hadn't meant them in a good way.

"I think your death is going to be the greatest achievement of my life." He cocked his head at her. I was about to open my mouth to retort something pissy at him but Anastasia pushed her arm closer to mine, as if warning me to shut up. Reluctantly I turned my eyes away from them.

"Guarda quello! Aren't you two getting cozy?"

A gasp from Anastasia made me snap my head back towards them. He had heaved Anastasia up and was holding her hair in a painfully gripping manner. My eyes closed in on her pointed finger, warning me not to make a move. I grit my teeth in frustration and shot a glare at Ace.

"What did you think huh? You'll just swoop in and get what you want? Fun fact Anastasia, life doesn't revolve around you," he seethed.

"I don't know Ace, yours looks like it does," she drawled. The lack of interest in her voice troubled me. How could she be so unbothered by this?

"You—" He threw her towards the opposite wall, her body slamming painfully against the surface. Her eyes instantly turned to me, pining me where I was.

'What are you trying to do?' I mouthed at her in frustration. How the heck could she seriously expect me to sit and do nothing?

"Trascinali entrambi verso il basso," he ordered someone.

"Don't touch me!" I spat at the man who came towards me, pushing my feet to get away from him until the corner hit my back. He grunted and grabbed me by my hair, pulling me up. I slammed my knee in his balls, causing him to drop me in an instant, growling as he fell to the floor. I stood up before he could grab me but was instantly smacked in my face by another hand, sending a sharp sting in my jaw as blood filled my mouth.

Enzo, I recognised the man as, got hold of me, deliberately from my back so that I couldn't kick him in the balls too. Clueless as to what to do, I looked at Anastasia. She was being dragged out of the door by Ace himself.

'Stop fighting!' she mouthed at me as if I was doing something wrong.

Yeah, great help she was being.

But I stopped fighting anyway and let Enzo drag me out of the room behind her. Mainly because all my pathetic attempts at pushing and thrashing were getting me nowhere. That man had an iron grip. He was clutching me tightly enough that I could feel his nails sink into the flesh of my arms. Also, because she had asked me to trust her, and as stupid as this all was seeming, the least I could do was give her the benefit of doubt.

We were dropped back in the golden hall. Yes, the golden hall. Everything was a glimmering golden shade, even with the dust that was scattered everywhere. I wondered how long it had been since this place had been abandoned. Some of the glasses were broken, while I could now make out the dried blood stains that were scattered over the floor. For some weird reason, water was still flowing in the enormous water fountain that sat in the middle of the hall.

Something about this place screamed history. Anastasia had become stiff and her eyes were glued to the stain of blood that rested on her left. The tick in her jaw was evident and her eyes screamed painful memories.

"Do you still remember?" Ace smirked when he noticed the focus of her attention. "Certo che lo fai."

Anastasia shut her eyes and opened them again, now glaring at Ace. "Infido bastardo."

"What—" He pulled her hair once again, causing her to tilt her head at an angle that had to have hurt— "makes you think you can talk to me like that?" he growled and leaned close to her.

Enzo still had me locked in a rock hard grip. His fingers were digging deep into my flesh and I had no doubt they were going to leave a mark. I had to do something. It was like Anastasia wasn't even trying.

"Last I checked, you were a good swimmer," Ace smirked lazily. "Let's see how long you can hold your breath underwater."

"What?" My eyes widened with panic the very instant the words were spoken. My breath caught up when it was Emma who came forward and hoisted her up by her arm.

"Emma stop!" I begged as she dragged her to the water fountain. "Emma stop! Please!" I begged again but she was already throwing her in the water.

Anastasia was completely submerged, making the panic in me rise. Why wasn't she trying to fight back? Whatever the hell of a plan she thought she had, it was an incredibly shitty one.

I thrashed my body to get out of Enzo's grip but his hands only grew tighter and tighter on me. "Please stop, she'll drown!" I screamed but no one paid any attention to me.

"Pull," Ace ordered, a pleased smile resting on his lips. I wanted to bash his head against the very fountain. Emma obeyed and pulled Anastasia out, who gasped for air and started coughing up violently. "Ana!" I yelled at her, hoping that she'd get the desperation in my voice and at least try to fight back.

Enzo twisted my arm at a painful angle, causing my eyes to water as I hissed from the uncomfortable feeling. But I couldn't possibly think about that. Emma drowned her again, and I could feel the air in my own lungs abandon me.

"She’ll die, you idiot! Stop!" I yelled at Ace. Doing everything in my power to grab their attention so that they'd hurt me instead. I would take that, if they left her alone. I'd gladly be the subject of all the attention in the room.

Attention seeker, I could practically hear Ivory grumbling in the back of my mind.

"That's kind of the point here, genius." He gave me an amused smile. Oh, how I wanted to rip that smile off his face and have him drown instead. No, I'd carve the smile on his face with a knife and then he could smile all he wanted.

Emma pulled her out again and threw her on the floor, walking back to her previous position but not before delivering a sharp kick on her stomach. She curled into a fetal position, groaning at the pain that coursed through her body, pain that I could feel course through her body. She gasped for air and coughed out water a few more times before she went limp.

"Ana?" I called out, scared of not getting an answer.

I did not get an answer.

My eyes remained fixed on her, trying to catch any body movement.

Ace kneeled down next to her and gave her an assessing look. I wanted to scream at him to get away but I was scared that if my attention shifted to anything but her, I would miss her movement. I needed her to move.

Please move, I begged her, hoping my thoughts would somehow reach her. I felt pathetic because of the tears that were shamelessly streaming down my face.

Please move, I promise I'll never trouble you, I begged again.

But she didn't.

Ace grunted before he pulled out a short knife from his pocket. He knelt down next to her, pulling her palm towards himself, slowly tracing the lines on her hand with the knife before he jabbed it on her palm.

"Stop!" I screamed at the same time Anastasia screamed with agony. I felt so stupid for the small amount of relief that rushed through me. She was still there. Not once had she screamed all this while, or showed any sign of pain other than silently gasping and coughing. But now her screams pierced the air exactly how the knife had pierced her skin.

He pulled the knife out of her wound as the blood started flowing from her hand. "Tired darling?" he taunted and stepped at her wound.

"I'll kill you!" Never in my entire life had I ever been so serious about these words. But I was now. The anger in me was coursing strongly enough that in that moment, I would have killed him and not flinched.

Enzo was now pinning me to the floor with a heavy knee pressing into my spine. "I'll kill you, you motherfucker!" I seethed again, ignoring the weight of Enzo's knee sinking into my back.

"Will you?" He chuckled. That son of a bitch actually had the nerve to chuckle. "Vedremo."

He turned to Anastasia, who had stopped screaming and was now whimpering in pain. "Rest now, don't worry, his turn is next," he told her and motioned to Enzo, pointing at the dark room again.

I let myself be dragged off to it again for the very sake of having Anastasia away from this. I'd take being imprisoned in that room forever over this anytime.

They threw us both in and shut the door, allowing the darkness to settle around us once again.

"Ana?" I pushed myself towards her as soon as the door closed. "Ana please speak. I need you to speak to me."

"I'm okay," her answer came out barely audible.

"Okay? You almost fucking drowned and then got stabbed. You're the farthest thing from okay!" I yelled, angrily. I didn't know what I was angry at, her lack of interest in self-preservation or my inability to help her.

"I've faced worse," she breathed out.

"Why . . ." I whispered, shaking my head as I cried like an idiot. "Why were you not fighting? Hell . . . you weren't even trying."

She let out a weak chuckle. "Better me than you."

My gut clenched as realisation dawned on me. She had been doing exactly what I had wanted to do for her. Wanted to and had failed at doing. She had been pulling the attention off of me.

"Ace is a stupid motherfucker, falling for your pathetic bait."

"He's not stupid. In fact, he's actually very smart. He knows that if I fought back, he wouldn't be able to do half the damage he wants to. He damn well knew that I was just taking the attention off of you—" she paused to breathe— "he was just smart enough to not let the opportunity go."

"I won't forgive you for this. Ever." I shook my head miserably. "What makes you think that watching you in pain is any better for me?"

She didn't speak for a while. I didn't either. I didn't know what to say. I was angry and hurt, with a mix of some other lingering emotions that I couldn't quite pinpoint. The tears had stopped flowing and my eyes were completely dry now, the cold air stinging them as I stared into the darkness.

"Ashton?" she whispered, almost as if she hadn't meant for me to have heard it.

I didn't reply. I just sucked in a deep breath to let her know that I was listening.

"Can I lean on you?" her voice wavered.

Something tugged at my heart. I nodded before realising that she couldn't see me. "I'm nodding," I told her.

I heard her shuffle, wincing with every movement until she pushed her hands and back to my chest, being careful to not hurt the injured hand. She rested her head beneath my chin, her ear pressed right over my heart.

"Why is your heart running like a horse?" she chuckled quietly.

"Because I'm scared." I buried my nose in her hair, inhaling the lingering rosy scent that never seemed to leave her, even when she was soaked wet. This felt oddly intimate, but I didn't want to pull away for the mild sense of comfort that this was giving me.

"Don't be, you'll be fine," she assured, making me snort.

"Not for myself stupid." I couldn't possibly think about myself. The ropes on my arm felt tighter now that I wanted to wrap my arms around her, keep her in place and refrain her from pulling another stupid-attention-grabbing stunt.

"I'm scared for you."

🥀

When you're weak, I'll be strong
When you let go, I'll hold on
When you need to cry, I swear
That I'll be there to dry your eyes
When you feel lost and scared to death,
Like you can't take one more step
Just take my hand, together we can do it
I'm gonna love you through it.

–I'm Gonna Love You Through It
(Martina McBride)

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• 'Guarda quello!' means 'Look at that!'

• 'Trascinali entrambi verso il basso' means 'Drag them both down'

• 'Certo che lo fai' means 'Of course you do'

• 'Infido bastardo' means 'Treacherous Bastard'

• 'Vedremo' means 'We'll See'
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(WORD COUNT: 2320)

QUESTION OF THE CHAPTER:
Which has been your favourite moment(s) in the book?