!! Trigger Warning !!

This chapter contains sexual assault and abuse. If you feel triggered by these subjects, please skip this chapter.

This content is solely to further the plot and develop the character's growth, but I do not want to make my readers read something they do not want to, so skip it if you are not comfortable reading. 

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Was this is? Was it all over? The creek of the front door made her heart flutter in relief. "Zach," Liv called out before she saw hazel eyes pinned onto her bloodied legs.

"What happened," Lorenzo demanded, the friendly sparkle in his eyes extinguished.

Liv suddenly found herself shaking under his stare. "I got my period."

There was a moment of silence before a low chuckle escaped Lorenzo's lips. He walked towards her, his mouth in a straight line, all his usual charm gone. He moved so close she could feel his breath on her face and spoke just one word, "Undress."

Liv stared at him for a moment. He wasn't behaving as he should. Shouldn't he be uncomfortable, helpful, anything!

"What are you doing?" Was all she managed to say.

"I'm doing what you wanted, let's not complicates things." Lorenzo swept her hair over her ear and kissed her neck hard, pushing her back against the wall.
Liv's insides went cold. This wasn't right. He wasn't the funny man who told jokes about Rome, he wasn't the gentleman who helped her in the garden. She froze as he began to remove her tunic.

"No." Liv pushed back against his chest. Lorenzo moved his head back to meet her eyes.

"You want to be a mother, but your prince charming isn't there for you. You know he will never give you what you want. I can, as long as you take care of it, after all, it's what you're made for..."

Was he right? Tears started rolling down her cheeks as his words pierced her like a knife. Zach didn't want children. He ran away when she needed him the most.

Two strong hands hoisted up her tunic, grabbing her bare thighs forcefully. "No," Liv whimpered, "please, don't."

"Quiet. This is what you wanted." Lorenzo hissed, pinning her down.

Liv could hardly breathe, her whole body seemed to go limp. Did she ask for this? Was this her fault? Her body was being touched so violently that it made her sick. She didn't want this. She shouldn't accept this.

Without thinking twice Liv started to scream at the top of her lungs. His hand came up to smutter her voice. The shift in his body awakened a fury within Liv and she started to kick, scratch around frantically, hoping she would hit anything.

As if by a miracle she came free, stumbling out the door and onto the street. She turned onto the first alley she saw, turned again, and kept moving as far away as she could go. Anything to take her away from him.

When at last she stumbled upon a small park, she fell to her knees her body trembling in fear. Pushing her knees up to her chest she hugged herself tightly, trying to calm down. The last time she was this scarred was in the desert, pursued by thieves in the middle of the night. But that night she wasn't alone. Zach was there to protect her, comfort her. And now, he was nowhere to be found.

The cold realization hit her. She was all alone.

Total word count: 17.654