Chapter 8: THE PAST

ISABELLA’S P.O.V. I had never been a hopeless romantic or one of those girls who daydreamed about her wedding day but when I thought that moment when a man would propose to me, I thought it would be after years of dating at a cute restaurant with our family and friends. I thought about him being on one knee with a massive ring. I did not expect to be proposed to in the bathroom of a nightclub. After Lorenzo finished speaking, I laughed and walked out then proceeded to ignore him for the rest of the night but he didn’t stop there. He came back every night for the next week to repeat his offer. It was cute at first but then it started to get frustrating because everyone began to notice. It was no secret that he was interested in me and I worried it would affect my job. After one full week of Lorenzo walking into the casino, I thought for sure that I would be fired but the manager simply laughed at me when I brought it up he said, and I quote, “Being on Lorenzo’s list is enough of a punishment.” When I got to the casino for the day, I expected to see Lorenzo walk in but to my shock, he never did. I couldn’t help but look around for him wondering if something was wrong or if I had somehow missed him while I went into the back to restock on drinks. “If I didn’t know any better, I would say you were as obsessed with this man as he is with you,” Bella teased when she saw me looking around for the nth time that night. “I mean, you could do worse. From what I hear, he is filthy rich and he is good in bed.” Unfortunately, she was right about just one of those things. Lorenzo wasn’t good in bed, he was mind-blowing and I presumed that was one of the reasons that I couldn’t get him out of my mind. It wasn’t enough to marry him though and Bella didn’t know about that little proposal. We weren’t friends so it wasn’t something I was willing to divulge to her. “I wasn’t looking for him,” I lied. “I was just wondering how long it was going to take for us to get off. I’ve had a long day.” “Of course you were,” she winked at me before gathering some drinks on a tray. “If you’re done moping over the DeLucia guy, there are some men at table eight who have been staring at you all night. Unfortunately, stuck with me but I am more than willing to trade tables with you.” She winked at me before disappearing. I glanced over at table eight to see who she was talking about. Sure enough, the man there was staring at me. I was sure that I had never seen him before but there was something very familiar about him. He was also looking at me like he knew me. There was something intense in his gaze that unsettled me. I quickly looked away and glanced at the clock. I had two hours until the end of the shift. By the time the shift finally came to an end, I was more than happy to leave. The weird men from table eight left a while back and they were buried in the recesses of my mind. I was on my way home when halfway through my journey, the car stopped. It just wouldn’t move anymore. I used the last of my battery to call the tow truck but I knew they wouldn’t be there soon so I reluctantly got out and walked the rest of the way. I was in heels and I was exhausted and that would explain why I didn’t notice the men following me until it was too late. I had already unlocked my door when I realized that someone strange was behind me. I recognized him as one of the men from table eight and I rushed into the house as soon as possible. I was able to slam the door before he got in but I could hear him pounding on the other side. My phone was dead and I couldn’t call the cops. I was completely frozen in place because nothing like that had ever happened before. “I’ve already called the cops,” I lied. “You have five minutes to get the hell out of here.’ “The cops are on our payroll, sweetheart. Open the door and we can end this quickly.” “Who the hell are you anyway? What do you want from me? If this is a robbery then that car is probably the most expensive thing I have so you are better off taking it and leaving me alone. I swear I won’t file a report or anything.” The man laughed and there was a loud bang. It took me a second to realize that he had shot a hole through my door. I had shot a gun a few times with my dad when he took me to the range but I had never been shot at. I screamed and ran towards the stairs. I knew going to the bedroom would be too predictable so I turned at the last minute and dashed into the store. As soon as I closed the door, I heard him kick the front door in. “Come out, come out wherever you are,” he sing-songed. “I don’t want to hurt you but if you keep hiding then this will be so much worse.” I remained silent and focused on keeping my breathing steady. I couldn’t see him but I could hear him and he was going closer to the stairs. For the first time in my life, I prayed. “I just need to deliver a message to your boyfriend. It was supposed to be a lock of hair and some blood but right now, I’m feeling up to a finger. What do you think?’ I heard him go up the stairs and I waited until I heard him kick in a door before I got out of the store. I kicked off my heels and dashed for the front door. I was almost out when I felt a hand wrap around my waist and another go over my mouth. I kicked and screamed trying to get out of my attacker’s embrace. I had no plans to die tonight and even if I was destined to die, then he was going with me. I rammed my elbow into the side of the attacker and he grunted in pain. “Will you fucking relax already?” I froze when I recognized the voice.