Chapter 15

Two years ago

Luca was back on the cliff.

Heavy lightning struck the midnight sky, illuminating it momentarily like a flashback of a memory. The thunderstorm brought with it dangerous winds from the ocean that knocked Luca back, causing his feet to slip on the mud. He raised his head to shield his eyes as he tried to make sense of his surroundings. The water was ice cold, making him shiver. He bit down on his jaw to keep his teeth from chattering as he pushed his hair out of his face and wiped away the water.

The darkness consumed him. He could not make sense of where the cliff ended and the road began. Luca was too scared to move. He feared he might slip on the mud and fall off. The waves below were hungry. They would be merciless to anyone who dared to go near them.

Standing hundreds of feet above the rocks and waves, Luca thought of his mother. He wished she was there to pull him back and tell him which way home was. He couldn't remember how to get back. He had been on that cliff a million times but suddenly it was as if the rain washed away all his memories of the roads.

As Luca stood waiting for some kind of sign or lightning to guide him, the gleam of headlights appeared around the corner and headed right for the edge of the road.

"No," Luca said.

He knew who was in the car. He had lived through the nightmare enough times to have it memorized.

"Stella!" Luca raised his voice above the howling wind. He waved his arm to gain her attention as the car inched forward. "Stella!"

The rain seemed to match Luca's anxiety. The faster his heart raced, the quicker the water fell from the clouds. He stepped forward and placed his hands on the window of the driver's side and began to bang on the glass.

"Stella!" He yelled. "Stop!"

The car came to a stop. Luca began to immediately struggle with the locked door, "Stell-"

A bright flash of lightning lit up the sky. Luca looked up and felt his jaw drop. His hands grew numb, his heart stopped beating, and his brain blanked.

"Daisy..." he whispered, seeing the face behind the glass.

Daisy slowly turned her head and looked up at Luca. Her warm hazel eyes were lifeless. She stared at him with a deep frown on her face. Luca shuddered from the way her gaze went right through him as if she didn't even see him.

"Get out of the car!" Luca yelled, beating the glass. "Get out!"

Daisy turned back to the steering wheels and took in a deep breath.

"No!" Luca growled as his bloody knuckles continued to hammer against the glass. "No! Daisy! Get out!"

All too quick, Daisy pressed her feet on the gas and the car launched forward. Luca stumbled forward as lightning struck once more and he watched the car nose dive off the cliff.

"Daisy!" Luca ran forward and jumped.

He didn't think. He didn't hesitate. He didn't waste a single second.

The sound of the glass shattering against the water bolted Luca out of bed in a pool of cold sweat. He struggled to catch his breath. The memories of hazel eyes behind the glass making it impossible to inhale any air.

Luca grabbed his phone and scrolled through his contact list until he found the number he was looking for. He groaned as the pounding headache blurred his vision and caused him to pause for a few minutes before doing anything. He sat with the phone in his hand until he could breathe again.

I need to see you, he typed quickly. It's urgent. I'll give you a call before I stop by.

Not bothering to check what time of night it was, Luca hit send and tossed his phone aside. He rubbed his hand over his face before laying back against the pillow and staring up at the empty ceiling. His heart still pounded inside his body, making him feel dizzy and unwell. Rolling over, Luca grabbed Gia's phone that he had taken from her in the hospital and pulled up the text message Daisy had sent to her earlier.

Call me, she wrote. Why are you not picking up your phone? I need to talk to you. It's important.

Luca read the words again and again wondering if Daisy was going to tell Gia about them. The idea suddenly didn't seem that bad. He knew his sister. She was a sucker for a love story. Gia would be over the moon to know there was finally someone in her brother's life.

A love story?

Luca was shocked by his train of thought.

Is that what this is?

Feeling his heart rate pick up once more, Luca picked up his own phone and pulled up Daisy's number. The time above his screen showed it was five in the morning. Luca pulled his finger back knowing he shouldn't be waking her up so early. Not that she would answer his call anyways. She was so angry the other night. And so sick. Luca's insides twisted wondering if Eric had taken her to the doctor's yet. She shouldn't be throwing up like that.

As he laid thinking about Daisy, his more pressing problems decided to make a grand entrance at five in the morning. Luca's phone lit up with a text from an unknown number. He quickly opened it and cursed under his breath as his eyes fell on a picture of his sister.

Two days, the message read. Stella's happiness had lasted for two days.

"Motherfucker," Luca growled, sitting up in bed.

Luca couldn't lie to himself. There was a part of him that was hoping Daniel would prove him wrong. He was hoping the boy's feelings for his sister were real. He knew what it was like to love someone blindly. He wanted the same kind of love for his sister. Someone who would make her the center of their universe. Luca really wanted Daniel to step up to the plate.

The day I buried my sister I had promised her I would make you suffer the same way you had tortured her.

Luca read the words as he rose from bed and grabbed a shirt. His stress and anxiety levels tripled since he first heard Gia had run off with Daniel. He was shocked by how much he was betting on Daniel to do the right thing.

But now that it was clear as day that Luca was wrong and Daniel's intentions were anything but innocent, the fear over his sister's safety heightened. Luca needed to bring her back home before they did something to her. He needed to bring her back before their father got wind of Daniel's grand plan.

Reluctantly, Luca scrolled down to the bottom of the message.

I watched my sister's heart break and I could do nothing to help her. And now you're going to watch your sister's heart break.

Your sister, Luca wanted to laugh with bitterness. I did not break your sister's fuckin' heart, you imbecile.

_____________________

"Hi!" Gia's voice chimed like a bell through the phone. "You've reached Gia Silvano. I'm unable to take your call right now. Please leave a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Thank you."

Daisy took in a shaky breath as the beep greeted her, "H-hey..."

What do I even say? Daisy wondered.

"It's me..." she tried again. "Call me back...you're not answering any of my calls or texts. I really need you right now, G. I feel....."

Daisy's heart contracted as the back of her eyes began to burn.

"I feel really alone right now," she said, her voice breaking. "And scared....Please call me back."

And with that, Daisy ended the call and threw her phone into her purse. She took in a deep breath and slowly turned to face the building she stood before with its sliding glass doors and large parking lot out front. It was an ordinary building with gray walls and a large sign out front. Daisy stood and stared, feeling her insides twist as she fiddled with the straps of her bag.

After several long minutes, Daisy took a step forward and entered the building. She was instantly greeted by pastel yellow walls and scrubs that reminded her of sunshine. Her heart sank as she walked up to the front desk and slid her ID forward to the woman behind the computer screen.

"Hi," Daisy cleared her throat. "I have an appointment."

"One moment please," the elderly woman said as she took Daisy's ID and finished up her conversation on the phone.

Daisy's legs began to bounce up and down as she waited for the woman to hand her the paperwork she needed to complete and then her ID. She felt as if she was losing track of time and reality as she filled out all the boxes like an automated machine and followed the woman to the back.

"Change into these," another nurse who guided her into an examination room said, handing Daisy a pastel yellow hospital gown.

"Thanks," Daisy's hands felt too numb. She let the woman guide her into a bathroom where she stripped off her clothes and pulled on the gown before stepping back out into the room and placing all her belongings on the chair.

"You can have a seat on the bed," the nurse pointed to the examination table. "Dr. Patel will be in here shortly."

"Okay," Daisy nodded. "Is it always this...quick around here?"

"We're really busy today," the woman laughed. "You think this is quick?"

Daisy didn't know what to say. To her it felt as if everything was happening with a blink of an eye. Her heart raced as she sat down on the examination table and took in a deep breath to steady her nerves.

"You're going to be okay," the woman said, noticing the way Daisy's face grew pale. "We're going to take good care of you. You won't feel anything."

"How...." Daisy's voice wavered. "What's the process like?"

"I think Dr. Patel said you're taking the oral pill," the nurse opened the paper file before her. "That's painless. You won't feel a thing."

"How long does it take?" Daisy asked.

"A few hours," the nurse said. "You can stay here as long as you need to. I'll be coming in and out to check in and so will Dr. Patel."

"And once the abortion is done..."

"You're good to go home."

"Okay..." Daisy nodded.

"Take deep breaths, my love," the woman said kindly. "Deep breaths."

Daisy did as she was told. But it did not help. She could not hear anything past the ringing in her ears as the doctor entered the room a few minutes later and began to explain the full process. She handed Daisy the small paper cup with the pill and a cup of water before telling her more about what will be happening during Daisy's stay at the clinic.

"I'll be right outside if you need me," Dr. Patel said. "If you need anything or if you feel any sort of pain, hit the call button and your nurse will be here."

Daisy nodded, "Okay."

"Any question?"

"No," Daisy shook her head.

"Okay," Dr. Patel said gently. "Whenever you're ready."

"Thank you," Daisy stared at the paper cup in her hand.

She did not move as Dr. Patel exited the room and closed the door behind her. Daisy felt chills all over her body as she sat in the cold room wondering how she got to that point in her life. She felt lost and frightened. Her emotions crawled up her chest and gripped her throat as her eyes began to water and she jumped off the examination bed.

Setting the table and water aside, Daisy grabbed her phone and dialed Gia once more. Tears were running down her face as she listened to the phone ring before going to voicemail.

"Hi, you've reached Gia Silvano-"

"Damn it!" Daisy sobbed as she ended the call.

Gia, she began to type a new message. Please, please, pick up. I really need you right now. I don't know what I'm doing. I'm at the clinic and I don't know if I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life. Please, call me back. I really need you right now.

By the time Daisy hit send, she could barely see past her tears. Her hollow chest shook as she went back onto the examination bed and picked up the table once more. Her feet felt like ice blocks and her hands were starting to get to that point. She sobbed, holding the water and letting her tears collect inside the paper cup.

A few minutes more passed like that before Daisy felt her phone vibrate beside her. She looked down and grabbed it quickly as Gia's name popped up on the screen.

Where are you? The message read.

Daisy broke into a fresh wave of sobs as she quickly typed in the address to the clinic.

Stay there, a new message arrived. Don't do anything. I'm coming.

Some air returned to Daisy's lungs as she read the message. She pulled herself back together and stared at the phone screen reading the words over and over to keep herself sane.

Don't do anything, don't do anything, don't do anything.

Daisy looked at the pill once more.

Don't do anything.

__________________

"Aaron!" Luca called to the man in the lobby. "Call Lorenzo from the docks. You and him stay by the apartment. Don't answer any calls from my father while I'm away."

"Got it," Aaron nodded.

Luca didn't wait around to see if he needed to repeat his instructions. Gia was safe upstairs with his aunt. All he could think about was her phone in his hand and the harrowing message from Daisy.

I don't know what I'm doing....I don't know if I'm about to make the biggest mistake of my life....Please please I really need you right now.

As soon as Luca had read those words, he felt as if all the wind was knocked out of his lungs. He was in a state of shock and disbelief as his body moved on its own and he jumped into the car. All around him, horns blared as he cut through traffic trying to get to the address Daisy had sent. He didn't even care about the amount of tickets he would be served with for running every single red light in the city. His only thought was to get to her on time.

As Luca drove, his phone began to ring on the dashboard. His eyes glanced at the caller ID briefly before he hit the accept button on the steering wheel.

"Dr. Ford," Luca answered.

"Luca," Dr. Jason Ford, a reputable psychologist and an ex-boyfriend of Carla, answered with a heavy sigh. "I got your message. What's the emergency?"

"Can't talk about that right now," Luca said.

"Are you alright?" Ford asked. "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I have to get to her," Luca said. "She doesn't sound okay."

"Get to who, Luca?" Ford asked. "Who are you referring to? Your sister?"

"No," Luca felt his hands tighten around the steering wheel. "Daisy. She sent a message saying she doesn't know what she's doing and that she's about to make the biggest mistake of her life."

Dr. Ford did not answer right away. Luca worried the call had disconnected when the man spoke up once more.

"Are you alone?" He asked.

"Yes," Luca said.

"Are you sure that is the best thing right now?"

"I can't fuckin' think right now, Ford," Luca raised his voice. "If she does anything...If I'm too late..."

"Luca, take a deep breath," Dr. Ford instructed. "Don't get ahead of yourself right now. You don't know what her message could mean. It doesn't have to mean she's going to harm herself."

Luca shook his head. His heart was lodged into his throat, beating unnaturally fast.

"Have you tried calling her?" Dr. Ford asked.

"No," Luca said. "I don't think she wants to hear my voice right now."

"But you're running to her," the man reminded Luca. "Why doesn't she want to hear your voice Luca?"

"I've said something I shouldn't have," Luca admitted. "Or more like I didn't say something I should have."

"I don't want to dive into that right now because I can sense that you are already very overwhelmed," Dr. Ford said. "We will save it for our next session and believe me, you can not avoid the subject of Daisy any longer."

"I know," Luca said.

"For now, just take deep breaths and try to stay calm."

"I can't," Luca said.

"You have to," Dr. Ford said. "If Daisy is......about to do something unsafe to herself you need to stay calm in order to handle the situation you are about to walk into. If you go in all rattled up, you might make things worse for her."

Fuck, Luca hit the steering wheel. He knew Dr. Ford was right. He needed to calm the fuck down. He needed to get his thoughts together.

"I can stay on the line with you," Dr. Ford said. "I can help you talk to her."

"No," Luca said as his eyes fell on his destination. "I got this."

"Are you sure?"

"Just stay by your phone," Luca stopped the car in front of the building and jumped out with his phone. "I'll call if I need you."

"Alright," Dr. Ford said.

Slamming the car door shut, Luca ran into the building. Everyone in the lobby stared at him as he rushed up to the front desk and asked for Daisy.

"Where is she?" He asked. "Daisy Clements. She's here right now. Where?"

"She's inside," the woman said.

"Where?" Luca yelled.

"This way," the lady jumped up and walked around the desk. She quickly guided Luca through the halls before coming to a stop in front of one of the closed doors. "She's here."

Luca stepped around the woman and pushed the door open. His eyes immediately fell on Daisy sitting on the examination bed with her eyes red and puffy. Her cheeks were stained with tears and the tip of her nose was as red as a strawberry. As soon as their eyes met, Daisy's chest rose up high as she let out a heart wrenching cry.

Luca ran into the room, his eyes scanning every inch of her for any injuries. He couldn't figure out what the matter was as he stood before her in shock. Too frightened to touch her, too nervous to make things worse.

Daisy looked up at him as her lip trembled and her shoulders shook. Luca could't read the look in her eyes as she threw herself into his arms. He caught her with ease, holding her to his chest as she poured out enough tears to make Luca's head spin. 

Ah man...Luca, Luca, Luca...