Chapter 187: | Will Stay Away From Her Riccardo
If the street hadn't been so quiet, | wouldn't have heard the pained grunt coming from the alleyway. My first
thought was to ignore it, but | knew if it had been Angelia, | would want someone to check and make sure she
was okay. The alley was dark, but | could make out a boy cowering against the bricked wall with his head bent,
holding one hand against his ribs. He looked up when I got close enough to see his face, my jaw ticked as | saw it
was Ben.
The anger | had felt since Andy called crushing back, but a wave of horror swept in as | scanned him. |
hardly remember his ugly face, which was even uglier now. The left side was almost caved in, and his eyes were
swollen. He was bleeding heavily, and | couldn't discern where it cfrom, the deep wound just below the
temple of his nose, which looked broken. Shit, his entire body looked broken. He was barely able to stand, only
managing it with desperation and the aid of the wall. From how he stiffened, | guessed he knew who | was,
probably from the day | had dropped Angelia off at work.
| didn't feel satisfaction as took in his crumbled form. Instead, | felt disgusted because whoever had done this to
him was a deprived motherfucker, | had chere today to beat the shit out of him, but whoever had gotten
here beforehad set out to kill this guy. "Please, no more." He whispered, trying to hold a hand up in self-
defense, but it didn't get far before it fell back to support his ribs again.
"I promise | will stay away from her. She w..won't ever seeagain."
Stay away from whom? | wondered, guessing that he had gone after another girl, one who was a man with no
morals at all. Unless...could Kingston have heard about what Ben had done to Angelia? No, even Kingston
wouldn't have gone this far, | hoped. | strolled closer, keeping a menacing look on my face.
'It seems someone beatto the punch." | chuckled darkly, even as my stomach clenched in revolt at the sight
of him.
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"Please, I..I can't."
Tears were streaming down his face, it mixed with his blood, making the tears look pink. The beast beneath my
skin that had chere to cause blood and pain to the lowly scumbags who had terrorized my girl stuttered and
wavered in its unrelenting rage. | had wanted to make him feel terrified like he had done to Angelia. But this, this
was beyond anything | could have ever done. Whoever had caused this
was one sick fuck. | started walking towards him, planning to help rather than hurt. It was a surprising change in
events, but I was no
killer. And if I left him here, he could die.
The sound of the police siren stoppedin my tracks, and my eyes fell on the phone currently in his hand. It
seemed he didn't need my help after all,
"If you ever go near Angelia again, the pain you are feeling now won't measure up to the pain | will cause you." |
warned him in a dark voice before leaving him to be rescued by the police.
| was still furious, still pent-up with anger, but he had gotten more than enough pain for one day. With a curse, |
picked up my phone and called Kingston. He would know where | could release the anger inside me. Fucking Ben.
Whatever the message he had gotten from the sick fuck that beat him up, let's hope he listened, because while |
would go easier on him, | would think twice about making him bleed if he hurt Angelia ever again.
But who was the fucker that beat him up? And who is he promising to stay away from?
Angelia POV
The night has been restless, | couldn't seem to shut my brain off when | went to bed last night. The deepest part
ofknew that what
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Chapter 187: | Will Stay Away From Her
Ben had said wasn't true and that he had only said just to hurt me. But had never been one who faced hateful
words with my head held high. | was insecure, about myself, about my body, my personality and everything. |
had thought | was over most of my insecurities, but it appeared
Wasn't. | didn't know if | ever would be. Maybe the insecurities | had about myself would always be there, lurking
in the shadows and waiting for a twhen | was weak enough to let them in Maybe it wasn't something | could
work on and get rid of completely. And maybe | was okay with that.
Still, that traitorous brain of mine couldn't help but wonder if there was any truth to what Ben had said.
What was | doing stringing these men around? Three men who could have gotten anyone they wanted. Would
they lose interest inin the long run? Would they see my stretch marks one day and prefer unblemished skin?
Would they hear my laugh and find it as T annoying as | do?"
| guessed tcould only tell what the outcwould be. This break of ours could be enough for them to find
someone better, to want someone better. But it could also prove Ben's accusations wrong. Perhaps my stalker
never goes away, and | would never have the guts to put anyone at risk. That was another thought that wouldn't
let go. It circulated in my mind, not always at the forefront, but it was constantly there, in the back of my mind.
That was my biggest fear, that not only would | lose my men, but he would still be there, watching, waiting.
Although, I didn't want to know what he was waiting for. What silenced my thoughts last night was an
unexpected text from Riccardo, as if he knew how much | needed comfort after the day had.
You are the kind of beautiful that makesforget everyone else exists. Goodnight, my bunny."
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Andy called again this morning, but | let it go unanswered. | knew he was worried about me, but | couldn't find it
in myself to talk to him more than necessary. All the pretending was exhaustingcompletely. | didn't know
how actors could do it. To play a part and take on emotions that weren't real. | could hardly fake a smile that was
convincing enough. While I was burnt out from all this pretending, there was also this restless energy inside me,
like | was in a fixed agitated state. Nerves made my heart beat just a little bit faster and my hands couldn't quite
hold still, constantly fidgeting.
| had received good morning texts from my men and breakfast from Kingston. It was the only thing that made
today a little more. bearable. However, | only managed to take a couple of bites from the fluffy pancakes before
my stomach got tied up in too many knots. As it got closer to when | should be getting ready for school, | once
again debated whether | should go or skip. The joy of learning was slowly slipping away, being replaced by dread
at the thought of being around too many people while trying to force my brain to focus on anything but my
current situation.
With a muttered curse, | decided not to let him makelose everything | had fought so hard for, especially my
education. | slipped on my favorite pair of pants, hoping it would somehow lift my mood, if only slightly. But the
denim fabric that used to hug my curves was now a little baggy and much more unflattering than it had been a
week ago. It only served as another reminder that | was anything but okay. Everything was changing, even my
clothes didn't fitlike they used to. | frowned as | began putting my hair in a ponytail, feeling the slickness of
oil beneath my hands. When was the last t| washed my hair? When was the last t| washed myself? When
did | start letting myself go? My life had turned into a song track for depression and anxiety. | should probably
send the psychology professors a picture of one to use as teaching material for their students. | was sure they
would be able to show them telltales of what to look for in a patient.
| hesitated by the mirror, wondering if | should put on any make-up. | didn't feel like it, though I didn't feel like
doing anything at all. What was the worst that could happen? That my stalker happened to seelooking like a
complete mess and lose his fascination with me? One could only hope.
he would have to work harder than that. | stiffened each tmy phone got a notification, only to relax when |
remembered | had finally blocked the stalker last night. | couldn't handle how easily he could contact me. If he
wanted to talk to me,