Lex.

I look at Amroa to see her body shaking, her chest moving up and down in a rapid rhythm, her eyes filled with water, and her lips shaking. She moves away from him, her eyes gripped in fear as if he wants to hide herself away from me. She lowers her eyes when I look at her.

She hugs herself as if protecting herself from me.

What is wrong?

I move close to her, and she flinches, closing her eyes, fear on her face.

"Please don't hit me", her small voice makes my heart stop. Her body is shaking, and her eyes are closed as if she is getting ready to get hit. Her voice was laced with fear, nothing else. Only fear.

I move to my knees in front of her but keep a gap, not wanting to scare her more. "Mia Moglie," I call her out in a soft voice, hoping her fear loosens up. She opens her eyes, and the moment she eyes me in front of her, her eyes wide, and she moves back in fear, making the chair trip and fall backwards, and she is about to fall.

I hold the chair and hold it back on her hands, holding my shoulder, as she closes her eyes. "moglie", she opens her eyes, tears in those beautiful, brown pupils. Making them shine, I want them to shine, but not because of tears. But because she is happy.

"it's okay" She shakes her head, controlling herself from crying, but she fails miserably, and a sob leaves her mouth, making my breath stop at her crying. She grips my shirt in her hands and cries more.

She needs this to let it out. Vent out all her feelings.

She keeps her head on my shoulder, crying into it. I slowly and cautiously wrap my arms around her as she cries. God, what happened to her? What is wrong? I can't even ask her because she is not ready to share it with me.

I don't want her to think I am in control of her life. She is in control of her. I want to give her time and space to open up to me and tell me. Not force her.

I pull her towards me and hug me. Breathing in her scent, a hint of rose with vanilla. God, vanilla never smelled so good. I pat her head, trying to calm her down. But pulls me close to her as if I will disappear into thin air. Holding my shoulder in a tight grip.

I pull myself up, with her in my arms, and sit in the chair, making her sit in my lap, with her legs on one side, and give her time to calm down.

She finally calms down after what seems in entirety to me, to see her crying and sobbing, her voice torturing my soul. She moves back, and I keep my hands on her waist so that she does not fall.

She does not look at me, her eyes down. Her hand and body have stopped shaking, thank god. I cup her jaw and rub my thumb on it, her eyes close. "Mia Moglie, what is wrong?"

"if you don't want to tell me right now, it's fine, moglie," I say to her, not wanting to force her, she might not open herself to me if I push her too much. She shakes her head.

"I don't know what that means, love," I say she needs to speak up, and I can't understand her unless she tells me what she wants.

"I am scared." she says, I kiss her forehead, "of what"

She keeps quiet, not saying a word. "Amora" I call her name in my capo voice, holding no arguments. Whatever she is scared of, I will break that thing into pieces. There should be nothing in this world that she is afraid of, and if there is, I must kill it.

"of you"

Of me.

Her words make me go still for a minute. She was scared of me. What did I do that made her scared of me, did I say something wrong? I don't think so. But what was she scared of?

"what did I do wrong?" and once again, she shakes her head in a 'no'.

"Samoa, stop shaking your head and answer with words," I say, annoyed, but her head shakes.

"you did no—nothing wrong. I spit out the water, and---- all the bad things come into my mind. Rocco would beat me, drag me by my hair, take us to his room, and then beat with—anything—anything he found. I was sacred What if you do the same thing? Or give me back to Rocco"

She says, stuttering with words. I move her hair behind her and caress her cheek with the back of my hand.

"you don't need to be afraid of me, never moglie. And about giving you back to Rocco, baby, it's never going to happen, and I would die before giving you back to that bastard. And I would never beat you, never."

I say, hoping my words can reassure her.

I would never hit her. I would kill myself before I let myself hit her. She does not need to worry about anything.

"Sorry. I was—I just" She shakes a bit, not finding words to express her feelings. I move my hands up and down her arms, and she looks at me. "Mia Moglie, you don't need to worry. I am here for you; don't worry. No one is going to harm you. They need to go through me before even touching as much as your hair"

She nods her head, god we need to do something about this. "let's have our breakfast. We need to go meet my parents too"

I pick her up and place her on her chair. And we both continue eating our food. After finishing our food, she goes to change.