Confessions

I couldn't move. I couldn't think. I couldn't even close my eyes, because every time I did I would see him. I would smell the stench of his breath and feel the impact of his violence. Night turned to morning and still there I sat on the floor of my shower, fully clothed and shivering as the water had long gone cold. But no matter what I did… how much I scrubbed, I couldn't get the feeling off filth off of me.

Having no concept of the time, I vaguely became aware of the loud bashing at the front door before the jingle of keys as the caretaker broke his way into my apartment. He was accompanied by the familiar cry of Zoë as she searched the apartment and called my name. She eventually found her way into my bathroom where I'd left the door wide open. Her hand went to her mouth.

"Oh Delia! What happened?"

I was quivering like a leaf as she turned off the tap, knelt down and pulled me into a tight embrace. But I couldn't say a word. I was mortified.

"Honey, you need to get yourself back to the gym. You're two hours late and Giovanni is furious!" She wiped the mascara from beneath my eye and I allowed her to gently pull me to my feet. "I know you must have experienced something awful, Delia, but in this business you can't afford to keep the Boss waiting."

I was barely aware of the fact that she stripped me of my wet clothes and helped me into fresh ones. She wiped what remained of the makeup from my face and gathered together my bag and utensils.

"Come on."

I don't remember leaving my apartment let alone getting to the gym. Before I knew it, I was standing alone in front of my desk, my mind playing a constant reel of sickening thoughts of 'what ifs' and 'whys'. The pager on my phone made me jump as the angry growl of Giovanni summoned me to his office. And I realised right then that I couldn't do this anymore… I needed to get away from this place… as far away as possible!

It was the photo of my family sitting on my desk that stopped me from running. I had to remember that if I left, Giovanni wouldn't hesitate at going after my father. I needed to do this for him.

Sucking in a deep breath, I closed my eyes, begging my mind to concentrate on the task at hand and willed for the strength to be able to handle the impending berating of my boss. Taking the door handle in one hand, I heaved it open with what strength I had left in me and gingerly stepped into his office.

Far from what I was expecting, Giovanni didn't say a word upon my entry. He stood at his bar, swirling a drink in his hand. I was aware that I was late for work. He didn't need to state that fact. A glare able to slice people in half forced its way into me as I approached his desk, holding my head low.

"I'm so sorry," I don't know how I managed to find my voice.

"Make sure it doesn't happen again," his tone was unusually serene for his composure.

He finished his drink before carefully placing his glass back down on the tray. It was only then that I allowed myself to lift my head and take in the fact that he wasn't wearing his tie. In fact, it sat on the back of his chair, waiting to be put on.

"Are you going to assist me with this or stand there all day?"

I was on it in a heart beat, hurrying around his desk and taking the tie from his chair. He inclined his head forward so that I could fling it over his shoulders and gently pulled it around his neck. He watched me with that gaze of his as I pulled the tie into a knot and carefully folded the collar of his shirt down around it. I didn't even see the snap of his hand until his fingers curled around my arm and wrenched it upright.

"Ah!" I jumped, instinctively pulling back but he held it tight, inspecting my wrist with a careful eye.

His eyes narrowed as they followed the scratches that I'd only just noticed were there all the way up my arm and on my neck and face. "Who did this?"

I was mortified. I couldn't move.

"I asked you a question Delia," he hissed.

If I told him… he would find out what I knew.

"N… no one," I squirmed, desperate to get my arm back.

He let it go and I pulled it into my chest, hugging myself in attempt to hide the damage.

"I fell into a bush in the park," I lied.

Giovanni wasn't convinced. His face turned to a scowl. "A bush with Human hands that tried to choke you? I can see the handprint on your neck. What kind of fool do you take me for, Delia?"

There was nothing I could say to that. I felt like a trapped Pokémon. I was cornered. I couldn't run, I couldn't hide. Those focused, intense eyes drilled in to me and before I knew it, I'd burst into tears blurting at him nothing but gibberish. He seemed taken aback by this as suddenly his hands came to my shoulders, his eyes for a moment taking on a look of concern. I let him lead me over to the couch where there he sat me down and stood over me until I managed to gather up my wits to speak. When I started to talk, I found that I couldn't stop. I told him everything. I told him how I found out about his plans to delve into genetic research. And that based on my history, Logan had come after me in attempt to keep me quiet. I swore on my life I would keep the secret, and that I was there to focus on paying back my dues. By the time I'd finished, his face had lost its concern and gone back to its angry scowl. He took a moment to process the intake of information before slowly making his way back over to his desk.

"Go home," he finally said. "I'll send someone to escort you back to your apartment and you can take the rest of the day off."