Big girls don't cry (Aleida series #1)

11. Brother from another mother

Aleida's POV

I wake up alone in my bedroom. The light dazzles me. It's warm under the covers, but at the same time, I feel cold inside. I've had nightmares during the night, and I'm all sweaty. The bed moves when I sit up. I rub my eyes before getting up on shaky legs.For some reason, I can hardly stand today. My legs hurt and sting from the inside.

"Miliano?" I call. "Milo?"

Someone stomps the stairs when he or she hurries up; the door opens with such force that it slams into the wall. He looks frantically around before he looks down on the floor and sees me.

"My little one, what are you doing down there?" he asks and lifts me.

"I tried to walk to the bathroom, but my legs hurt badly today. I just wanted to shower..."

"I'll help you fill-up the jacuzzi, and then you can take a nice long bath; how does that sound?"

I nod, smiling up at him. He nuzzles my neck before he puts me down in the wheelchair. With the muscles of my arms, I successfully move the wheelchair to my wardrobe. I pick out a pair of denim shorts and a white sleeveless shirt that I fold together to put in my lap.

A pair of white lace ballerina shoes, undergarments, and a grayish cardigan is probably a good thing to bring as well. I roll out of the closet and close the door after me. The balcony door is open, and the sun kisses my skin. The heat rises when the rays of the sun meet my body, a calm spreads within me. When I feel sparks in my shoulders, I know it's Miliano.

"Are you ready, my little one?" he asks, I nod, and he lifts me.

Once in the bathroom, he says that I can bathe for as long as I want and that when I finish, we have a visitor downstairs. With those words, he leaves and closes the door. My clothes land in a pile on the floor when I take them off quickly and sink into the warm water.

My body gratefully welcomes the heat; the muscles begin to relax. I let out a satisfied moan and slide even further down the jacuzzi. The smell of bubblegum and lollipops fills the room; I smile at that. It's a little cute that he has bath foam with candy scent; wondering if he uses it himself or if he saved it for his mate? And who is this mysterious visitor?

After I have washed my body and washed my hair, I get up out of the jacuzzi. The water flows down the drain, and I begin to dry myself. A jar of body butter is on the sink; it's probably Miliano who pulled it out for me when he was in here earlier.

When I've hydrated my body with the ointment, I put on my light pink underwear. I look at my body in the bathroom mirror, and I suffer from how it looks. My injured olive skin, after all the beatings over the years. I can't stop myself when I let out an involuntary sob.

In my head, the voices begin to say derogatory names I've been told over the years, echoing inside my head. I sink along the wall and rock myself.

"Please, stop," I whisper to no one special because it's just me there.

I sit there until my tears are over, and my panic attack disappears. On shaky legs, I stand up to get dressed. I have made an effort, and the goddess will know that I have tried to push away all the emotions and start living correctly; I have repeatedly told myself that everything is fine, but nothing is fine...

It's never going to be alright again; I know that now. I am damaged goods, and they will all in the near future see that too. It's only a matter of time until Miliano leaves me; he deserves someone better than me, someone who can give him what he needs.

I lean against the walls as I move down the hallway towards the stairs. But I know that I can't go down the stairs myself, which is why I sit down and slide down the steps, one by one—my butt stings by every impact.