MELINAMelina jolts awake to the sounds of someone screaming. She looks around the room, searching for the source of the voice and the danger, but quickly shuts her eyes as a shooting pain flies through her head. Melina lifts her hand to her temple to massage the pain away, but her limbs protest. Her entire body aches. Melina curls into a ball and clutches her stomach, as if her intestines are being ground. Tears fill her eyes as blood flows from between her legs."My baby," Melina says quietly, her bottom lips quivering."My angel," she says as she tightens her arms around her belly."I never got to meet you." Her heart squeezes as an ache settles in her chest."I'm sorry, I'm sorry little one. Mummy is so sorry she couldn't protect you. Please forgive me. “Melina’s shoulders tremble as loud wails begin to rip out of her. Her heartache is worse than her stomachache.Melina cries and mourns the loss of her baby until she falls as

MELINAMelina looks out the small window in the room where she and Franky were placed. They can't escape because the windows have bars on them. Melina has spent the last two weeks trying to figure out how to get them out of here. Franky is currently in a coma, and the doctors are unsure when she will wake up. Melina spends most of her days telling Franky about the amazing life they will have once she figures out a way to get them out.Melina hasn't seen Rafael or James these past two weeks. She's pleased about this. They both frighten her, and seeing them could only mean something terrible would happen to her. Melina's desire to die has vanished. Melina considered abandoning Franky, but after everything she had been through because of her, she realized that would be cruel of her. Franky would be devastated if she wakes up and finds out that all her suffering had been in vain. Melina couldn't bring herself to do that to her sister after everything Franky had been throug

"Please say something," Thomas says."Are you sick?" Melina places her hand on his forehead to check his temperature."I'm not sick, Mi amore," he says as he gently removes her hand from his forehead"You're definitely sick. You just referred to me as "your love."”"That's because you're Melina. You're the love of my life.""Is this some new way of torture because I don't understand why you're saying all of these?""I think I need to explain everything. I’m aware of what you did.""What did I do?""I know why you stole my money for James.""You do?" Melina says, finding it difficult to believe because what she expected from him, knowing the truth, isn't what she's getting."Yes, principessa. I know what you did to protect me." Thomas squeezes her hand as his shoulders drop. Thomas appears to really know what happened. Did his mom tell him? Perhaps she did, but why isn't he angry l

Melina thanks Thomas for walking her to her room before entering. She anticipates him walking over to his room, but instead, he follows her in. Thomas takes her hand in his and leads them to the bed. He makes Melina sit and bends in front of her. He takes her right foot in his hand."What are you doing?" Melina asks, puzzled as she looks at him holding her foot in his hand."How are you feeling?" he asks, taking off her heel."I'm all right. You don't have to do that." Melina tries to get her right foot out of his grip, but he holds it tight. He's probably wondering if she's feeling better after her little meltdown earlier tonight. He massages her foot lightly and then releases it after kissing her ankle."That's good to hear." Thomas says as he picks up her left foot and takes off her heel. He massages both feet while they’re resting on the ground.Melina looks at him, wondering if he is the same Thomas from a few months ago. She can't believe the same man massaging her feet right no

“Perhaps Miss Melina is feeling ashamed to be seen naked in front of you after so long.” This is the tenth reason Leo has come up with in the past hour.Thomas just told Leo what happened last night. He didn’t want to tell him, but he felt if he wanted Leo’s help in figuring out what went wrong, he needed to know what had happened.“That’s impossible. I have fucking seen, kissed, and worshiped every inch of her body. That is the most illogical reason you have come up with.”“I know, but….”“But what?” Thomas barks, irritated.  “Please don’t kill me for what I am about to say, sir.”“Speak.”“Miss Melina may be a beautiful woman, but she has been severely tortured. I’m sure her body is covered in new scars, and someone like her would be ashamed to show her body to anyone.”“Hmm,” Thomas