“Yes. I know they will keep me safe.”
“Goodbye my friend.” She hugged me so tightly I could feel my heart and hers as they said their goodbyes too.
“Bye.”
With all my life’s belongings in one bag, I raced through the forest, never once tripping in the pitch black, even with tears of hurt and freedom streaming down my face. This was it; I had finally broken free.
The pool lights were on, and one of the doors was open on the patio. I called out as I stepped inside.
“Elio?” I raced toward the kitchen. “Andrea? Piero?”
As I entered the living room, my world stopped, and it suddenly registered. The house was a mess.
“What?” I whirled around and saw the place looked to be ransacked. Everything had been gone through. As I ran in a panic through the rooms, I saw closet doors and dresser drawers had been left open, and items of clothing were strewn about the floor. The furniture was left behind, but most of their personal items were gone. I found no notes to indicate where they had gone. There was very little evidence left at all to show that the Capri family had once lived there.
Pain burst through my chest as I picked up a picture frame from the floor and brushed my finger over the broken glass. It was taken a few weeks ago, of his family and me at lunch by the pool. Elio’s arm was wrapped around the back of my chair, and he was smiling at me while the rest of us smiled at the camera. I couldn’t help but wonder why the photo had been left behind.
With a sick feeling that had taken over my stomach, the sad reality slowly seeped into the cracks of my soul. For the second time in my life, I had been abandoned by someone I loved. I tucked the photo in my bag and bolted for the woods.
“You can do this.” Wyatt’s big gray eyes pushed through my nerves as I stepped into the studio and took in the staged bedroom ready for the boudoir shot.
“I don’t know if I can.”
“Listen, pretty lady, we didn’t work our asses off at the bar, college, and now as journalists only to have you chicken out now. Being offered a cover shot for Fab Magazine doesn’t come to most people. If you don’t do this, I will, so make your decision fast.”
“Offered?” I lifted a skeptical eyebrow his way. “You know Georgio is only using my story to help his own newspaper ratings.”
“Even if he is, who cares? It’s a chance to step out of the shadows and finally get out a story worth telling.”
“I guess.” I shrugged and wrapped the robe a little tighter around myself. I let out a heavy breath while the photographer walked toward us. I was offered this huge opportunity after someone somehow got hold of the personal story of my life’s struggle and climb to success. The moment Georgio, my boss, heard about it, he saw money and rating charts, and he spent the next six months wearing me down. I was a sucker for a good story, and now I supposed it was time to tell mine. Maybe, if she’s out there, she’ll finally be able to find me.
“Breathe, girl.” Wyatt was positively glowing at all the fuss that came with a photoshoot.
As exciting as it was, the interview scared me more than a little. I hoped it didn’t dredge up old demons or, even worse, encourage people from my past to come find me.
“Thanks.” I closed my eyes for a moment to steady myself.
“Thank me when you’re finished.” He gave me a hug. “I saw a set of gorgeous twins downstairs, so hustle along.”
“What about Rosa?”
“We’re off this week, so…”
“Mm.” I rolled my eyes at my best friend, who had an on and off again girlfriend for years. Personally, I thought they had been dating for so long they didn’t know any other way.
Wyatt and I had been close ever since he helped me get off the streets and find a job at a local pub where he was bartending, even though it was a dive. He pretty much saved my life without ever asking for anything in return. From there, we were inseparable. We got a place together, went to college, and later both got a job at a local newspaper as journalists. We worked so well together that we often worked on the same stories. We were each other’s rock, and I would do anything for him.
“Drop the blanket, darlin’.” Sean, the photographer, rubbed his lips as he looked me over when I finally let my protective covering drop. It didn’t help that I knew he had just finished a photoshoot with Jennifer Lopez.
My attire for the next two-plus hours was a tight, off-white corset dress that wrapped around my body in thin ribbon strips. Chandelier earrings peeked out from my long dark hair that presently had so much volume I was sure they must have been going for an eighties feel.
“Michelle,” he snapped at his makeup artist, who was by his side in a flash, “no gloss on the lips. Let’s use more subtle tones. I want her eyes to tell the story. Let her natural beauty come from there.”
“Yes, of course. I see that.”
Before I knew that was happening, my face was wiped clean, and I had makeup reapplied, then I was told to wrap myself in a simple piece of deep red silk and lie down on my side and stare directly into the camera.
“Sienna.” He held the camera in front of me and spoke from behind the lens. “Bend your top leg and touch your elbow to your knee. Point your toes and let your hair fall all around you. Like you just laid down. Nothing about this shot should look staged.”
Happy with his comment about being real, I immediately shifted my body to match his direction. When I reached to pull the fabric up to fully cover my breasts, he stopped me.
“No, Sienna, let the fabric do its job. I promise this will be beautiful.”
“Okay.” I took a deep breath and repeated the movements again and let everything just happen naturally.
Wyatt pulled out the article the magazine had given us early to review and started to read a section out loud.
“I was afraid to show my body because of all the bruises, and how my skin exposed the thin bones along my rib cage. I looked weak and unhealthy. My skin and hair were dull from lack of proper nutrition, and my clothes were old and never fit right. I carried my scars on the outside, but the ones on the inside were worse. Embarrassment rested in my reflection and tried to control me. It took years and a lot of work, but now I know I am a strong, confident woman, beautiful on the inside as well as on the outside. I love who I am now and am proud of who looks back at me in the mirror.” Wyatt caught my gaze and gave me a smile. “That’s why you’re doing this kind of photo, Si, to show the world that you know you are beautiful. Do it for you.”
I fought tears and gave a slight nod. My best friend knew I needed this, and he had just given me the reassurance I needed. I let out a long breath and focused.
“You hold so much of your story in your eyes. Think about all of it and let me capture it in this photo,” Sean demanded.
I closed my eyes and took a moment to dig deep and let all that I held back for years flood my memory and burn the tips of my brain.
Okay.
When I opened them again, I let the pain show.
The shutter clicked away, and the memories attacked my soul like a tiny army with painful spears. I had fought for years to hold back the levy, but if I was going to do this, I was going to do it right. I never half-assed anything, no matter what the toll was.