Chapter 101 - Back To New York

Persephone stared at everyone in confusion as they were behaving very strangely today. She couldn't understand just what was going on. This morning when she woke up with a splitting headache, she felt as if something was missing or perhaps a lot of things were missing. 

Looking at the lilac-colored walls of her room, she was feeling as if she was in the wrong place but if her home, her room was the wrong place then what was the real place? 

She woke up with a nightmare this morning, however much to her distress she didn't remember a single thing out of it. 

"Percy, how are you?" Carina asked her when she woke up. She was behaving as if she had gone to some battle. Just how much does this woman pretend? Glancing around the room, she found her half-sister, her half brother, her father, and of course her fiance. 

Persephone snatched her hand from Carina's hold. Since she was a step mother, shouldn't she behave like one? 

She didn't have enough energy to deal with her acting. She would rather have a good sleep and refresh her tired and aching body. 

"Percy?" Carina whispered, tears glistening her soft brown eyes. "Are you alright, dear?"

"Carina! Can you stop acting like a caring mama?"Persephone sneered at her. "I don't like your annoying face and neither your obnoxious acting. So, please leave me the hell alone for a little longer." 

Persephone's rude words not only shocked Carina but almost everyone standing in the room. They couldn't imagine that she was the same girl who used to love Carina to the moon and the back. Not only this, she was always polite and reserved. How could one change so much overnight? 

"What are you saying, Persephone?"Now it was her younger beautiful and kind half-sister, Sofia, who said those words in a whisper. Oh, yeah her voice never had been louder than this one in front of everyone. What a white lotus bitch! Like mother, like daughter! 

Why the hell was Sofia looking at her as if she couldn't believe that she behaved like this? Wasn't she always been like this? Straightforward and rude? 

Perhaps, their acting was because of Don Marino aka her dad. In the whole family, only her papa loved and cared about her. Rest of the family members wanted her dead along with her dead parents. 

She wondered why her papa couldn't see past this mother-daughter pair's facade. If papa was not bound to her because of her half brother, she was sure this woman had never been taken her mom's place. Her mom was her papa's first wife and Carina was his girlfriend before marriage who trapped her papa after the death of her mom with her son, Salvatore. 

Hmmph, she hated all of them. 

"What am I saying?"Persephone scoffed. " Don't you know what I am saying? And Sofia, since when did we get so close that you are standing in my room asking about my health? Wasn't it just a fever? Did you forget the day when both you and your mom made me sleep in the attic?"

Sofia just look at him in bewilderment. There mansion didn't have a proper attic and what the hell is she even talking about? 

She turned her head to find her father's sharp eyes narrowed at Persephone. He was trying to study her like he usually did with every enemy of his. 

"How are you now feeling, dear?" Alessandro asked her in Italian. He moved forward and sat on the edge of her bed, suddenly acting as a loving father. 

Persephone sweetly smiled at him. "I'm absolutely fine, papa." 

She replied back in Italian. Since the beginning, she had loved Italian language and found English as a hassle. And Don Marino knew it better than anyone that his daughter hadn't spoke a word more than necessary in Italian for the last few years and how come suddenly she start speaking in the language again? 

Seeing her father's quirked up brows,"Papa, wasn't it just a fever? Why are you so worried about me? I'm fine. I'm telling you." 

"Fever?" Alessandro repeated the word with a nod. 

Persephone smiled at him before lying on the bed again as her head started to hurt once again. She didn't know why her head was aching so badly?

Before anyone could say or do something, Persephone was found asleep. 

"Let her sleep," It was Alessandro who said it to everyone. "And don't talk to her." 

With this said, everyone left the room, leaving Persephone asleep on her bed. 

"She…"Nico wasn't able to complete his sentence. Hell, he didn't even know how and what to say next. What happened inside had left him in great dilemma! 

"Doesn't remember anything,"Alessandro completed his sentence. " I will ask doctor to check her up. Either she is too traumatic to remember the incident that happened before she arrived three days ago or it's intentional…" 

… 

"How is Percy?" Ginevra asked her brother. When she heard from him earlier on the phone that Persephone had woken up, she was so delighted after a long time that she left all the important tasks and came to meet her. 

"She is not fine," replied Sofia. She had been sitting on the couch next to where Nico was standing, and hadn't moved from the same place since the time she had come from her sister's room. "Ever since she woke up, she has been uttering nonsense like how I and mama made her sleep in the attic and all...hell our house don't even have a attic…"

"Attic?" Ginevra murmurer. "Like the one in Cinderella?"

"Shit!" Sofia cursed as soon as she heard what Ginevra said. "How can I forget that she was obsessed with Disney when she was young? Could it be that she had her head muddled up with stories she had heard?" 

Nico was silently staring at the closed door, with his hands tucked in his jean pocket while leaning against the wall. Persephone, indeed was behaving abnormally, but he didn't know how to face her. 

Would she forgive him for letting her rob of her virtue? 

Could it be that the monster had tormented her so much that her subconscious had chosen to forget those hurtful memories? 

He had vowed to kill that damn man the moment he would meet him! To touch the woman who was going to be his wife and think that he could return unscathed? Impossible. 

He would give that kidnapper the worst death possible. And if he didn't then he would kill himself! 

"It could be," Ginevra nodded her head. 

Although she didn't like Sofia and her mom too much, she still didn't show her dislike of her obviously. Perhaps, seeing Sofia taking care of her brother when he needed someone the most, she decided to let go of her prejudice against Sofia. Even though she knew Persephone and Nico were the worst match possible, she wouldn't allow him to marry Sofia either. Then again, who was she to control the life of her brother? 

Ginevra heaved out a long-suffering sigh. "I can't even fathom what this girl would have faced in the whole last month! Anyone would have given up on their life and so had Percy. She didn't deserve the hardships that fall on her one after another. First, she lost her mom, then… and now she jas lost herself. I wonder when this torture would be over for her?"

"Perhaps one day," Sofia said hopefully staring at the closed door once again. 

"Did you talk to her?" Ginevra asked his brother. 

Nico shook his head. "I didn't know what to say to her. What of she fails to recognize me?"

Ginevra sadly smiled. "I found it hard to believe that she would forget you. Did she at least know that you guys were about to marry?"

No one noticed now a pained expression reflected on Sofia's face, hearing about their marriage. Yeah, they were about to marry and hopefully would get married soon. 

"What if she didn't remember me?" Nico asked his sister in desperation. 

"Then, you make her remember you," Ginevra told him. She moved ahead and held his hands in her smaller ones. "Nico, this memory loss could be a new chance for you both. I know none of you can escape this marriage but at least this time, you can marry her by winning her heart. You know what I am talking about, bro?"

Nico looked at his sister, a stoic expression on his face. Yeah, he completely understand what she was talking about. He wanted to give that woman all the happiness that she deserved yet all the tragedies occur in her time. 

He could use this time to make her fall for her and then, he could marry her and make her the happiest woman on the planet. 

In the end, Nico nodded. "I understand, Gia. However, it still depend upon if she remembers me or not!" 

....

Author Note: Don't be confused.. The upcoming chapters will clear all your doubts.