I flicked on the switch as I began my descent towards the cellar. The cold instantly hits me and a shiver runs down my body.

Once again I feel guilt coarse through my body, Mia must be freezing down here. I'll have to make sure that she gets warmed up when I bring her back up the stairs. Maybe i'll even take her to dinner, outside... Of course that's risky, but I think that I need to do it, to give both of us a chance.

I know i messed things up, i know that, but i want to fix everything, i want to see Mia smile, i want to hear her laugh. And that's why I've decided that she no longer needs to apologise, it is my gift to her.

So here I am, a few hours early to take her from this horrid cellar. I can't wait to see how happy she will be.

My men follow behind me as I eagerly make my way down the hall. I glimpse past all the prisoners I have kept in here. I haven't been down in a while to torture. Usually I get someone else too, but I made sure no one came down here while Mia was kept in a cell.

I wouldn't be surprised if some were dead.

I stop as I look into the cell next to Mia's. Inside is the boy who was at the docks, the mysterious boy who has refused to give any details about who he works for, or even what his name is... Despite having several fingers removed to persuade him.

He sits in the corner, leaning against the wall sleeping. Or at least he wants me to think he's sleeping.

I'll have to come back and get the answers out of him. I take a mental note.

Taking a deep breath I walked to Mia's cell. Instantly my eyes gravitate towards her huddled in the corner, covered in a blanket on top of a mound of pillows. She looks so frail and small, so innocent. I feel terrible for treating her this way.

My men halt beside me, and search for Mia's eyes as she slowly looks up at me. Her face is ghostly pale, and her cheeks are hollow. Her hair is a knotted mess and there is a frightening glisten to her complexion. She looks awful. And as I finally meet those beautiful blue eyes, I can see all the pain that she is in.

"Open this door now!" I growl.

As soon as the door is unlocked I walk into the room hesitantly, not wanting to scare her despite just how much I want to hold her and tell her it will be alright.

She pulls the blanket over her face and that's when I approach her and bend down to her level. "Mia, what is wrong? Are you alright?" I ask, concerned for her health. I can almost feel the heat radiating off of her.

"Mia, let me see your face please." I say, trying to coax her out of the blanket, reaching for the edge of it, pulling it away from her slowly. She doesn't fight it at all which concerns me even more. What happened to that girl who stabbed me with a fork four days ago?

I hold her chin in my hand and feel just how hot she is, she's like a furnace. "You are burning up." I pull her face to meet mine and I feel her try to pull away from me, but failing miserably. "Principessa." She looks so sad, so sickly, like she's knocking at death's door.

"I'm so sorry." I whisper to her, but I don't think she hears as she reaches for her head, and tears begin to fall down her cheeks.

It pains me so much to see her like this.

What have I done?

"Make it stop. Please make it stop." She sobs, and it breaks my heart.

"Call Hammel, tell him its an emergency and that he must come straight away!" I yell towards my men. "Have all the medical gear we have brought into my bedroom!"

"Matteo, it hurts, make it stop. Please!"

My arms instantly reach for her frail body and I pull her into my grasp, carrying her bridal style, outside of the cell as she cries into my chest. She is so hot, and I can feel her heat through my shirt.

I look down into Mia's eyes as she breathes heavily and whimpers in what I can imagine is immense pain. She's lost in her thoughts, but she still stares into my eyes, and in them, is an expression of utter terror.

***

It's been two days since Mia fell into a coma.

Every single waking second, i have been beside her bed, telling her how sorry i was and am. I hold her hand and pray that she will wake up and be alright, that one day she may be happy once again.

Even if that means I won't be the one making her happy.

I want her to laugh, and I want her to live.

I have killed so many people in my life, but if Mia died because of me--I don't think i'd be able to live with myself.

She is too innocent, too pure.

"She will be alright. Just give her time to recover." Hammel says as he checks her vitals for the third time that morning. I've been making sure that he is always close by, just in case.

"Thank you, Hammel, that will be all." I say dismissing the man. I watch as he walks out the room, clothed in a suit beneath his white coat. His hair is a dirty orange and thick despite being in his late sixties. Hammel has been my family doctor since I was a child--I trust him with my life.

I sigh as he leaves and once again turns my attention back to me.

Her complexion is still pale, but she has regained colour, she once for looks like the girl i instantly fell for. I brush stray hairs from her face, feeling that her skin is no longer that burning temperature it was two days ago.

Standing, I headed over to my desk that I had brought up into my room so I could be close to Mia. I've been digging into as much of Mia's past as i can, trying to discover who these people who are looking for her are.

Clearly they are trained, and dangerous, which means Mia must have some sort of connection with someone powerful--but i cannot seem to find anything to connect her with people like that.

I've even tried digging into her father's side of the family, but it's a dead end. He was just some banker who died when she was young in a car crash.

Even her friends from Australia were not powerful enough to send the personnel that were deployed to search for Mia.

It's all just normal.

Which means that someone is covering something up, someone who is clearly very powerful.

And I think the only way I'll be able to find out who is looking for Mia, is from Mia herself.

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