Read Online Life Before Damaged Vol. 8 (The Ferro Family) by H. M. Ward - Free Book Online

tempting. I hate that we parted on such bad terms, and we did have a connection. He knows about Pete now, yet he still wants to see me and patch things up. Maybe I should give this a try.
    The intercom buzzes and the butler’s voice rings throughout my room. “Miss Granz, there’s a Mister Anthony Cleary at the door for you. He seems to be inebriated. Should I let him in or escort him off the premises?”
    Anthony? What is this, revenge of the exes? What the hell? I haven’t heard from him since my betrothal to Pete, and I have nothing to say to him. I am curious though why he’s here and inebriated this early in the morning--that's so unlike him.
    I get up and walk to the intercom on the wall and click on the button. “I’ll be down to see him in the grand foyer, but you're staying close, just in case. Thank you.”
    "Very good, ma'am," he replies, and I hear the intercom click off.
    I quickly key in a reply to Philip’s text, drop the phone on the bed and head towards the mirror. My hair is a mess because that’s what studying for finals does to my ‘fro. I secure my hair on top of my head with a bandana and grab a sweater before I head out of my room. The heels of my oxfords click on the cold marble tiles.
    Though my surroundings have become familiar, this place still feels cold and unwelcoming. My nightmares don’t help ease that feeling. I'm still waking up, out of breath, having sprinted down the frost covered halls of the Ferro mansion every night.
    I make it to the top of the stairs and see Anthony pacing by the large wooden door in the grand foyer. The butler stands close by, keeping a non-threatening distance, hands clasped behind his back.
    I clear my throat and make my way down the spiraling steps. Anthony sees me and runs toward the bottom of the stairs. The butler twitches, but I nod to him to stay where he is. Anthony isn’t a threat. He’s never passionate or brash about anything. He’s the human equivalent of porridge. Baby bear’s porridge. Not too cold, not too hot, just plain, boring, lukewarm porridge, with a smidgen of catnip. What did I ever see in him?
    He looks awful. His hair is dirty and much too long, his face is unshaven, his eyes are bloodshot, and his clothes look like he’s been sleeping in a dumpster for the past week. And the smell! Drown a dead rat in beer, and let him stew in the sun for a day, and you still wouldn’t get close to the stench wafting off of Anthony.
    “Anthony?” I reach the bottom of the steps and cross the foyer toward him. This is not like him at all. He was always exceptionally clean, preppy, and put together. The man before me doesn’t match the person I used to know at all.
    “Regina, it’s you!” He exhales my name as if I'm a mirage. I have to put my hands over my mouth and nose to block out the stench. Anthony holds out a filthy hand towards me, but I take a small step back. The butler moves in a bit closer, but not enough to be intimidating. Anthony sees that his every move is being watched and lowers his hand, backing away from me.
    “What are you doing here and what happened to you?” He was a dick, but I can’t help but feel empathy for the broken man in front of me.
    “I was told you live here now. I needed to talk to you. I don’t understand what happened, baby. I was hoping you could tell me. One moment we’re engaged, and I’m on my way to becoming a doctor, working for your dad, and being the luckiest shit on the planet. The next moment, I’m being served legal documents explaining the end of our engagement and how I’m to stay away from you. I was told if I tried to contact you, I’d get hit with a restraining order. Your father fired me, and the school took away my Granz scholarship. I can’t pay for med school, Regina. I was so close! My work is done, but they won’t give me my diploma because I still owe them money.”
    The more Anthony talks, the more I feel myself unraveling, guilt pulling me down again. I thought I