ABSOLUTE INSANITY: A forbidden bond-Chapter 144: DISTRACTION

Chapter 144: DISTRACTION
Chapter 144
KATYA POV
Night had already settled over the house by the time I stopped pretending I was doing anything other than hiding.
I’d locked myself in my room the moment I escaped Marina—the bump, the glare she gave me, the way she looked at me like I was dirt on her designer shoes.
I kept replaying it, even though I hated that I cared at all. I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the door like it might swing open any second.
It didn’t. No one had asked for me. No one had come looking. Not that I expected them to—but the silence still pressed against me in a way I didn’t like.
When I left Nonna’s room earlier, she hadn’t exactly asked where I was going. For a moment I thought she might call me back, or tell me to stay, or... something.
But she didn’t. Maybe she didn’t notice. Maybe she did and didn’t care.
Miss Stella hadn’t come knocking either—probably too busy coordinating whatever needed to be perfect in this ridiculously large house.
I’d realized only today that most of the work I did here only happened when someone physically saw me and decided to assign something.
If I wasn’t visible... I wasn’t needed. It was strange.
For someone who was supposedly a "slave," as Romeo so helpfully called me during our first encounter, I didn’t actually do much.
Not consistently, anyway. No set chores. No responsibilities. Just... drifting. The only time I felt the weight of anything was when he summoned me.
And honestly, I could count those moments on one hand. But it didn’t change anything.
I still blamed him. Still hated him. Still resented him for dragging me into his world. For taking my freedom.
I would have fled far away from this life if I had escaped tat stupid day he was attacking my first prison, killing my sperm donor in the process.
But here I am, in house where I didn’t fit, didn’t belong, and didn’t know how to exist without waiting for someone to decide what to do with me.
I lay back on the bed, staring at the ceiling, hugging my pillow like that could quiet the thoughts buzzing in my head.
Especially the one I didn’t want.
Marina. I hated how that name echoed. I hated that it bothered me at all.
Why was I being like this. I pushed myself upright with a groan, rubbing both hands over my face.
I needed something to distract me. Anything. A distraction. A task. A chore. A broom.
Something.
Anything that wasn’t my own head.My gaze drifted around the room—White walls, neatly folded sheets.
Nothing in here was mine. Not even the smallest thing. Even the clothes on my back didn’t belong to me. They belonged to this house. This family. Him.
I blew out a breath, sharp and frustrated, before I slid off the bed. If I stayed in here any longer, I was going to start spiraling in ways I absolutely did not have the energy for.
Fine.
I’d go find Miss Stella. She always had something to do. Some linen to sort, some silverware to polish, some task that required enough focus to drown out every ugly thought.
Anyone but Nonna.
I wasn’t going near that wing again tonight. Not when I still felt stupidly... dismissed. It wasn’t her fault, probably. She had bigger things to worry about. More important people to think about.
I just wasn’t one of them.
Her grandson is getting married. Her pure joy and dream. It wasn’t fair fr me to feel what I do but fuck it.
My fingers lingered on the doorknob for a second, the house humming faintly beyond it, busy, but not for me.
If work didn’t come to me... I’d find it myself.I closed the door behind me gently, like even the sound of it might draw attention I didn’t want.
The hallway was dim, lit only by the soft golden sconces along the walls. The house felt bigger at night.
Quieter, echoing in a way that made my footsteps sound louder than they should. I kept my head down.
I didn’t want to risk seeing anyone— Well no one really comes up to this floor except Mr Antonio.
But I really don’t want running into him nor my tormentor. Especially not my tormentor.
Not when Marina’s warning still stung like fresh salt on a cut. Not when I couldn’t trust my own face not to give away too much.
The elevator was at the end of the hall, every time I walked toward it, I felt like I was stepping into a space meant for people who belonged here.
Not me. I walked quickly anyway. No pausing. No thinking. No glancing back.
Just forward. Down to the third floor.
Down to the kitchen where Miss Stella practically lived.Down to anywhere but here.
The carpet softened my steps, and I kept my eyes fixed on the floor tiles as I moved—half by habit, half by fear.
If I saw Romeo...No. I wasn’t letting that thought finish.
I didn’t want to see him. Not tonight. Not like this. Not with my mind still tangled in the image of Marina’s perfect everything—and the reminder shoved in my face that Romeo liked her.
Maybe more than liked her.
And after Marina’s warning, seeing him would only make the tightness of whatever I was feeling in my chest worse
I pressed the elevator button and shifted my weight anxiously as I waited.
The soft hum of machinery answered from behind the doors.
I stepped inside as soon as they slid open, hugging my arms around myself as I pressed the button for the third floor.
I didn’t belong in this house.
I didn’t belong in his world.
But at least in the kitchen... in the noise and the tasks and Miss Stella’s never-ending commands, I could pretend I fit somewhere.
The doors started to close and I silently prayed they’d hurry before anyone turned the corner.