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“Remove your clothes, Maria. Once you’re finished, go and stand in the corner and wait for me.”
“You’re kidding me.”
“No, I am not. I suggest you do as I say, or your punishment will be much worse. Do you understand me clearly, my wife?” He waited, still staring at me as if what I’d done was the most horrible thing in the world.
Another lump had formed in my throat from the amount of anxiety. I was trapped in more than just a nightmare. I had to make him think I was feeling some level of remorse, even if that felt so entirely foreign to me.
“Yes, I do.”
“Then I’ll return in a few minutes. You seem to need more time to reflect on what could have happened had I lost you.”
He turned toward the door so slowly it was as if his muscles were stiff. “What would you have done had I been killed? I mean, I’m just curious.”
There was so much tension between us that I was completely sick to my stomach.
“What would I have done? I thought I was very clear about that. I would have done what it took to hunt down the bastard responsible, including destroying his entire world, killing his family if necessary, then burning down his house. That’s what I would have done.”
I was strangely thrilled hearing his testament and I completely believed it. “Why?”
“Why?” Now he almost seemed amused. “That’s easy. Because you’re my wife.”
Everything about his last statement was completely formal, as if there was no mistaking the reason or the promise made of what he would do in the future. With that he walked out, immediately engaging the lock.
And I’d never felt so alone in my life.
The man was absolutely confusing, the push and pull we shared keeping me tingling yet on edge. As much as he wanted me to hate him, and I wanted that too, the glimmer of the other man I’d seen before kept me wanting to push his boundaries even further. Why? Why did it even matter to me? This was nothing but a game that he would win.
Was it what my mom had already said to me, that my entire life I’d wanted to believe the best in people? Maybe so. If that was the truth, I was a naïve little girl and nothing more. Sadly, this was something I couldn’t avoid, not with pleading or hiding. He was a bad man and I was his possession.
I stood where I was for a full two minutes before being able to move whatsoever. When I did, every action I took brought an intense ache into my system. I was slow in removing my clothes, torn between feeling guilty and wanting to continue hating him. When I was completely naked, my anxiety and anger at the man had me gasping for breath.
My legs remained stiff as I walked toward the wall and to the only blank corner in the room. I’d certainly never received this kind of punishment before. The moment I was in position, I fell into a strange lull where I felt like a bad little girl all the way to my core. It was silly, the way I was feeling, but I couldn’t help myself.
I’d never considered any of the consequences or dangers in running. I could use all the excuses I wanted, including that I didn’t know what I was getting myself mixed up in but of course, that would be a complete lie. I was no fool. I knew and had accepted the danger, implied or otherwise.
Now I had to face the music and suck it up. Maybe the real Maria was right and one day I’d thank her for allowing me to steal her life.
Nope. I had a feeling I’d spit on her grave instead.
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes and trying to find some peace inside in making this decision. There was none that could be found, only a continued angst, especially as the seconds rolled into minutes.
Five passed by ever so slowly.
Then another five or maybe ten. I’d already lost count. All I knew as that I continued to be sick to my stomach, my mind a strange blur of wonderment and determination. I would get through this and bring my mother back to safety.
Somehow.
Some way.
When another five plus minutes passed, I was certain I was going to have an anxiety attack. How could the bastard do this to me? How? Did I really deserve to be treated this way?
I was getting to the furious point when I heard the lock once again. Now I was frozen with fear just like I had been before.
His footsteps were slower than before as he closed the door then walked closer. When he was standing directly behind me, he took a deep breath and held it. The moment he exhaled, he issued the huskiest growl that I’d heard from him.
Yet he remained quiet, heading toward the bed. I dared steal a glance in his direction. He’d grabbed one of the pillows, tossing it into the center of the bed.
“It’s time, Maria. Go lie down on the pillow.”
