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Calm down. Everything is going to be okay. You can do this, Elena.
Grabbing the collar, I bring it to my nose and inhale deeply, the smell of cotton and soap tickling my nostrils. I do this a couple more times until the burn in my lungs eases.
Walking out of the closet, I go to the next door, knowing it’s a bathroom before I even open it. It’s clean and organized, but that doesn’t make me want to stay here. No matter how lavish this place is, no matter how much he offers me, nothing will ever make me want to stay with him. Then again, who’s to say he will offer me anything. He’s paid ten million dollars for me, surely, it’s me that will have to offer him something.
I curl my hand into a fist; anger and sadness festering like a cancer deep in my gut. I have to get out of here. Going to the door that I know is my only exit, I grab the brass knob, not caring that it’s most likely a dead end. I heard the lock click into place. There might not be any escaping this room right now, but that isn’t going to stop me from trying.
Taking the chance anyway, I turn the knob and push against the wood as hard as I can. Like I assumed, the door doesn’t move, not even an inch. A sob lurches from my throat, and I place my cheek against the cold wood, hoping to maybe hear something. Not sure what I’m listening for, but the unknown surrounding me is worse than knowing what’s going to happen. If I knew, then at least I could mentally prepare myself for it.
When my legs grow heavy, I walk over to the single window in the room and sit down on the floor below it. It’s as close to escaping as I’m going to get. From here, I can still see the bedroom door, so I can watch to see when he returns. There is no way in hell I’m going to lie down in that bed like a freaking offering.
The darkness outside calls to me, and I twist around and stare up at the stars that hang high in the sky, moving to the glowing moon until my eyes start to grow heavy, and I find myself leaning against the wall, exhaustion sinking its claws into me. Drifting in and out of sleep, I find myself waking at every tiny noise.
My eyes pop open, and my back goes ramrod straight when I hear the lock on the door disengage. Blood rushes in my ears, my heart feeling as if it’s being squeezed between two hands. As soon as Julian enters the room, I push to my feet.
I don’t want to be on the floor, feeling even smaller and more vulnerable than I am. My throat seems to close up, and a deep-rooted terror explodes within me when he turns toward me, and I see the red splotches of blood on his white button shirt, hands, and neck.
I can’t be sure, but I don’t think any of the blood is his. The hungry look in his eyes steals the air from my lungs, and I wish the floor would swallow me whole.
He smirks at me. “You waited up for me? How sweet of you.”
Turning his back to me, he locks the door and stashes the key back in his pocket before heading to the nightstand and setting a bottle of water on it.
Without another word, he walks into the bathroom. He doesn’t close the door all the way, leaving it propped open a few inches. The sound of the shower fills the room, and a moment later, steam starts to come into the space.
Exhaustion weighs me down like a heavy blanket, and I slump back down to the floor. Wrapping my arms around my knees, I pull them up to my chest, wishing I could make myself small enough to disappear.
It takes a lot out of me to keep my eyes open. I’m so tired I just want to go to sleep, but I know that would be too good to be true. I highly doubt he bought me, took me from my home, and brought me to his bedroom for a good night’s sleep.
I never thought this would be how I’d lose my virginity. Arranged marriages are normal in our family, so I saw it coming. I had always been aware of the fact that I wasn’t going to have a choice in who I would marry, but I was sure that my father would choose a good man for me. Someone who wouldn’t hurt me. Someone who’d court me, who I would meet first and have dinner with, not someone who comes and tears me from my home in the middle of the night.
