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Rostam presses his lips together, shifting his attention over to Osip and then back to me. Osip stands, taking a step forward, placing his palms against the desk and leans over.
“I need to know exactly how you want to work this. I’m not going to agree to anything until I have it outlined on paper what your part is going to be in any of this. Ruslan’s club doesn’t run dope, but we have a pulse on that market, and we can maybe do some things. I’m not going to do shit until it’s in writing and signed on both parts.”
“I can do that,” Rostam says, his lips curved up into a grin. “I can definitely do that.”
Osip turns to me, his eyes finding mine. “You have a week,” he announces, then he shifts his attention to Rostam. “A separate contract for her and Ruslan. I want the husband to sign off on it.”
You could hear a pin drop.
Fuck.
ISABEL
Lying on my side,naked, I stare at the wall. I hate this part. The way that I feel afterward. I don’t know why I feel so awful after he’s taken me. Maybe it’s the pain in my muscles, the ache all over my body. But I never, not once, feel this way any time that I’ve been with Ruslan and that is supposed to be wrong. This is supposed to be right with Azar, but it doesn’t feel right. Not ever. Everything about Ruslan feels right to me.
Pulling the blanket up my body, I cover myself, make a cocoon, and close my eyes in hopes that I will be able to sleep.
Closing my eyes, I will myself to fall asleep. It doesn’t work. Nothing does. I lie in bed for hours, wide awake, with no relief in sight for sleep to find me. I listen to the sounds of the house all around me.
The children, the women, Azar.
They eat dinner, they get ready for bed. There is so much action surrounding me, maybe that’s why I can’t fall asleep. There is nothing peaceful in this place, not a moment of quiet or calm, and there hasn’t ever been one.Never. I didn’t even have that with my parents, with my family. I was born into chaos, and I’ll probably die in chaos.
Eventually, once all of the children have fallen asleep and the adults go to bed, sleep eventually begins to consume me. I should have taken a sleeping pill, I have them, but I don’t like to take them. Unfortunately, sleep doesn’t consume me for too long.
A loud noise causes my eyes to pop open. Sitting straight up, I look around the room. I’m alone. It’s empty, but I strain to listen to see if it happens again and what the hell the sound could be. I hear it again. It’s a loud thud, then there is a woman’s scream, then yelling.
I hearhim.
“You will take what I give you, no matter what that looks like,” Azar roars, then I hear another thud.
Pinching my eyes closed, I pull the blanket up a bit higher, holding it against myself. I hear the muffled voice of Donya and am surprised, considering Azar told me he was going to be with Maryam tonight.
“You are walking on thin ice. Do not test me,” Azar shouts.
Azar has never raised his voice to me, but I have heard him fight with Donya before. I’ve also heard him hit her, and Maryam, too. He has never laid a hand on me, though I have never truly given him a reason to do that.
Well… nothing except cheat on him as often as I possibly can with Ruslan these past months.
Then I hear the slap. I’m sure the children can hear this as well. He will never admit that he hits the women, but he will proudly boast about how well behaved his wives are, to his men, to his friends.
I’ve heard him do it, and I want to tell them all it’s because he’ll beat the shit out of us if we aren’t. But I don’t, because that would mean that I would bear the brunt of his anger if I did. Azar is cruel to me, he’s mean, and he treats me like a sex toy, but he doesn’t hit me. So, for that I should be, and I am, grateful. Which is the main reason I just keep my mouth shut at all times.
Donya cries out, but I hear the sound of fist hitting flesh. I think about saving her, but there would be no use. Because there would be no saving her from Azar. She is as much his possession as I am. I hear him shout again, his words causing my heart to slam against my chest.
“I should just get rid of your old ass. You can do nothing for me now. No more children, sex is boring as fuck, you’re absolutely worthless in bed. Why are you even here?”
“Azar, don’t say that.” Her muffled voice comes out in a whimper.
There is silence for a moment too long. I think that maybe Azar has done just that, ended her, but then I hear him again.
“You are worthless to me, Donya.”
“I’m not,” she pleads.
“Prove it.”
My god.
