Chapter 18
Ariel
When I said that I hated everything that concerned me today, I didn’t know that I’d be given more reasons. Though I’d made a mental note to search for the basement, I didn’t know that I’d be thrown into it like trash by my husband.
Well, he wasn’t one to me.
It was dark with just one window that allowed some rays of light, but it wasn’t wide enough to allow more illumination into the room. Cobwebs perched on my face as I tried to navigate through the boxes that were stacked in a disorderly manner.
My heart clenched and I struggled to keep my breathing stable. I’d never been locked up in my entire life even when I gave my father several reasons to, so it felt strange being alone without any hope of being released.
What was wrong with showing concern for someone you liked?
The most annoying part was that he didn’t give me the chance to explain myself. Did he despise me so much that he’d treat me like one of his offenders?
And then, he had to give a silly excuse for killing Freud. After everything I’d done to save him, I’d still pushed him to his death and I’d never forgive myself for it.
If I’d known that he’d end up dying, I’d have tried to forestall the marriage.
I finally found a not-so-dirty spot and I sank into it with the feeling of despondency creeping in. Dusk was drawing near and I wasn’t even sure of dinner. No one would even know if anything happened to me here, whereas he’d be out there having the best time of his life.
Suddenly the walls became closer and my chest tightened. My breathing came out in ragged pants and I could barely hear anything. A sob threatened to burst out of my throat but it didn’t, instead tears poured freely down my cheeks.
“S-Somebody, help!” I mouthed and bit my cheeks in frustration, my voice sounding like a whisper.
My voice wasn’t even audible enough to get anyone to hear me. My heart beat raced in a frenzy and the boxes in front of me appeared in twos.
Claustrophobia.
I hated being locked in, even my father knew that so he never tried it with me. I doubted I was being watched so no one could come to my aid.
Maybe banging at the door would get the attention of the guards, surely he’d have put someone to watch over me. I thought to myself.
So I managed to get on my feet, shaking off the haze and I barely made it to the door which took the shape of a thick mass of darkness. My heart skipped a beat and my throat dried up in trepidation as I took a step back, collapsing on the floor.
My eyelids were already getting heavy and dizziness covered my eyes like a mist. I didn’t bother fighting it. Going to the great beyond would be better, at least, I’d be saved from the torture of being married to a man like him.
~~~~
“How long has she been out?” A familiar baritone voice echoed in my subconscious with the response fading off as I tried to get back to consciousness.
My eyes twitched as they fought hard to open up. Suddenly, the floor wasn’t so hard anymore and a thick piece of clothing was over my body, shielding me from the cold.
My lashes fluttered open and I panted, taking a cursory glance at my new location. The room had the same floor-to-ceiling window but the decor was different, even the bed.
I didn’t have to guess who owned the room when my eyes stopped at the jacket he wore out hung on the couch. I scowled in disgust, wondering why I woke up from the peaceful slumber just to end up in his room.
“How do you feel?” He asked when he noticed that I’d woken up.
His presence infuriated me and if not for the tourniquet on my wrist and the tube that passed drip into my body, I’d have aimed for his hair and faced the consequences after.
“Are you asking because you care or you’re afraid that my father would skin you alive if he found out that I’m dead?” I retorted, keeping my gaze on the pillow beside me.
He snorted. “Your father doesn’t care and you know that,”
A painful knot tightened in my stomach at the impact of his words but I didn’t let it stay. “Kill me and find out if he loves me or not. What are you doing here, anyway? Aren’t you supposed to be killing off people or sending them to their early graves for disobeying you?” I ensured that he felt the bitterness in my voice.
He didn’t respond immediately as he paced around, probably in frustration and I liked it. My voice was my power and I’d continue to use it against him.
“You haven’t learned how to respect me, have you?”
I cocked my head to the side and met his gaze steadily. “There’s no need for that because you don’t deserve it. The men who serve you and respect you do that because they are afraid of death, fortunately, I’m not. You took away what mattered to me the most so I might as well die,”
“What did I take?” He asked flatly.
“My freedom,” I replied coldly. “Being married to you is worse than being locked up in a cage because of the hopelessness attached to it. It’s no wonder the mother of your child ran away from you because you don’t deserve to be loved. You are a sadist who should be banished from the surface of this earth for others to live freely. Even your daughter doesn’t want to speak to you because she knows how evil you are,”
I guess I crossed the line because the next that happened made me want to go back in time and erase my mistake.
Within a split second, his knife was out of its sheath and piercing my neck. My body trembled in fear and I shut my eyes, hoping that he wouldn’t go through with whatever his demons were whispering to him.
People like him didn’t hesitate in snuffing life out of anyone, and he didn’t love me so it wouldn’t be hard.
“Dmitri,” I called in a shrill voice, gasping for air.
“How dare you bring Liora into this?” He growled, his knife pushing a bit deeper into my neck.
The door was flung open and immediately he was dragged away from me. My fingers flew to my neck and my eyes widened in horror when I felt a warm liquid trickling down my shoulder. If he hadn’t come in, I’d be soaked in my pool of blood right now.
“What have you done, Dmitri? Do you want to kill her?” Vladimir rasped, passing glances from me to him.