Chapter 8 #2
My legs clamp around his hand, holding him there as I feel the pleasure growing and growing. I may be innocent but I’ve read enough to know what this is. I’m getting close to an orgasm. The free paperbacks I would get from the library were an education I’m glad I now have.
Gabriel looks up at me with his mouth still on my breast. The sight of it gets me closer and closer to the edge.
He presses down on my clit. I can feel my orgasm on the verge…
And as soon as I do, Gabriel pulls away from me. I gasp as the pleasure in me wants to come out but can’t.
He pulls my underwear back into place and fixes my dress so it’s covering me again.
“Did you really think I would reward you with an orgasm? Your first one by my hand?”
A crushing defeat hits me. “I’m sorry.” I hate how weak I sound. “But I have the right to know you.”
“You don’t have any right. You made a deal with me. You signed your life away to save your father. You may be my wife but I own you.”
His words send a chill through my body and I fight to hold back my tears. “You’re evil.”
“So you keep saying. I’ll give you an orgasm when you’ve been a good girl. Not before. Never set foot in my room again. And don’t ask about my family.”
“Are they the reason you had a panic attack?”
“What did I just say?”
I push myself into a seated position. “I should know.”
“You weren’t supposed to see any of this. Now get out of my room and go back to yours.” Gabriel turns his back onto me and I know there’s no getting through to him.
I run from his room but I don’t stop at mine. There’s no way I am going to let him push me out, touch me the way he did, and then act cold towards me.
I know it’s na?ve but I have to see my father again. I have to know that he’s ok.
I run right out the front door and I don’t stop running.
After an hour, I make it to my father’s house.
The little cottage is a reminder of all the times we went hungry but it’s also a reminder of the love I had there.
In Gabriel’s mansion, I have all my basic needs met and yet, there’s no love in that house.
I burst inside. My father is in the kitchen… making food. He startles when he sees me.
“Aurora?”
“Are you ok?” I ask as my tears hit me. I run into his arms and he holds me tight. “Is that food?”
“Gabriel kept his promise. Food has been delivered here for the past two days now.”
I’m not sure how to feel about Gabriel sticking to his word. “I’m glad you’re eating. You need to keep your strength up.”
“I do. I planned on coming for you. To save you. What are you doing here?”
“I had to see you. I had to know you were all right.”
He cups my face and smiles down at me but there’s no joy in his eyes. “I am… fine. I am not hungry anymore. But I worry for you every day.”
“I know coming here puts you at risk. But I had to see you. I needed to know I was still loved.”
“Of course you’re loved. You’re always loved by me.”
The front door bangs open and Gabriel storms inside. “What did I say, Aurora? You are to never see your father again. I kept my promise. You should have kept yours.”
He pulls out his gun and aims it at my father’s head.
I run and stand right before the barrel. Deja-vu hits me. Will Gabriel and I be forced to repeat this same song and dance over and over again?
“Don’t kill him. You want to own me? You’ll never be able to own me if you kill him. I will never come to you willingly if you kill him.”
“You have to stop running back to your father or I will start to lock you up in your room.”
“I had to know he was ok.”
“He’s ok,” Gabriel spits out. “I’ve been giving him food like I said I would. Your father is fine. It’s more than he deserves.”
“You have a family. Or had. I’m not sure which.”
Gabriel flinches. “Don’t talk about my family.”
“The point I’m making is that my father is my family. I love him more than life itself. Don’t you feel that way for your family? Wouldn’t you do anything to protect them? To make sure they were ok?”
His hand wavers on his gun. “Aurora…”
“Wouldn’t you?” I challenge. “You hide that photo away. I don’t know why.
But it’s clear it causes you some sort of emotion.
You have to understand how I feel about my dad.
I know he stole from you but it was just to help me live.
So I could eat. Leave my dad alone. Please. I’ll stop coming to see him. Or…”
“Or?”
“Or you can let me see him.”
Gabriel scoffs. “Why would I do that?”
“If you let me see him, just so I can know if he’s all right or not, I’ll always return to you. I won’t run. You can still be in control. Just… give me more freedom. If you truly want me to be yours, then you’ll grant me that.”
“You are my wife. You are mine to do with as I please.”
“Wife?” Dad gasps. “What…”
I look my dad in the eyes. “Gabriel and I are married.”
My father sinks to the floor, all the light leaving him.
“You can’t give up,” I say to him. “You can’t give up. I didn’t want you to know because I knew it would hurt you. But Dad… I’ll be fine. I’ll be fine knowing you’re ok. So fight for me. Always fight. Please.”
He doesn’t give me any response.
“Let’s go,” Gabriel growls, grabbing my arm.
“I need to know my father is ok.”
“He’s alive, isn’t he? He has food. He’s fine.” Gabriel leads me out of the house before I get to say goodbye to my dad… again.
“Let me say goodbye,” I beg. “Let me say goodbye.”
“No.” Gabriel opens his car door and motions me inside. I do as he says, knowing I can’t sway a mountain like him.
Once Gabriel gets in the car with me, I break down into tears.
“You didn’t let me say goodbye,” I sob.
For just a moment, I see a flash of guilt on Gabriel’s face but it’s gone so fast that I’m not sure if I truly saw it or not.