CHAPTER 33
Rafael had his arm wrapped around Amara’s small waist. As much as she wanted to run away, she had no option but to obey him. He was acting more psychotic with the passing day. It was scaring her. She knew it wasn’t right for him to treat her like this, but there was nothing she could do.
So, she let him do what he wanted for the time being. If she resisted, he’d punish her. Her tear-soaked pillow was wet and held all her emotions. She couldn’t even dare to move an inch. How disgusted he made her feel, she couldn’t explain it in words.
The pain her heart held was enormous than the pain from his tight hold.
Amara closed her eyes and waited for him to doze off. Soon, Rafael was snoring beside her. She was caged by him.
All night, she stayed there like a lifeless doll. When the morning came, Amara was wide awake and tired. She didn’t have a wink of sleep.
Slowly, she looked over her shoulder at Rafael. He was sleeping soundly, so she decided to get up. With utter precision, she unhooked his arm from her waist and slowly draped her legs down the bed. She stilled for a moment expecting him to wake up and yell at her. But he did not wake up.
Thanking the heavens, she sighed in relief. She quietly walked to the door and slowly unlocked it. The door opened with a creak as Amara stilled. She looked over her shoulder, but Rafael was still asleep.
She swallowed hard and slowly opened the door and locked it behind her. Her feet automatically took her to the confines of her room as she closed the door behind her and leaned her back against the door. Her knees were out as she slid down the door.
Pulling her knees closer to her chest, she rested her head against the door and let out a deep sigh. What her life had become? So painful and hopeless.
She couldn’t see the road that would take her to peace. Wherever she looked, there she found the closed doors.
Her heart clenched as she bit her cheeks to restrain herself from crying. She wished whatever was happening right now was a part of the nightmares and not real. But the slight pain in her neck and head told her it was all too real.
This reality was inescapable.
The weight of despair settled upon my shoulders, each breath a struggle against an invisible tide of anguish.
Aching echoes of a shattered heart reverberated through the soul, drowning hope in the relentless sea of sorrow.
In the silence, pain spoke louder than any words, carving trenches of despair in the landscape of the spirit.
Amara held her broken heart in her hands and prayed for God to mend it.
She refused to cry. Cause crying was weak, and she didn’t want to look weak.
Gathering herself, she got up stumbled to the bathroom and removed her clothes. Running the cold shower, she stood under it and scratched her body with her nails. Rafael’s touch disgusted her and repulsed her. She hated the feeling of his hands on her.
A shiver crawled up her spine, an involuntary recoil at the memory of him kissing her.
Her skin cringed beneath the contact as if trying to escape the unpleasant sensation.
His touch lingered like a stain, and her body yearned to shed the discomfort, an unsettling residue of repulsion left in its wake.
She gritted her teeth as she continuously rubbed her skin as it turned red and bloody.
She didn’t know how long she stayed there, but it didn’t matter how much longer it was, she still couldn’t erase his touch. Defeatedly, she sobbed in the shower for another hour.
When her tears ran out, she stepped out with a tired body and red-rimmed eyes.
It took everything in her to drag herself to the closet and pull out another one of the long-sleeved grey dresses. It was dull just like her life.
Amara stood before the mirror, her reflection mirroring the monotony of her life. The fabric fell around her like a cloak of routine, each fold whispering the darkness. As she buttoned up the dull sleeves, it was as if she adorned herself in the embodiment of ritual.
She gathered her hair in a bun tucking the strands away behind her hair making sure no hair was out of place. She didn’t even apply anything on her face. She didn’t have the heart to do it. She didn’t want to. Who was she trying to impress? Rafael? The man looked at her like an object.
Slowly, wearing her slippers she walked to the kitchen taking a deep breath. Fully expect to see Rafael there.
What surprised her was the note that was near the dried-out peonies. With an accelerating heart, she gripped the note and unfolded it.
‘I’ll be home late. Eat and sleep in my room.’ She read the words again and again. He left?
She swallowed hard not believing. Taking a shaky step towards his room, she opened it with her shaky hands. When she found the unmade empty bed, she almost sighed in relief.
The heaviness on her shoulders lifted slightly.
Amara made the bed and started tidying the living area. She was glad Rafael wouldn’t be home. She got herself engaged in other tasks. Yet her head was spinning with thoughts. She attempted not to let Rafael’s hurt her but they pained her more than that.
Amara felt lightheaded by the time she was done tidying the apartment. Partially because she was occupied with irrational thoughts and also because she skipped breakfast.
She took a deep breath and was about to sit on the couch when the doorbell rang.
For a moment she stilled. Who it could be? Blinking at the door for a moment, she slowly walked to the door. Holding the doorknob, she tried to hear any sound from outside.
A faint knock was heard again. Amara swallowed and twisted the knob.
As soon as she opened the door, a man was standing on the other side wearing a black suit and tattoos all over his bald skull.
Amara tensed. “Yes?”
“Come with me, Mrs. De Luca.” The man muttered without looking at her. Amara frowned. She eyed him warily keeping her hold tight on the knob.
“Who are you?” She asked.
The scary-looking man clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his back. Amara looked him up and down in suspicion.
“Mr. De Luca send me to get you to his house.” She frowned deeper. De Luca?
“Mr. Kaelith De Luca.” Her eyes widened. Suddenly what happened yesterday crashed into her head. Kaelith. And his deal.
She swallowed and shook her head. “Oh. I...I cannot- “
“I’m sorry but you must follow me, otherwise I have to use force.” The man took a step forward scaring her and placed his foot between the door and the wall. There was no way she could close the door now. Looking at him, she knew he’d break the door.
Weighing her situation, she looked her shoulder at the clock. It was still ten in the morning. Rafael would be home late. And if she broke the deal between her and Kaelith, he’d probably do something forbidden again.
She bit her lips and nodded. “Okay.”
The guard took a step back as Amara stepped out the door still wearing her grey dress and slippers.
The guard turned around and motioned her to follow him.
She fidgeted with her fingers as she followed him.
Her heart pounded loudly in her chest and her breathing was uneven. She was afraid that Rafael would know.
The constant fear was eating her alive.
“How far is it?” She asked hesitantly when the guard pressed the elevator button. She swallowed unsurely as she timidly stepped inside maintaining a distance between her and him.
The elevator dinged as it started moving up. She frowned and looked at him. “Why are we going up?”
The large man looked at her with narrowed eyes as he grumbled as if she was asking useless questions. “Mr. De Luca lives up.”
Her eyes widened in shock as her head completely snapped at him. “He lives here? Since when?” She asked.
The guard twisted his lips looking down at her clothes. He didn’t know why his boss had been obsessed with this plain girl when he could have any beautiful model in his arms.
“Since a month.”
He muttered as the elevator reached the upper floor. Amara followed him out. There was no one on this floor. And the hallway looked different and more luxurious than the lower levels.
The doors were black with gold nameplates.
The guard stopped near the door with the number 0801. Amara swallowed hard. Her heart suddenly stopped beating.
“You can go in.” The man grumbled stepping aside and bobbed his head at the door. Amara looked at him with her innocent eyes as he averted her gaze to the side.
She swallowed and took a deep breath. She hesitated, fingers hovering over the door as uncertainty played across her features. She took another deep breath, the inhale betraying the apprehension that lingered in the air. Time seemed to stretch.
With a last contempt inhale, she finally knocked. One. Two. Three— She heard the shuffling on the other side.
Kaelith was standing on the other side as the door opened.
Despite her attempt to stay composed, she found herself breathless, her heart quickening at the sight before her.
He sported comfortable grey pajama pants, his upper half revealing a smooth expanse of bronze skin accentuating well-defined muscles.
A sparse trail of dark hair adorned his chest, framing masculine nipples.
Broad shoulders descended into a slender waist, highlighting a sculpted abdomen boasting an unmistakable six-pack.
His powerful physique displayed no hint of excess weight.
Amara swallowed to help the dryness in her throat.
"Amara," he purred, resting against the doorway, resembling a mighty jungle lion ready to pounce on her. "You came." He mused as if his goon didn’t just force her to come with him.