CHAPTER EIGHT Punishment
CHAPTER EIGHT
Punishment
I pried open my eyes with difficulty. The window was open, no curtains draped, and the warm sun rays fell upon my face.
I groaned and looked around. The room was a mess as far as I remembered.
My throat was raw from crying, and my eyes were puffy and burning.
I felt hollow, like the shell of someone I used to be.
But even in the stillness, I could feel him.
My gaze flickered to the door, half-expecting him to storm in at any moment, to continue his twisted game.
I sat up slowly, wincing as pain shot through my stiff body. My muscles ached from how tightly I had curled in on myself the night before.
A knock at the door shattered my thoughts, making me jump. My heart slammed against my ribs as the door creaked open.
Elena stepped in. I swallowed hard as she took in the scene. Her eyes widened slightly before she put on her stoic expression. “Mr. Vitale requests your presence in the dining room.”
“Requests?” I muttered bitterly. “He’s not actually asking.”
She didn’t reply, keeping her eyes trained on the floor. Of course, she wouldn’t. She worked for him. They all did.
“I’ll be there,” I muttered, forcing myself to stand.
Her gaze flicked up to me briefly, pity shining before she nodded and disappeared through the door.
I glanced at the clock. It was barely eight in the morning. Too early to face him. Too early to stomach whatever new torment he had planned.
But I didn’t have a choice.
I brushed my teeth, surprised at finding all the necessities in the bathroom.
And took a shower I needed desperately. The dress I wore was ruined now, so I covered myself with a robe.
When I returned to the room, Elena was there, holding a broom and a bucket, cleaning the mess I created. I felt bad for her.
Feeling pathetic, I cleared my throat. “Can I… have something to wear?”
She looked up and placed the broom down before disappearing through the door adjacent to the vanity I destroyed. After a minute or two, she came back with three pieces on hangers and placed them neatly on the bed.
“Here, you can choose.” She resumed her work, and I stared at the clothes, more like dresses.
I’d be lying if I said they were ugly. No, definitely not.
However, they were not to my taste. I picked a dress and inspected it.
Emerald, long and revealing. The other two were no better.
One was deep purple, equally revealing yet decently articulated.
I didn’t even want to look at the third one. It already looked short enough not to cover my behind, though the neckline was elegant.
My blood boiled. Was he expecting me to wear this? For him? He seriously was making this marriage a reality? I threw the dresses on the bed. “I’m not wearing any of these.”
Elena sighed. “They were the more modest of them. You wouldn’t like to anger him, Mrs. Vitale.”
My jaw clenched tight. “I’m not his wife. Don’t call me that.”
“He’s not a man you’d want to provoke. You’ve seen what he’s capable of, what he did to your lover. He wouldn’t hesitate to repeat it.” She paused, tilting her head and motioning at the dresses. “The only reason you’re breathing is because he wants you to. Don’t mistake that for kindness.”
My chest felt like a stone sinking in water. I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to listen, didn’t want her to be right. But the image of Adrian… his hands red. My hands trembled as I stared at the dresses. He wanted to parade me around like some trophy for him? Like this marriage was real?
“It’s not fair,” I whispered breathlessly, slumping on the bed. “Why is this happening to me?”
Elena remained silent. I gritted my teeth.
I wouldn’t win this fight like this. She was right.
He was capable of far worse. My father, my friends, even Adrian’s family…
what if this unhinged man decides to do something to them?
I didn’t know if he was bluffing or not, but the madness in his eyes stated what I feared.
Taking another defeated breath, I grabbed the emerald dress and, with a heavy heart, changed into it.
It gleamed like liquid silk. Flowed and hugged my curves with effortless grace; it startled me. The high-slit tease was too much. Minimal, modern, and utterly revealing.
“Come, I’ll style your hair.”
I clenched my jaw. “He wants a wife or a trophy?” She grabbed my arm and escorted me to the vanity I remembered destroying, but somehow, Elena managed to tidy it up.
“Men… tend to… be distracted by captivating things. The prettier they are, the tamer they will be.”
I scoffed as she gathered all my hair behind me and secured it with several pins. “I wonder if we’re talking about the same man. He’s more like an animal than a human being.”
I saw a faint smile crossing her face. “With that I can’t disagree.”
She seemed like a kind woman, despite the occasional glares she offered. I wondered how she ended up working for a monster like him. By the time she was done, she applied some blush and tint to my lips. Though I looked decent, I hated that he was going to see me dolled up for him.
When I entered the dining room, he was already there, sitting at the head of the table like a king on his throne. His dark suit was immaculate today; this time, he wore a navy blue one with a white shirt peeking out. His posture was relaxed, but his eyes… damn those stormy eyes.
I slowly walked to the dining table, trying to make my presence as small as possible.
“Good morning, Dolcezza.” He noticed, of course.
I clenched my jaw, refusing to respond as I sat down at the far end of the table. He was having coffee, and a black file was sitting beside his plate.
“Silent treatment already? We’re not even a full day into our marriage.”
I shot him a glare, my stomach churning at the word marriage.
“Eat,” he commanded, gesturing to the elaborate spread of food on the table.
“I’m not hungry.”
He leaned back in his chair, his eyes travelling the dip of my breasts, and a slow smirk played on his lips. “I wasn’t asking, Dolcezza.”
He waited until I was halfway through the food. My fork scraped against the plate, and I could feel his eyes on me. The silence was suffocating, but I refused to look at him. Not until he cleared his throat.
It stopped just short of my plate.
He slid the file I was eyeing earlier towards me.
I froze, my stomach twisting into knots. I hated that file. Ninety-nine percent of the time, it carried nothing but pain—contracts, threats, ultimatums. My fingers trembled as I reached for it, the words ‘Agreement of Conduct’ stamped boldly on the front.
“What is this?” I could already feel that this was another prison sentence for me.
He leaned back in his chair and sipped his coffee leisurely. “Rules,” he said simply. “Rules you’ll follow as my wife.”
I snapped the file shut and pushed it away. “I’m not your puppet.”
“No, you’re my wife,” he replied, visibly not liking what I just did. “And as my wife, I expect three things from you: obedience, loyalty, and respect. Fail to give me any of those, and you will face the consequences.”
I clenched my fists under the table. “Consequences?” I hissed. “What are you going to do? Lock me up? Hurt me?”
He chuckled darkly, which made the hair on my neck stand on end. “Locking you up wouldn’t be necessary. But if you test me…” His stormy eyes locked onto mine, and I momentarily ceased breathing. “You won’t like the result.”
My teeth ground together. What did he think of himself? “You can’t control me like this.”
He leaned forward this time, and the scar on his fucking face gleamed. His voice dropped dangerously. “But I already do.”
The file remained on the table between us. My chest heaved with the effort of suppressing the scream clawing at my throat.
“Read it,” he commanded. “And don’t waste my time.”
My fingers trembled as I opened it, dread pooling in my stomach. The text stared back at me, bold, black, and damning. I scanned the first line, and my chest tightened with every line.
I felt my stomach twist as bile rose to my throat. The words blurred as my hands trembled. He was insane. A monster.
“You’ve read enough.” His voice startled me.
I looked up to see him looking at me. He was calm, too calm, and that terrified me more than any display of anger.
“This is…” My voice cracked. I swallowed hard and tried again. “This is ridiculous.”
“Is it?” he asked, crossing his arms across his chest and widening his legs. “It’s what I call necessary.”
“Necessary?” I muttered. “This is slavery, not a marriage.”
Anger burned hot in my chest, but fear shadowed it, cooling the flames before they could fully ignite. I couldn’t let him win, couldn’t let him see how deeply he rattled me. “And what if I don’t obey?”
His smirk disappeared, replaced by a deadly calm. “Then I’ll ensure you regret it.”
My fingers itched to crumple the paper, to throw it back in his face, but the weight of his gaze pinned me down. I pushed the file back toward him. “I won’t sign it,” I kept my voice firm. “You can’t take my basic human rights.”
He didn’t flinch, didn’t react. That was somehow worse.
Instead, he shrugged as if he expected it.
I watched as he slowly pushed back the chair, and the sound scraped against my chest. My head tilted back as I watched him standing up.
He looked larger than life, standing there, unbuttoning the buttons of his navy blazer and draping it elegantly over the back of the chair.
“Brave words, but bravery has its limits.” He uncuffed his cuffs and rolled the sleeves of his white shirt, exposing the veiny and muscular tattooed forearms. I swallowed hard as his stormy greys collided with mine.
“Congratulations, you just earned your first punishment.”
My stomach twisted at his words, and in terror, I pushed back my chair and stood on my shaky legs. “What… are you talking about?”
He didn’t stop prancing until he was standing just in front of me, towering over my petite frame.
I could already feel the intimidating aura of his, like a rabbit caught in a lion’s hands.
I waited for him to strike me, slap me, or grab my hair and slam my head against the table.
But the more I stared at him, the deadlier he looked.
His hand rose. I flinched instinctively. His eyes darkened, and I was suddenly aware of the way his eyes were touching me with his intense gaze, moving from my exposed breasts to the slit on my thigh. Feeling conscious, I quickly covered my chest with my hands. He smirked. “Foolish too.”
I didn’t have time to react, or even run, before his hand was moving to my arm and I was harshly pinned against the table. Second time in two days. Air knocked out of my lungs, and my arms were held above my head. “What-”
“Keep moving your mouth; it only gets me excited.”
His grip on my wrists tightened, pressing me harder against the table, and the edge dug into my stomach. My pulse thundered in my ears as his body hovered over mine. The heat of his suffocating breath ghosted over my face. Stormy eyes hardened.
I struggled, the fight instinctive, but the brute seemed unbothered. “Let go.”
He snickered. “You don’t give orders here, Dolcezza,” a gravelly voice scraped against my back.
I sucked in a breath as his free hand trailed down my side. The fabric of my dress bunched in his fist, sliding higher and higher until I felt the cool air hit the bare skin of my thighs. My body jolted in panic. A strangled gasp left my lips, and shame curled around my spine.
“Stop, please,” the words trembled on my lips.
I tried to twist away. Another futile attempt. His fingers brushed against the bare skin of my thigh, the heat of his touch leaving a burning trail. My muscles tensed.
“Look at you,” his lips so close they brushed the shell of my ear. Molten voice grated, and terror intensified. “Trembling like a leaf.”
I flinched as his fingers tapped against the curve of my ass.
“What-” I started, but the words cut off with a sharp gasp as his palm landed on me. A sharp crack echoed through the room.
He palmed the middle of my back and pinned me down.
My cheek met the cold wood, and I tried not to hyperventilate.
I briefly closed my eyes when I realised I was not going to get away.
I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction to see me plead.
He could hurt me all he wanted; I’d rather die than beg a monster like him.
Pain bloomed hot.
I gasped, half-choked, and my lungs refused to cooperate.
On the second slap, my entire body reeled forward on the wooden surface.
I gripped the edge of the table. His hand was merciless and hard, with the sole intention of hurting me.
How could someone find pleasure in someone’s pain?
I wondered if he had a heart. Of course, he didn’t.
If he did, he wouldn’t be humiliating me this way.
I bit my lips hard, almost tasting blood on my tongue, but it was hard. Too hard to suppress the sound that escaped me. I wished it hadn’t. Because he palmed my behind. “That’s better,” his tone dripped with satisfaction. “Now you’re paying attention.”
I turned my head, glaring at him over my shoulder through my teary eyes. His lips curled in a smirk as his gaze roamed over me. “Keep looking at me like that. Those pretty eyes are just making me hard.”
“You’re sick…” I mumbled through the pain, and he just chuckled before he grabbed my hair and yanked me up. My back arched.
“Respect, obedience, and loyalty.” I pursed my lips together as he slapped my arse again. “Etch those fucking words in your head. Provoke me again, and your flesh will pay.” Slap. “You will know your place.” Slap. “You will be the perfect little wife for me. Is that clear?” Slap.
The pain was too much. I choked out, “Please… stop…” I sobbed. My legs were trembling, and so was my whole body.
“Words, Dolcezza.” I shut my eyes.
“Yes…”
“Yes, what?”
“Yes, I will… obey.”
He paused; instead, his hand cupped my red arse. I thought he’d let me go, but then I felt his cupping my womanhood. My head snapped back to stare at him at the same time, and a wicked smirk tinted his lips. It made him look like a reaper ready to take a soul with him.
I tried to wrench my head to the side, desperate to reclaim even a shred of dignity, but his grip on my hair was instant. “You’re being difficult again.”
The pad of his fingers teased my neck, but I bit down on my lips so hard I tasted copper. His eyes darkened, simultaneously pushing aside my panties, and I felt his fingers against my bare core. “This time, you’ll use your words. Next time, your cunt will pay the price.”