Chapter 20
I didn’t know how long I had been in this hellhole for, but it was long enough to not want to look at the stupid photos on the wall or listen to that ridiculous soundtrack of my voice and laughter.
My body ached from the bruises I received from those masked fuckers, but no matter how sore I was, my spirit remained unbroken.
My grandfather’s voice echoed in my mind repeatedly.
Pain is temporary, Moy voin. It’s what you do with it that defines you.
The door creaked open, and my eyes adjusted quickly to the bright light that streamed in. My gaze locked onto the silhouette of a fourth man. I knew he was new because he was built smaller than the others. He was careful with his moves, something the other three weren’t.
There was something incredibly familiar about the way he moved. About the way he tilted his head. Even the confidence in his stride. He stepped fully into the room, his mask concealing his identity.
“Still holding out?” His voice was deep, laced with malice.
A shiver ran down my spine. “Your dear dedushka would be so incredibly proud,” he taunted.
I did tell them to behave, but it looks like you were the one who didn’t.
You brought this on yourself.” He waved his hand up and down my body, blaming me for the beatings I had received.
“You’re nothing but a coward,” I sneered, keeping my voice steady. “Hiding behind a mask is really brave, isn’t it? Are you afraid?” I chuckled, no longer caring how many punches or kicks I took.
He laughed, a low, guttural sound that seemed to reverberate through the room.
He stepped closer, and his shadow loomed over me.
“Me? Afraid? I’m not the one captured and tied up like this, am I?
” He paused for a second. His gloved hand reached out, stroking my cheek.
My body stiffened as his leather-clad fingers caressed my cheek.
“Then take it off,” I demanded. “If you’re not afraid then show me who you truly are instead of hiding behind a piece of fabric.”
He hesitated for a moment, his gloved hands hovering in the air between us. “Fine, but say please first.”
“Get fucked.” I scoffed, fighting against the rope that restrained me.
“You always did have a dirty mouth, didn’t you, Anastacia?” he purred, and it hit me. I knew that voice. The way he said my name was distinct, and I instantly felt sick. I knew but I couldn’t get my head around why.
With a dramatic flourish, he pulled off his mask, revealing a face that made my heart stop as he confirmed my suspicions.
“C-Chad,” I whispered, my voice barely audible as my breath hitched in my throat.
He smirked, his eyes glistening with triumph.
“Surprise.” He leaned in closer, his breath hot against my ear.
“Didn’t you realise how I watched you, Ana?
” He grazed my earlobe with his teeth, making my body go rigid.
“And not just because your father asked me to. I did it because you were mine in my mind long before you were mine in the flesh.” He pulled away, and bile climbed my throat.
A knot tightened in my stomach, twisting and turning as if it had a life of its own.
My heart raced, and a cold sweat prickled my skin.
I clenched my jaw and took shallow breaths, desperately trying to steady the tremor in my hands and calm the rising tide of disbelief that threatened to overwhelm me.
He was my father’s right hand, a man who I called my friend.
But he wasn’t really. He was just a stranger. A monster cloaked in familiarity.
“This room,” he continued. “It’s a shrine to you. The photographs on the walls? I took them. Every whisper in that soundtrack? Your voice—that I recorded over the years. I’ve crafted this space just for you, Anastacia. A place where you’re mine and mine alone.”
“You’re sick,” I stated, the rope biting harder and deeper into my flesh. “Lorenzo?—”
“Lorenzo isn’t coming for you.” He laughed, resting his hands on the arms of the chair beside mine. “He’s already moved on and found himself a new toy to play with. You’re yesterday’s news. But not to me. To me, you’re everything.”
“You’re lying.” My heart pounded in my chest, but I refused to let him see the fear I suddenly felt. “Lorenzo would never?—”
“Never what?” he interrupted. “Never forget about you? The woman he used as the main pawn in his game with your father? Never find someone else?” he spat.
“Open your fucking eyes. His world won’t stop because you’re trapped in here.
” He cocked his head to the side. “Lorenzo thinks you packed your stuff and disappeared. We made it look as though you walked out on him. Even left your ring on the side table, too.”
I glanced down at my ring finger, and of course, it was empty.
They did a number on the pair of us. They tried to make Lorenzo believe I’d give up so easily.
I didn’t know if he did believe it. I just had to hope he was clever enough to know I wouldn’t have walked out.
That, no matter how shitty our marriage started out, I wouldn’t have given it up without a fight, because deep down, it could work… We just had to make it.
I closed my eyes, shutting out his words and presence.
I couldn’t look into those emerald green eyes I had looked into many times before.
I felt him lean into me, his obsession becoming a suffocating weight.
He traced his tongue along my cheek, leaving a wet path in its wake as his thumb brushed roughly across my lips.
I shuddered, my body recoiling from his touch, but the bastard held me firmly in place.
“You are mine now,” he whispered. “I’m going to make you see that, whether you like it or not.”
The room seemed to close in around me as his words echoed in my mind.
As the air became thick with his scent, his voice, and the weight of his gaze.
My mind raced as my grandfather’s words kept repeating in my head.
For the first time, I didn’t know if I could endure this.
Chad’s obsession was a different kind of torture.
It was relentless, psychological, and inescapable.
“Who are they?” I asked, referring to the three masked men.
“Men you know. Men your father banished and were made to feel as if they were nothing.” He paced the room. “Men who are taking their anger out on you rather than him.”
“More cowards then.” I said. “Can’t go up against someone untied and able?”
He stopped before me, his backhand colliding with my face as I fought against the force.
I managed to keep my head upright. He stepped back as I let out the breath I held.
“We will see how long your defiance lasts.” His voice was cold and distant.
“I hate to hurt that pretty face, but I’ll allow it until you see sense. ”
“You may as well have them beat me to death then because I’ll never give myself to you,” I bellowed, my throat hoarse from refusing the food and drink they had offered me.
“I will never let it get that far, angel.” He strummed his finger against his lips. “Until then, I’ll leave you to enjoy your stay here. This room was made for you, after all.”
“I’ll never be yours, Chad.”
He was on me in seconds, his hand gripping my throat as I fought against him.
“You will be mine. You already are. You just need to see it.” He tightened his hold as I tried to swallow.
“Now, I need to get back to playing the perfect right-hand to your father. We wouldn’t want him to suspect something amiss. ”
I managed to free myself from his hold as I reared my head back, head butting the bastard in his nose. Blood spurted on my skin, but all I did was smile as I watched him clutch his face.
“You’ll regret that, Anastacia!” he cried out before storming towards the door.
“I’ll never regret anything.” I scowled.
The door slammed shut behind him as my breath suddenly came out in ragged gasps. The soundtrack continued its endless loop, my own voice and laughter haunting me from the speakers. I tried to block out the images, the sounds, and the memory of Chad’s touch.
I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was just the beginning. His obsession was a fire, and I was the fuel. I had no idea what he had planned next, but one thing I was sure of was that I would never make it easy for him.
Pain is temporary, Moy voin. It’s what you do with it that defines you.
I would endure.
I would survive.
And one way or another, with or without Lorenzo’s help, I’d find a way out.
I’d escape.