Beautiful Misery |1

14. SUBMITTING TO MISERY

The atmosphere was loud and chaotic, every mouthful of oxygen contained the lingering scent of alcohol, sweat and diesel smoke. That familiar feeling of being watched forced me to scan the crowd for the hundredth time. Kyle had talked me into coming to his race, but Mr Hale had forbidden it. He still had Milo in his captivity and the monster hadn't allowed me to even glimpse him for the past month.

I was running out of options, I'd already given him my submission...but he wanted more. I'd learnt of his deranged obsession with young women and their virtue; I didn't want to temp his nature any further than my disobedience already had. I had no clue how many there had been before me and I was terrified to think how many would come after.

Fear forced me to duck behind large, drunken bodies as I made my way to one of the darkened alleyways— the instinct to hide commanding my legs to move swiftly. Loud, slurred cheers resounded through me as I pushed past the crowd of people— marking the end of the last race for the night. Relieved, I peeked around the bricked wall as drivers climbed out of their vehicles. "Why do they always test my patience, Giada?" Digging my nails into the gratings, between the terracotta bricks, I stiffened almost painfully.

Mr Hale's enraged voice growled into my ear seconds before he fisted my hair and dragged me further into the dark shadows at the end of the alleyway. Wincing I stuttered out an apology. It was useless screaming for help or pleading with this man's insanity. My skin grazed easily as he pushed my front against the brick wall— Mr Hale's much larger body restrained me, trapping me against the unforgiving structure. His ragged breaths slapped against the back of my neck as he unleashed his unrestrained anger on me.

My weak attempt to push away from the wall only resulted in him shoving me against the solid bricks, harder. Swarms of people stumbled past, bumping into one another; cheering for the winner— not a single soul noticed us between the two buildings, no one heard my protests as he assaulted me. "You made me do this, you disobeyed me-" he growled, tearing my skirt off my body, "-you wanted this Giada, you wanted someone to fuck you! Didn't you-fucking bitch!" Like some sick anthem he ranted about how I'd earned this, how I'd tempted this...him.

Eventually my mind left my body, desperate to be anywhere but here— to witness anything but this. Pressing my cheek against the jagged bricks, I scanned the hoards of passing people with vacant eyes. Having sated the psychopath within, by teaching me the lesson he'd planned to, he knocked me to the floor. Scanning me with a pleased smile, he left me in the cold alleyway. Feeling sick and filthy, I sat against the brick wall— knowing nothing would ever erase what he'd done to me, I pulled the ruined material of my clothes around me and rocked stoically.

Hours had passed and the street had grown quiet. I couldn't move. The sound of Macy's voice calling for me echoed into the alleyway as she searched for me. "Gia?" Shinning a light into the darkness she extinguished the shadows that had kept me hidden. "Jesus Christ-Gia!" Running towards me, she crumpled to the floor in front of me. Terrified to touch me, her hands shakily held my shoulders. "Oh my god." Crying she helped me to her car; driving me home she tried  to coax even a word out of me.

Helping me into the shower, she sat outside the bathroom door. Why me? The question echoed around my mind endlessly. Mr Hale had finally won. He had made me so helpless and alone that I could no longer maintain my sanity.

I couldn't fight him, I couldn't go to the police and I couldn't save Milo...

Stepping out of the shower, I dried myself. Mr Hale had finally snapped, I'd pushed him too far tonight and I knew he wasn't done punishing me. He wasn't finished yet. Wrapping a towel around myself I ran out of the bathroom and down the hall to my room. "Gia-" getting dressed I searched manically for my phone, "-Gia are you alright?" Pulling at the damp strands of my hair, I blinked past the tears welling behind my eye lids.