"Don't forget who you belong to, tesoro. If I have to remind you by killing every person in this world, then ill do it without hesitation."
He laid a kiss on my back that repulsed me. He returned his arms to my waist and turned me around towards him.
He laid his head on my forehead and closed his eyes sighing.
"I want you to face me while you're sleeping."
I didn't need him to explain why. He knew I would worry about Jonathan too hard but now with his stunning face stuck in my face, Antonio was the only thought in my brain.
I was forced to think about Antonio Ricci, my crazy husband who controls every aspect of my life.
But not for long.
3 months later...
Tonight was the night.
Drea postponed her escape by over three months and she had to put an end to her stalling immediately.
She could observe that he was gradually becoming a ticking time bomb waiting to explode and wreak havoc on anything or anyone that upset him. And Drea would always be the main target of his violent outbreak.
When Drea was simply around him she felt as if her ability to breathe was seized. Her body trembled with anxiety and she felt he could snap her in half for just looking at him the wrong way.
Drea thought that when the time was near, she would not waste a single second. She would bolt out of the house the second she gets and never turn back.
However, now that the time is here, she truly did not want to leave so soon because she was afraid. Drea tried to convince herself that it was because she was being cautious but in all honesty, she was getting cold feet.
One thing Antonio hated more than anything was a betrayal. Betrayal from his wife whom he's "devoted" everything to would awaken a darkness in him that he's barely sustained throughout their marriage.
Do you really think Antonio is bad now? All the horror he's put Drea through is not even half of what he is capable of when reaching his full level of fury.
When he started dating Drea she was completely his. And him branding her name on him sealed the deal. If she were to go behind his back, he would torture her until she is on the verge of death.
But Antonio loves Drea too much to kill her.
So he would keep her alive and keep torturing her. He would put her through unbearable pain and soothe her back to comfort so she'll depend on him for everything and soon enjoy the pain. She'll live off of the pain and off of him and she will be vulnerable to him only.
Her husband is a dangerous man. It took way more to leave him than you'd think it would. But for the most part, Drea thought of every barrier that could get in her way and eliminated it immediately.
This whole thing felt unreal to her. She had done everything she needed to do and could just walk out at any time of the day. Realistically speaking, she can't actually walk out whenever she feels like it. But, technically it was practically possible.
She couldn't believe that she could leave him whenever she deemed fit.
It was impossible to wrap her head around.
The past three months have been excruciating. Drea had to pretend to love an evil man that could kill without any hesitation.
But Drea wanted out. She needed to be out. She craved it, she desired it and she was going to get out.
And if she died fighting, so be it.
Like always, Antonio had his arms practically suffocating her as he slept like a baby.
The sight brought Drea's mind back to that amazing night when he forced her to drink a lovely gourmet beverage...
Toilet water.
That was an awful memory that she attempted to tuck away but it always resurfaced. Sometimes she would be drinking water and imagine that it was impure.
You most definitely have to be beyond insanity to shove your wife's mouth down a toilet and then kiss her right after.
Antonio honestly needs therapy.
Like lots and lots and lots of therapy.
For the most part, Drea was prepared. She had a lot of suitcases but Antonio kept hers locked away and it needed a key. That's why she decided she wasn't going to need a suitcase. It was too big and flashy and would immediately catch Antonio's suspicions. Antonio also has his emblem on all of his owned suitcases so if anyone sees her with a suitcase with his initials they will immediately contact him.
This city unfortunately belongs to him. The police work for him and will most definitely recognize her.
Plus, Drea needs a key, and although their names share a resemblance, she's not Dora the Explorer. Searching for a key would take more time than packing her belongings.
Antonio probably has the key hidden somewhere that requires a key to unlock to get the key that will unlock another thing for more and more keys since he enjoys being so damn extra.
Drea will surely die of old age going on the hunt for something that's not even necessary.
That is why she decided on using a small satchel that she's had since she was in middle school.
It was something easy to hide under her pillow since it was minuscule. Since it was small, Drea couldn't pack much although it did have a lot of space. However, she didn't want to bring too much with her anyway.
She felt as if she had to leave all the darkness behind and start fresh.
Drea has been packing for a week now. She of course had to take things really slow. She couldn't just pack in a jiffy and be out, it had to be leisure.
One of the items in her bag was sunglasses. These were a pair of sunglasses that she never wore. So in that case, Antonio nor his minions will recognize her with it on.
She had a few clothes packed as well. They were all black and clothes that she rarely ever wore.
She obviosuly had her undergarments and toiletries too.
Drea also had all of her cash in there. She didn't count it but it looked like a hefty amount. She still felt worried that it might not be enough for a few months and ended up stealing one thousand dollars from Antonio's wallet.
He found out about it since he's Antonio and is a total control freak. When he confronted her about it he gave her a strange look.
He stared at Drea for thirteen minutes and forty-nine seconds before speaking up.
She counted in her head.
Antonio didn't give her a chance to explain herself. He assumed that she wanted to go shopping and told her that she didn't have to steal, she could just have politely asked him.
He then said that Drea was behaving so she could go outside soon. Drea internally rolled her eyes at his stupid statement.
He said that like she was some pet.
You've been a good doggy, you can go outside and breathe fresh fucking air even though it's literally basic human rights.
She never did go shopping after all but at least she was one thousand dollars richer.
Drea had black running sneakers on the side of the bed so she can slip them on quickly.
Although she sounded very prepared, she was far from it.
The sensors, wifi, and barriers that were originally in her way are much weaker but still there.
Antonio took notice of her calm behavior which made him tone the whole security thing down.
Drea and Antonio have a disagreement at least once a week. However, these last three months have been peaceful without a single fight.
She wanted to stab him in his sleep after the fate of Jonathan was revealed. But his instincts are almost animalistic.
It was as if he was a merciless animal in his past life that survived in the woods with great awareness.
He could sense so much. He was not only very smart but very hyper-aware. Nothing could get past him.
So she had to remain calm and act as if Jonathan's death didn't affect her. But it truly did break her soul.
Jonathan promised Drea after they ended their relationship that he would never be with another woman other than her.
She didn't believe him. She thought he was just a boy who loved the idea of her. Learning that Jonathan wasn't in a relationship after her and lived alone hurt Drea.
He didn't deserve anything that happened to him. Not at all.
During the day Antonio was at work. That left her a lot of time to get her hidden stash of money from the garden.
Since the cameras are working like a charm, much to her misfortune, she had to make it look like she was planting a flower.
Then she actually ended up planting a flower. Flowers. Two to be exact.
Drea planted a Chrysanthemum. She has a big book of flowers and their meaning. A Chrysanthemum is a plant of the daisy family with brightly colored ornamental flowers. In Italy, a Chrysanthemum is regarded as bad luck. That's why Antonio forbid the gardeners from planting any Chrysanthemums.
However, this flower is also widely used to say goodbye, love departed, and loss.
It not only felt symbolic but therapeutic to say goodbye to the only home she's ever known in a while.
It was an abusive and toxic home, but it was home nonetheless. A place where she was forced to develop from a girl suffering from Stockholm syndrome to a woman with a new and healthier mindset.
Right next to the Chrysanthemum was a Gladiolus. This magnificent flower embodies strength. The word gladiolus comes from the Latin word gladius, which means sword, and the leaves of the gladiolus are shaped like swords as well.
Drea doesn't believe she's strong, but the risks she has taken for her freedom from Antonio demonstrated true bravery and she felt proud of herself for not letting Antonio steal her spirit.
Antonio didn't see the flowers she was planting but he did call her a couple of times while she was in the process to tell her how beautiful she looked in the garden.
Those compliments honestly did make her heart jump a little bit. It reminded her of their relationship prior to the abuse. Antonio loved to give her heartwarming compliments no matter what she was doing.
She could be brushing her teeth, painting her nails, crying like a maniac, or laying on the couch eating like a slob, and he would still find a way to make her feel more beautiful than she's ever felt.
But something changed in him after each yearly visit he took to Italy. He gradually worsened and morphed into the horrible man he is today.
Does she wish that she could go back in time and prevent Antonio from ever going to Italy?
Yes, Drea most definitely would. Their relationship would have been unbreakable if he didn't return like a storm on a once sunny day.
But she can't go back in time. Antonio is who he is now and there's no changing him. Drea is not going to wait around for his development when this is the best he could get.
Drea was worth way more than that and she finally has come to that realization.
Now as she lay in bed for the last time with her husband, she felt a surge of adrenaline enter her veins. She doesn't even know how many years she's been dying in this relationship. Drea was finally going to be out.
It all sounded too good to be true.
Drea tried to wiggle herself out of Antonio's death grip but it was no use. His strong inked arms refused to let her go and she began to worry.
She needs to leave now. Now is a perfect time. Antonio will wake up in less than three hours for work. She does not have time to waste.
Drea slowly unraveled his finger from her waist. She then pushed his arm gently away and let out a sigh as she was finally out of his clutch.
She sat up quietly in the bed with teeth gritted.
If she makes a single noise it's over.
She gripped the bedsheets tightly in an attempt to calm herself down. Drea inhaled deeply and stared at the wall ahead.
Is she really going to do this? Is she really going to leave her husband of over ten years? She watched his business grow. She was there when his empire started from the bottom and ended up all the way to the top. She watched him take over his father's business and excel in it immensely.
This didn't feel right. It felt too simple. How is it that Antonio has not had a single suspicion arrive throughout her whole plan?
If she's being honest, she was very obvious.
Was Drea simply that smart or simply that stupid?
She didn't have time for all these ridiculous thoughts as the clock was ticking. Literally, it sounded like a bomb was about to go off.
Just as she was about to slip into her shoes, she felt his large hand grab her waist.
Shit.
"What are you doing up?" Drea stayed silent.
How exactly can she word this?
Oh, no worries...I was just about to walk out on you forever!
"I asked you a question." He proceeded.
She pinched my nose in frustration and threw her legs back on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling and held her stomach.
"You were holding me too tightly, it hurt," Drea replied.
That wasn't entirely a lie. The grasp he had on her was noxious.
He put his hand on the hand laying on her belly and didn't speak. She felt his eyes staring at the side of her face for a while.
"I love you." He said.
He said it as if he would never be able to say it again. Almost as if he knew her plans for the night. Either daring her to proceed with them or begging her not to.
Drea couldn't bring herself to say it back. She loved him, past tense. All the crap he put her through was irreversible and three words were not going to make her forget.
But she did love Antonio. At least parts of him.
Drea loves the Antonio that buys her favorite snacks and massages her stomach cramps when she's menstruating. She loves the Antonio that carries her to bed when she falls asleep in the garden. She loves the Antonio that reads to her when she is unable to fall asleep.
She loves the Antonio that doesn't hurt her.
She turned to look at him when she didn't sense any movement from him and he was fast asleep. She took his hand off of her and let out a breath that felt like she was holding it this entire time.
Usually, Antonio wouldn't sleep until Drea was asleep. He stays awake watching her until he is sure that she is sleeping. He does that mainly because he still lacks trust in her and needs to confirm that she is in a deep slumber before he dozes off.
But...
This sounds absurd. Like really bad.
Drea had sex with him the night before.
It felt more like breakup sex except he didn't know they were breaking up. Also, he gets really tired after they make 'love' so that was also a plus.
The ticking of the clock pulled her out of her thoughts. She didn't have much time to think about him or what they did last night. She just needed to get the hell out of there before anymore conflicts could arise.
Drea slid her feet into her shoes and stayed stationary for a while to make sure he didn't wake up again.
It had been a few minutes and there was no sign of awakening from Antonio.
She shut her eyes tightly and braced herself for what she was about to do. There was absolutely no turning back. Once she made this decision, she couldn't go back.
And her constant remaining question rang through her worrying mind...
Is she really about to do this?
Drea looked towards the mirror near their bed. In the dim lighting, she could still see her reflection. She thought back to all the times she despised looking at herself. How she would cry in the mirror examining the damage that her very own husband did to her.
Her body was tainted with ugly marks for so long throughout their awful marriage. And she knew that she did not ever want to flinch at her reflection again.
Her skin remained blank because Antonio simply allowed it. But what happened when she unconsciously upset him? What happens when the brutal beating resume?
She remembered the times when the abuse was so bad that she couldn't move. She couldn't talk. A lot of the time her eyes would almost be swollen shut.
The amount of bandaging and repairs she needed to go through just because Antonio couldn't keep his temper was pitiful.
Drea held her hand to her heart as it began to ache. Everything that Antonio has done to her has led her here.
So many years of feeling as if her body did not belong to her were finally over.
There once was a time when she believed that she and her Ant were forever. A time when she fantasized about having children and growing old happily.
When she was a kid, she remembered dreaming about the long life that they would spend wrapped in each other's love. Living the life they gushed about when they were just two simple tooth-missing kids without a clue of the darkness that enveloped the world.
Young Drea would have never guessed that she would be leaving Antonio. The one person that was able to make her feel emotions that made her feel like she was on cloud nine.
Flashback...
"What is one thing that you would never do?" Drea suddenly blurted out looking at Antonio. She was laying in his arms and lifted her head to examine the beautiful features that graced his face.
Antonio looked down at the teenager with furrowed eyebrows.
Drea knew he was taken aback by her random questioned and met his eyes to further elaborate. She was fond of doing that.
"Like if you had to name one thing that you would absolutely never do, no matter what, what would it be?"
Antonio stopped caressing her back and his soft expressions quickly hardened.
"Leave you." He blankly stated.
Drea took note of the change in his face and sat up as he continued to speak.
"I care about you a lot and I will never ever leave you." He grabbed her warm hands in his, craving her touch.
"Anything else?" Drea pressed.
"And I will never hurt you. Never." He deadpanned.
Drea released a small chuckle. She knew Antonio would and could never hurt her. At least not psychically. All he's ever done was love her and care for her. Hurting her wasn't even something she deemed him capable of.
"Of course, you wouldn't silly." She smiled.
Her smile quickly faded at his serious expression.
"Seriously Drea. If I ever hurt you, something fucked up must have happened to make me screw up like that. And it would kill me to hurt you but shit-"
Drea engulfed him in a hug he desperately needed when his body began to tremble. She didn't know what he was going on about but whatever it was must have been very, very bad.
"Don't ever leave me. I love you." He cried into her shoulder like he was utterly broken and that shattered Drea's heart.
"I won't leave you. Never." She finalized.
"Oh god, I love you so much. Promise. Promise me you'll never leave me no matter what." His voice cracked along with her soul.
Drea remained silent for a while before she made up her mind. Antonio was the only person that she has held this much love for. And she would die before leaving him.
"I promise you that I will never leave you. I love you. I love you more than you'll ever know."
___
The memories of the intense and passionate love she once felt for Antonio all began to resurface. He was her first friend, first lover, and first everything.
When they were young they would go to the park and chase the ice cream truck. He would tie her hair up during recess when it was bothering her. Bring her lunch from home that he made in the kitchen with his mother. Write her adorable notes all the time and patiently help her with the schoolwork she was struggling with.
Antonio was everything to her. Everything.
Part of Drea wanted to stay and force their relationship to work while another part of her just wanted to kill herself to escape such an impossible situation.
They fell in love in kindergarten.
It was so difficult to just throw it all away. Over twenty years of romance down the drain.
Drea was sacred to Antonio. He has known her and loved her since they were babies and that formed an unbreakable addiction towards her.
Antonio loved her. She knew that. Although his ways of expressing it were toxic, she never doubted his love for her.
But obviosly, his love was rough. What Drea was about to do would not only leave her in danger but everyone.
As impossible as it may sound, Drea brought out the best in him. If his woman, his regina, left him....he would freeze hell and unleash a reign of terror on everyone just to capture her once again. She knew his love for her was dangerous.
His love could very well be apocalyptic. It was an obsession. A dark one that he wasn't going to let up on easily.
He wasn't going to let her escape go. He would never stop looking. He would form ties with every dangerous crime organization just to find her.
Hell, he would even kill random people to let out all the pent up anger he feels for the dissapeance of his wife.
Drea wished Antonio was a regular man. But he simply wasn't. If Drea left him. The whole world would be in search of her. Everyone would feel the searing pain that Antonio felt. Antonio would threaten the lives of anyone just to get to his tesoro.
He would burn down the earth just for her.
Truthfully, kicking off her shoes and laying back in, forgetting about her plans is the safest option.
Once she steps out into the real world, she will be a walking target.
Drea squeezed the edge of the mattress tightly. Preparing herself for the storm that was about to brew when she betrayed her husband.
She allowed herself to relax in peace and quiet. Not taking advantage of something so precious. Because she knew that in a matter of minutes, nothing would be as calm as it is now.
Her life would only go downhill from here and in all honestly, she would be running from one prison to another.
From one bad situation and straight to one just as worse.
However, in one situation she finally has control over her life.
Drea took in a sharp breath and stood up from the bed quietly. She began to grab all of her stuff slowly being careful not to make too much noise.
When she felt discouraged and felt like backing down, she reminded herself that staying with Antonio was a death wish.
She threw on her black cap and sunglasses, pulled up the waistband of her athletic tights, zipped up her hoodie, tightened her ponytail, and secured the strap of her satchel around her body.
She tiptoed around the room and towards the door, careful to avoid the creaky floorboards.
Once she made it to the door, she grabbed the door handle and exhaled softly.
The silence was all she heard and she basked in it. Drea was careful not to take it for granted as this would be the last time she would ever live in tranquility and stillness.
She promised she would never leave him, no matter what.
But he promised he would never hurt her. Yet he's hurt her so bad that he has driven her to run far away from him and never turn back.
He's left her with only one choice that will put so many lives at risk.
They've both broken their promises. Except one is going to destroy the peace of the world once it is broken.