"Oh?" I observed her intently, my eyes fixated on her delicate hands as she meticulously played with her nails, revealing a hint of nervousness. A flicker of curiosity danced within me, urging her to share what was on her mind. "Do tell."
-
"It's, uh, not that important anyway," she replied, her voice tinged with a touch of hesitance. Her gaze darted restlessly from one side of the room to the other, as if searching for an escape from the weight of her words. I couldn't help but feel a surge of injustice, the unfairness of her ability to suggest both good and bad news and then casually dismiss them. It was as if I didn't deserve to know, as if the direness of my situation wasn't already overwhelming.
"What?" I cocked my head, a mix of confusion and concern evident in my eyes as I locked my gaze with hers. "You can't just say that and then expect me to let it go."
"Right, here," she abruptly interjected, her words laced with a sense of urgency. With a sudden motion, she shoved a plate of unappetizing food in front of my face, as if trying to divert the conversation. "Eat up, you should be expecting Defaz soon."
I mustered a weak expression of gratitude, though my mind remained preoccupied with the weight of her unshared revelations. The tasteless morsels on the plate served as a stark reflection of my current predicament. The greens, once vibrant and full of life, now appeared wilted and devoid of their natural hue. The rice, once soft and inviting, now bore a crunchy texture that grated against my senses. And the chicken, once succulent and flavorful, had been reduced to a dry and flavorless piece of meat. It was a stark reminder of the bitter reality I found myself in. "Thanks, I guess," I muttered under my breath, my tone a mixture of resignation and disappointment.
As she made her way toward the door, a sense of finality hung in the air. However, just before leaving, she paused and turned around, her gaze filled with a mix of concern and fleeting tenderness. "And, Ada?"
I met her gaze, the gravity of the moment settling upon me. "Yeah," I replied, my voice laced with a tinge of vulnerability.
"Stay strong."
Her words echoed in the silence, resonating deep within me. It was a plea, a silent urging for resilience in the face of the impending storm. "At least, for the rest of us," she muttered softly, her voice barely audible. With that, she closed the door, her retreating footsteps gradually fading away, swallowed by the vast emptiness that enveloped the space around me.
"At least, for the rest of us," I scoffed bitterly, my voice tinged with a mixture of defiance and resignation. The weight of the situation bore down on me, leaving me questioning how I had arrived at such a tumultuous crossroads. My eyes reluctantly returned to the plate of unappetizing food, each bite symbolizing the bitter taste of my own powerlessness. The room, once softly illuminated, now seemed suffocatingly dim, mirroring the darkness that had permeated my life.
Lost in my thoughts, I absentmindedly toyed with the food before me, my fingers tracing patterns in the lifeless rice as I yearned for distraction. It was then that the door handle creaked open, breaking the suffocating stillness. A sliver of light seeped into the room, breathing life into the shadows that clung to the walls. It was a light I had unknowingly craved amidst the darkness that had consumed me.
As the door gradually swung open, my heart quickened its pace, anticipation mingling with a sense of trepidation. The figure that emerged remained shrouded in the dimness, their identity elusive. With each deliberate step they took, the air crackled with familiarity, and a glimmer of recognition tugged at the corners of my consciousness.
"Ada, my dear," he uttered, his voice slicing through the tension, its tone laced with condescension and a distinct absence of empathy. The mere sound of his voice sent shivers down my spine, a chilling reminder of the pain he had inflicted upon me.
My body tensed, and I instinctively turned away, desperate to shield my vulnerability from his prying eyes. The memory of his brutality haunted me, each ache and bruise etching itself deep within my being. I clenched my trembling hand into a fist, trying to summon the strength to defy him.
"Baby, don't turn away from me. You brought this upon yourself. Every action I've taken, I did it out of love, Ada," he asserted, his words dripping with a twisted sense of affection.
"Bullshit," I blurted out, my voice laced with defiance and a seething disdain that I could no longer suppress. The mask of compliance I had worn for far too long began to crumble, revealing the fire that burned within.
Defaz cursed under his breath, his frustration tangible in the air. Closing the distance between us with purposeful steps, he reached out, his calloused hands grasping my shoulders, attempting to force me to face him.
"Don't. Don't touch me!" I yelled, my voice rising in defiance, a surge of rage coursing through my veins. My ears throbbed with a cacophony of pounding beats as if the intensity of my emotions reverberated through every fiber of my being. I met his gaze, my eyes ablaze with a mixture of fury and a desperate desire for him to comprehend the pain he had inflicted upon me.
"You don't get to touch me," I declared, my voice steady and resolute as I removed his hands from my body, pushing them away with a force fueled by newfound strength.
"You don't own me, and you certainly don't have the right or ability to call me baby. Is this all some sick joke to you? A twisted game in your deranged mind?" I pressed on, my words cutting through the stagnant air. I already knew the answer, but a deep-seated longing for accountability compelled me to challenge him, to demand recognition of the profound wounds he had left behind.
"I think you've forgotten who you're talking to," he sneered, lunging forward, his grip once again enclosing my face, his touch a chilling reminder of the control he wielded. "You don't want to be reminded of what happened last time, do you?"
My exterior trembled, my body shaking involuntarily as I locked eyes with him, the weight of his words triggering a flood of painful memories. I shook my head vehemently, desperate to silence the haunting images that threatened to consume me. Slowly, he released his grip, his lips curling into a sinister smile.
"Good girl."
"Now, you may be wondering why I'm here. If my useless maid hasn't already informed you, we are getting married tonight. In just two hours. The public needs to believe that we are actually together."
"In what?" I erupted, my voice a mixture of disbelief and raw defiance as I rose to my feet, determined to challenge the oppressive chains that bound me. The pain surged through my body, threatening to topple my resolve, but I clung to my determination, refusing to succumb.
"I'll see you there, Ada," he stated with an air of finality before striding out of the room. The once-illuminated space now plunged into even deeper darkness, echoing the vast abyss that had enveloped my existence.
"Shit. I need to get out of here."
Authour Note: Hey, lovelies! It's been so long since a chapter has been released and I dooo sincerely apologize for so. Updates will now be commencing weekly, every Thursday from now on. Enjoy, love you all. To the next, chapter to come! >4