Valerie's POV
Seeing Max in so much pain that day made me realize how deep he'd crept into my heart, how his vines had wrapped themselves around it, making me not even think about anyone else besides him.
I was hopelessly in love with him.
His father's health very much improved over the weeks. He got discharged out of the hospital last week, and everyone was so happy. We went there to check up on him, and he was delighted to see me there. He said that Hannah had said a lot about me. We were now pretty close and we were happy.
I was shocked when he told me that he wanted to go to church with me this other weekend. I happily agreed and from then on, we'd been going together. I saw a huge change in him, and how he was slowly opening himself up to God. I knew that it was not easy for a person who didn't believe in anything to start believing in a being he'd never seen before. But we should have faith in Him, for he is there and he lives and loves us.
Link also came around every once in a while and they talked business in his study. They'd sit in there for hours. I sometimes brought them food and refreshments.
Just like today, I had made them glasses of orange juice and bowls of fruits. I slowly walked up to the room and I didn't want anything to fall since they could break if they did.
Just when I got to the door,it was slightly ajar, so I could hear what they were saying at the beginning of the hallway.
"You're one lucky guy, Max. And just to think this all began as a bet."
I heard him chuckle and I couldn't help but smile.
"I know, Link. Who could've known I'd have a girl from that?"
That made me stop right at the spot I was at. Girl?
"Well, consider that me being a good matchmaker. If I didn't invoke that competitive trait within you, Valerie wouldn't be here."
I was stunned. A bet? He got together with me because of a bet? I couldn't just stand there like a mannequin.
I set the food down and marched in there.
"A bet?"
Both men looked at me with faces of shock, but Max's had the expression of fear. So, it was true then. He stood up and quickly rushed to me and held my hand.
"I can explain, babe."
I quickly shook it off. The notion of him touching me right now was very appalling.
"Don't touch me. Don't you even dare think about doing such a thing right now."
I looked at him but he was looking at everything else in the room than me. That just hurt me so much, knowing that he didn't even like me all this time. It was all for a .......bet!
"I can't believe this, Max. How could you? Well, it does make sense now. You were a player and it seems like you still are. I'd actually f-"
"No, I'm no longer the man I was before. I have changed and I feel it. I know that I had a bet with my friends to be with you, but it's not like that anymore. I do care about you. I only want you to be in my future. I....... I love you."
His eyes had a stormy gaze, one that showed that a lot was going on in his mind.
I fell in love with a man who didn't want to be with me in the beginning of it all. What if his feelings for me weren't actually true? I couldn't beat the thought of being with a person who didn't' fully know where they stood.
"I need to leave. I need a place to think."
He vehemently shook his head.
"I can't let you leave. I feel like if I let you leave, I'm gonna lose you forever. That expression that you have doesn't show me that you're gonna think about it. You want to leave me, you wanna close yourself up again. I can't allow it. I know you."
I felt an anger deep within me arise from the depths that I didn't know existed.
"You know me? You KNOW me?? It seems like you do. And I bet you know that I don't want to be with you. I want to leave this house. I want to be alone right now!!"
He reached out and wiped at the bottom of my left eye. I wacked his hand away. I quickly wiped the tears away that I didn't know had been pouring out.
"I'm sorry, Valerie. I really am, but I need you to understand that I can't let you go. I love you and I always will."
The emotions flowing through me right now were so jumbled up that I couldn't think straight. I just wanted to leave, like, right now. The statement came out as a small whisper.
"I just need to leave right now. Just.........let me go."
His face was unreadable. It was like a blank canvas now. I didn't know what he was thinking, what he was feeling. He nodded and let go of my hand. Before my mind could come up with any excuse, I left the room.
*******
After packing my luggage, I had gone to my car. I couldn't help but look back at the big mansion, the house I'd called home for the past few months. The house that dwelled the man I loved. A small part of me had hoped he'd run out to me and stop me. I laughed to myself at how ridiculous that would've been.
I got into the car and drove off. I hadn't visited my Mom in centuries. I think I could go and see her. The house was a couple of hours away from this town, so hopefully I'd get there before sunset.
The long road felt longer than usual because I really craved the love only my mother could provide. I felt so angry and used, I didn't know what to do.
God, what do I do?
The tears came pouring down and I was wiping furiously at them that I didn't realize that the car that was by my side got in front and abruptly stopped. After putting on the emergency brakes, I got out of the car to go and survey what was going on. The giant SUV had two buff guys at the front. I don't know what happened, but my gut told me to do one thing.
Run.
When the men saw me run to my car, they got out and ran after me. Just as I was about to open the door, another black SUV came from the way I had come. I decided that the best thing to do was to leave the car there.
Houses were many miles off now and we were surrounded by deep forests. I ran into the forest, not caring where I was going, as long as it was far away from them because I knew who sent them.
Mr Williams.
They were close behind me, less than a hundred metres I could guess. My shirt got caught by some thorns and it tore off. I really didn't care about all that right now. Just as I thought I'd lost them. I was suddenly tackled to the ground and landed with a huge gust of air rushing out of me. I wanted to get up again, but I was restrained. I couldn't go down without a fight, I had to try.
A cloth was suddenly wrapped around my face. I'd watched too many crime movies to know what was going to happen to me. I refused to breath. I shook my body to and fro, desperately trying escape.
My muscles screamed for oxygen but I knew that if I gave in, that would be it for me.
"Mate, just whack her head. She'll be unconscious in no time."
The one holding me shook his head.
"Boss wants her unharmed. This is the only way I can get her to subdue."
I bit his hand as a way for him to let go of me, and he lost his cool. I felt a sharp pain on my left cheek and I couldn't help but gasp in pain. The fumes of the gas began to fill my lungs and my body began to obey its command. The last thing I wanted to do right now. Lose consciousness.
God. Help
%%%%%%%°/
The floor was very cold and rough, like the place I was in wasn't lived in, like it hasn't been fixed up in a while. You could hear men talk among themselves about the previous soccer match they'd seen earlier. My senses were very alert, since they'd blindfolded me. I tried to move but I was restricted. Sleeping on my side, I felt like a worm in desperate need of escape.
"Fellas, she's awake. Call the boss."
Oh no. How I wished I hadn't been rash, that i hadn't awoken because now I has no choice but to see the man that had ruined my life once. Not anymore!
I decided to stay stagnant. I had to show him that I was no longer afraid of him anymore. I heard a command being given, and I heard a lot of footsteps leave the room.
"Well well........if it isn't my darling daughter."
I wanted to respond when I felt that my mouth was covered with a rag. He let out a loud laugh that resonated around the room.
"Let me take that off for you."
The rag was removed from my mouth and I could talk freely now.
"What do you want from me, old man? And I'm not your daughter."
I heard a 'tsk tsk' from him as he was now behind me. The fear that was within me was great, but I didn't want him to know that. He would use it against me, like he did back then.
"That's not what you say to the man who has your life in his hands. Your loving father..."
Something cold touched my cheek and a light click.
A gun.
"Now, be a good girl and keep quiet or this gun's bullet will be in your head."
The fear I'd wanted to conceal had become too much for me to keep in. I nodded quickly and then I felt the gun trail to my neck.
"Seems like being with that boy has given you a small amount of guts. He needs to get out of the picture. I'd hate to think of something happening to him...."
He began to walk away, his footsteps were becoming more and more quiet and distant.
No, not Max.
"You wouldn't DARE!! Leave him out of this!!!!"
He stopped walking and came back to me. A sharp blow was given to my stomach and I curled into a ball in pain. My body was now constantly assaulted with a belt but I wouldn't cry out. That would only make him happy. At each whip, he would say something.
"I. Told. You. To. Keep. Quiet! What. Part. Of. Shut. Up. Do. You. Not. Understand?!!"
He stopped and there was a silence in the room. He was breathing heavily.
"You better keep quiet or it'll be way worse than this."
This time, I didn't say anything when he left. When I was certain that there was silence, I let the tears out. It was too painful to bear in silence. He had whipped me everywhere except my face, the part that I'd successfully shielded from him.
I didn't do anything to this man. He was the one who raped me, made me antisocial at school, made me not have friends as I grew up, making me this person that had trust issues.
Now that I think of it, I don't think anyone will look for me, except Mason. I was going to be here for a while. I'd left Max without telling him where I was going because I didn't want him to look for me, I hadn't told my mother that I was visiting her so she had no idea I was headed there and I hadn't told Mason about what happened.
No one knew where I was. No one had a single clue.
God, please hear my prayer. Keep me safe from my enemy. Show them where I am. I don't think I can make it out of this alone.