Lily's POV
The sound of his heavy breathing filled the room, each exhale a reminder of the fury that simmered just beneath the surface. My own breath quickened, my chest heaving with every breath, as I frantically searched for a way to escape this nightmare. With each step he took towards me, the distance between us seemed to shrink, until I was backed up against the cold, hard wall. His shadow loomed over me like a predator, casting a darkness that seemed to swallow up all the light in the room.
My hands were pressed against the wall, desperate for any kind of stability or support. The blood drained from my face as he leaned in close, his breath hot against my skin.
"You think you can just walk away from me? When I specifically told you not to?!" he growled, his eyes flashing with a dangerous mix of rage and resentment.
I could feel the walls closing in around me, both physically and mentally. My mind was racing, my heart thumping wildly in my chest. Every instinct within me screamed to run, to flee from the danger before me. But I was trapped, cornered by a man who was going to devour me any second now.
"I....I don't…I didn't mean to…" I stuttered, my words tripping over each other as I struggled to form a coherent thought.
"Save your breath," he spat, his voice dripping with venom.
My world seemed to narrow to a single point, a single breath, as I waited for what would come next. His hand moved towards my face, his fingers curling into a fist. My body tensed, bracing for the inevitable blow.
But the strike never came. Instead, he placed his hand against the wall, inches from my face, the veins in his arm standing out in stark relief.
"You belong to me....you are under my rules...my principles," he whispered, his voice cold and deadly. "And I won't let you forget it...so when you ask something and I say no...you have no choice but to obey"
The tension in the room was palpable, like a coiled spring ready to snap at any moment. I could feel the heat of his breath on my cheek, the intensity of his gaze boring into my soul. I tried to remain calm, to keep my emotions in check, but the fear threatened to overwhelm me.
"I'm not your possession," I whispered, my voice quivering slightly. "I'm your wife, I know this is supposed to be a contract marriage but that doesn't mean you're not supposed to love and respect me....Im a human being too" I managed to say tears dripping down my face.
His laugh was cold, humourless.
"Love and respect? Love and respect?!" he repeated, the words heavy with sarcasm. "Do you know how many women would kill for what you have? For a roof over your head, for a husband who provides for you, for a life of comfort and luxury?"
His words stung, a sharp reminder of the imbalance of power between us.
"And yet you still want more," he continued, his voice rising in pitch. "You still want to complain, to rebel, to run away."
"Then why did you pick me Chris!" I sobbed.
"Why did you pick me? I didn't ask for any of this..."
"Yes you did," he said with his voice really low.
"No I didn't," I cried out.
"You needed someone to pay for your mother's treatment and I was the only one who could help you,"
"Okay fine...I needed help...you needed a wife...we helped each other...so then why do I feel like I'm trapped in all of this...this is supposed to be a contract marriage but I'm treated like a prisoner...I can't even go out...I can't see my mother, I can't see anyone...but then you keep telling me to make this work.....I'm trying Chris, I'm trying to make all of this work but you're making it really hard for me," The tears poured down my face.
He leaned in closer, his lips brushing against my ear. "You're playing a dangerous game," he whispered like all what I said meant nothing to him...like he didn't see my tears. "If you keep pushing me, I might just snap. And you wouldn't want to see what happens when I snap." I shuddered, his words striking a chord of terror deep within my soul.
The seconds ticked by like hours as I stood frozen against the wall, my mind racing with fear and uncertainty. My heart was pounding in my chest, my mind struggling to process his words.
His hand moved from the wall, sliding down my wet cheek and onto my neck, the pressure of his grip sending a chill down my spine. I could feel the pulse in my neck racing, the blood pounding in my ears.
"Do you understand?" he asked, his voice a low rumble.
I nodded, unable to form the words that I knew he wanted to hear.
He released his grip, his hand sliding back to his side. The relief was palpable, but it was short-lived.
"Good," he said, his voice hard and unforgiving. "Because I won't tolerate any more of this behaviour. You will do as I say, when I say it. Do you hear me?"
I nodded again, my head moving up and down in a rapid, almost frantic rhythm.
He stepped back, his eyes never leaving mine. "Good. Now get lost,"
With my husband's words still ringing in my head, I made a beeline towards the visitors bathroom where no one could hear me, my feet barely touching the ground as I raced through the house.
The sound of his heavy footsteps receding down the hallway echoed in my ears, the adrenaline still pumping through my veins.
I stumbled, my legs feeling weak and shaky. The door slammed shut behind me, the noise echoing in the small room. I leaned against the wall, my breathing ragged and uneven as I tried to make sense of what had just transpired.
The tears began to flow again, their warmth a stark contrast to the cold, hard tiles beneath my feet. My hands trembled as I buried my face in them, trying to muffle the sobs that wracked my body.
The pain was overwhelming, a weight pressing down on my chest, suffocating me with its intensity. I felt lost and alone, adrift in a sea of emotions that I couldn't quite name.
The minutes passed in a blur, each one dragging on for what felt like an eternity. Eventually, I raised my head, wiping away the tears that had stained my cheeks.
I tried to gather my thoughts, to make sense of what had just happened. My husband's words rang through my mind like a relentless echo, each syllable more damning than the last.
"You belong to me."
I shuddered, my body feeling chilled. I stayed in that bathroom for what felt like an eternity, trying to process the events that had transpired. My mind was a chaotic jumble of thoughts and emotions, each one vying for attention.
How had I gotten here? How had my life become so twisted and unrecognisable? I had once been a strong, independent woman, but now I felt like a hollow shell of my former self.
The tears continued to flow, each one a physical representation of the pain and uncertainty that I felt.
As the tears subsided and the sobs turned into soft whimpers, I gradually regained a sense of control. My breathing slowed, and I wiped away the last traces of tears from my cheeks, my hands shaking slightly.
I had to pull myself together, I told myself. The bathroom had become a prison of sorts, a place of refuge and yet a place of unimaginable pain. As the tears streamed down my cheeks, each one felt like a physical representation of the hurt that had been inflicted upon me.
I sat there, slumped against the wall, my sobs echoing off the tiles, as I drifted into a fitful slumber.
The dreams that came were twisted and dark, filled with shadowy figures that chased me through endless hallways and corridors.