Chapter two
It was a nightclub. It was pulsed with bass, dim lights casting shadows that stretched and twisted, giving the entire place an eerie allure. Adele wore a short black gown and white fur coat to shed her from the cold and preying eyes of men. The dress which her mother had insisted on felt more like a costume than clothing, chosen not by her but for her, as if to prepare her for a night she never wanted to have. Her stomach knotted with dread as Tristan pulled her into a private room
Inside, Tris' friends crowded around, laughing raucously, each holding glasses brimming with strong liquor. The table before them was loaded with expensive drinks, champagne, whiskey and crystal tumblers reflecting the low light. A dozen women were ushered in and Adele watched Tris kiss one of them.
Adele sat quietly like the doll Tris wants, hoping her silence would make her invisible, her gaze shifting uncomfortably as Tris' friends eyed her, their gaze never quite her as they drank from the table full of drinks, not bothering to hide their lust.
Tris grinned as his eyes roamed over her. He leaned in, his voice an unpleasant whisper.
" You're looking pretty. Your mother made the right choice picking this dress for you, didn't she?I think she wants me to get you laid as soon as possible." Tris said eyeing her body even in the coverage of the coat.
His hands drifted to her thigh, resting there with a possessiveness that made her skin crawl, as if to tell the prying eyes to back off.
She felt trapped, like a doll he dressed and posed to his liking. His arms tighten around her as he yanked her closer to him, his lips hovering dangerously close to hers.
Adele's heart hammered hard against the cages of her chest. Reflexively, she pushed him away and jumped on her feet ready flee but Tris reflexes were quicker as he caught her right in time and yanked her back on the couch where she had been sitting. His expression darkened as he exerted his strength over, forcing her to stay still.
" F**king b*tch." He kissed, his voice harsh as his fingers collided with her face anger simmering in his eyes. Her head snapped to the side, pain blossoming across her cheeks. He raised his hands, hitting her again, her vision momentarily blurring.
Adele did not have the time to think about the sharp sting from the slap as she felt his hands tearing her dress open, his hands savaging her body ruthlessly.
Adele felt panic surge through her, the taste of fear bitter in her mouth. She kicked and struggled to escape his grip but he was relentless, pinning her down with his weight as his hands tore her dress.
Her body moved on instinct, fighting and thrashing but all her attempts to escape only seemed to fuel his anger. Her kicks agitated him even more as more as slapped her again and again, her head reeling from the impact.
He picked up the glass of whiskey he had been drinking, pressed the glass on her lips and forced the liquid into her mouth. Adele felt helpless, as he tilted the glass, the harsh liquid burned at her throat making her cough almost choking.
She tried to turn away but Tris forced the glass back to her lips pouring more, the sharp taste searing, overwhelming her senses till she had no choice but to swallow.
No one came to her aid as everyone quietly slipped out of the room leaving her alone with Tris. He did not stopping forcing the liquor into her mouth so she continuously had to swallow.
Her vision blurred as she struggled to breathe, her thoughts spiraling in panic.
How could it come to this?
She had been raised wretchedly only to meet a life of privilege later. She had thought herself lucky but all those luxuries felt shallow, her weight overwhelming. All she wanted was to escape this nightmare. The thoughts of her family, hermother, who had chosen the dress, who had raised her to be an obedient, docile girl stung as much as the whiskey making her feel totally abandoned.
She felt his weight lessen on her as he shifted, fumbling with his belt. In a flash of clarity, Adele saw her opportunity. Without hesitation, she reached out for the nearest weapon her hands could find which happened to be a big glass bottle, smashing it on his head. Tris did not see it coming as he attempted to get in top her again, losing his balance and staggering off her.
The sound was sharp and violent and for a split second, everything froze. He grimaced in pain as his hands flew to the wound in his head where the bottle had landed, his face a mask of shock and rage.
Adele did not wait for him to recover from the first hit, she smashed another bottle, harder this time, the bottle scattering in impact. Tris eyes rolled back as he fell to the ground, unconscious this time.
Adele's breath came in ragged gasps. She didn't have time to process what had happened, every second felt like eternity. She looked down at him, his face smeared in blood, unconscious and she knew she had to get out. There would be no more waiting for the right moment, she had to escape now.
She covered her torn clothes with her coat and frantically rifted through Tris' pocket until she found his car keys and some wad of cash.
She stood up immediately she had collected all she would need, panic simmering through her calm exterior but she had to push it back forcing herself to think clearly. Her parents would noticed her absence soon enough especially with the wedding looming two weeks from now. Someone might barge into the room, if she didn't leave now, they would find her and drag her to the life they had chosen for her and only God knows what Tris would do to her.
Adele staree at Tris motionless figure with a blank expression although she was panicking inside, this certainly is the end of her. She felt no satisfaction, only a hollow, gnawing sense of fear mixed with relief. She had been raised to believe that she would one day marry someone like Tris, powerful, influential, someone who could control her life as he saw fit. And for the longest of time, she had accepted that fate, had believed there was no way out.
But tonight changed everything.
Though she felt a little tipsy, although her mind buzzed and swam with the effect from all the alcohol Tris made her drink, she forced herself to move quickly towards the door. This wasn't the plan, she had thought to wait till the wedding morning in two weeks time when everyone would be busy trying to put everything in place, to busy with last minute preparations to keep an eye on her and when more attention would be given to Tris. That would be the best time to slip away unnoticed or so she had thought. But now after another evening of endless scrutiny and the stifling presence of Tris and her family, she couldn't take it any longer.
She had to escape, ever since a month back when her marriage to Tris was announced, Adele had been watched like a hawk and now with no one hovering around her she had to leave, it might be her only chance.
She hesitated, her heart pounding as she opened the door just enough to slip through.
Successfully sneaking out of the room, she found the hallway empty. Her pulse quickened with relief. No one guarding the door, an oversight she hasn't expected. It was obvious that Tris had not expected her to try and escape. It seemed Tris as self assured as ever, assume her will had been broken by now, that she was simply biding her time to accept the life that had been chosen for her. He was wrong.
Ignoring the dizziness, Adele took off down the hallway, her steps as quick as she could manage. The cool night air helped sharpen her senses but her legs till felt weak. The alcohol clung stubbornly to her system, dulling her coordination.
Adele could use the elevator from fear of being discovered so she wasted no time and headed for the stairs.
Halfway down the stairs, she stumbled over nothing and fell over the stairs, her knee smashing painfully against the hard, cold marble floor. She gasped, pain flaring hot through her leg. She winced as she forced herself to stood up. Blood oozed from the scrape, darkening her fur coat.
It was nothing, she told herself. An injury she could handle. What she could not handle was staying here any longer.
Ignoring the pain and the blood oozing from it, she continued her walk down the stairs though a bit slower, thankful that she had not twisted her ankle which would have made it even worse for her.
She successfully made it to the ground floor, she steadied herself and made for the back exit that led to the underground parking lot. Her fingers shook as she fumble through her coat pocket searching for the car keys she had previously hidden there.
She found it with a sigh of relief, clutching it tightly but as she moved forward, she bumped into someone so hard that she lost her balance. The impact almost sent her reeling to the floor but strong arms steadied her, gripping her hands firmly.
Adele squinted as she moved away from the arms of her savior when she had regained her balance.
Her vision blurred as she felt her head split in two, the impact from all the alcohol and the force of collision which she had bumped into the person.
Eyes narrowed as he stared at the half drunk girl and it narrowed even more when he saw the condition she was in.
His gaze was intense as he looked down at the girl slumped in front of him. She looked worse for wear, disheveled and bruised, as if she'd crawled through a battlefield. His eyes, cold and calculating, sharpened as they traced the details—the smear of blood on her knee, the tear in her dress, the faint smudge of dirt along her arms, and, most infuriatingly, the fresh bruise swelling across her cheek. Her lower lip was split, a darkened line of blood tracing down her chin. Someone had hit her. Hard.
The delicate dress she wore was torn at the shoulder, revealing angry red welts beneath, and the thin coat clinging to her shoulders did little to cover her shivering form. She looked both vulnerable and fierce, like a cornered animal fighting to stay upright, and for a moment, he wondered just how much she had gone through to end up like this.
What was she doing trying to escape with a bleeding knee.
You're bleeding," he said, his voice a smooth, low growl that cut through the thick silence between them.
Adele's vision cleared immediately.