'Shut your mouth, girl! You will be no one's wife but mine, do you understand me?!' I whimpered as he pinned me to the bed and pressed his palm into my lower belly. 'This womb of yours shall only carry my children. Don't you even dare to think about...
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--Allison--
Sometimes, I can't help but stare into the great expanse of the sky. It's filled with blue and takes up our whole, entire view. Everyone in the world looks up at the same sky no matter how far apart we are from each other.
It reminds me of how small I am in this world. Although the people in this neighbourhood may know me well, I don't even exist to the rest of Orléans, much less France and Europe. There's so much more out there in this world. And, don't you suppose, that with this one, quick life we're given, we ought to at least see something beyond just our neighbourhood? Something beyond this city? Or by some miracle, outside of France?
I sighed before taking an icy breeze back into my lungs through my nose. I've been melancholic these days.
And, all I can seem to think about is the world that's within my reach yet so far away...
"Allison! Is the laundry dry yet?!" Timothée called out from inside the house. A strong gust of wind rushed past me as I snapped free from my daze and I squealed, almost losing grip on the clean bedsheet in my arms. Oh no, the basket! I fretted about as the basket of dried clothes tumbled over onto the dirt.
"Uh, yes, it's fine!" I yelled back, bundling the clothes back up and dusting them off. It was a windy day today. And, it was also a Saturday, which meant that the bakery was much slower than usual. Since no one passed through to get to work, it was just the occasional neighbour coming to pick up some bread to take home.
It also meant that I could go on a date with Isaac today! Although, admittedly, it wasn't the most ideal weather. We'll most likely settle for a toasty lunch indoors rather than a nice stroll outside. Oh, I had been anticipating this date all week! I had so much to tell him! He hadn't even heard about Timothée's release yet since things have been so hectic for him over at his bakery at the moment. They were undergoing reservations and as a result, my contact with him for the past two weeks had dwindled a bit.
The wind began to settle down just as I began lugging the heavy basket back inside. Wow, what impeccable timing.
Just as I shut the door behind me, a topless Timothée skimmed by to grab the first shirt of his he could spot on the top of the basket pile. "Thank you, Allison," he chirped, petting my head affectionately before streamlining to the bathroom door. I watched his figure disappear into the bathroom and close the door.
Unlike me, Timothée was the most high-spirited I'd seen him be ever. Well, I suppose he has a reason to since his two-year imprisonment sentence was cut short to a mere two months. However, it was not difficult to guess that this was not the only case. Ever since that man - Mr Clemote, the son of the Don - had visited our house the other day, Timothée has been full of vigour. He must really admire him a lot. Or maybe he was just eternally grateful and through that, loyal. I, unfortunately, couldn't share his sentiment. Whilst I would always be grateful for what that man had done for my brother, his gang was still the reason Timothée was put in jail, to begin with.
