Submitting

Different

I sat up with a jolt, eyes wide and heart pounding against my rib cage. The bubble that I was in popped suddenly, snatched away from the misty tendrils of slumber that was about to consume me slowly in Dimitri's arms as his hand grazing my head, combing through my hair, patted it into place one last time before resting on my waist.

He knew something I didn't.

A sigh escaped his lips that followed the dead echo of the doorbell as he left my side and stood up facing the pitch black doorway, attentive and aware, with his right hand on top of his left. That and the cold chill that he left me in, made it very clear that I was not about to like whatever was going to happen next and whoever was about to come through that door. It didn't stop me from wanting to have a good view as I stood up as well when a key turning the lock resounded from the hallway as the front door open with a loud squeak and a pair of footsteps walked in the foyer.

Their boots clacked against the wooden floor a little before they were discarded at the entrance and placed in the shoe closet and then its door shut. Soon enough, the squeaks of the hardwood floor screeched in the still air matching the rhythm of my breath as I dare not breathe when they stopped in front of the door, refusing to come into the light and reveal themselves. Silence. Nothing at all.

Did I ima-

The smile on her face came a little too late. Her expressionless face stared at me like a stranger, like she didn't know me at all, and I wouldn't have recognized her as well if I hadn't seen her before in the basement. Tied up and unconscious.

Liza.

No matter how much I tried, I couldn't bring myself to move or even breathe for that matter as the shock that I felt completely froze me to the very core. I didn't want this moment to progress any further or let my eyes focus on the other thing that I saw from my peripheral vision. This initial feeling of happiness was unlike anything that I have felt in the longest amount of time and I didn't want to lose it. Good moments barely last though and this was no different. Swift like a sword, it chopped off the small spark of happiness before it could even ignite into a fire.

"Rose."

Her croaked up voice brought tears to my eyes that couldn't decide if they were happy or sad. I was thankful though as they partially blurred my vision until they dripped down my cheeks and my eyes finally settled on the other parts of Liza. The part which she was touching and holding with utmost care and precaution. Her protruded belly against her frail body. She was pregnant.

This was not happening...it couldn't. All of this must be a sick joke that they must have planned or something in order to surprise me. Or perhaps teach me a lesson or punish me in some sort of sick twisted way. It was just a disguise, a fake scene. Please let it be that.

My eyes turned towards Liza as she smiles a little smile that wanted to comfort me perhaps, but it failed miserably as I swiftly turned towards Dimitri who just stared at me until he mouthed the words that defined the situation and indented it further into reality.

"She is pregnant." I could hear the cautiousness in his voice and the search in his eyes as he tried to assess my reaction and possibly read my mind, which wasn't hard at all. There was nothing that I could do. Absolutely nothing except submit to the situation and accept how things are. Just like I have been doing for the majority of my life. Especially here.

I was sad, and I wanted to look away from Liza, but I couldn't because I haven't seen her in so long and also because I couldn't believe what I saw. My muscles felt so weak and my body so heavy that I wanted to crash on the floor but at the same time I was frozen beyond life and I couldn't even breathe. I needed to get out of here.

"Rose I-" Her voice cracked painfully when I turned away and faced Dimitri again who was standing too close to me now as his arms wrapped around me. Perhaps, from a third point of view it might have seemed like a gesture of support and comfort, but it was just him stopping me from rushing out of the room and away from this horror. "-missed you."

Dimitri was not on my side, his touch burned me as I wanted nothing more than to kill him and anyone who dared to do the same at the moment. This was not happening. No, not another piece of me lost to cruel fate. This simply, is not happening, again.

I missed you too Liza.

The rage that I felt was more vibrant than the sadness that I should have felt as I shouted in frustration and punched Dimitri repeatedly while burying my face in his chest at the same time. I kept punching and he kept on holding me.

"We need to talk Rose this is not the right behaviour." She sounded different suddenly. How much more of Liza had changed? She succeeded in breaking me more as I paused. Dimitri took that opportunity to turn me around again to face her with red tear soaked eyes and a breathless heaving mess.

"What is that Liza?" A part of me winced at the tone of my voice but the other part of me wanted quick short answers and a possible way to undo this mess that had occurred without my knowledge and yet possibly because of me.

"Now, now. I don't think that is very polite of you Rosie. Where are your manners? Have you forgotten them altogether while I was gone?" The devilish voice that resounded from the dark hallway angered me further as I clenched my fists harder, nails digging into my palm. And then, with one small step at a time, he stepped right into the light and stood beside Liza with every bit of delight which was a huge contrast to what I was feeling.

I wanted to throw a lamp at his face.

And so I did.

The chime of glass shattering against the wall instilled more into the chaos as I aimed the innocent lamp at the blank wall on the other side of the room unlike what I had initially planned on doing. I was still angry, but I guess sanity was somewhat still present in me because the outcome of that action would have been barely favourable. Ivan would have suffered injuries yes and Dimitri or Ivan or both would have made sure that I did too.

It will be foolish to think that I won't be punished for this insolence either.

Like I cared.