Donovan

76

The following day found Donovan and Boma on their way back to school.

As the sleek, SUV glided through the dimly lit streets, Boma stared out of the window, her thoughts a swirling tempest in her mind.

Donovan sat at the wheel, his firm grip on the steering wheel reflecting the iron grip he held on her life. His dominating personality had always sent shivers down her spine.

They approached the off-campus apartment he had secured for her. She knew it was a gilded cage, a luxury prison she was trapped in. Her fear of Donovan had started from the onset and she had learned to keep her thoughts and desires hidden deep within, like buried treasures in the sands of her silence.

Donovan glanced at her, his piercing eyes hidden by the shadows of the night.

"I cannot wait for us to become one." he said but she didn't respond.

Donovan didn't care. He just smirked and brought the car to a halt before the estate. Boma watched him retrieve a familiar looking ring.

"This is the third time I'm replacing this ring if I'm not mistaken." he said. "You are really giving me headache."

"I'm sorry."

"I don't know why you're getting away with so much but this should be the last time you will lose this ring. Got that?"

"Okay." she replied.

He took her finger and slipped on the ring.

"Boma."

"Yes."

"You will love me with time." he said. "You see, grandpa knows that I made you mine on my own terms. But he believes it will work out. I don't need to tell you that my grandpa is my role model. Perhaps I've mentioned it before or not, but he is my role model. He had his wife, my grandma the same way and now they are love birds. In the same way, I am confident that our story will turn out successful. But for now, your duty is to look pretty beside me. That's all I ask."

Without waiting for a response, he planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Do you have any requests, Boma?" he asked in a tone that hinted at authority rather than genuine concern.

It dawned on Boma that his grandfather was the problem. He was the one who had made Donovan into the kind of guy he was.

Donovan was clearly following in his footsteps. It was as though his grandfather was prepping a replica of himself. She could see it clearly now. If Donovan would stop following in his footsteps, she was sure she would easily fall head over heels in love with him. But how could she make him see that? She didn't know how.

Boma didn't have any requests but she had an opinion. She knew he would not like it but she had been wanting to say it for a long time. And she believed it was the right time to do so.

"Any requests?" he asked again.

"No but I- I have something to say."

"You have my ears." He stared into her eyes attentively.

She was scared but still decided to try. Their relationship had always been marked by his dominating personality, leaving her in a constant state of fear.

She hesitated, her mind filled with dread, but a surge of courage pushed her to speak. "Like I said, I don't- I don't need anything, but I have something I need to say." Her words were hesitant, her voice quivering.

Donovan's brows furrowed, and he nodded, urging her to continue. "Go on, you've established that already. And stop being afraid. You are talking to your future husband."

Taking a deep breath, she continued, willing her speech to be smooth. "Donovan, I've been thinking, and I believe your grandfather is a bad influence on you." Her words hung in the air, heavy with the weight of her fear.

Donovan's face darkened with anger. His grip on the steering wheel tightened, and his knuckles turned white.

"What did you just say?" he growled, his voice laced with fury.

Boma's heart pounded in her chest, and she stammered, "I-I just mean, he's been pushing you in the wrong direction, and that's why you're clearly walking in his shoes."

In an instant, Donovan's temper flared, and he slapped her across the face with a sharp, stinging force. Tears welled up in her eyes as pain radiated through her cheek. She sat in stunned silence, her voice silenced by the violence that had just unfolded.

Donovan's anger had ignited, revealing the darker, more sinister side of his character that she often dreaded.

She sniffled tearfully, her palm over her struck cheek. Then she started to cry.

"Don't you ever talk about Ronald like that again. And don't you ever think that you can define me. I give you room to speak and all you can say is this nonsense?"

"I didn't mean-"

"Let this be the last time that you open your mouth and utter such nonsense again, because I wouldn't take it lightly with you." One raised eyebrow sought her compliance.

She sniffled and nodded. She was crying softly and he listened for a while, fury still boiling within him. But he managed to get a rein on his temper.

Boma sobbed softly, tears trickling down her cheeks. Donovan's fury had only served to remind her of the fear that had taken root in her heart. But then, like a tempest that had spent its rage, Donovan's anger seemed to subside. He reached out to her, gently brushing a tear away from her cheek.

"Stop crying." He said gently. "Just don't talk about Ronald like that again. He means a lot to me."

Boma nodded, the pain of the slap still fresh, but her compliance was born out of necessity. She knew that in Donovan's world, her voice was nothing more than a fragile whisper, easily silenced by the tempest of his dominating personality. It made her dread her coming marriage with him. She didn't know how she would survive it.

He pulled her close, making her lay her head against his chest. Then he rubbed her arm gently in a soothing act.

"It's okay. I love you. Stop crying."

She managed to stop and he released her from his comforting hold. "See you later, baby. But I promise, I will make you a good husband."

She heard his words but she didn't believe them for a second. Still, all she could do at the moment was be hopeful. After all, hope was the only thing that made one want to live.