Phoenix ✔️

Chapter 7: Heartless Thief

Warning: There is violence in this chapter.

My eyelids lift open slowly to the sunlight creeping in through the window blinds. The usually comforting smell of my brother's breakfast is unfortunately absent. I don't need an alarm clock, because the hot breakfast that is usually made by my brother is enough to bring me out of my deep slumber.

"Dom must have not made breakfast today. Gosh, I can't wait to tell him about the nightmare that I had last night," I think to myself, as I sit up in the bed. I stretch my arms and rub whatever sleep is left in my eyes.

When my eyes fully open, I immediately notice something is off. The decor around my room varies drastically from that in my bedroom. The decor in this room seems almost foreign compared to that back in my house. I look down, and the bed sheets are very different from those back home.

These ones are red and velvety, almost luxurious feeling, while the ones back home are a regular white color, made with a delicate cotton blend. The commotion consisting of Dom's hearty laugh, my dad's strong voice, and Elena's witty remarks are nonexistent downstairs.

"Ugh, it wasn't a dream," I lament to myself, as I throw the covers off and get out of bed. I now have to face my new husband, whom I've never even met once prior to this whole thing, after he choked me last night. The task seems impossible without Elena or Dom-bear by my side.

I drag myself downstairs to face my new husband, whom I don't even know anything about. Considering what happened last night, I don't have many high hopes when it comes to him. There's already a little pit of fear in the bottom of my stomach, because after rethinking last night's altercation, I don't know what violent tendencies he possesses.

When I hit the bottom of the stairs, he's in the kitchen, making something for me. Before I go to talk to him, I inhale deeply. This could go either way. He could be a total prick, who's violent, or a genuinely nice guy, who has intentions of actually starting a relationship with me.

Reluctantly, I head into the living room, where he has a plate in his hand. He looks weirdly triumphant of what he's accomplished when it comes to cooking breakfast. "Good morning. Here's breakfast," he says rather plainly, handing me the plate. Without saying a word, I take the plate and a fork and knife.

"Thanks," I mumble, and I sit down at the table to start eating my food. He takes his plate, with his phone, and he scrolls through presumably his e-mails. Without another word uttered between us, I watch him observe what's in his mailbox, as I cure my hunger.

"Poached eggs. Nice," I think to myself, as I finish up my breakfast and head over to the sink to wash my plate. Once I finish doing so, I head back over to the table, where he has put his phone down and just watches me make my way back there. Seeing him watch me like that makes me feel a little bit uncomfortable. He's just sitting there, idly, like it's just another day for him. I don't know what his intentions are, and a part of me is curious as to what is in store for me. I gulp a little bit, and then sit across from him on the table.

"So, you're Nicole, right?" he asks. I nod.

"Yes. I know that you're Colin," I say. He nods.

"Yeah. I think you figured that out from the vows."

I can't help but chuckle slightly. "You know, maybe he's not as bad as I thought he was. Maybe he's actually a nice guy and he just had a little bit of a fit last night," I think to myself.

Then again, I have no clue what else is hidden beneath that mysterious persona of his. His persona is the heavy cloak that a Dementor wears to cover the horrific truth of what's underneath.