Reduced to Ruin

Chapter 23

It was getting late, and some families were preparing to leave. That's when Nathan and Alicia approached the DJ equipment and took the microphone.

Tyler introduced me to Alicia earlier in the night, and she seemed nice enough. She was gorgeous and looked even younger than me, maybe nineteen or twenty. She appeared to be uneasy about the party. I never saw her alone, and she certainly didn't act like the hostess. I wondered if she was newly kidnapped.

"Ladies and gentlemen, may I have your attention please." Nathan waited until everyone quieted down. "As the night comes to a close, we want to thank you so much for attending our winter gala. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and make new memories. We have some beautiful families here. And Sarah and I value each and every one of you and the love you bring to our lives. May God bless each and everyone of us."

Everyone raised his or her glass for a toast.

The rest of the night flew by. Most of the families with kids, like Jordan and Emily, left not too long after the toast, but the rest of us stayed. I spent half the night on the dance floor, fast and slow songs, with the men, but also with Nathan and various other people I had met throughout the night. Even Dr. Manning asked me to dance to a slow song once. I got to kick off my heels (I already had some blisters brewing), and I loved dancing with Sophia. Even Allie joined us for a bit before they left.

The party felt much like a wedding. It was surreal to know the reality of the situation. And victims like Allie and Matthew would never know the truth in their lifetimes.

But what if someone blew the top off the B.F.O. one day? I could be free, at home with my dad. What if the savior was me? I tried to push that dream out of my mind.

It was getting late, and I couldn't find James. He'd wandered off about a half hour before and hadn't come back. So, I excused myself from the table and walked around a bit. The crowd had thinned out, so it wasn't long before I got to the only secluded table that was in the corner of the room behind a pillar. I saw what looked like his coat on a chair and someone leaning forward.

As I moved to the right to see who was there, I saw James talking to Cassandra, a beautiful woman he introduced me to earlier in the night. He had his hand on her lap, stroking her back and forth with his thumb. She gave him a flirtatious smile, and they seemed deep into conversation. Or something.

I stood there, dumfounded. I didn't know how long I stood there, but sometime in that nightmare, he leaned over and kissed her. I clenched my hands and stepped forward a few feet. They still didn't notice me, so I stepped forward again. Finally, Cassandra noticed me, and her smile dropped from her face. James turned, following her eyes, and he shot up.

"Corrine, hi," James said, sounding flustered. "You remember Cassandra."

"Oh, definitely," I said through gritted teeth.

"We were just, uh, catching up with one another," he added.

"Is that what you call it?" I mumbled under my breath.

There was an awkward silence as we all stood there staring at one another. James looked at his watch.

"Oh, look at the time. It's almost one-thirty. We should get to bed, Corrine."

They said their goodbyes and gave a platonic hug. I was sure for my benefit. James walked me out, holding my limp hand. I was not about to let him off the hook that easily. I was fuming. But did I have a right to feel jealousy? He wasn't mine in that relationship sense. Yet, I was his. It was completely unfair. He'd taken my life away, so the least he could do was be faithful.

When we got back to our room, James told me to get ready for bed. I took my pajamas into the bathroom without saying a word. I tried to focus on my anger rather than the fact that our room had just one king size bed. Once I came back out, James was already lying down on the right side of the bed. I walked over to the other side and climbed in, lying as far left as I could.

I scooted underneath the covers and turned on my side, still not saying a word. If the light was on on my side of the bed, I would've turned that off, too. But it was on James's side.

"Did you have fun tonight, Corrine?" James dared ask.

"Yes." Short and sweet.

He didn't say anything in return.

"Good night," I threw in.

I heard him sigh. "Corrine." He turned on his side, closer to me. I tensed up. "Listen, I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

"You didn't mean to?" I said, snottily. "I don't know how you weren't."

"Cassandra and I are just good friends. We go way back."

"Seems like more's going on than that." I closed my eyes tight, keeping the tears at bay.

"Corrine," he whispered, putting his hand on my right shoulder, "I'm so sorry. You're right. I shouldn't have been flirting. I didn't mean to hurt you. But it really meant nothing. I was just messing around."

I didn't, couldn't, say anything. After a while, he stroked his hand up and down my arm. But I felt no reassurance from it.

"Corrine, talk to me. Say something."

I thought for a moment. "While you sat kissing her and meaning nothing by it, I've been forced to give up my life. This isn't a game. It's not fair you get to go out and live a normal life while I'm stuck. Stuck here with you."

The tears flowed freely then. I turned on my back and stared at the ceiling, James's head only inches from my face. "The least you can do is respect the sacrifices you've forced me to take."

He laid his head down on the pillow, still staying on his side. He was quiet for a bit, and I was ready to say good night again.

"You know, you're absolutely right. It was really selfish on my part to mess around like that. And extremely disrespectful to you to do that in front of you." He sat up and turned to face me. "Corrine, I truly apologize. The more I think about it, the worse I feel. You have given up a lot. And I should've been more cognizant of that."

I wouldn't look at him. I kept my eyes affixed on the ceiling.

"Look at me," he said, a bit sternly. So I obliged. "I said I'm really sorry. You're right. You've made a big sacrifice that you really didn't have a choice in."

I looked away and wiped my face. I needed a tissue.

"Corrine, I apologized. I expect you to accept it," he said in an irritated voice.

I felt the conversation turn at that point. I was quickly reminded I wasn't an equal. I was a prisoner. And I better not push him too far. Maybe I was lucky to get an apology at all. After all, James could choose to fuck Cassandra right in front of me, and there'd be nothing I could do about it. The bastard.

"I accept your apology," I answered robotically.

Seeming satisfied, James lay back down on his back. He took in a deep breath, exhaled, and reached for my hand. He lifted it up to his face and kissed my hand.

"Good girl," James said. "Sleep tight, sweetheart."

He reached over to the lamp and clicked off the light, never letting go of my hand. 

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