𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐖𝐄𝐄𝐓 𝐊𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐀

EPILOGUE

M

The tears continued to cascade down my cheeks long after Vincenzo had forced me to sit down for his sick torturous video. I wasn't sure how long it had been since then but I knew he sent the video to Damien. I knew it would both break and anger his heart.

My shoulder throbbed from the pain of the deep cut he had given me. I was too scared to look at it, but I knew it was a nasty sight. I tentatively touched it, wincing sharply from the pain before I took a glimpse.

I could only see part of the cut, the rest hidden as it scaled closer to my neck from the angle it was cut at. It was deep and I knew it would leave a scar—both physically and mentally.

Emotionally too.

I was drained—I was beat down and I couldn't take this anymore. The only hope I hung onto came in the form of the tracker pin still tucked away in my hair.

Vincenzo had yet to know about it and I intended to keep it that way.

My eyes lifted to the door which opened again. Vincenzo returned and he did not seem pleased. His gaze fell to the second plate of food and water that had been left for me after I was thrown back into the room.

It remained untouched.

I refused to eat it. Despite how thirsty I was—I refused to drink the water provided either.

I averted my gaze to the mattress, leaning back against the wall as far away as possible from him as he drew closer and closer towards me. I didn't dare to look at him when he took a seat on the mattress before he edged nearer to me.

Like many times before, he was callous when invading my personal space but I refused to react in the way he wanted me to.

I turned away from him as best as I could, freezing only when his hand clamped down on my thigh. His rough hand roamed across my skin until I abruptly grabbed it when he dared to scale closer to in between my thighs.

The heat of his gaze never faltered, only growing more intense when I continued to avoid looking over at him.

"Mina, Mina, Mina." He started off. My jaw clenched tightly, hearing him utter my name—dragging it out to the point it resonated like a cat scratching its claws to a chalkboard. It involuntarily made me recoil and internally wince, sensing the trouble I was in.

"I figured our recorded time together.." he hinted at the video he forced me to take. I flinched when his hand dared to caress my shoulder, just above the throbbing wound. "I thought it would make you obedient but I see it's only fuelled your defiance." He gritted out, his sights falling to the tray.

He clicked his tongue in aggravation while he glanced over at the tray by the mattress. "You won't eat.." he frowned. I cut him a look from the corner of my eyes, taking in how he leaned over to lift it up at the corner before it clattered back down. "You won't drink." He began to chuckle and my eyes closed at the sound. That taunting sound.

It was bone chillingly haunting. I anticipated the worst when he grew silent, his eyes still on the tray. "There's so much that you won't do and it pains me—it aggravates me because your defiance pushes me to hurt you, tesoro."

I flinched back when he threw the tray across the room, the food scattering and spilling from the metal plate it was served on. I lifted my hands in response to his abrupt outburst, partially shielding my face and body as he threw a fit. I knew eventually he would turn his anger to me.

As soon as the thought came to mind I felt his hands latch onto my arm, roughly tugging me close to him making me cry out.

When I dared to fight against him, he crippled me by latching onto my wounded shoulder, digging his thumb into the deep cut. I shrieked in agony, hitting against his chest before I lifted my hand to grab at his own in hopes of alleviating the weight of his grip.