Only His ✔

Chapter 37

Warning, this chapter may be triggering to some readers. Reader discretion is advised.

ALICE POV

It had been exactly thirty seven days since I'd been back in Ryan's 'care'. Although I had only spent twenty four of those days conscious because whenever I wasn't cooking or cleaning I was passed out on the floor somewhere due to a beating that I'd just received.

I barely recognized myself when staring at my reflection. My face was more messed up than it had ever been from Ryan's beatings, even from when we were dating. I figured that it was because I was house bound now so he didn't need to worry about getting caught. My body was just as bad.

I sighed and wrapped fresh bandages around the several cut wounds that my body had collected. But not without flinching every time that I brushed the wrong area and a rush of pain was triggered.

I had finally given up on the idea that Antonio was ever coming back. He had told me that he'd be gone for a week, maybe two. Not over a month. I was finally coming to terms with the idea that this was just a part of some plan he'd compiled in order to get rid of me. Perhaps it was the fact that I'd settled down and finally came to feel things for him. That meant that he had nothing to punish me for anymore. Bottom line, he was a bored sadist and no longer had anyone to torture. Or he was dead. I honestly wasn't sure what was worse, that the only man I'd ever felt something real for was dead or that he had potentially stopped caring for me. Was it best that he chose to leave me or had been taken away?

"Alice!"

I gasped from the sudden sound of banging against the bathroom door.

"Yeah, just a sec."

I quickly glanced down at the wedding ring that I was holding. I had moved it from the kitchen cupboard to the bathroom one. Ryan never opened these cupboards, it mainly contained medical stuff that I'd use to clean my wounds. Every time I came in here I'd take it out and admire both it's beauty and what it now meant to me. I'd occasionally slip it back on my finger and became more disheartened every time it appeared more and more loose. I had lost a lot of weight. Ryan chose when and what I ate which meant I'd eat once a day, if I was lucky and that would usually be whatever he hadn't eaten from his meal. All my clothes were getting baggy on me too, not that Ryan cared. He didn't care about my well being, not until it actually began to effect him.

"Open the fucking door Alice, I got to piss."

I quickly hid the ring back in the cupboard behind some bandages and opened the door before Ryan lost any more patience.

"Finally...."

He muttered grumpily and shoved past me, the abrupt force causing me to stumble back a bit.

I walked away, after closing the door behind me.

"I want you to wear this tonight."

Ryan had informed me that he was taking me to one of his friend's party tonight. Apparently it was his mates birthday and they were all going down to a bar. He wanted me to be there, probably just so that he could show me off but I didn't care. What mattered was that this would be my first time getting out of the house. That was good for two reasons. One; I desperately needed a change of scenery. Two; Antonio could still be tracking me!