Shattered

Chapter 35

"You never learn, do you?"

When I was younger, I remember dreaming about my Prince Charming, about my fairytale romance. The movies made it all look so beautiful and amazing, but like everyone else, I later learned that the world does not work in such ways. We're taught when we're children to always be nice and respectful, to treat others how we want to be treated, because, in the end, it'll pay off. Or so we assumed. I thought maybe I'd have a fairytale like Cinderella or Snow White, that I'd have to suffer before I met my prince, and then I would find some magical happiness and live happily ever after. What I went through as a teenager was supposed to be this suffering, but here I was, being held captive, staring into the eyes of a man who could so easily kill me.

This man was no prince.

My eyes were wide as I gasped for air that never reached my lungs. Reaching up, I grabbed onto his wrist, trying desperately to free my throat from his constriction, to no avail. Instead, Chandler stood up, staring down at me with icy eyes, entirely neglecting my fingernails digging into the skin of his arm, his expression one of complete displeasure.

"Here I was thinking we were getting somewhere, but this past week seems to have reset all that," Chandler said with his flat tone, the one that told me he was livid. I blinked a few times, feeling my face drain of color and my eyes water. Then, I realized I didn't care if he strangled me right there, it was probably less painful than what was soon to happen to me, so I let my hands fall limply against the soft fabric of the chair.

I got caught in a lie, multiple lies, that I was sure I could get away with. I didn't think it was too far of a reach for me to believe this one time I could slip by. Wasn't I allowed something good after all this time? Shouldn't good things come to good people? If I'm supposed to attract what I put out into the world, which I thought were only decent things, why is this what I'm attracting back? Pain and suffering. Evil and insanity.

He looked into my eyes, observing as he always did, taking account of what I meant when I dropped my hands. Chandler took this as his cue to release my throat, but never softened his expression. With a swift and deep breath, I filled my lungs with oxygen, the air burning as it went down. The few tears caught in my eyes fell across my cheeks while I coughed through the hellish burn.

"I gave you a chance to tell me the truth, I didn't even punish you, and yet you still pull this shit like I'm fucking stupid," he said, turning his head to the side and running a hand through his hair, disheveling the dark strands. With every word, his voice got angrier and louder.

"You locked me in a room for more than a day, pretty sure that's a punishment," I countered bitterly, but my voice was a strained mumble.

"Oh no, Jess, I have many other things in mind that would make you think that was nothing." Looking back to me, his gaze was fierce and animalistic. I felt my hands clench in restraint, desperately trying to keep myself from hitting him, knowing it would only dig my grave deeper. To keep my emotions from overcoming me, I stared right back at him, straight into the depths of the storm, knowing it would instill the fear I hated so much.

"Now, we're going to take a trip back into your favorite room, and if you want the slightest bit of mercy, I suggest you get up and walk on your own."

The simple mention of the room was enough to make me tense, even as a subconscious reaction, adding a new level of fear I couldn't get from his predatorial eyes. I had only been in there a total of four times, two which didn't cause physical pain, but that was enough to scar my mind and trigger a sensation within me.

The better option, I knew, was to just walk myself in there, but it was difficult, so difficult, to will my body to move. Regardless, I would end up in there if it's what Chandler desired, it was my choice on whether to do it easily or not. His mercy could be significant, or it could be hardly anything at all, again, the choice was mine.