Reconstructing Amelia (unedited)

Chapter 14

October 19th, 2019

I slipped inside the house, my hands shaking. I propped the umbrella against the wall, bracing for the worst. But nothing happened. There was no yelling or screaming, only silence.

"Amelia," Ben's voice called from the kitchen. "Come here," I forced myself to go to him, trying my best to fight the urge to run up the stairs and hide in the bedroom.

"Yes, Papa?" I asked timidly, keeping my head down. Javi was nowhere to be seen.

"Get me a beer," he barked. My eyes snapped up in surprise but quickly made my way to the basement. I wasn't sure what kind to get, and I definitely didn't want a repeat of what happened in Italy before we left. I grabbed the first one I saw and rushed back upstairs, placing at the table where he was seated. He said nothing, popping the cap and taking a drink. He was eating a simple sandwich and plate of crisps.

"Sit down," he ordered, making my legs snap to and plant themselves opposite him at the table. He didn't say anything else, just sat quietly eating his lunch.

I felt so awkward it physically ached. I knew he was trying to scare me, so his punishment would seem unexpected and much worse in scale. I kept my head down, not wanting to meet his eyes. I toyed with my fingers in my lap, trying to distract myself in any way possible. The anticipation was eating away at my nerves, making me start to tremble once more.

"Where were you?" Ben asked suddenly, his tone dark.

"I-I had an accident at work," I stuttered out, immediately losing all sense of calm. "I hit m-my head and one of my c-coworkers brought me home," I'd practised my lie all evening yesterday, rehearsing it a million times so I wouldn't mess up in case of an interrogation. Even Javi had been on board. I was just improvising along those lines, trying to stick as close to my story as possible. Who knows what he'd asked Javi?

I lifted my gaze up slightly only to see Ben's harsh glare studying me. It terrified me that he was being so calm.

"I believe you," he said after a minute, taking another long sip of his beer. I let out the breath I was holding, relief flooding my veins. I started to rise from my seat.

"Sit!" Came Ben's angry voice. I instantly sat back down, cowering. I knew he was bluffing. He was trying to get me to lose all sense of security. He was shaking things up to create false hope.

"I-I came back," I whispered feebly, somehow finding the courage to speak without being spoken to. "I w-wasn't running away, I swear," Ben barely batted an eye at my words. He finished his drink, setting the bottle on the table with a quiet thud. He rose to his feet, a sort of grin twisting onto his face.

"Well aren't you a good girl?" he mused, sickeningly sweet. He stalked closer, his hand snatching the bottle. "I can't decide whether or not you're lying to me," Ben hooked a finger underneath my chin and jerked it upwards, so my gaze was level with his. His eyes held no mercy. "You wouldn't lie to me though, would you?" I furiously shook my head no. He chuckled. "So then why are you lying to me, little girl?" I bit my tongue, my eyes widening in fear.

"I'm not lying, I promise!" I pleaded.

"Shhhhhhh," he warned, holding a grubby finger to my lips. I wanted to scream and cry but I knew it was better to stay quiet. "Shhh, don't make things harder on yourself," He stroked my cheek softly with his fingers. Without any warning, he brought the bottle down on top of my head, glass tearing into my skin. I let out a cry of pain, feeling blood ooze down the side of my head. Ben grabbed me by the arm, lifting me from my chair and throwing me to the floor. My wrist immediately flared with pain, no longer able to support my weight as I weakly tried to lift myself up. Ben kicked me hard in the stomach and I collapsed onto the floor again, groaning.

"I don't tolerate liars, Amelia," he snapped.

"I'm not lying!" I cried. He kicked me again, his boot colliding with my side in a burst of pain. He paused momentarily before I heard the ringing of metal as he fumbled with his belt. He made a loud snapping noise with it, making me flinch.

"You know my rules. Cry and it gets worse," I forced myself to nod, bracing myself. The pain registered before I actually felt the belt on my back. It burned like there was no tomorrow and I had to bite down on my tongue to refrain from screaming. Thrice more, he whipped the belt at me. Tears were pricking at my eyes and I was doing everything in my power to keep from crying. I wanted to howl in pain as my back stung in pure agony.

As he whipped me again, I couldn't stop the tears from falling, no matter how hard I tried. I heard him laugh maniacally. I tried to crawl away across the tile floors but his boot pinned me to the ground, my spine crushing under pressure.

"You brought this upon yourself," he taunted, bringing the metal of his belt down onto my shoulder blade, inevitably leaving a large gash. I cried out in anguish, writhing under his boot.

He delivered five more excruciating lashes before I was screaming my head off, sobbing. Ben crouched down beside me, lifting my head with his finger. I stared at him through teary eyes, whimpering.

"Had enough yet?" he teased. I nodded helplessly. His eyes glittered with menace. "I could stop," he continued, making me blink up at him. "I could stop if you promise to be a good little girl. Good little girls don't lie, Amelia. Good little girls are obedient. Can you do that?" His words made me feel all slimy inside, reminding me of when I was young. Always calling me pet names and using that sickeningly sweet facade, all to get me to be submissive to him. He was trying to play me down as weak by making me feel like a child under his command. It was something I hated feeling. It was so humiliating and exposing, but I didn't really see any other options for myself here. I had to survive somehow, so I forced myself to nod vigorously, plastering that innocent look on my face.

"I promise," I begged. "I promise,"