LIA POV
“What?!” I asked, startled by what he had said.
“I believe you've got nothing in your ears,” Fred said then went to sit beside Anna.
“Don't let her upset you, babe. If you can't wait for the cook, we'll just order something,” he said.
All I could do was stand there and watch them go lovey dovey right in front of me. His audacity that got on my nerves was bringing his girlfriend into the house, treating me nonchalantly in front of her after having sex with me multiple times. Apparently, I could not date him but at least, he could give me a little bit of respect. I wasn't jealous. Far from it. Only my ego was bruised for his irritating behavior.
For two weeks, I had peace of mind because Anna had to live with us. Both Pat and Mrs. Richardson were on their travels which gave him all the time in the world to do as he pleased as the lord of the house. Although, it wasn't totally peaceful. Anna tormented my life. Once I was going out to watch a movie while I had not done in a long time. It was one of the few days I ever genuinely smiled in the house.
“Where do you think you're going?” Fred asked out the blues.
“Oh my goodness! You scared me!” I exclaimed, my hand trembling as I feared the worse. I avoided being alone with Fred in a room or in the same space. If he discovered that no one was around this part of the compound, he'd have sex with me right there. That was just how heartless and unashamed he was.
“I don't need go feed you with every information in my life,” I replied and continued walking. He grabbed me by the shoulder and turned me to face him with a tight grip. “Don't you dare give me that attitude. You're only getting free time because Anna's here. Once she leaves, be ready to serve me the cookie wherever whenever,” he said.
“Just get your hands off me. Like you needed to tell me before forcing yourself on me like a monster,” I said and ran with as much speed as my legs could carry me but he followed me with his giant strides and caught up with me.
“What game are you both playing?” she asked. I had seen her watching us for a while from the corner of my eyes. I wished she knew what her boyfriend had been up to.
“She wants to leave the house and I can't have that happening without knowing where she's heading to. She's my kid sister after all,” he said then kissed Anna's lips and walked away. What the hell?! He's such a damn liar, acting like everything’s cool.
After he had left, Anna pulled me to her side without warning and whispered to my ears, “whether you're in or out, I'm here to stay. Fred is mine so drop whatever you have in your mind. I've seen a lot of instances such as yours so I won't be surprised if you're seducing him. You're not related by blood after all.” I marveled as she spoke. She would think she was making sense to me.
“I can't stop wondering how you can even think of such a disgusting thing?” I said then shrugged. “ You and your boyfriend are the same,” I mumbled.
“What did you just say?!” she exclaimed but I walked out on her before she could say a word. That was the last time I could act cocky and courageous in the house. I knew my place afterwards. Pat arrived and welcomed Anna with open arms. Fred beat me up the next time I shared my thoughts with Anna and Pat gave me a piece of his mind to buttress it. That marked the beginning of a new stage of suffering for me. I was shown my place. They made me realize that ineas just a tool for electoral campaign, a sex slave.
*************
THE PRESENT
I sobbed quietly as I sat under the cloudy sky. The firmaments were with me on this journey because why would the rain gather to weep with me whenever I was down in the dumps. My phone rang repeatedly but I was too sad to speak to anyone. I was sure I'd get a query at work but I could not care at this point. My life sucked and I was too tired to continue wallowing in self-pity.
“Goodness, thank heavens, you're here,” Greg said, stopping on his tracks. He was startled to see my face stained with tears. The park was getting empty as people hurried home from the rain.
“What happened to you? Did he hurt you again?” he asked, sitting by my side and wiping my face with his bare hands. I could not say a word. It was as though my savior had arrived. I wanted to get away from it all. I nodded my head twice then burst into fresh tears. “He came to my place,” I whispered.
“He did what?!” That son of a bitch!!!” he yelled and stood up in anger. I pulled him by the helm of his jacket and he sat back down. He must have thought it was my boyfriend. It's not possible to guess that a father would sleep with his adopted daughter. As I watched him curse Pat and console me, I felt like crying the more. I could not hold in my emotions so I drew close to him on the chair and threw myself at him. I embraced him tightly as if he was the answer to all my problems. He didn't object despite choking his neck with my tight embrace. He wrapped his arms around me caressed my hair. It felt warm and peaceful in his embrace.
“Would you mind if we went somewhere else instead of your house or you would prefer spending the night at your apartment?” he asked. I withdrew a bit from his embrace and avoided his eyes.
“Anywhere but my place. I'm so scared to go there. What if he's still waiting for me? He's obsessed,” I cried, wiping my face.
“It's fine, alright. I'm here now so no one can hurt you,” he said as he held my face then embraced me once more.
After about an hour, we hit the road. He branched at a few stores and got me toiletries and an outfit to change into. Even though I could not tell where he was taking me, I still felt safe with him than anywhere else. We drove into one of those quiet, clean and cool environments in New York. He parked in the garage and I stepped out instantly. He was financially buoyant than I imagined. He had a sports car and damn! a power bike too.
“Welcome to my humble abode,” he said, staring at me as I took in all I was seeing. I guess he wanted to see my reaction but I didn't even know how to react. Never in ny wildest imagination did I think I'd find myself in Greg's house of all places. I had never visited a man's house before.