Chapter 14

That night, I decided to confront Ace.

I waited on the bed while he freshened up in the washroom. It had become a daily routine of his to neither have breakfast nor dinner at home. He would come home late at night, and I was expected to be on the bed, waiting for him. The times that I did not follow his orders and succumb to his demands, he would hit me.

"Gosh, I'm tired," he said, coming out of the washroom.

I sat up straight and took in three deep breaths. Now was the time.

"Ace," I said, carefully choosing my words. "Why are you doing this?"

He turned towards me, a frown on his forehead. "Doing what?"

"Hitting me, lying to my family and—" He raised his hand to stop me.

"First of all," he said, sitting down on the bed and facing me. "I hit you because you don't listen. I have told you multiple times that if you do as I say, I don't have to hit you. It's your fault for not listening. Secondly, I do not lie to your family. I simply tell them what they want to hear."

"You lied to them about the university, the car—"

"Dalia, that's not lying," he said, cutting me off again, "it's called manipulation. Whatever I'm doing is for the greater good. All my moves are calculated and precise. If you stop interfering and simply play along with everything, it will be easier for you."

"What are you talking about?" I shouted. "Have you lost your mind? Are you drunk?"

"Shh." All of a sudden, his hand curled around my neck, applying the slightest pressure.

My eyes widened and I tried to pry his hands off, but he increased the pressure, making me cough and gasp for breath.

"There is nothing you can do about this," he said. "Behave and play along."

He let go of my neck and I coughed violently, my fingers gingerly touching the area. It took a few minutes for my breathing to become normal again.

"Stop hurting me," I said, tears running down my cheeks. "What happened to you? You're not the same person I married. You were so loving, so gentle, so thoughtful. How can a person change so drastically?"

"I never changed." He laughed. "I simply showed you one part of me then and now I'm showing you the other part of me."

"Stop playing around with words, Ace. I want answers. This is not how a relationship works. I have put up with everything. I let you take away my self-respect, my privacy, my dignity and yet you treat me like I'm a—”

"Don't," he said, standing up. "I hate this crying drama. I'm too tired to handle this. Shut up and go to sleep."

"I'm not going to cover up for your lies," I said, "I will tell Mom and Dad everything."

He gave me an amused smile. "Oh, please do. I would love to see how that works out."

They are my parents. They will have to believe me over you. I will send pictures of the marks on my body if I have to.

"What about my university? You said we will go and—”

He laughed, making me stop midsentence.

"You are so innocent, darling," he said. "Do you still not get this?"

I glared at him, not knowing what else to do.

"There is no university, no car, nothing. I have much better work planned for you." He grinned. "Wait and watch."

Taking the glass on the bedside table, I hurled it at him. He easily dodged it. As the shattering sound filled the room, Ace quietly moved closer to me.

"This is the last time I'm letting you get away with this so easily," he said, and backhanded me.

My hand went up to my cheek. The shock of the slap was as fresh as when he had first done it.

"With time, you will understand everything. But trust me when I say that it's better if you don't know anything. It will be less painful and less scary," he said, chuckling.

He switched off the lights and climbed up on the bed. "And tomorrow night, there is a party at Christina's house. I believe I don't have to tell you to be on your best behavior."

Silence enveloped the room in a suffocating embrace. Hugging my knees to my chest, I sat quietly, frozen in my spot. Questions danced in my mind to which I had no answers.

***

I had rehearsed my words numerous times. No matter what, I had to make mom understand. This was not just about Ace, his temper and his beatings anymore. Last night, Ace had made it clear that he was planning something. My intuition had been right since the start. Something big was happening around me and I did not know what. But it was dangerous, that I was sure of.

"Dalia, how are you?" said mom, picking up on the fourth ring.

"Mom." I ignored her question. "Do you love me?"

"Huh? Of course, I do. What kind of a question is that? Is everything all right?" She sounded worried.

"I am your daughter, and you trust me, right?" I asked. "And my happiness is important to you, isn't it?"

"Dalia, what's wrong?" she asked. There was an edge to her voice. "You're scaring me."

"Mom, everything is wrong here. I want you to listen to me carefully, okay? Please do not interrupt until I'm finished," I said.

She was quiet, giving me a sign to continue.

"Ace has started beating me. He uses his belt and sometimes he slaps me. I am trapped in this house. There is no means to go anywhere. Not a single person can be seen in this place. No cabs, nothing. The nearest bus stop is, at least, half an hour away. And the bus comes in only twice a day. Even if I take the bus, I don't know where to go. Ace has been lying to you and dad. He has no plans to let me do my masters and he is definitely not going to let me buy a car." I paused, wiping away my tears.

"The worst thing is that this is not it. He is planning something big. I don't know what, but I have a terrible feeling about it. He is crazy. He did not marry me for the sake of it. He has a motive. I'm scared, Mom. Help me," I said. "I'm begging you. Please help me."

"Dalia," she said, her voice cracking. "I-I—”

"No, mom, don't tell me how good Ace is and how I'm not trying to understand him. Why can't you see through his facade? He has you and dad fooled with his sweet talk and generous acts—”

"Listen to me!" she reprimanded.

I fell silent, dreading her next words. Had Ace been right? Would my mother betray me like he expected her to?

"I'm booking your flight ticket to Amoredale right now. I'm pretty sure I can manage to get one for tomorrow morning," she said. "You come here. Then we can discuss the rest of the things."

A flood of relief washed over me. I started to cry and laugh at the same time. "Thank you. Thank you for understanding."

"No, I'm sorry for not understanding earlier. If I had listened carefully before and seen with my eyes closed, then maybe you would not have hesitated to come here when he hit you again. My negligence and lack of support trapped you there," she said.

"Mom, are you crying? Please stop. I can't stay strong if you break down." I blinked back tears, my eyes resting on the wall clock.

It was half past four. Ace would be home soon. Christina's party was at six.

"I'm sorry." She sniffed. "I will book an airport taxi for you too. You be ready. I will text you all the details as soon as I finish booking the ticket."

"Okay," I said, "And, mom, Ace cannot know about this. He will kill me before he lets me go. I will leave for the airport as soon he leaves for work."

"U-Understood. Take care," she said. "I love you, Dalia. Bye."

"Love you, too, mom. Bye." I ended the call.

I wanted to jump up and down and shout with happiness. My heart felt light after a long time. The grin did not leave my face and I started to laugh. Everything was going to be all right. One last night, then I would be free.

The exhilaration that took over my body overpowered my annoyance about Christina's party. I no longer cared about anything because I was finally going to be free again.