Chapter 3

“Ma’am? Ma’am?” I heard someone say, and I jolted up from my bed, alarmed.

Rubbing the sleepiness out of my eyes, I looked around to find the person. I saw the same maid from before standing near my bedpost, holding a tray, looking at me without any expression.

She must be in her late fifties.

“I am sorry to wake you, but you need to eat your food,” she placed the tray before me and bowed before leaving.

My stomach rumbled seeing the food. Opening the dish's lid, I was hit by a strong aroma of coffee and scrambled eggs. Without wasting any more minutes, I took the fork and started to eat like a maniac, savouring each bite.

When I was done, I put the tray down on the floor and unwrapped the towel from my hair. My hair was still damp. I went to the wardrobe and took out a comb. After struggling to detangle all the tangles, I combed my hair to the side and tied it up using a rubber band.

“What should I do now?” I asked myself as I began to pace around the room.

I looked at the clock on the wall to see it’s already evening. I was beginning to feel suffocated. Who locks someone inside a room with no window?

I decided to do one thing, which I have done a lot since being brought here.

Bang on the door until someone lets me out.

“Let me out!” I banged on the door shouting like a maniac.

“Open the door! Anybody there? Let me out!”

“Hey! Is anyone listening to me? Let me out, please!” I shouted at the top of my voice.

I banged continuously. If anyone was out there, then she or he would definitely get irritated by this, and would let me out.

“Open the d—”

I was cut off when I saw the doorknob turning, so I took a step back for the person to open the door.

I guess I should have never banged the door, because there before me stood the murderer himself with an angry expression, and he looked ready to kill me.

“Why in the world are you banging on the door like a maniac?” He took menacing steps as he glared at me.

I decided not to show him that I was afraid of him. Well, I was, actually, but he doesn’t need to know.

“Well, that’s because someone locked me inside this room with no windows, and I was feeling suffocated,” I spoke confidently as I glared back at him.

He was wearing the same clothes from earlier. But he had taken his jacket off of himself.

“Suffocated, right? You were not going to die. You don’t need to bark like a dog to get your point,” he insulted me.

“What did you just say? Dog? You called me a Dog?” I will be damned if I let him go this easily.

He narrowed his eyes, but said nothing.

“Well then,” I laughed sarcastically and then continued.

“It takes one to know one.” This caused anger to fire up in his eyes.

“What did you just say?” He asked, threatening me.

“Are you deaf?” I questioned, mocking him.

“Enough!” In one movement, I collided against his chest as he took hold of my arms and pulled me to him angrily.

“You will not talk to me like that. Do you understand?” he tightened his hold as he yelled angrily.

“Or what?” I retorted. I knew I was playing with the fire.

“Don’t forget that your family is still at gunpoint. All I need to do is to give a simple order, and then they will be finished,” he sneered as he shoved me backwards.

Tears pooled in my eyes hearing him, and at that moment, my hatred for him grew even more.

“You wouldn’t,” I managed to speak.

“Try me,” he threatened with a neutral expression, seeing my tears.

“Why are you doing this to me? What did I do that I had to go through all this?” I asked as tears began to roll down my cheeks. I hated being vulnerable now. I was feeling so vulnerable in front of him. Never had I ever felt this way in my whole life. But this particular man has this influence on me, which made all of these emotions flow out of me.

“Please, at least let me know what I did to deserve this?” I sobbed as I leaned against the wall for support.

“It is better if you keep your mouth shut and do as you are told,” he spoke calmly.

“What do you think I am? Huh?” I spat. “Who do you think I am? Do you think I am some kind of maid or servant that you can just boss around, huh?” I snapped as I wiped the tears angrily using my palms.

“You are here because of me,” he spoke, enunciating each word as if he wanted me to get this into my head. “So don’t forget what I can do to you. You should be happy that you are still alive and you have been given a room to stay in, unless you want me to get my men and lock you in the basement without any food.” His words made me tremble with fear.

“W-Who are you?” I managed to ask without stuttering.

“I am nobody as far as you're concerned, but I can be your worst nightmare if you don’t behave,” he told me icily.

“I just don’t get your point of marrying me. Did you get your revenge or something? You killed him. Emmett! Before my own eyes. It is over. I want to go back to my family” I tried to reason.

“Go back to your room and just sleep” he turned his back towards me as he began to leave, behaving as if he didn’t hear anything that I just said.

“No! Stop!” I yelled when I saw him again locking me inside the room.

He stopped midway from closing the door as he eyed me with a raised eyebrow.

“Don’t lock me in here,” I spoke, begging.

He sighed as he closed his eyes and shook his head, muttering something under his breath.

“See, you behave, and I will not lock you in anymore,” he began to close the door again, but I stopped him by running to him and grabbing his hand, preventing him from closing the door.

“No! No! Please! Don’t close it. I feel suffocated,” I begged as I held his hand, which was on the doorknob, stopping him from closing the door. He stared at me for a few seconds, and then his eyes traveled to our hands. I realized what I just did and immediately jerked my hand away from his.

He sighed while I pushed back some loose locks of my hair out of my face, behind my ear.

“Fine! I am not locking it, but I will if I get any unwanted and silly behavior from you,” he told me. I nodded, not wanting to say anything. Then he turned around and left without looking back at me.

I exhaled out air that I didn’t know I was holding and slowly closed the door. I was satisfied that at least I wasn’t locked inside. It’s not that I was planning to escape or something, but I felt suffocated every time the door was locked. It’s because of my childhood.

Moreover, I don’t plan on escaping soon. I will one day, but not now. Not until I get what I want.

“Answers and revenge,” I spoke determinedly to get what I truly want.

With that, I closed the door and went back to my bed to sleep, which I have been doing a lot since I have met this man.

“Zachary.”

But the first thing I want to do is to contact my family. I need to know what happened after I left. About Emmett especially.

My heart ached realizing what would have happened to him. But before I would start to cry again, somehow, I controlled myself and took deep breaths to calm myself down. I didn’t want my tears to go valueless any longer.

If anything, I want to take bit by bit revenge for every tear.

“You will pay for all of it, Zachary. I don’t care why you did it, but you are going to regret it. That's my promise,” I swore as I lay down on the bed and tried to sleep.

“Zachary Udolf Sullivan.”