Chapter 30 Return
\[Lilia\]
After Kael’s statement, the rest of the trip passed without incident, and I became completely quiet. I was hurt. Of course, that was so silly of me. Like, how am I supposed to forget that? What is it about a simple gesture from him that causes me to believe that something has changed between us? Or the way he would treat me? How can I ever forget that painful truth about how my life thrives beneath the soles of his feet?
Yes, I couldn’t ignore the fact that he made me feel things that I wasn’t supposed to be having. That I should drill it into my head how Kael made my life miserable and depressive. He took away everything from me.
How can I ever forget that?
The corner of my eyes suddenly warmed, and my vision blurred as I held back the tears threatening to fall down my cheeks. Yes, I know. I've tried to convince myself that I have no choice but to carry on with this miserable existence of mine. But every time Kael shoved right in my face the fact that I am nothing more than a trophy that he purchased for himself, my heart was devastated. It seemed like a giant's hand was crumpling over my soul.
He doesn’t even think about how I feel or if what he said stabbed a knife right on my chest.
I took a deep breath, blinking my eyes to chase away the tears and keep them from falling. My gaze fixed on the road that we were traversing, paving through the city, and the streets were becoming more and more congested with cars, impatiently blowing off their horns.
I have no idea what time it is right now, but the sun is high up in the sky, and a lot of busy people walking down a sidewalk as if they were in a fast-forward mode, going on about their usual businesses. Though, some of their puzzled stares were occasionally directed towards the throngs of ostentatious cars making their way into the center of the city.
They must be thinking that some VIP is visiting their area. If only they knew that a monster was riding one of these lavish cars. They surely would have been starting to call emergency hotlines.
I frowned at the thought. Maybe if there’s a slim chance I could slip Kael’s watchful eyes, I could set myself free. But then, if I do that, Aya will suffer the consequences. The frown on my face turned deeper as I let my back sink deeper into my cushioned leather seat. He already warned me about this, and I know he’ll be true to his words.
Out of the corner of my eyes, I notice the beast scrolling something on his phone. His brows were furrowed almost to the point of becoming a straight line, and his lips were pursed. Lips that had ravished mine a while ago.
Now that fogginess left my mind, pushing all the sullenness off the back of my head. I just noticed how prepped he is now. The way his short hair neatly swept to the side, accentuating the shaved line on his scalp as though his personal barber must had Picasso’s soul in them and turned his hair into a masterpiece. Too bad I hadn’t messed it up a while ago. That may be the only form of retaliation I can exact from him after all the things he made me do.
In addition, he sported a white polo shirt underneath his unbuttoned black coat. The creases I made on the fabric were already gone. I wonder if, like Val, does he also have a gun tucked on his side.
We are traveling in the city with a queue of the other cars both ahead and behind us. All stood guard as though someone would suddenly show up and ambush us.
That, on the other hand, would not be all that shocking. After the attack happened at the hospital, anything could possibly happen. The memory of the wheezing bullets is still too fresh in my ears; I get shudders down my spine as soon as I think about it.
I also noticed that he was bouncing his knees, like some sort of a habit, or is he being anxious? But that is highly unlikely to happen. What could possibly make him that anxious? Or who?
Well, that’s the least of my concern.
At first, I thought we were stopping by the city, but as the view progressed, the towering sky-high structures became less and less dense. The car slowed down, swerving to a crossroads. Aside from the occasional establishments, what was most than can be seen outside was a sea of grass waving along by the gusts of winds.
The clear sky above us and the glaring sun tells me that it is already the start of summer.
A promise of warmer days.
I actually like having the sun caressing my face. The crisp wind ruffling of my hair, rippling at the back of my head.
It has been a while since then. The last summer I had experienced was when the time I planned to enroll myself in college, if only the landlord hadn’t threatened us to leave our place if I didn’t pay the rent.
The money I saved for our monthly payments had been stolen, however, I am aware that my father was the one who took it. That is why, rather than continuing my studies, I decided to use the educational earnings I had set aside for my future.
Hence, all of that is in the past now, and there’s nothing I can do to change it.
The road ahead of us is getting narrower, merging into two lanes. I also took notice of the descending road that wound its way into a tunnel.
Darkness suddenly filled my vision as soon as we entered through the subterranean passage, the occasional lamps mounted on the side and the lights from the cars illuminated the place. I waited for a moment, assuming that we would be passing through the tunnel, but to my complete surprise, we came to a full stop.
A dead end.
Having no idea where the heck on earth we were, I let my gaze wander over our surroundings, but to my disappointment, the heavy tint on the windows of this car was doing little to help.
It’s as if we had suddenly transported from sunny, windy weather at one moment, and then in just a blink, it is already nighttime.
“Where are the others?” Kael burst the silence as he suddenly spoke, directing his query to Val, who is now putting his index finger to his right ear, listening through a little device that serves as a communication link between him and the rest of his troops.
“They are waiting for us inside, boss.” He responded by tilting his head and directing his sharp sight to the wall right in front of where we had all come to a halt. The other cars piling up beside ours.
Totally confused about where and what the hell is going around, my mouth speaks up before my mind.
“Where are we?”
Kael turns his attention towards me, his face void of any emotion, only emanating his cold demeanor. “Welcome back to the auction house, кукла (kukla).”
What? It was like a drum of ice dropped all over my body as I froze in my place.
Auction house? Why did he bring me here?
A loud resonating noise caught my attention. Still, my mind refused to comprehend the fact that we were back in the place where everything started.
What I thought was a dead end wasn’t actually a dead end. The wall—or rather a massive steel structure turned out to be a gate in question groaned as it slid open.
Auction house?
This place.
This is the place where my hellish life began.