Chapter 24

23

Jennifer

Ah, my head hurt like someone was screwing it with a driller. I tried to open my eyes but they were too heavy to stay still in one place. I blinked thousands of times just to bring back my focus in line but the ceiling didn't stop spinning. Instead, my condition worsened. I felt churns in my stomach as if in the next moment I'd be throwing up in every corner of this room. My state was terrible and the fact I had no strength to even pick up a glass of water made me feel more helpless.

While my mind kept fighting with my insides. I kept forcing myself to flip out of the bed but an arm was obstructing me to do so. That arm which was strongly giant enough to hold me tight in my current place. The adrenaline kicked in my system. I was left for wiggling in his hold. Fuck me, he was holding me so firmly. "Arghh," I used both of my hands to unbuckle it but to my luck, no use.

"Don't waste your energy, strawberry, it won't help you," He scoffed saying that, his voice was groggy due to sleep. It was morning, the sun was blinding my sight. Before he could do anything else, I came to the realisation that we were naked in the bed, clinging to each other's skins. The fact itself loathed me to my bones. He and me, like this?! Not even in my worst nightmares!

"You shameless bastard, leave me!" I pushed his arm again but he tightened it more, causing me to whimper as his unmatched strength suffocated me. "You dog? I said leave me!" His arm was pressing my naked breasts and that made my anxiety shower over me. I tried to clutch the duvet and cover myself with it. "You're a monster," I again pushed his arm away from me, my back accidentally pressed harder with his chest and I noticed something thick and hard as a rock was poking between my pressed thighs. Oh fuck, his hard-on.

As much as I wanted to bury myself in the ground. What was I doing naked in a man's bed? "You can't escape me, I told you that thousands of times, babygirl," He mumbled in my ear and placed a noisy kiss on my ear, loosening his hand around me and getting up from the bed. I gained my breath back as my lungs were freed from that iron hold.

"I will escape you, the faster you will get that into your mind, the better it would be for you!" I screamed while balling inside the duvet and running toward the bathroom. The embarrassment was eating me out. I was too guilty to even recall anything. Just as I passed Luciano and walked two steps away, he held the hem of the duvet and pulled me back toward him. I couldn't even reach the midway and was getting pulled back to him. Oh God, help me.

I tried to propel the force but he was, as usual, mightier than I was which eventually got me under his radar. My back was on his front. I turned my head in the opposite direction, not wanting to even look at him. "Do you remember anything that happened last night?" Just as he asked suspiciously, I tried to put pressure on my mind to recall last night's moments.

The memory was fuzzy after I came back from the bathroom. Everything seemed to be falling apart when I began to have a heated conversation with Luciano but then I recalled how hornier I was getting minute by minute. Fuck? That led me to do things with him? No. No. I—didn't. I didn't; have... I can't do this.

My hands reached my forehead and I shut my eyes as the breathing started to get heavier. Everything started to come into my mind. My faith, religious norms, a promise to guard my virtue, a belief of mine over the years. I protected myself from the devils just to be with one sacred man chosen for me by God but what did I do? I gave my most precious thing to the evilest satan. The father of sins.

I was a bloody shivering mess, my mind refused to work properly and I was seeing black all the while. I started to trip on my feet but before I could fall, Luciano caught me. I didn't know what to say, I was left numb. Like no soul remained in me. A tear of pain cascaded without my permission. "What did I do," I muffled, I knew Luciano was looking at me and asking if I was right but I was too distracted to deal with him. He was the reason who made me hate my body. How could I let him do this to me? I didn't. I wasn't me last night. I wasn't the Jennifer I had been all my life. And it's all because...

Because of that pill. "The drug is too powerful," that's what he said to me but I wasn't normal to react to it as I should have. "What did you make me do?" I'd completely gone senseless. The shock was too much to be processed at once. I stood on my feet and stepped back from him. My eyes turned toward his face that was bothered in a second as if he could feel what I was going through.

I stared at my hands, my half-covered chest. I touched my neck and it hurt. Every spot of my body had his marks. I was begging him to touch me. I was desiring to have sex with him. How could I? Why did he do this to me?

I roared in frustration and bolted toward him, pushing him with all my power, he strolled backwards and I screamed in pain, falling to my knees. "Why did you do this to me?" I began to sob hard, my face was in my hands and I started crying hysterically. "I can't lose it so easily, how can..." my back was reverberating, I felt a hand there and I immediately raised my head, finding Luciano rubbing my back.

I instantly turned away and ran toward the bathroom, wanting to lock myself and strive to death, for what he made me do, I wouldn't ever be able to sink it down. Before I could reach there, Luciano grabbed the duvet and stopped me again, this time gaining my shrill roar but he didn't leave me. "Hey, don't cry, babygirl. It was bound to happen one day," He uttered it so easily as if it was nothing wrong in his eyes.

"Bound to happen? I'd rather take a bullet or something than to sleep with you," I bashed back and jerked away my covered self from his hold. I took a step and decided to turn around to warn him about... "And you better stay away from me or you'll be solely responsible for my death," I pointed my finger at him, my eyes running aggressively but didn't fail to drop a tear from the socket. Luciano was getting paler, that expression was unfamiliar to his face. Something that I didn't see much; fear.

"I knew you would blame it all on me but it was you who asked for it," Wow. What was he? A king of manipulation? How easily did he put the blame on me? Only if I could scratch his face with my nails, I wanted to make him feel how he was scratching my heart with his meaningless words.

"Like really I wanted it! You drugged me, you rascal!" I screamed at him, ending up sobbing again. "You took away my everything. My honour, my pride, everything I had. How will I match my eyes with my conscience? You have no idea what damage you did to me. I guarded this for the only man of my life," I couldn't control my sobs, the nausea and palpitation increased.

"Consider you gave it to the one who you had been guarding it for. Look, how we both stayed loyal to each other even when we didn't meet each other. You know we both were destined to be together by the will of God. Don't deny it, strawberry," He still thought he could fix the already broken? Was he what? And loyal? A married man who was trying to have an extra-marital affair could not talk shit about being loyal.

"It's so easy for you to say! I had it for my husband, I wanted to lose it on my wedding night and yet..." My head started to burst with pain every time I thought of the disaster which had been planted last night. I couldn't control the hysteria.

"Marry me," I was standing barefoot in the bathroom while he steps away from here. Just as he said that a bullet hit my soul. Just thought of marrying him was enough to give me a minor heart attack. I started to imagine my life with him after marriage. It'd be a living hell. I couldn't even dare to consider marrying someone like him even if he's the last man on the earth. Never. "Marry me but stop crying like a toddler,"

"Are you insane or what? That's the worse thing I would want for myself!" I spat at him. "I would never marry my rapist," I huffed heavily with tears streaming like a river.

"Everything that happened between us last night was consensual. Stop denying that you didn't want me, you were dying for it," His words ripped my heart away. I forgot to breathe to sink his allegation on me. How cruel these mafia men could be. Professor Richard was right, a criminal mastermind can go to every extent to fool the victim. And that's exactly what was happening here.

"You drugged me! how could that be consensual?" I lashed out.

"Do you have any proof that I drugged you?" Okay, his gaslighting technique was on the go.

"Audrey brought that pill along with the food. I thought that was a vitamin capsule but that turned out to be my biggest mistake," I spat again, my eye-sockets were leaking water. The pain was growing second by second. I felt like the world's greatest fool.

He sighed tiredly, blinking his eyes on me, "Yes, strawberry. I did that, purposely. And I'll keep on doing it whenever I want and you can't do anything about it other than to submit to me with your own will or else, I know how to get what I want... from anyone," I gasped and a tear fell again. Instead of realising his crime, he was taking pride in it. I wanted to run away before he could declare me his sex slave. "That's why I ask you to marry me,"

"Never..." My face was plastered with shock and I shook my head whenever the word 'marry' echoed in my mind. It was taking my soul away. "I will never marry a man like you," I hoarsely whispered, my voice getting rough.

"One way or another, you will. Just accept it the easy way," The moment was too awkward for me. He was standing all naked and I was avoiding looking at his lower area which was completely exposed, whereas I was covering myself but it was of no use. He had discovered every part of me.

"Why are you so fucking obsessed with me?" I screamed at his face. I was overwhelmed by it and a few minutes later, I wouldn't be able to stay conscious. "You saw me at the restaurant, that was the worst day of my life. You gave me your office card, I was a fool to accept it, you forced me to buy a phone with your money, I ended up in a hospital. You came into my life and everything started to fall apart. You also bought my university shares cause of me, didn't you? Now, don't lie to me," I was ranting at full speed, it was like I was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

He stayed deadpan, didn't this man feel any shame? He was completely naked before my eyes. "Yes, strawberry, I did that all on purpose but I won't say I regret a single day after seeing you for the first time. My life has become beautiful since then," He fucking winked. Oh, he was so much on my nerves.

"Don't call me with that annoying name," I gritted, my eyes on fire.

"Oh, you don't like strawberries? I heard you love them," How did he know that? Background check, Jennifer. He is in the mafia.

"Just don't use your mouth with me,"

"I would rather love to use it on you," Oh, I was seeing red now. The anger blinded me and I missed the chance to argue further. It was too much for me that I tripped on my toes and before I gave in to darkness I was held by Luciano. I fainted again.

I was again on the bed. The same bed on which I had sex with Luciano. Even the thought of it disgusted me. I committed fornication. How was I gonna forgive myself for that? Before I could open my eyes, I heard a familiar voice sweeping in my ear. It belonged to Andrea. What? Was she here? If yes, then who was she talking to?

"You should take care of her, inform me when she wakes up. I'll be in my office," It was Luciano's voice. Thank God, he was going to leave me alone.

"Yes, sir," I heard Andrea replying. How did she address him? Sir? My foot.

"Alright then," He said and within a moment I heard the door opening and slamming shut. I heaved a sigh as I realised I was alone with her and now, I could open my eyes.

I opened my eyes and found Andrea sitting beside me on the bed. She looked at me and a tender smile took over her lips, "Oh, you're awake," She said with pure glee. I smiled back and tried to sit on the bed with great difficulty as my lower-area hurt. Did Luciano do something to me when I was unconscious?

No. He can't be that insane. At least, I would like to keep believing that.

"For how long have I been sleeping?" I asked as I rested my back on the headboard. I shut my eyes and gained the courage to bear the pain.

"Three hours that I know," She answered back, unsure, which meant it was uncertain. I looked outside of the window and by now, the sun was setting and when I woke up in the morning, it was probably 10. So that meant I was waking up after five or six hours. "How are you feeling? Do you need anything?" She was quick to ask me for refreshments. As she was about to turn around to do something, I stopped her by putting my hand on hers.

"No, stop. I just want to talk to you while we can," I stated and she seemed to be agreeing with me. "Tell me, what happened? How did you end up here?" I asked, my eyes shut.

I could still feel with my closed eyes how cautious she was with her words as if it was hard to find words to describe that journey. Well, it could be hard because she suffered too. The trauma was still fresh. "We both were being tortured by their men. Massimo was the one who saved me from getting killed that day. He took me here so that I could help them locate you here. I was the one who had to give them your real home address or else, he was about to behead Rory," She told me and I opened my eyes, feeling hard to process the pain she went through. It sounded more than I endured all this while.

"Were you in one of their mansions?" I asked, but I guessed from her expression that what I asked was very stupid.

"No. A deserted warehouse," My God. "Where they keep the dead one a secret," Her eyes filled and I could feel how badly it affected her mental health. She was still suffering. I scooped my arm around her waist and pulled her closer, giving her a hug.

"Don't worry, it's gone now," I cooed and ran my hand in her hair. She was silent. I understood it.

"Jennifer, it's too hard," her voice cracked and I didn't realise she was crying.

"Hey, Andy," I lower my head to look at her. "I have got your back now, don't worry," I said to her.

"I can't..." She whispered.

"You can't what?" Now, she was scaring me.

"He wants to marry you. I can't do anything about it," She sobbed harder, giving me a moment to frown.

"What do you mean by that? Doesn't matter what he wants or says. I don't give a fuck," Like really I would sign the papers and say my vows.

"You don't understand, Jennifer. He has declared it to his family, and that means he will do it," Her words brought weird palpitations to my heart. It wasn't easy to convince me to marry him. I had every right to choose my spouse and never in hell it would be him. "He will marry you soon, his brother told me that," She rasped between her cries.

Never.