**Fallon**
“Fuck, Fallon!” He groaned before sitting up and slapping me across the face. He got up and walked across the room. I pulled myself into as much of a ball as I could as my hands were bound above my head.
“Can’t we just act like adults here, Maximo? Can’t you just let me be comfortable until we have our baby? We only have 4 months until we are parents.” I tried to reason with him.
“We could have had 9 months, Fallon. Instead, you chose to run away and hide with MY heir.” He was still holding his nose. He wasn’t bleeding but it must have hurt. I could still feel a twinge in my forehead where I made contact with his face.
“So, we are just going to forget how YOU treated me? Locking me away in that room, forcing me to play nice for your father and your business associates? You really forgot how you treated me? And let’s not forget your father’s bodyguard kicking me as hard as he could in the stomach, you almost didn’t have an heir at all!” I was hurt. All my feelings were coming to the surface, and I felt tears start to stream down my face. “I loved you and you took advantage of me and our situation. You did me wrong, Maximo.” The tears were coming hard now. “And all the women? You couldn’t even remain loyal to me. I never disrespected our marriage. I never cheated on you physically. Maybe mentally but not physically. You could never keep your dick in your pants.”
He just stared at me, not answering just listening. He didn’t say anything. 20 minutes probably went by before he came over and sat down on the bed. “Look, Fallon. I loved you. I may have not shown it to you, but I did love you. I’m sorry for the infidelity. I’m sorry for how I treated you the weeks leading up to you running away.”
He sat there for a moment in silence before getting up and walking up the stairs. I heard the door shut and lock.
I don’t know how long I laid there, but it felt like forever. I just laid there and cried. I cried until I couldn’t cry anymore. I felt so dehydrated. Hungry. Dirty. I just wished I had never come. I just wanted to protect those I loved.
Julio was the first person to break my imprisonment. “You are going to your old room.” He released my handcuffs. My wrists were bloody from how tight and me pulling on them. I had bruises on my arms and legs. Julio helped me sit up but I retracted from his help. He just sighed heavily. “Come.” He motioned for me to get up and went up the stairs.
I hesitantly followed him. Once I made it to the top of the stairs the sunlight blinded me. I had been down there for at least 12 hours. I leaned against the wall until my eyes adjusted.
“Well well well, look who decided to come back on her own.” I heard from a distance. I didn’t need to see to know that it was Jesus.
“I’d hardly call Maximo intercepting me at the airport when I arrived in St. Louis as coming back on my own.” I spat. He chuckled. He is so evil.
“Anyways, I need to determine the vitality of my grandchild.”
“Can’t you just get the report from the emergency room last night?” I answered bored. “I need to shower, Jesus, this unnecessary interaction can wait.”
My eyes had finally adjusted, and I saw him sitting on the sofa in the corner. “This conversation is not over and will be continued later, bello.” I shuttered at his words. How dare he call me anything outside of my name.
Julio was waiting in the doorway and I followed him to my old prison. I walked up the stairs and heard the door close and lock behind me.
I thought I was alone, until I felt him breathing down my neck.
“Take a shower, mi amore. We have some business to discuss.” I shivered and wanted to run, but my feet would not move. “Go, take a shower.” He said again. Again, I could not move. “Fallon, go take a fucking shower.” He had grabbed my shoulders and moved himself in front of me.
“Fallon?” I couldn’t look at him. In my own prison, he couldn’t leave me alone.
“Just leave me alone, please.” I begged. He just looked at me, I avoided his gaze.
“Look at me.” He demanded, I continued to avoid his gaze. “I said look at me!” He yelled in my face, jerking my chin to face him. I closed my eyes. “God dammit, Fallon!” He yelled before shaking my shoulders. I opened my eyes but looked away from him.
“Leave me alone, Maximo. I need some time.”
“Time for what? You had almost 6 months to fucking figure this out!”
“Figure what out? I’m here, aren’t I? I chose to protect my friends and my baby. It’s easier to be under your thumb than for you to hunt me and OUR baby for the rest of our lives. I chose this for the safety of OUR baby.” I emphasized our. He just looked at me before cursing and rubbing his chin.
“I would hunt you until the day you died, Fallon. I would have put a bullet between your eyes had you not come back before OUR baby was born.”
All’s I could muster up to say was, “I know” before walking past him to the bathroom. I closed the door and looked at myself in the mirror. I pulled the nasty robe off me and assessed my skin.
I had bruises all over my arms and chest, my face, legs, and back. I had blood and ligature marks around my wrists and ankle where I was bound.
I sighed and turned on the shower to let the water warm. I stepped in and let the warm water run over my sensitive skin. I washed my hair and skin, watching the dirt go down the drain. The water felt great on my skin. I sat down and let the water continue to wash over me.
When the water started to run cold, I stood up and turned it off. I stepped out of the shower and wrapped the oversized towel around my body. I brushed my kinky hair and opened the bathroom door. Maximo was sitting in the chair by the window. “Nice shower?” He smirked.
“What do you want, Maximo?”
“For you to submit to me, Fallon, mi amore.”
“Not tonight, Maximo, I’m tired.” He didn’t like that answer so stood up and walked over to me.
“I said submit to me, Fallon. I let you live.”
“This doesn’t feel like living, Maximo. This feels like being suffocated and let breathe for a moment, then suffocated again.” He smiled at this and grabbed my arms pushing me back to the bed. “No.” I said pulling my arms from him. He didn’t like that so grabbed my towel and pulled it off me.
He stood back and looked at my bruises. “How a whore should look.” He smirked before throwing the towel on the nearby chest. “Fallon, submit to me
“What do you want from me, Maximo?”
“To submit to me.”
“How am I supposed to do that?” I asked looking him straight in the eyes.
“Figure it out.” He said before leaving the room and slamming the door behind him.