Chapter 16 REMINISCING
—ONE HOUR LATER—
I had done it.
I have complied to his command, all by myself without letting anyone in to help.
All the dresses that had been evenly curated in the walk in closet were just to my exact taste.
My very own kind of fashion back in New York.
The unending catalogue of jeweleries, refined accessories, purses, ocean of shoes— they were all perfect and a little too good to be true.
I wondered how hard it must have been for him to balance a make do wardrobe just to fit into my taste.
Did he truly try hard enough to make things absolutely perfect and flawless for me?
Or was he solemnly riding in sheer luck?
There were a lot of things I didn't know about this man— Rafael yet and ending my clues about him under assumptions was a deadly bait to fall under his control the more, I definitely shouldn't risk that variable that could destroy my plan of escape from him.
—
I had draped myself in a stunning crimson dress that hugged my curves perfectly, accentuating my figure which had intricate, hand-beaded gem stones all over with a slit that stretched up to my thigh on the right side.
I wouldn't be needing a purse since I had no valuables to carry with me.
I lifted my lashes with some black devil mascara shade, padded a little blush and powder to softly bake my face and I finished off with an unforgiving shade of red lipstick.
The unending allure and beauty of the jewelry compartment gave me a difficult time choosing a piece to match with my dress.
They all were extremely lovely and perfect, but in the end, I finally settled for some diamond stones which in turn complemented the whole game I had curated by myself.
I let my already straightened hair down in a lush which fell gracefully over my shoulders and I smiled at myself in the mirror— extremely satisfied with what I had put together.
But my smile soon drowned with time, a reminder of having done this to myself not because I wanted to, but because it was for someone else ticking straight at my thought stream.
My life had suddenly been taken away by a man who wouldn't let me go.
He had taken charge of my life without notice and my freedom from him came at a cost and this has also been totally entrusted in his care because he has forcefully acquired this privilege in the most gruesome way to deal with a woman's soul.
I sighed as I watched my reflection in the mirror.
Had I done too much?
My once up-beat mood immediately turned foul as I couldn't believe what I was doing.
A revolt against his every command would make him wear him out in no time, but fulfilling such compelling orders he gives was only a boost to satisfy his ego.
What sin have I committed?
What amount of sin was I bearing that this man has taken my whole life into his hands?
What was I worth to him?
Am I nothing more than an object of pleasure to him?
His desire?
Did he have to resort to destroying my marriage to another man just so he could have me for himself?
To claim me?
To make himself mine?
Or to have even the tiniest fragment of affection from me?
It was all surreal and I was overwhelmed at these thoughts.
I just wanted answers, or perhaps, a shift in time.
To go back to the previous days before the devil struck.
To listen to Dylan's warning about not coming to Sicily, Italy to hold my wedding.
“Oh God!” I cried in a mutter, my breath shuddering.
But come to think of it— Dylan was against us coming over to Italy. He had also been adamant enough, but he couldn't resist refusing me and on that day, he had been restless for a long while.
The morning of our wedding, at the hotel, I had received a call from him. He had said something to me and they weren't words I should forget;
“I can't wait till this wedding is over, Vanessa Hudgens.”
I had melted at this because he must have meant he couldn't wait any more minute of not being my husband because he wanted the forever to start happening as soon as the wedding was over.
But now that I think of it, those words do not sound appropriate. It seemed as though Dylan knew something which had caused him to be restless.
It was as though he knew what was coming.
His men had guns, enough guns to take out a rival army, but it was illegal to carry firearms and ammunitions which were not registered with the national security department of such country and besides, Dylan so as his men were from America, so technically, their firearms were illegal under the Italian military law which could be a threat to their security.
Was Dylan aware Rafael would show up at the wedding that day for him to have rashly prepared guns for his men for protection?
And after the wedding didn't happen, he was going to send us off to Kyiv.
Was this an already planned agenda? Or did all of this just happen without him knowing?
Am I really at the center of a game I know nothing about?
Suddenly, two sharp knocks came at the door, jolting me up and pulling me out of my messy train of thought at once which forced me to gasp for breath.
I panted for a bit, not realizing I had been holding my breath for the longest of time. I wasn't sure I had heard things correctly or if I was just baiting myself with the cluster of thoughts storming around in my head.
I looked towards the direction of the clock in the room, realizing how long I had been lost in my thoughts for which cost me to sigh again.
But, the knock came again, this time sharper than the last.