YOU'RE NOT WORTH MY TOUCH.

005

After speaking he slammed the door on my face.

Tears stung my eyes as I stood frozen at the door, my heart heavy with doubt and fear. For a brief moment, I wanted to turn around and walk away, but where could I go? I had no place left to turn. No home. No safety. Just the cold streets waiting for me if I left here.

I felt a sharp, biting pang in my chest as the thought crossed my mind: Maybe I should beg. But then, I shook my head violently. Begging Stanley again? I couldn’t. My pride, as small as it was, told me it would be too humiliating. But deep down, I knew that if I didn’t, I would have nothing. No future. No way forward.

Survival, I reminded myself. To survive, I needed to put my pride aside, to face whatever humiliation came with it. My heart pounded in my chest as I slowly, painfully, raised my fist and banged on the door again, louder this time.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

I waited, but the seconds dragged by in agonizing silence. No answer. A lump formed in my throat, and my hand trembled against the cold wood. I told myself to leave, that it wasn’t worth it, but deep down, I knew I had nowhere else to go. This was my only chance. And as much as I hated it, I needed it.

One more time.

I knocked again, the desperation in my knuckles ringing with each strike. And just when I thought I couldn’t take it anymore, when I was ready to turn around and fall into defeat, the door finally creaked open.

Stanley stood there, his towering figure filling the doorway. His eyes narrowed when he saw me. The anger in them was unmistakable.

“I thought I asked you to leave?” he said, his voice sharp like a whip, and it cut through the air.

I didn’t flinch, didn’t back down. Instead, I dropped to my knees, the cold of the floor seeping through my clothes, and my hands shook as they pressed into the ground. Tears spilled freely down my cheeks, each one a bitter reminder of my mistakes.

“Please… I beg of you,” I whispered, my voice barely audible but full of raw desperation. “I know I was annoying, hanging up on you and rejecting the offer you gave me. But… please, I’ve realized my mistake. Please… take me back.”

Stanley sneered, his lips curling into a cruel smile. “You should’ve thought about that before you hung up on me, Alora,” he said, his voice dripping with disdain.

He turned as if he was going to walk away, dismissing me completely, but I couldn’t let that happen. Not now. Not when I had nothing left.

“Please!” I shouted, my voice cracking, tears falling harder than before. “Please, Stanley! I’m begging you!”

Stanley paused, his back still to me. I saw his shoulders heave with a deep sigh. He slowly turned around, his gaze heavy with something I couldn’t quite place. He looked at me for a long moment, studying me—my tear-streaked face, my trembling body—and for the first time in what felt like forever, I saw something soften in his expression. It wasn’t pity, but maybe... something close to it.

“Come inside,” he said.

I could barely believe my ears. Did he really just say that? My heart skipped a beat, hope flickering inside of me. Without hesitating, I stood up on shaky legs and followed him through the door, into the house.

The inside of the house was huge—immensely big and intimidating—but none of that mattered. I didn’t care about the grandeur. I didn’t care about anything except getting through this, surviving the next few months. I just needed to work. I had to keep my focus on my writing career, on the months that would pass until I had enough to leave, to get away from all of this.

Stanley walked ahead, his footsteps echoing through the grand hallway. I followed him silently, my thoughts racing. What was he going to do with me? Was this some kind of test? A trick?

Finally, we arrived at a door. Stanley opened it, stepping inside. I hesitated for a moment before following him into the room.

It was dark, the dim light from the hallway barely casting any glow on the sleek furniture. My heart hammered in my chest, as more thoughts came running in.

And then, the door clicked shut behind me.

Stanley locked the door with a soft but definitive sound, and my stomach twisted with unease.

“Take your clothes off,” he ordered, his voice cold and emotionless.

My breath caught in my throat. I froze in place, staring at him, unable to comprehend what he was asking. Hadn’t he just shown me mercy? Hadn’t he just allowed me back inside, thinking he was giving me a chance? Wasn’t he offering me another job? A way out?

But this... this was something else. Something I wasn’t prepared for.

I felt the sudden urge to turn around and run, but I couldn’t. I was trapped. I had signed up for this, hadn’t I? I had made my choices. I couldn’t go back now.

For a moment, panic surged through me. My mind raced, thoughts colliding in every direction. But before I could make sense of them, Stanley’s voice cut through the silence like a whip.

“What happened? Didn’t you hear me?” he snapped, his voice rising with irritation.

I flinched, but then his words pierced deeper. “I thought as much. You’re just a pathetic liar.”

He stalked toward me, his eyes burning with fury. And before I could react, his hand shot out, grabbing me by the neck. His fingers dug into my skin as he pushed me backward, my back hitting the cold wall with a sickening thud. I gasped, my breath cutting off for a moment as I struggled against his grip.

He leaned in closer, his face mere inches from mine. For a second, I thought he might kiss me, but there was something different in his eyes. Something I hadn’t expected.

This is it, I thought. Stanley Richardson is going to get his way with me.

But then, to my shock, his lips twisted into a sneer, and he whispered coldly, “I never wanted to touch you. You’re not worth my touch.”

My chest tightened, my breath catching in my throat. I felt a wave of humiliation wash over me, mixing with the relief that he hadn’t gone through with it. Still, his words stung far worse than anything physical could.

He shoved me away from the wall, letting me stumble back. I sank to my knees, my heart racing, tears still falling. I didn’t know what I expected when I came here, but it certainly wasn’t this.

“Get up,” he spat, his tone dismissive. “You’ve got work to do.”

But all I could do was stare at the floor, feeling more lost and humiliated than I ever had in my life.