004

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Eleanor shivered as she sank to the cold floor of the dark storage room. Even though the dim light barely reached the corners, she could make out the twisted coils of cables strewn across the concrete. Her chest tightened and her heart raced, every fiber of her body on edge. The sight of the cables brought it all back...the memories she had buried, or at least tried to.

Her trauma surged violently, unbidden, as if the room itself conspired against her. She was back at university, the leader of the synchronized swimming team, a position she had earned fairly, until one of her random training videos went viral. It had humiliated Vanessa, shattering the bully’s carefully constructed reputation. From that day forward, Eleanor became the target of relentless torment.

Vanessa demanded that she quit the national team, that she apologize, and that she bow to her whims. Eleanor refused. Her defiance only fueled the cruelty. They tormented her everywhere…bathrooms, the cafeteria, the gym, corridors…finding new ways to make her life miserable. But nothing compared to what happened the day before the national competition.

Vanessa and her friends had planned it meticulously. They waited until Eleanor was alone in the practice pool area. Coils of electrical cables, heavy and slippery, were laid along the edge of the pool. As Eleanor finished a series of flips and dives, Vanessa gave the signal. The ropes were tossed, wrapping around Eleanor’s leg and waist, tangling her tightly. She thrashed, trying to free herself, but the cables pulled her under the surface.

Panic overtook her. The water was cold, overwhelming, pressing against her lungs. She kicked desperately, claws scraping against the cable as her body sank deeper, the pressure constricting her chest. Her screams bubbled up, swallowed by the water, as she struggled to reach the surface. For a moment, the world narrowed to a terrifying tunnel of fear… dark water, metal cables, and her own helplessness.

A teammate finally noticed the commotion and dove in, pulling her free. Eleanor had inhaled water, her lungs burning, and her skin was bruised from the cable’s cruel grip. She collapsed, shivering, trembling with terror. But Vanessa’s grin from the poolside lingered in her mind like a stain. From that moment, Eleanor never slept in the dark and never let a cable touch her skin.

Lucas had understood. From the earliest days of their relationship, he knew her fears and always adapted for her. He didn’t like lights on when he slept, but he adjusted, keeping them burning softly for her comfort. He always moved cables carefully around her, and whenever she hesitated or shivered, he would pull her close and whisper, “It’s okay, as long as you feel safe.” Those moments had been rare sanctuaries for her, and she had clung to them, thinking she had healed. But now, ironically, he was about to become the embodiment of her deepest terror.

“Please… let me out of here!” Eleanor’s voice trembled, barely audible in the oppressive darkness of the storage room. She tried to crawl back from the cables as if physical distance could shield her from the memories, from Lucas. But it was futile.

In the living room, Lewis finished tending to Vanessa’s small wounds as Lucas strode in, sharp and composed, his expression unreadable.

“Where is your fiancée, Lucas?” Vanessa asked, masking concern with excitement, though her voice trembled slightly.

“Somewhere… learning her lesson,” he said coldly but softened his tone as he approached her.

“Don’t punish her because of me. She’s just not used to me yet. Forgive her, on my behalf,” Vanessa pleaded, her hands clutching his.

“You’re too soft, Vanessa. That’s why people take advantage of you,” Lucas replied, his voice firm.

“I don’t like to see anyone suffer, Lucas. Especially not your fiancée,” she said, hiding a sly, calculating smile.

“She doesn’t deserve your pity,” Lucas countered.

“Please,” Vanessa pouted, her eyes wide, softening him just enough.

“I’ll pardon her eventually, but she’ll still spend two days there. You scratched your hand,” he said, glancing at the small red mark on her palm.

“What?” Lewis gasped, instinctively reacting before his expression hardened, but his mind was troubled. “She brought it on herself. She deserves it.”

“She won’t die, right? It’s just two days. I can’t wait to see her,” Vanessa said sweetly, though she noticed Lewis shifting uncomfortably beside her. That slut… she thought, anger simmering beneath her polite words.

“I think this will scar,” she whined lightly, and Lucas and Lewis attended to her wounds again, their actions precise and practiced.

After forty-eight hours, Eleanor lay lifelessly on the hard concrete floor of the storage room. Her body ached from hunger and thirst; her spirit was drained from the psychological torment. She could neither cry nor shout. 

Since her grandfather’s death, she had been eating poorly, but she had never imagined her fiancé… the man she loved and trusted… would starve her deliberately. Her limbs felt like lead, and her head swam with exhaustion, but the cables, those cursed coils, were constant reminders of the night she had almost drowned.

The door creaked open, a sliver of light cutting through the gloom. For a fleeting moment, hope sparked…someone had come for her. But it was Lucas, stepping in with that same pretentious smile.

He grabbed her roughly, trying to pull her to her feet. Eleanor’s legs buckled under her, unable to support her weak frame.

“I hope you’ve learned your lesson,” he said, voice calm but icy. She didn’t respond, and a flicker of irritation crossed his face. “Don’t tell me you’re angry because of this?”

“This… is enjoyment compared to what you did to Vanessa,” he continued, his eyes sharp. “But she forgave you already. Stop acting stubborn and apologize to her immediately… she begged for your release.”

A faint, involuntary sound escaped Eleanor’s mouth, more a gasp of disbelief than comprehension. She felt mocked, diminished, and humiliated. Reminded of the past when he took care of her at the hospital and still helped her with her grandfather's hospital bills and waited until the surgery was over, telling her it will be fine in the hallway, but that Lucas was gone.

“You will go to the living room now and apologize to her,” Lucas ordered, completely indifferent to her condition.

Eleanor barely managed to stand, shaking her head. “I’m… tired; give me a break,” she whispered, every word heavy with exhaustion.

“Don’t even try to act stubborn. Follow my orders, or you’ll spend another two days in there,” he threatened. Her body shivered violently at his words, fear and panic colliding. ‘Two days? I’ve been locked in that long already?’ Her mind raced, but her lips failed her… She could barely form a word.

She dragged her weak body down the hallway, legs shaking and her stomach aching. They reached the living room. Lewis and Vanessa were seated together, Vanessa smiling sweetly, aware of the storm Eleanor had endured. The moment Eleanor entered, Lewis’s gaze darted nervously, avoiding her completely. He couldn't bring himself to look at her, but not out of disgust; it wasn't pity either.

“Eleanor, apologize to Vanessa,” Lucas commanded. Her lips pressed together in defiance, refusing to speak. Lewis’s jaw tightened, his face hardening.

“Lucas, enough. She must be exhausted. It’s just a wound… even if it scars, I can wear long sleeves,” Vanessa said gently, trying to intervene.

“You’re still acting stubborn. Don’t you want this wedding to happen?” Lucas pressed, threatening her again. Eleanor scoffed, seemingly unfazed, though internally every nerve in her body screamed. The three adults could feel it… the strange, frozen defiance… but they couldn’t pinpoint its source.

“Apologize, Eleanor!” Lewis barked, rising to his feet. ‘Just get it over with, Lea,’ he mulled in his head as he walked towards her, looking at her state. But before he could reach her, Eleanor… who had been mentally and physically drained… felt sudden darkness as her body failed to stand. She fell unconsciously towards Lucas's direction.

Lucas’s expression darkened. In a moment of cold calculation, he dodged her like he was avoiding a wild cat… He let her body fall, hitting the hard floor with a sickening thud.

“Eleanor!” Lewis lunged forward, panic overtaking him. ‘Shit!’ he pulsed, but it was so weak, and that scared him. “Wake up! Call a doctor, Lucas!”

“Why are you worried about this cheap little thing? She’s probably faking it so she won’t apologize,” Lucas shrugged, uncaring.

“Lucas… she's weak.” Lewis shook his head as he tried to wake her up.

“She’s been like this since university. She hasn’t changed,” Vanessa murmured, watching Eleanor’s limp form helplessly.

“What do you expect? People like her don’t change,” Lucas hissed, before pulling Vanessa aside.

‘Fool…’ Lewis hissed at Lucas inwardly.

Lewis, torn, wanted to call a doctor but hesitated. “Nobody must know what happened here,” he muttered, tossing his phone aside.

“Fuck, Eleanor… If you’re pretending, get up. Please,” he whispered urgently.

He noticed no movement from her, and then he decided to take care of her himself.

Carefully, he lifted her from the floor and carried her inside, giving her emergency care to stabilize her weakened body. 

He changed his outfit and his tone before going back to her; he stared at her weak body. His expression was different from earlier, neither cold nor affectionate, but his eyes were screaming something else… obsession?

After some time.

Her lips trembled, her eyes fluttered open briefly, and he sighed, exasperated. “Why do you…” He stopped midway and just patted her head softly.

“How can you be so stupid?” he muttered. “I will be back soon.” He said, leaving the room with a final shake of his head.

Eleanor lay there, trembling, every coil of cables in the storage room, every gasp of near-drowning, and every moment of betrayal burning in her mind. The man who had once made her feel safest had now become her greatest tormentor.