GIVING IN

EMILY

I couldn’t sleep. Not even for a second. My body lay still, but my mind was a storm. How could I even begin to accept marrying a monster huh?

A man who thought everything and everyone could be bought with money. The audacity… the arrogance… the filth, that man is an arrogant bastard and I really despised him with the fiber of my being…..

“No,” I whispered to the silence, clutching my arms tighter around myself. “I won’t do it. I can’t, I will never ever do that.”

Suddenly, the rusty cell door creaked open. My heart leapt with fear. And then he walked in, James Bolton like he owned the world and everything breathing in it…. He was just too arrogant and I felt like punching him in the gut.

“Good morning, sunshine,” he said with a smirk, the strong scent of alcohol following him like a shadow, a responsible human drinking alcohol in the morning, he is really a red flag.

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t. I just stared at him, cold and numb. Inside me, there was chaos, fear, rage, confusion.

Fear, because I knew he was capable of anything. Rage, because I wanted to tear his skin apart for treating me like property. And confusion, because despite everything, a strange part of me feared what would happen if I rejected him again.

“I see silence is still your favorite language,” he said mockingly. “I hope you thought over what I said last night. You should’ve… because this offer doesn’t come twice, it is ones in a life Time.”

I clenched my fists. “If you think I’d marry a heartless monster like you, you must be mad. Absolutely insane! You're a devil in human skin and—”

SWACK!

My head whipped to the side. His palm… hot, loud, sudden. My face stung with sudden pain, but my pride ached even more.

“You ungrateful little whore!” James thundered, his voice echoing through the cold walls. “Do you even know the favour I’m doing for you? You should be crawling on your knees thanking me, not throwing insults!”

Tears welled up in my eyes, the kind that came from a place deeper than pain, hopelessness.

“GUARDS! Take her out of my sight! Throw her in with the others. Let her enjoy the company of those savages!” He barked at them leaving the room instantly...

Within seconds, two huge guards stormed in. They grabbed me like I was nothing more than trash and dragged me out.

And I cried. I cried till my throat burned. If death was easy, I would’ve chosen it right there.

*******

They threw me into a place that could only be described as hell on earth. The stench, urine, sweat, sex, and something far worse, hit me like a punch. Twenty girls. Crammed into one filthy room. Faces hollow, bodies thin. It looked like they’d given up hope long ago, this man must be really heartless.

My stomach churned.

Then I saw her, the girl who threw a sachet of water at me earlier. She was looking at me like I was her childhood enemy.

“You again,” she spat. “You ugly, skinny twig. You really said no to the boss? Wow, what a stupid, pathetic witch. Do you even have a mirror?”

Another girl laughed behind her. “He had options, pretty girls, thick girls, girls who know how to please a man. But he chose you… this walking skeleton, just look at you, you look like someone who is about to die.”

Laughter erupted from the room, all directed at me.

I stood there, swallowing my shame like a bitter pill. They were low, broken... and still, somehow, they made me feel even lower.

“Shut your rotten mouths!” I snapped. “All I see here is a bunch of miserable, hungry rats! You're all—”

Before I could finish, they pounced. Like wild animals.

Fists. Nails. Slaps. Ten of them.

One grabbed my throat and squeezed until my vision blurred and my lungs begged for air.

“GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF HER!!”

The voice boomed like thunder.

James Bolton.

Everyone froze instantly and backed away as he marched in like a king enraged.

“GUARDS!” he shouted. “Take her. Now.”

They lifted me bloodied, broken and carried me away. I was sure he hated me. But somehow, he brought me out again.

******

They cleaned me up in a room with soft lighting, warm water, and expensive towels. My body was sore, but it felt like heaven compared to what I just left.

Then the door creaked again.

James. He walked in slowly, quietly, like a lion approaching his prey.

“Look at you,” he said softly, his eyes not as cold as before. “You’re even more beautiful when you’re quiet… bruised, but still… something about you.”

I sat up on the bed, weak but guarded.

He walked over, touched my chin gently, and wiped a trace of blood off my lip. “You don’t have to be scared of me, Emily. You’ll come to see I’m not the monster you think I am.”

He leaned in, brushing my cheek with his lips. My heart skipped.

His mouth neared mine. Closer.

I could feel his breath on my skin, warm and tempting. And just as he tried to kiss me…

SLAP!

I hit him. Harder than before. Silence.

His face turned slowly back to me… but this time, he didn’t slap back. He didn’t shout. He didn’t even blink.

He just stared at me. His expression unreadable.

Then he whispered, almost too low to hear, “You're going to regret that…”

And he walked away. The door slammed shut….