My phone continues to ring, and I grab it, groaning at the name flashing on the screen.
Speaking of the devil.
And while all I wish to do is avoid speaking with my father, sometimes it’s not an option. “Hello.”
His annoyed and angry voice seethes into my ear. “It’s high time you picked up my calls, Diana!”
I swing my legs to the side, and my toes curl into the cold marble, grounding me in the present, for this conversation already promises to give me a headache. “I’m not obliged to pick up your phone calls.” I grab the long, silky robe from the chair and put it on, welcoming the soft cloth against my skin. When talking to my father, I take comfort in the smallest of things and treat my clothes as armor. “What do you want?”
“What do I want?” he repeats, and his familiar rage freezes me for a second before I remind myself I’m not a little girl anymore, and his wrath won’t have consequences on my life.
Orion will protect my grandma and me from him. He already has, in a way, and this fills my heart with so much warmth I’m afraid it might burst.
Someone might say trusting a man is a foolish thing to do, all things considered, but for the first time in my life, I want to leap and not question every decision.
“You’ve been married for a month, and you owe this family some respect.” My laughter isn’t well-received, because he snaps, “Diana!”
“Respect is earned, and you did nothing to earn mine. I’d appreciate it if you'd stop harassing me. Whatever it is, I’m sure your favorite golden child can handle it for you.”
“Grant needs more time to perfect his creation. A month wasn’t enough. You need to speak to your husband so he can extend the deadline.” I blink at this and pull my phone away from my ear, staring at it in shock. Turns out my father still has the power to surprise me. Wasn’t my not answering his messages enough of a hint that I won’t cater to his every whim? “He bought you for a year yet expects us to fix all our problems within a month.”
I bristle at his holier-than-thou tone. “He didn’t buy me, Father. I entered into this marriage of my own free will.” No matter how much you twist what happened, that’s the truth, even if my father pushed me into this union. Ultimately, it was my decision to marry Orion to save my grandmother, and acting like a victim won’t do anyone any favors. I’m glad Rafael never allowed my father to get his hand on the marriage contract or the prenup. Otherwise, he could have used it to his own advantage or tried to blackmail Orion. I mean, I’m not sure my father is so stupid, but desperate times make people act out of character. “And I won’t speak to him about Grant. It’s not my job to help him.”
He screams into my ear as I slip into my fluffy slippers and go to the bathroom, gulping when I see my reflection in the mirror. Countless hickeys mar my neck and shoulders, leaving no doubt about my escapades last night. “You little ungrateful bitch!” Pressing on the speaker button, I put the phone on the counter and start to wash my face while my father continues his verbal assault. “You married a Wright and forgot your place. May I remind you…you exist in this world because of my generosity.”
My painful groan reverberates through the space when Grant pushes his arm back and punches me right in the stomach, causing me to bend in two and cough violently as I fall back, landing on my ass.
He laughs, guzzling more beer and pointing at me. “I hate you. A stupid bastard who ruined my family. My mother died because of you.” He kicks me in the back, making me scream. I try to crawl to the side to escape his assaults, but it’s useless. Grant’s much quicker. “You deserve to die, just like your mother. I hate you both. Useless whores.”Kick. Kick. Kick. “Why can’t you just die?”
My head becomes dizzy, and I finally reach the wall, the hurt overtaking my senses and threatening to destroy my soul while Grant rages behind me.
My heart sinks when I hear the familiar leather whoosh, and I wish for the ground to open up, swallowing me whole so I wouldn’t have to face what’s about to come next.
He removes his belt and wraps the leather around his hand so he can hit me with the metallic buckle. I already have several scars on my back from his last fit of rage.
“What will it take for you to die, Diana?” When the first blow comes, the pain is so strong it feels as if thousands of knives stab into me at once. “I lost my mom because of you.”
Hit. Hit. Hit.
I wrap my arms around my knees, doing my best to protect myself from his rage.
Nothing stops him. His blows become harsher, and blood fills my mouth from how hard I bite on my bottom lip.
I’ve learned from a young age that my tears only intensify his anger, and he gets off on them, craving to see me cry harder. “Stupid bitch,” he snaps, and I yelp when he lifts me in a sitting position by the hair and wraps the leather around my neck, effectively cutting off my oxygen supply. “I should takematters into my own hands. As Daddy dearest says, ‘If you want to do the job right, do it yourself. Otherwise, people will find a way to screw you over.’” I grip the leather, doing my best to pull it away and allow me to breathe, but I struggle in his grip. My lungs burn, demanding air. My body grows weaker, and dizziness becomes stronger with each passing second. “Die, you stupid bitch. Die.”
One moment, he’s doing his best to kill me, and the next, I gulp for breath when his grip loosens. I cough, tears filling my eyes. “No, Son. No,” Father whispers, and I turn around to see him hugging Grant to his chest and glaring at me. “She’s not worth it.”
The splash of cold water on my face brings me back to the present, away from the disturbing and still painful memories that no therapy or time seems to heal. I touch my throat on instinct, checking my pulse, a habit I acquired over the years since my brother loved to play the game ofstrangle the bitchoften, as he called it. “I don’t know what’s more surprising, Father. You expecting me to be grateful for not letting your son kill me all those years ago, or you thinking I’ll go out of my way to help him. In case you failed to notice, I hate his guts. I won’t do a thing to save the family legacy because I was never part of your family. A fact you reminded me time and time again.”
“You little bitch.” I roll my eyes because the wordsbitchandwhoreare their favorite when it comes to me, which is hilarious since they are assholes. “Talk to your husband, or you’ll regret it.”
“You can’t threaten me anymore. I’m not a child who depends on you.”
His sadistic laughter sends a cold chill down my spine despite my newfound resolve. “Oh, you’re so brave because you think you have Orion now? Men like him don’t settle for whores’ daughters. You'd best remember that, Diana. Soon, he will haveno use for you and dump you. Then you won’t have anyone else to beg for help. And I won’t help you. Maybe life will finally find a way to erase you from this earth.” A beat passes. “Do as you’re told before I find a way to make you regret acting out. You know me. I don’t do empty threats.” He hangs up on me before I can say another word. Taking a deep breath, I grab the towel and pat my face dry.
My magical morning is ruined, but then something rebels inside me at this.
Fuck my father and fuck my brother too. They can both go and burn in hell, for all I care. They shouldn’t have this much power over my mood anyway.
