SERENA
Iwake with a throbbing pain in my right wrist, soreness in my other arm, and a stiffness in my spine. Icy-cold air wafts over my face as I stare up at the wooden ceiling, shivering under the thin sheet covering me. I try to move my right arm, and the bite of cold steel slices against my flesh. I look back, confirming I’m handcuffed to the rusted bed frame. My back aches and my arm hurts as I awkwardly sit up, planting my feet on the debris-strewn floor. I’m wearing the clothes I had on yesterday, but my sweater and coat are still absent. Goose bumps sprout on my arms, and I pull the wrinkled sheet around my shoulders as best I can.
I scan my prison with mounting horror. Slivers of soft light spill through the only window in this cramped dank space. It’s a small grime-covered rectangular window pressed right up to the ceiling. Bars cover the glass from the inside, sending a fresh rake of shivers ghosting over my skin. Dirty, exposed stone walls confirm the building is old. The mahogany door is thick and worn. Apart from the single cot I’m sitting on, there is a rickety old wooden chair in the corner and a small, scratched end table.
My mouth is dry, and I’d kill for some water. Or maybe not, I think, as I recall my last conscious memories. I was on a private plane with my psycho cousin, and he forced me to eat and drink. The water must have been drugged. Unless he jabbed me again and I don’t remember it. Fear for Chelsea surges to the forefront of my mind along with bubbling hysteria as I remember Stefano’s plans for me.
A lock turns, and the door creaks open. My heart thumps frantically against my rib cage, and all the tiny hairs lift on the back of my neck. Stefano enters the room, dressed in a sharp black suit with a pristine white dress shirt and shiny black shoes. His hair is slicked back, and his face is newly shaven.
“You look like shit.” His brows knit together.
“Being kidnapped by force, repeatedly drugged, and chained to a cold, hard bed tends to do that to a person.” A pain spears me through my bladder, and I can’t remember the last time I went to the bathroom. “I need to pee.”
He walks toward me, and I smother my instinctive urge to flinch. I can’t believe I’m at the mercy of a sadistic bastard again, but I’m not the same woman. I’m stronger than I used to be, and I’m determined to get myself out of this predicament or die trying. I refuse to become some new monster’s plaything, and I won’t let him use me to threaten my family either.
“Don’t try anything,” he warns, unlocking the cuff on my wrist. “I have men inside and outside this church. If you try to escape, they will hurt you.”
“Where’s Chelsea?” I ask, wincing when he grabs my arm and pulls me up from the bed.
“Chelsea is of no concern to you. That whore will get what’s coming to her.”
I still can’t believe she lied to me and pretended this asshole was her husband. I’m guessing Stefano blackmailed them into going along with his sick plan. “I meant what I said yesterday. I’ll kill you if you hurt my friend.”
He chuckles as he drags me out the door into a dark corridor. He shoves me up the stone stairs, sliding his arm around my waist from behind when I almost slam face-first into the wall. “Your idle threats amuse me.” He pushes through the door at the top, and we emerge into a brighter, cleaner hallway with wooden paneling on both sides and religious pictures on the wall.
“Don’t touch me.” I pry his arm off my waist.
He yanks me back, pulling me flush against his body, and his fingers move to grip my chin as his other hand holds me firmly against his chest. “We’re about to be married. As your husband, I will own your body.” The hand on my stomach inches lower, and I scream on the inside. He cups my pussy through my jeans, and I almost throw up. “This is mine to do with as I please. I will fuck you continuously until my child grows in your womb.”
That’s what you think, asshole.I will kill myself before any man rapes me again. I ram my sore arm back into his stomach, and he stumbles a little.
“Don’t be a cunt,” he hisses, grabbing my arm hard and pulling me forward. “This will be much easier if you cooperate.”
“Never.” I attempt to wrestle my arm from his hand, but he digs his nails into my sensitive flesh, and I cry out.
He pushes me inside a small bathroom with a toilet, a sink, and a corner shower, and he locks the door behind us.
I fold my arms and glare at him. “I’m not peeing with you watching.”
“I don’t give a fuck what you think. Pee or don’t pee.” He switches the shower on. “Get in and get clean.”
I bark out a laugh. “I don’t think so.”
“You’re getting in that shower, Serena. No bride of mine is going to look like trash on her wedding day. Either you get in or I’ll make you. The choice is yours.”
I’m shaking inside at the thought of this man seeing me naked but even more so at the thought of him touching me. There is nothing I can do to stop this. Not yet, at least, so I’ll have to go along with it, for now. Perhaps there is a way to work this to my advantage.
“I will cooperate,” I say, jutting my chin up and staring at him. “I won’t fight you. I’ll marry you without protest if you promise you won’t hurt my family and you’ll leave my kids alone.”
Winding his hands in my hair, he tilts my face up. “It’s cute you think you hold any bargaining power.”
“It’s cute you think I’ll cooperate without that promise.” Bringing my leg up, I knee him in the balls.
He yells, falling back and cupping his crotch, his breathing heavy and pained. “You fucking bitch.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet. You’re not the only one who can make this difficult. Promise to leave my family out of this, and I’ll make this easy on both of us. Refuse and I’ll be the biggest bitch you have ever seen.” I am under no illusions this man would ever make such a promise and stick to it, but I want him to make it so I have an excuse to cooperate. He will subconsciously lower his guard, and that’s when I’ll strike.
“Fine,” he snaps, straightening up. Grabbing my hand, he hauls me to him, and a nasty shudder works its way through me as my body presses against his. “I won’t touch your family, but if you pull a stunt like that again, I will hurt you ten times over.”
