“How long has Jay kept you here?”
The tears fell then. Aria gave her some time. When her sobs became nothing but soft hiccups, she glanced at Aria. “I’m not sure.” Her lips trembled. “After the first week of pain, the days melded into one another, and I lost track.” Leila pushed back the hair from her face.
Aria discerned a beautiful woman lay beneath the ugly scars Jay had inflicted. “The most important thing is you’re alive.”
The woman’s gaze filled with unconcealed terror. “Why? Do you think Jay wants to kill...?” As though the thought terrified her, Leila trailed off.
“I wouldn’t put it past him.” Aria squeezed her hand lightly. “Listen. Don’t think about that now. Have you eaten anything recently?”
Leila shook her head. “The man is sick, but he brings me food and makes sure I eat. However, over the last couple of days, a woman brought the food. She hasn’t been here for two days, though. I guess it’s why I’m so thirsty.”
“Your poor thing, you must be hungry.” Aria glanced around the room in search of something to eat. A packet of bananas sat on top of the single cupboard. She went over, fetched three, and handed two to Leila. The other woman devoured the snack quickly while Aria nibbled on her fruit.
“Thank you. My appetite’s dwindled quite a bit, but these bananas will help the starvation.” She uttered a soft giggle. A strained sound as though she hadn’t laughed in a long time. Who could blame her? There was nothing humorous about her current state.
“This woman who brought you food, do you know who she is?”
“Old but prim and dresses up for the occasion. Never talks. Just leaves the food and goes.”
Aria wondered how many people worked for Jay and kept his secrets about the sick things he did to women. She wouldn’t be surprised if the woman turned out to be her stepmother.
“Do you know where we are?”
“Not sure. I heard a couple of cars come and go, but that’s about it.”
“Strange question. Are we in South Africa?”
Leila tilted her head in evident surprise. “Yes. Why? Where do you think we are?”
Aria uttered a caustic laugh. “Believe it or not, Jay brought me back from the USA. It’s been my home for the last three years.”
“The US?” Leila’s eyes grew wide for a second. “Wait. You’re the woman he mentioned to someone on the phone. The person he chatted with probably gave him information about you because he went all crazy after the phone call. Kept muttering some strange shit about the bitch’s going to pay.”
“When was this?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure.” Her answer baffled Aria. “You must’ve certainly done a number on him.”
“Let’s just say his cock got what he deserved.”
“Is that why he prefers anal sex? Because he can’t get it up fully and thinks women wouldn’t know the difference. Fucking asshole.” Leila uttered a caustic laugh.
“Sadly, anal has always been his thing.” Aria shook her head, refusing to remember. “How did you end up here?”
Leila chewed her bottom lip for a second. “Sometimes when your mother warns you to watch out for unknown men, we naïve young things should heed these warnings. I met Jay at a nightclub, and he charmed the hell out of me.” Leila grinned. “Like a stupid besotted woman, I ran after a sugar daddy.”
“Hey, you’re not stupid. No woman deserves this treatment.”
“I guess you’re right.” Leila shrugged. Distracted, she fingered the chain attached to her hand. “The first time we slept together, he was gentle and perfect. I thought I’d met my dream man.”
“And the second time, pure agony, right?”
Leila’s head snapped up. “How...”
“A case of been there done that,” Aria smirked.
“You said you were married to him.”
“Yes. Not by choice, though. My stepmother arranged the whole forced marriage. For eight long years, I remained a prisoner in my own home. Fortunately, locked in the room, designed by my parents, helped ease the depression. I’ve no clue how my stepmother knew Jay, though.”
