Chapter 117
ASHLEY
This was the most numb I have felt in days and strangely…I liked it. It wasn’t so bad. Compared to the rollercoaster of emotions I have been tossed into these past few days.
There was so much quietness, compared to the loudness in my head. It felt like I was hanging in a delicate balance. Stuck in oblivion, even, where my conscious mind and unconscious mind were struggling with a breach.
As peaceful as it felt, it made me feel so empty and I was struggling to snap back to my consciousness, but it was like I was being held back by an invisible force. It soon occurred to me that I was the one holding myself back.
And that was because somewhere between the numbness that enveloped me, there was a part of me like a fireball, struggling to resurface, and somehow, I was convinced that I knew what awaited me if I woke up and that was the reason I was holding back.
But then, the numbness and the darkness slowly began clearing off. I struggled to hold onto it but it slowly slipped out of my grasp and I felt my eyelids flutter softly.
I didn’t fail to notice how heavy they felt because they were closing back in a nanosecond. The numbness I felt seemed to have been all in my head because the second I jolted back to consciousness, I felt a bone-crushing ache consume me, weakening every one of my limbs.
I couldn’t even move my body even if I tried.
A tiny sound escaped my lips when I finally managed to keep my eyes open. The rough ceilings my gaze collided with had me furrowing my brows in confusion.
My room doesn’t look like this. I was sure of that and the discovery I made had my eyes darting around the room. My heart dropped to the pit of my stomach when I took in my surroundings.
For one, if it weren’t for the sash window, I wouldn’t be able to make out anything in the room. Even at that, it was still a tad bit dark. The rays of the moonlight pierced the window, reflecting its silvery essence in the confines of the old room.
It looked like it hadn’t been used in years and the furniture was out of date. I had to peer harder until it hit me that I was in a Victorian-themed room. On a normal day, I would have been fascinated but the creepiness that oozed off the room in waves terrified me so much and had dread consuming me.
There was something about the eeriness of this place that made chills settle on my skin. It made my stomach twist and churn with nerves, propelling my heartbeat to beat faster than its usual pace.
Then, I tried to move. “Argh!” I let out a sharp scream, induced with pain and my eyes moved to my hand. My eyes widened in sheer horror and the sight of the cuffs that bound my hand to his bedpost. It was even worse when I tried to pry my hands out of it. My other hand was also restrained by a cuff.
Tears welled up in my eyes, leaving my throat clogged with sobs. I tried remembering how I got here but my brain couldn’t come up with anything.
“Is anyone there?” I cried frantically. My eyes wandered around the room in distress, searching for a means of escape. The old wooden door just stared right back at me, mockingly. Even if I could leave the room, the cuffs binding me to the bed were a stumbling block.Nôvel(D)rama.Org's content.
“Please, let me out of here!’ I squeaked, tears streaming down my face effortlessly.
“Please!”
I tugged at my restraints, a little harshly, but all it left on my wrists was a sharp pain that resonated through the bones in them. Despite all my screaming, no one came to my rescue and I was beginning to get tired with each passing second. The condition I was in wasn’t even helping the situation.
My fluctuating hormones brought tiredness along with it every time.
I exhaled, biting my trembling lips.
When the door creaked open, my head snapped up with a deadly speed that threatened to detach my head from my neck, swinging towards the direction of the door.
A deep frown made its way to my face when my eyes clashed with a pair of sinister-looking golden orbs. They twinkled with a glint of mania and mischief. The darkness in those eyes was glaring and it had the hair on my nape erecting.
His golden hair looked really messy and he looked like he was in his late twenties. The black shirt he was clad in wasn’t fully buttoned and it was tucked into black pants. There was something about him that felt so familiar but I couldn’t pinpoint it.
“Ah! Sleeping beauty is awake!” He chirped, shutting the door behind him. “I was wondering when you would wake up.” He leaned on the wall, folding his arms across his chest.
He couldn’t hide the fascination that gleamed in his eyes and it made my veins simmer with so much hatred for him, without even knowing him.
“Who the fuck are you and why are you keeping me in here?” My voice was cold and hard.
“Easy, sweetheart,” he smirked, raising his hands in mock surrender. He pushed his frame off the wall and walked forward, retrieving a chair. He placed it at the edge of the bed, taking his seat.
“You are not deaf or are you?” I didn’t care that I was being rude. I just didn’t want to be anywhere around this man and it was hard to conceal my hatred for him.
“Oh, come on!” He whined.
“Don’t break my heart and tell me you don’t remember me…” His voice trailed off and he wiggled his eyebrows at me.
“How-”
Like a harsh strike against my head, I connected the dots and let out a gasp, eliciting a chuckle from him. That wasn’t the only thing I remembered. I remembered leaving the office… and I got accosted by some men… I tried calling Arden but he wasn’t picking up his calls.
“What did you do to me?” I barked at him, tugging at my restraints in a bid to reach for his face and claw his eyes out.
“If you are not careful, I’ll put you back to sleep!” His voice came out harsh and menacing, causing me to flinch.
“You were the one behind the shoot out at the charity dinner-Arden’s-” He cut me off.
“Call me Micah, sweetheart.” He grinned.
“If I were you, I would let me go right now, because every second you hold me hostage brings you closer to your death!” I seethed.
“Fuck, you are one beautiful woman. Did he ever tell you that?” He asked me and his question knocked the breath right out of me and had my jaw dropping in surprise. He didn’t seem fazed by my threats.
“Go to hell,” I said coldly.
He got off his seat and went around the bed, stopping right by the bedside. I tried to mask my fear and put up an unaffected front but my shaky breath gave me away.
“You have no idea,” he began in a raspy voice. “How hard it was for me to keep my hands to myself while you were sleeping,” he chuckled and I gasped. “You are lucky I love them struggling.” He reached for my face and I tilted my head to the side.
That got on his nerves, eliciting a scoff from him.
“Get your fucking hands off me!” I yelled and he swung his palm across my face, bringing tears to my eyes. I clamped my teeth down on my lips to submerge the sob that threatened to ripple through my mouth.
I wasn’t about to give him the satisfaction of seeing me break.
In the blink of an eye, he was trapping me beneath him and I was forced to scream, forgetting the fact that I didn’t want him to see me break.
“Let me go! Don’t touch me!” I cried.
“Why don’t we take a look at what’s beneath the shirt?” He mused to himself, unaffected by my screams. I have never felt that powerless in my entire life. I thrashed and tugged at my cuffs, trying to get myself out of it, but it wasn’t working.
My legs were pinned beneath him.
“Please! I beg you!”
All my pleas fell on deaf ears and he ripped my shirt open. The buttons of my chiffon shirt detached from its button-hole, shattering into pieces.
I felt so bare and dirty beneath him. His fingers brushed my collarbone and I squirmed in disgust, wiggling underneath him. They settled between my cleavage and he groaned. The animalistic sound was so disgusting.
“You are stunning!”
“Jaxon Gray is such a lucky bastard! He gets all the good things!” He growled. My eyes were blurred with tears, short pants emitting from me. My heart pounded against my chest as he toyed with the straps of my bra.
“Please, stop touching me!” My skin crawled with utter revulsion, my voice thick with loud sobs. I was tasting the tears on my lips due to how loud I was crying.
He couldn’t bring himself to give a damn. He looked like he was enjoying himself. When he swept his thumb on my lips, I didn’t hesitate to clamp my teeth on it.
He yelled out in pain.
“Fucking bitch!” Maybe I shouldn’t have done that because his fist connected with my face and I groaned. A loud sob tore through my lips as he rolled off me. His glowering eyes snapped towards me and I cowered backwards in fear.
“No one is coming to save you, just so you know!” He growled.
“You can resist me all you want. It doesn’t change the fact that I am going to have my way with you.” He released a derisive chuckle and I spat out blood.
“Fuck you!”
“Oh, yes you will.” He grinned and with one last lewd glance at my exposed breasts, he spun on his heels and stormed out of the room, slamming the door shut.
It echoed after him with a loud bang that threatened to rip the door off its hinges. The terrifying sound made me flinch.
Tiredness descended upon me heavily, rendering my muscles so limp. I couldn’t even make a sound because of how hoarse my voice had gotten.
I stared at the door and my shoulders slumped in defeat. When I couldn’t hold on anymore, I gave in to the tiredness and allowed it to envelope me.