Jean He can’t be serious. This has to be some kind of a sick joke. “What are you talking about?” I hadn’t meant to whisper, but I can’t find it in me to make my voice louder. The fight had left me before it could even begin. That’s how intimidated I am by this Dante standing in front of me. It’s like he’s a different person. It’s not just with the way he talks or the fact that he won’t come close to me. But his eyes. His eyes are a different story. Dante’s eyes may contain a violent storm in those gray orbs but it’s never coldness. He had never directed cold eyes toward me. And just like that, I am no better than those men Dante had tortured and disposed of. Impossible. What is he even saying? Learn to obey? What am I a dog? I wrack my brain for a memory in case I agreed to this somehow, in the middle of crying in the rain in the middle of nowhere. But no matter how hard I try, I can’t remember agreeing to be his prisoner. “Explain yourself, Dante,” I emphasize, making my tone
JeanThe following days aren’t any better. More and more, Dante deprives me of my needs. But at least he still feeds me on the designated schedule. Today marks the fifth day that I’ve been a prisoner, and the day Dante decided to pay me a visit, the first one since he announced I’m to stay here until I learn to obey.Dante looks and feels the same, cold, ruthless, and unfeeling. I’m worried that the Dante I started to fall for is gone forever, but I keep a small window in my heart for the opposite. But for now, I need to play his game in order to survive.I was so close to discovering the truth about the island that my father bought, so close to getting evidence that Serafino is trafficking humans using it. I can’t let this deter me.“I see you’ve learned something at least.” His tone is neutral as he glances toward the plates and cutlery placed neatly on top of the tray, ready to be picked up by the kitchen staff. For some reason, it was never Hana who delivered my food and took away
Hello! I hope everyone is enjoying my work so far. I just want to inform you that the next chapter and some of the succeeding chapters will tackle several topics and experiences that may be triggering to some. I would like to apologize in advance to anyone who might be offended or triggered by them. I understand that these are serious matters and must be handled delicately. Please remember that this is a work of fiction and in no way do I encourage these destructive behaviors. I will list the possible trigger warnings below (I will edit this if there are any changes), if any of them make you uncomfortable, please proceed with caution or skip the chapters altogether. Thank you for understanding, and for supporting my work until now. I hope we can all be together till the end. WARNINGS: - eating disorders - self-harm - blackmailing - suicidal thoughts - mentions of rape (nothing explicit, I promise) - human rights violations (human trafficking, physical abuse, etc.)
The first step is to test Dante. I know he still has feelings for me, he’s just burying them for some absurd reason, but in the event that he doesn’t love me anymore, my plan won’t matter, hence this experiment.Perhaps giving him a little scare would be worth the sacrifice I will make.For the next few days, I fall into a steady routine. My meals are brought up to me on time, and each time, I eat less and less until my body became comfortable with the new intake of food. Most days were particularly hard, especially at night when I could feel and hear my stomach grumble in protest despite the delicious food staring at me, but I stayed firm.At the end of each day, before going to bed, I take two sleeping pills normally. And every day, I wake up feeling worse than the last.The dosages of the pills are too strong to handle on a near-empty stomach, causing some abdominal pains, and slight nausea, but I’ll endure it.Three days pass like this, with me starving myself until the food prese
Dante doesn’t even seem bothered in the least about this situation. Granted Natalie and I aren’t in the best of terms after what happened. But blackmailing someone with murder, kidnapping and a lot of other shit is going way beyond the line. I read through the card again just to make sure I didn’t imagine it. “… men sent to seize assets… burn down their warehouses… kill their family— you want me to say this to her?” I ask my voice, gradually getting louder as I get to the most absurd parts. With half of my breakfast had already left my body, I feel faint. “Is she here?” I prompt further when Dante doesn’t reply, opting to walk past me and exit the room, only to have me following like a lost puppy. “She and her husband, both.” That’s when my mouth drops to the floor. “I can’t do this. I won’t do this,” I say with all the confidence I could muster. This time, Dante stops walking right in the middle of the hall going to his office. Without looking back at me, he speaks with a low t
I know it’s not blind trust that allows Luca to let me walk away. It’s the fact that he knows I’m too broken to do anything else.My tears were already streaming down my face before I even made it to the bedroom. I just threatened a pregnant woman with her own child. It might have been subtle but the threat was real and if I hadn’t noticed that she was pregnant what would I have done?My mind swims with the prospect of killing the unborn child, either by my hand or Dante’s. And the fact that she wanted me to sign their possible death sentences is beyond my understanding. I want to smack Natalie for getting pregnant during this time. The timing is so bad! What if something happens to Abel? The grief alone would kill her.I want to get out of here.Through my blurry eyes, I spot the little bottle of sleeping pills. Reaching for it, I open the bottle and dump a generous amount in my hand. The little blue pills stare at me menacingly, but it’s now or never.“Ah, fuck it.”~~~DanteThe Fo
JeanI wake up to the gentle press of soft lips against mine. In my groggy state, it takes me a while to register what’s happening. What a time to wake up. I can school my features to remain neutral, but keeping my heart rate normal is a difficult feat. I force myself to breathe slowly as Dante slowly backs away. He doesn’t seem to notice. Seconds later, I hear his receding footsteps and the gentle thud of the door as it closes.I wait a few minutes to make sure no one is coming back before I carefully peel open one eye to check my surroundings. No one is here, but making it outside is a different challenge. I don’t know when they will return so I must make haste.Despite my limbs feeling dead and heavy, I force myself to get up and get used to it. The pills despite only taking a few did quite a number on me. I don’t know for how long I’ve slept but it’s enough to cause a panic. Just like I’d planned.In a few hours, those little blue pills will have dissolved in the sewers and none w
After spending a night in the infirmary, I feel a lot better, like a pet who’d been let out for a walk. God, is this really what I’ve been reduced to? A pet that needs to be taken out every once in a while.As Nina promised, Dante doesn’t come back that night, instead, just as the clock strikes 8 PM, a soft knock sounds at the door.Without waiting for an answer, Adeline peers inside, and immediately it’s as if my world lights up anew.“Adeline,” I whisper mostly to myself, elated that she showed up. After Nina’s aversion to disobeying Dante, the thought of Adeline ignoring my request played around in my head for a while.“What can I do for you, Miss?”What’s this? Adeline doesn’t look me in the eyes for very long, instead opting to admire the geometric designs of the infirmary’s sheets. Did something happen with her too? How much shit have I missed being locked up in my room?“Did Nina tell you what happened to me?” I ask gingerly, hoping that at the very least, Adeline has a genera