CH.7

Karl’s warm and slightly damp breath brushed against my neck as he buried his face into the crook of it.

He inhaled deeply, taking in my scent that seemed to always draw him closer. The sensation felt strange, a mix of comfort and unease.

His disregard for the pain I was experiencing was evident, only adding to the confusion swirling within me.

I squeezed my eyes shut momentarily, trying to calm the frayed nerves that were buzzing beneath my skin like live wires.

I dared to open them again and tried to pull away from his grasp. But Karl held on tighter, his fingers digging into my flesh with a firmness that left no room for resistance.

"Easy now," he murmured against my skin while continuing to nuzzle into my neck like a child seeking solace.

His words did little to calm the storm brewing within me.

My palms pressed against his chest in an effort to push him away once more.

Karl’s sigh of annoyance and frustration filled the air between us. Then he finally released his vice-like grip on me.

I quickly slid off his lap and put some distance between us while he reached out for a tray sitting on the nearby table.

My brows knitted together as I watched him devour the contents of the tray with an urgency that belied his seeming dissatisfaction.

He had this look about him. One moment, he was completely at peace, and then suddenly, he was agitated beyond comprehension.

“Here!” He extended a glass towards me filled with water and something else.

I looked closely to see a small white pill sitting on its bottom like pearls lost at sea.

My skepticism must have been evident because he answered my silent question without missing a beat.

"Contraceptives," he said nonchalantly as if discussing the weather.

My eyebrows shot up in surprise. "What?"

Karl gave me a sly and almost mocking grin. "Because I don't want children, especially not with you." He replied.

His words hit me like a punch to the gut that left me reeling. "What do you mean? If you don't want kids with me, then why am I even here?" I blurted out, my words tripping over each other in their rush to escape. "Why can't you just leave me alone and go be with someone who you actually want to start a family with? Why did you even marry me? Are you trying to drive me insane?”

I didn’t really want an answer. I was terrified of what it might be.

Karl nodded his head in affirmation anyway. "You're correct. I married you just to torment you." His admission was as cold as ice.

A bitter laugh bubbled up from within me at the absurdity of it all. How naive I had been to think my life was anything close to perfect.

"So, you've never loved me," I said more as a statement than a question. My voice wavered, threatening to break under the weight of pain and disillusionment that washed over me like waves crashing against rocks on a stormy night.

"Enough! I'm tired of your incessant chatter! Now take the damn pill before my temper flares again. If that happens... well, let's just say it won't end well for you." His response was harsh and echoed around the room like an angry beast let loose.

I lowered my gaze towards the floor, offering him a smile that felt as broken as my spirit.

He had won; he had successfully broken me down into nothing more than fragments of the person I once was.

I hesitantly reached out and accepted the tiny pill he extended towards me, along with a glass of water.

The cool liquid slid down my throat, washing away the bitter taste of the medication. As I swallowed, I shot him a look that was supposed to be fierce and intimidating but probably only came off as scared and defiant.

Then I braced myself for what was coming next… for the unwanted invasion of my privacy.

My hands instinctively flew to cover my most intimate area, but Karl's larger hands stopped me.

He held my wrists firmly away from my body to make his inspection less uncomfortable for him.

The feeling of humiliation washed over me like a tidal wave, leaving me gasping for air.

Anger bubbled up within me like hot lava threatening to erupt at any moment. "Don't you dare touch me," I warned him through gritted teeth.

Karl ignored my warning. He drew me close until I was pressed against his broad chest.

His hand moved with an unsettling familiarity towards the clasp of my bra. This time, he didn't stop at unhooking it; he also pulled the cups away, revealing what lay beneath.

Being stripped bare under his predatory gaze made every inch of my skin crawl with revulsion.

Karl’s eyes devoured every inch of exposed flesh as if it were some perverse feast laid out just for him.

"I hope you're enjoying yourself," I spat out bitterly as his hands began their torturous journey across the landscape of my body.

His fingers traced a path that started at the curve of my waist and ended at the swell of my breasts.

He leaned forward then and gave one nipple a slow lick which forced an involuntary moan from deep within me.

"Damn you!" The words slipped out before I could stop them. My reaction was an obvious admission that despite everything, his touch still had power over me.

Emotions warred within me - disgust mingled with a shameful and unwanted desire. It was a constant battle between my body's response and my desperate need to maintain some semblance of control over the situation.

Another moan — louder this time — escaped from my lips when his teeth grazed my nipple and tugged lightly.

Pleasure swept through me, making my knees buckle beneath me.

"Oh god… this is bad!" I muttered under my breath as I tried to wriggle free from his hold. However, Karl was stronger than he looked. He easily hoisted me up into his arms and carried me towards the red bed that dominated the room.

He lowered me onto the bed gently, almost tenderly, then stood beside it to drink in the sight of me with an expression of undisguised lust.

Panic seized my heart, squeezing it tight as I found myself pleading for mercy. "Please, let me go," I whispered, my voice shaking like a leaf caught in a stormy gust. The raw fear and desperation reverberated through me with every beat of my pulse.

Karl’s gaze was unyielding, piercing through me with an intensity that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. It was like being scrutinized under a microscope. Every inch of me lay bare and vulnerable under his scrutiny.

His stare felt frosty cold against my skin, sending icy shivers skittering down my spine.

He held that gaze for what seemed like an eternity before he finally turned away from me.

The silence stretched taut between us as he moved towards a hanger off to one side.

His movements were slow and deliberate, each step resounding in the silent room.

Every nerve in my body tingled with apprehension as though sensing the storm about to descend on me.

Karl’s eyes bore into mine once more before he turned away again, his expression unreadable but his intent clear: there was no escape!

When he returned to tower over me again, dread pooled in the pit of my stomach at the sight of what he had retrieved from the hanger. A rope and other objects that spelled out scandalous intentions.

"Please... don't do this," I begged him once more, even though I knew my pleas would fall on deaf ears.

I felt sheer desperation and an instinctual need for survival, so I lunged towards the door, hoping against hope that it would be unlocked. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on my side. The door was locked tight just as I feared.

A chilling realization washed over me then. There was no way out of this nightmarish situation. I was trapped like an animal cornered by its predator.