Layla's P. O. V. As I slowly drifted away, into the pit of darkness, recoiling into myself, trying to find comfort in my inner self, my life flashed right in front of my eyes. My nineteen years of life on this earth, replaying in front of my eyes. I remembered the happy moments from my life fast forwardly play in front of my eyes. I could see Maddy and I, standing right in front of my locker the very first day I started highschool. Maddy had just walked up to me, asking where I was headed next and offering to show me 'our' next class. I saw the both of us standing in front of the school's larger swimming pool, me at the front with eyes wide open as I watched the pool of water, hyperventilating. I was scared of water. But Maddy stood right behind me, rubbing my outstretched hands, trying to calm me down so I could learn to swim before gym class. I saw my mom standing in my room, offering me a bowl of soup while I laid covered on the bed because I came down with the flu and co
Logan's P. O. V. After carrying Layla up to the room, I could only feel one thing: regret. She was so broken. She looked nothing like the beautiful girl I'd picked up from her house nights ago. She looked different. Her lips had been dried out, some parts even breaking and peeling off. Her eyes were swollen from all the cries, her body bruised. I doctored her over the night. She never woke up, she just laid there, unconscious. " Should I call a doctor Boss? " Dani had asked as he stood by the door watching. I'd refused. Nothing I couldn't handle myself. I'd asked him to bring me the first aid kit instead and cleaned her up. After treating all of her bruises, I'd been tempted to strip her of her clothes and taken her into the shower but I didn't know how she would react. It should be Antoniette doing that and since she knew she wasn't around, she wasn't going to take it lightly when she wakes up to find herself in a change of clothes. Besides, I wasn't sure that
Layla's P. O. V. His breath fans my lips when he leans closer, and then our lips collide, like two meteors on their way down to earth. Yes, because that's how this simple kiss made me feel, made the bottom of my stomach feel. That's exactly what this kiss is– earth-shattering, mind-blowing and intoxicating. Our lips fused and his tongue lashed against mine, fighting for dominance. My lips were bruised but just like that, the pains faded away as he planted a kiss there. My hands twitched under his grip and I wanted to push him off but besides my hands being locked and unable to move, there was something about the warmth from his lips. At that brief moment, I realized how cold I was. He had laid with me all night to keep me warm. I felt heat ripple throughout my body as I imagined my body pressed up against him last night, his lips moving slowly against mine right now. My breath cut short in my throat when his hands flew over to cup my breasts, sending shock explosio
Logan's P. O. V. I stormed out angrily, lighting a cigarette as soon as I stepped into my room. I puffed out air, just in time for Dani to step out from the dark corners of the room." How is she? " He asks, causing me to scoff in irritation. He really cares about her, doesn't he?Turning around furiously, I said " you care about Layla so much, huh? what else? You wanna see her? "Dani's face remains unmoved. That bastard, always keeping a permanent posture, it's nearly impossible to know when he's upset or happy. I on the other hand was the complete opposite." I'm just worried about her, Logan " he replied." Yes, that you are! " I shut back irritatedly, taking another drag of the cigarette.Silence broke in and I turned away from him, puffing the air out of the cigarette. " I'm sorry, Logan." Dani said gently.I closed my eyes as his words seemed to hurt my ears. He didn't have anything to be sorry about. He was right to care about Layla. It was someth
Layla's P. O. V. I spent the next week alone in the room. I wasn't allowed downstairs after that day. I woke up every morning to meet my breakfast on the bed. So were the other meals sent in by the guards. I found myself falling drastically into another stage of depression. I tended to my bruises every single day by myself, crying most of the time. After five days, my bruises had completely healed and disappeared. I spent most of my time reading the books Logan had brought me, learning to love them with every page that I turned. During this times I was also trying hard not think about Logan because he was all I thought about. I was stuck remembering everything he said to me that day, remembering his every touch on my body when I woke up to his body laid up against mine. How his lips felt against mine, how his hands fitted perfectly around my breasts. For a while I thought I was actually missing him. I knew escaping wasn't an option anymore. I hated to believe that I wasn't
I heard my heart beats and felt it pounding loudly inside my chest. I didn't think I heard what he said correctly. The time was too short and I was given very little to think of what he said till I felt his head digging back into my neck, leaving peppering kisses all over my neck. I closed my eyes, inhaling venom, exhaling hope. I felt like I was drowning even though I was standing in the middle of the room in the arms of this man. Logan pushed me back against the wall in one swift move, turning me around and pining my face against the wall, his strong hands guarding and holding me still. I swallowed the sour bile rising in my throat. Hatred, humiliation, excitement, dread, and hope swirled in my chest as I felt his hard groin pressed against my butt. I let out a soft moan when I felt his lips kissing my earlobe, then my neck. I found myself stretching my neck to give him access and for that moment I didn't know if I'd be able to forgive myself after this. My body hummed w
Layla's P. O. V. I woke up the next morning to find a note angled down on my bedside table as I looked to the other side. The bold black ink scribbled on it was noticable. I went into a sitting position and reached for the paper. It was a note from Logan no doubt, it was hand written in black ink. " I've had an urgent meeting to attend to. I hope you behave yourself and not miss me too much to the point of trying to get out of the house again. See you soon, Layla " That was all the paper contained. My heart throbbed and I couldn't quite understand why. Was it weired that I was getting a note from Logan? Definitely. He has left the house a couple of times without telling me, only letting me get comfortable with his absence and then try to escape just to get me punished in the end. I know we've been on each other's good side lately. Scratch that, I've been on his good side lately. After the other night where he'd nearly had sex with me, we haven't
I made my way into the planet Diner. The place was quiet as usual, having just a few number of people. It was past 3 o'clock. I spotted my father as he stood out in the space. He waited in a corner booth. I studied the man whom I shared blood with. Money and laziness seemed to agree with him. His hair was highlighted by the Italian sun, and the deep tan that lined his face gave him a character he didn’t really have. He was a tall man, and wore his designer clothes well. Today he was clad in a Ralph Lauren red sweater, black pants, and leather loafers. His dark eyes held a slight sheen of alcohol-induced humor. Probably a cocktail before confronting his long lost son. As I slid into the booth, I noted the similarities in our faces and bone structure. I shuddered. What I dreaded most in life was sitting right across from him. The possibility of becoming my father. “ Logan, good to see you.” he spoke. " So what brings you down here and why in the world would you wann
For the next few couple of days Logan took me out to places and I thought he'd completely forgotten about my attempt to escape on our wedding day. Logan would make love to me tenderly, he'd drive us out to eat at the most beautiful restaurants in town, he'd show me around the city and always talk about beautiful things. He'd take me visiting bawling alleys, take me shopping till I got tired. I started to warm up to him and quickly put so many things behind us. Logan would occasionally whisper into my ear how much he loved me and I'd confess it back. Especially one of the many times he pulled me into the shower with him. The feeling was immensely overwhelming. And then, just when I'd thought he'd done too much, Logan grabs me by the arm unexpectedly at the beach he'd taken us to and inhaled my hair deeply. Then he whispered into my ears " what do I have to do to make you love me Layla? " I shuddered before spinning in his arms to face him. And for the first time in so long, I
When Logan had said he planned a date for us I'd expected him to take us to one of his very fancy restaurants that he loved to take me to. Logan loved spending money on grande things, the idea thrilled him and he was always glad whenever he could impress me with all the expensive things he buys for me and the fancy places he takes me to. But instead, he'd taken me to a small eatery set back into a wooden house facing the ocean. It's built up high on a rock, just below the ocean so people could easily get their snacks and drinks and still go down to have a swim while those who loved to sit and eat could see the view of the ocean from up here. It was beautiful. And it kinda felt Mexican. Logan loved things like this I've noted and I couldn't help loving it too. Flower pots decorated the front of this dark oak building with people walking in and out, others eating outside and some inside. Logan was being overly sweet when he pulled a chair out for me and wouldn't stop smiling at
I believed that I almost saw every side of him. But this one was new to me. Logan never forced himself on me; he never had sex with me without my consent. This wasn't sex, this was rape. " Logan stop! I don't want this!" I screamed. I tried to push him away. But he doesn't stop. He abducts my two hands and locks them in his one hand at the top of my head. And with his one hand he started to roam my body. Every part, every inch. He slides his hand down my stomach and reaches the hem of my white pants. I tried to pull my legs together but his wide body separates them further as he fully laid on top of me, letting go of my hands so he could take off my shirt. Then I started to fight him again. Logan never forced me to have sex with him. I knew he'd attempted that when he'd newly kidnapped me but he always stopped when I asked him to. But right now, he was so furious and driven by pure hate and anger I knew he wasn't going to stop if I begged him to. But I don't stop fighting. I t
I watched wide eyed as Logan provided a portable knife from his back pocket and pushed it's blade out. He leans back on top of me and traced the cold metal along my chin. I knew I had to remain still so I don't get torn with the sharp object. " Please......" I begged, my body physically vibrating. " Shhhhhh" Logan said like he was cooing to a baby. " That's not what I wanna hear, love. You don't need to beg me, you know why I'm doing this to you don't you? So you don't have to be scared of me " I simply nodded gently as I knew exactly what would happen if I disobeyed him. Whatever happened today was my fault but I didn't deserve this. Nobody deserves this drastic punishment and I knew being the Logan that he was, there was more installed for me. Logan sighed and slowly started stroking my hair. I flinched at first but I knew there was no point in defying him anymore. So I let him stroke my hair and I saw how satisfied he was that I wasn't trying to fight him anymore. Then h
Everyone wears a mask, and everyone tries to also hide the fact that they are wearing a mask. Emotions are complicated; sometimes you are angry because the person walking in front of you used to be loyal. And sometimes you are angry at yourself. You blame yourself for every ordeal that has happened to you, you blame yourself for the situation. That was how I was feeling right now. Lost and angry. As I watched my reflection on the mirror, I saw how much pounds of flesh I'd lost over the course of hours. I didn't know where this place was but judging from a couple of neon lit banners I could manage to see on our way here, I was certain this was some Asian country. Could be Thailand or Tokyo or anywhere at that. I heard Logan knocking out something back in the bedroom and it moved me. I was terrified out of my mind and did the only thing I could do to avoid any more of his wrath. I slipped out of my dress and grabbed a towel to cover myself. I took a minute to survey the closet
I didn't know where we went but we arrived there in the late evening, the clouds angry and dark. As if my day couldn't get any more worse. The ride had taken a long while and throughout we didn't say a word to each other. I kept my distance and he did too. I knew he didn't want anything to do with me. I'd proposed for this wedding and tried to run from it when he was completely into it, I wouldn't have anything to do with me either. The airplane landed and we stepped out to find a Lamborghini parked below. Logan doesn't waste time and hauled us inside. I wanted to ask him where he was taking me but decided against it. Asking him wouldn't change a thing if he planned to go kill me and dump my body in some place. And it doesn't guarantee my life either. On our way, I knew I needed to say something. He still looked angry. " Logan...." I called but he doesn't budge " Logan I'm sorry...." " Save it Layla, " he turns to me with a broad smile " we're about to have the best time of o
My fingers trembled as I stood in front of the priest, hand in Logan's as we said the vows. My voice trembled and it fascinated me a great deal that none of the people seated on all those pews could stand up and speak about how strange this wedding was. I had a bleeding nose, blood splashed across my face, my make up smeared on the wrong places and my white wedding gown was stained and dirty all over. But nobody could say anything about it, not even the priest. Of course they all knew Logan, nobody wanted to interfere or meet an early death. When we'd first walked in, I'd seen the surprise in his mother's wide eyes as she saw me. So was Elina and the rest of the family. There wasn't an outsider here except for Logan's men and so far they were all the same people. When Logan slipped his ring into my finger, I knew this was it. I felt caged for some reasons and felt it impossible to leave at this point. I knew a simple band around the finger meant nothing but I couldn't help the
I thought about changing back into my clothes but I knew Graziella would come back into the room before I'm able to do that. So I picked up the ends of the clothes and turned back to Emily. "There's a way through the parking lot inside the hotel, this way" she called and I quickly followed her. As we made our way out, I kept an eye out for Graziella, while still trying to hide my face from the rest of the few people seated around. I knew it was hard for any of Logan's men who saw me in this white dress to not recognize me. I knew he had given me all the privacy a bride to be needed before the wedding by allowing me alone here with the women. He had trusted me and never thought I'd do something like this. The people seated at the lobby threw beautiful smiles at me, some even nodded at me. They all saw a beautiful bride about to get married, they didn't know that I was there against my will and on my way to freedom. After returning their smiles, I got into the elevator with Emil
" I need your help, Emily " I told her, putting a hand over the magazine like I was pointing out a hair style to her. "I need to get out of here and you're the only one that can help me. I've been brought here against my will and I want you to help me get out " There's a moment of silence on her ends before she finally spoke. " Okay.... Are you serious about this?" She whispers, slightly looking up to see me. I nodded gently and gave her a smile so whoever was watching us from somewhere didn't catch up on what I was doing. " I'm about to be forced to get married to this man, Emily and I beg you to please help me " "Okay, what do I have to do?" " I need you to bring a car to the hotel where I'd be getting dressed for the wedding. Have it hidden and when I'm alone, I would take it and leave. Can you do that for me? Please....." " Yes.... But.... Do I call the police?" There's fear and worry in her voice. I thought about that for a moment. Calling the police was probably the