Like a true king, fire blazing in the building and all, I open the van door and run inside to get my boys out. If I die trying, so be it; at least I’ll be with them on the other side. It won’t be heaven, but it won’t be hell.
Just the space in between.
Chapter Two
GABRIELLA
I have no idea how much time has passed. Weeks, months, years? They all started to blend when I was forced to be with a man such as Kendrick Knight. I was a fool when I was a young girl, eighteen, innocent in the mind and lovestruck in the eyes. When I saw him, I thought I had found my own true love.
Now looking back, whoever truly found their love at eighteen?
He was wealthy, a few years older than me, and had a smile that could have me sigh just like the love-drunk teenager I was from a mile away.
So we got married.
And that’s when everything changed.
It started out with him yelling, threatening that if I didn’t do simple chores around the house that I’d regret it. Then he shoved me.
Then he hit me.
And I had never been able to get away from his grasp.
Until I met his brother Sebastian, my savior, my reason for staying next to my abusive husband’s side. We never crossed a line, couldn’t; he was loyal to his brother, and I was too scared to even fathom, to have the audacity to test Kendrick like that.
Come to find out, it didn’t matter.
Kendrick thought I went behind his back, and maybe emotionally I did. Sebastian was kind, gentle, sweet, and always found a way to make me laugh.
Kendrick noticed.
Kendrick punished me.
One day, my husband—ex-husband—got sloppy with his abuse and hit me in the face. When Sebastian saw the bruise on my cheek and my busted lip, he nearly went insane with rage. I had to beg him not to go after Kendrick because I knew Kendrick would kill his own flesh and blood if he had the chance.
Sebastian became my best friend, the brother I should have married. He wasn’t going to allow me to stick around with Kendrick, and he forged as many documents as he could to give me an out. And he did.
I was free.
I had divorced and was living alone in Spain, just counting down the days until Sebastian was out of prison so we could be together. I lived in freedom for four years, until Kendrick found me on the bridge that overlooked the Ebro River. Kendrick stood on one end of the bridge, and when I tried to run in the other direction, his guards stopped me.
Now I’m locked in a tower, kind of like that Disney Princess Rapunzel, only there isn’t any magic to free me. I am trapped, and that is exactly how Kendrick wants me. I don’t understand men like him. He wants to hold power over me, for me to fear him, and it worked. I do fear him, but I don’t understand what made him want to control me. Kendrick has no feelings for me, that much is clear, so why am I so important to him?
My hands grip the chain that’s attached to the cuff around my ankle, and I give it a good tug. The metal jingles, and tears prickle my eyes. I am Kendrick’s slave. I’ll live here. I’ll die here. The only thing I wish for is that I’ll get to see Sebastian again. The terror in his eye when I told him that I had to go back to Kendrick so Sebastian’s life would be saved is something that will haunt me for all eternity.
I’ll carry his handsome, tormented face to my grave.
I glance around the room, eying the stone tower. It would be beautiful if the looming atmosphere wasn’t so daunting. The architecture, while haunting, is magnificent. The detail isn’t something that could be replicated.
To my left, there is a large window—barred, of course, to keep me from dropping out of it. Like I could; I have a leash on my ankle. The chain has enough slack for me to move around the room, but not enough to walk out the door.
Across the room is a small desk, where Kendrick allows me to draw to help pass the time. I have a sewing machine as well and an iron to make sure Kendrick’s suits are pristine, and if there was one wrinkle, I’ll pay the price.
I stand from the twin-sized bed and place my bare feet on the floor. The stone is cold in the mornings, but I always welcomed the quick freeze. It helps me wake up and figure out a way to survive the day. The moment I stop feeling the cold is when I’ll die, no matter how much I want to live. I have to cling to hope that Sebastian will find me.
He will.
He has to.
I stretch my arms over my head and gather the long strands of my black hair, twisting it until it’s tight enough for me to make a bun at the top of my head. Sebastian always liked it when I wore my hair up. He never said why; I guess he didn’t want to cross that line with me, but I always wondered what he liked about it.
If I could turn back time, I would, and I’d fall in love with Sebastian instead. Life doesn’t have a reset button, but it does give second chances in some capacity. My second chance at happiness is Sebastian, and I plan to live long enough to experience it.
Footsteps come from the hallway, echoing from wall to wall just like a grandfather clock. Keys clink, and my heart pounds with extra ferocity as the realization that Kendrick is on the other side of that door struck. I fall to the bed and roll to my side, then I reached behind my head and pull my hair down. If he sees it up, he’ll know I’m awake.
I close my eyes, faking sleep when the door slams open and hits the wall.
His feet have a slight drag as he walks. The sole of his shoes scratch against the floor and dust, matching the nervous tick of my heart. The bed dips from his weight, and his hand brushes my hair away from my face.
His touch is calloused, and whatever tenderness the man hold in his heart is a lie.
“Wake up, my sweet.” His voice is higher than Sebastian’s. While Sebastian’s is deep as the rivers in Spain and raspy like a good shot of whiskey, Kendrick’s holds a nasally pitch to it. It is dreadful.
`I pretend that his touch eases me awake by rubbing across my jawline. I flutter my eyelids open and stretch, then rub my eyes for added effect. His beady brown eyes stare down at me, and I want to vomit. He is nowhere near as handsome as Sebastian. Sebastian has bright blue eyes, the color of the sea on a bright summer’s day, but they both have the same dark hair, the color of ink and evil.
Only Sebastian is far from evil.
“There she is,” Kendrick purrs, roaming his hand down my neck until it stops just above my breasts.
I plaster on a sleepy smile and yawn, fear clutching my throat as I worry that he is going to grope me.
“I was thinking,” he says, pursing his lips.
Oh, be careful, Kendrick. You might burst a blood vessel in your brain.
“Would you like to go for a walk today? Go outside and get some fresh air? We can have brunch on the balcony that overlooks the ocean. What do you think?”
I sit up quickly and grip his hand for dear life; this I am happy about. I haven’t been outside in ages. He must have had something good happen for him to be so kind. “I’d love that, Kendrick. Please,” I say a bit too eagerly, and his eyes hood as he stares at my lips.
“I love it when you beg, my sweet.” His eyes roam over my face, and he tucks my hair behind my ear, humming in a way that makes me think he appreciates what he sees. “I hate when I have to be rough with you. I don’t like where this relationship is going, Gabriella. I want to work on us, okay? I love you. I don’t want you in this room anymore. I want you with me.”