| Body |
For three days and three nights, Joseph gave me no respite.
He had come to live with me as my husband, one I had little respect for. Not only would I never let him touch me, but I'd done everything in my power to belittle him.
But now that my fortune had all but disappeared, and he was suddenly a rich man, it was like he was taking his revenge. He seemed to savor every last act we performed.
...
My husband came to me with nothing.
It wasn't even him I liked; it was his brother. But at a class reunion, I had too much to drink and he took advantage.
Not only that, but everyone we knew found out.
My father was disgraced. He felt the only thing to do to save our family honor was for me to marry this man. But he did have one condition, that the man who despoiled me would come and live with us in our family home.
My new husband's parents were divorced. His father had all but abandoned him after remarrying and now he had nothing.
As for me, my family was rich, and I was my parents' little princess. My husband could hardly have dreamed of a better match.
So, just like that, we were married.
No one even considered what I wanted. I wanted his brother.
Naturally, I resented him and everything he'd done. I wouldn't let him near me. I made him sleep on the floor.
I would mock him at mealtimes, along with my brother. We'd sneer at him and refuse him food.
He'd still do things for me, like bring me umbrellas in the rain, but I'd make sure to insult him nonetheless.
I couldn't feel easy letting him get away with what he'd done.
Despite all this, he never seemed to mind. It was like he had no temper, no self-respect. Whatever me or my family said and did, he would always sit there meekly and take it.
Objectively, he wasn't bad to look at. If he hadn't been so introverted and if his grades hadn't been so bad then he'd probably have got a lot more attention at school.
His brother was a different story. Handsome, outgoing, with impeccable grades, he was what you might call a bit of a schoolyard celebrity.
To think that our burgeoning romance was snuffed out so cruelly by my husband's actions was a source of great pain and anger.
In the middle of the night, I got out of bed and kicked my husband awake, demanding a drink.
He immediately pulled himself to his feet and dutifully got me a glass of water.
As there was a slight autumn chill in the air, he even warmed it up for me.
Such thoughtfulness might have charmed me, but all I could think of was how he'd used me the night of our class reunion. My anger flared and I threw the whole glass of water in his face.
His only reaction was to go to the bathroom to dry himself off.
Watching him quietly slink away, I almost felt a pang of guilt for my actions. That is, until I reminded myself once more of what he'd done and how my life would never be the same again.
This was our life for the first three years of marriage.
But a lot can happen in three years. For example, my family losing our fortune, or me starting to fall for my husband, or even... him deciding he wanted a divorce.
When he handed me the divorce papers, he said it was because his childhood sweetheart had returned.
I have to admit, at that moment, I was in shock. It was like a great weight was crushing my body and I could hardly breathe.
But I had too much self-respect to let him see how he was hurting me. With as carefree an expression as I could muster, I took the pen from his hand and signed the papers.
As soon as I had done so, he asked me, not unkindly, "Would you like my driver to take you home?"
It took me a while to react.
The villa I was in, the villa I had called home for over 20 years, was no longer mine.
My family was broke. All of our possessions had been sold off.
All this while he, the man who had forced me into marriage when he had nothing to his name, had secretly started his own company and built his own fortune behind my back. To add insult to injury, it was he who had bought our family home.
Not that I could blame him completely. Or that I had any claim to his wealth. He had worked hard to get where he was, without a penny of help from me or my family, all while suffering in silence.
He stared at me in silence, waiting for my response.
He suddenly seemed so reasonable, while I was now ashamed of how I'd treated him.
After all that I'd put him through, it would be only natural for him to use this reversal of fortunes to exact his revenge.
But he wasn't doing so. If anything, he seemed just as meek and mild-mannered as before.
"There's no need. I'll find my own way back." I replied.
As soon as I'd finished speaking, I turned and hurried outside.
His voice called after me, calmly, "What did you come to see me about?"
"Nothing" I called back, without even turning my head.
It was raining outside and I clutched the gift I was carrying tightly to keep it dry.
Today was our third-year anniversary.
I'd never done anything nice for him before, but since realizing I had developed feelings for him, I thought it might be nice to celebrate a nice occasion together.
I'd never dreamed that what awaited me was a pile of divorce papers.
I smiled a bitter smile as the rain soaked through my clothing and left me drenched.
The next day, I woke up sniffling. I lay there in bed, feeling too weak to get up.
Eventually, a commotion outside disturbed me from my malaise.
I dragged myself feebly out of bed. When I made it outside, my father was sitting atop a crumbling wall, declaring to all that he wanted to terminate his life.
We were now living in a dilapidated apartment block. Conditions in the building were poor, but the rent was cheap.
My mother was crying and wailing, screaming at my father that if he jumped, she would follow suit.
My head was pounding as I tried to talk my father down. I tried to tell him that money isn't everything, that as long as we have each other we'd be fine.
My father looked at me, suddenly quiet. His eyes seemed to be burning into my soul.
"Go ask Joseph for help. He's family. He wouldn't abandon us now."
Having heard my father's words, my mother hastily added, "Of course! Maybe we haven't always seen eye to eye, but he's your husband. He's certain to help."
I could almost have laughed. My parents still had no idea about our divorce.
I tried to tell them he wouldn't help, but my father started becoming hysterical once more.
He left me with no choice. I had to go crawling back to Joseph. To my "husband".
Before I left, my mother insisted on spending the last of our money to get me a new outfit: a long dress with a deep-cut V-neck and a pair of pointy leather shoes.
She also helped me do my make-up so I was dolled up to the nines.
As I looked myself up and down in the mirror, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of revulsion.
I didn't look at all like someone asking for help. I looked more like I was on a mission to seduce.
But even if I turned up on his doorstep in my birthday suit, I doubt he'd give me more than a cursory glance.
At that time, I couldn't understand why he'd slept with me at our class reunion. Could it be that he was just as drunk as I was? Had he mistaken me for his sweetheart?
I quickly put those thoughts out of my mind. Even though I was doomed to fail, I would go to ask him for help. That way my parents could give up on the fantasy that he might save us.
After making some inquiries, I discovered that he was at his company's offices. And so, that's where I went.
I headed inside, while my parents, who had accompanied me this far, waited outside.
The looks of pure, desperate hope on their faces were almost too much for me to bear, knowing how much this would disappoint them.
When I arrived at his office, I was greeted by a sea of unfriendly faces. I could make out people talking about me as I passed. Nothing I heard was nice.
I pretended not to notice. I straightened my shoulders and made straight for his personal office.
But as soon as I saw him, I could feel my confidence fade.
He was sitting on his chair, radiating poise, smiling broadly as he watched me approach...
Chapter 2
I stood there wringing my fingers in shame as I explained why I had come.
Joseph's gaze grew stern as he asked, "And why do you think I should help you?"
It was clear that I had been right to think he would reject me. "Please, forget I even came."
After everything we put him through, my family should be happy he wasn't seeking revenge. To come here asking him for help was nonsense.
I'd swallowed my pride for my parents' sake, but obviously, we'd get no help from him.
I was beginning to get angry at myself for even trying.
I started to leave but he called me back. "Tell me. What do you have to offer in return? If I feel like it's worth it, then I'm sure we can make a deal."
I froze in my tracks. My mind was whirring but I could think of nothing to offer him.
Nothing except my body.
But if he wanted that, we'd been married for three years. While we didn't share a bed, we at least shared a room.
In three years, he'd never once made a move.
I lowered my head, mumbling through my shame, "Just forget I came."
Unexpectedly, he walked over and stood in front of me. He was a good head taller than me.
He leaned over slightly and whispered against my ear. "You came here dressed like that. Why play coy now?"
I felt my body stiffen and my shame burned even brighter. I wanted so desperately to turn and run.
He put his hands around my waist and flashed me a knowing smile. "Three years of marriage. Every night, sleeping alone on the floor. You don't think I've dreamed of that body of yours? Why not offer me that?"
My eyes grew wide. For a moment, I doubted my own ears. At last, I asked, "What are you saying?"
He stared at me, his eyes as deep and impenetrable as a bottomless ocean. A sense of panic rose up inside me.
Wordlessly, without looking away, he moved his fingers up and gently pulled down the straps of my dress.
My cheeks flushed red and I pushed him away.
I shouted, angrily, "If you won't help, just say so! I didn't expect you to anyway. There's no need to insult me like this!"
Joseph looked at me, a hard-to-read expression crossing his face, like a mixture of anger and amusement.
He said, "You think this is an insult?"
"Is it not?"
He clearly had feelings for someone else. To act this way towards me could be seen as nothing but insulting.
He suddenly turned away and sat back down in his chair. When he raised his head to look at me once more, his gaze was cold.
He sneered, "The way you're dressed, I thought you were serious, but it seems you haven't thought this through. If you're not here to make a deal, then I suggest you leave."
I never expected him to help. Having had my prediction confirmed, I turned and left the office.
As soon as I stepped outside the building, my parents were there to ask me how things went.
"Will he help us?" My father asked urgently.
All I could do was shake my head.
My father's rage erupted. "The ungrateful swine. Now he's made his fortune he's forgotten his own family? If I'd have seen him for what he is, I'd never have let him marry you!"
My mother joined in. "He always acted so civil, like a dutiful son-in-law. But now that he doesn't need us, he leaves us out in the cold!"
I let out a helpless sigh. "There's no use cursing him now. Besides, he never took a penny from us, never made use of your connections. He's entitled to his business.
"And it's not like we treated him much like a part of the family. Surely, you can see why he might not want to help us."
My parents didn't respond, but it was clear from their expressions that they weren't impressed.
Looking at them like this, my head, still heavy from whatever illness I'd caught the night before, began to hurt even worse.
That evening, my brother took his phone and called each of his old friends, asking them for help.
Back when we had money, they'd pick up the phone and come out drinking in a flash. Now that we were destitute, not a single one would answer.
In his fury, my brother smashed the phone.
I lay curled up in bed and tried to comfort him. "This is the world we live in. Friendship isn't what it used to be."
My mother was sitting nearby, crying.
The financial straits we were in meant it was unlikely we were ever going to recover. The best we could hope for was to somehow pay off our debts.
My family's creditors were making daily appearances, demanding money. The calls were so frequent that it was impossible to focus our attention on anything else.
My father was desperate. "Anna, why not try asking Joseph for a loan? He has money. At the very least, he should be able to lend us some."
Then my mother chimed in. "Even if you divorced, wouldn't he have to give you some of his money?"
I curled up tighter beneath the blankets. How was I supposed to tell them I hadn't got a single penny out of our divorce?
My brother had heard as much as he could take. "That's enough! Sending Anna off to beg for mercy is degrading. Don't you remember how we treated him when he was with us?"
Suddenly, a flash of realization crossed my mother's face. She quickly asked, "Did Joseph insult you when you went to see him?"
I shook my head. "No. Of course not."
My mother looked reassured. Almost to herself, she muttered, "Of course he wouldn't. He's always been such a well-mannered person, not to mention obedient. He clearly likes and admires you. How could he possibly insult you?"
I barely suppressed a scornful laugh and said nothing in response.
My father let out an anguished sign. He turned his gaze towards the unlocked balcony and declared his desire to end his life once more.
Hearing this, my mother again started crying.
By now, my head was ready to explode.
All we needed was money. Even just a little would help stave off our creditors for a time, while we could work on getting more.
A few days later, once my health had sufficiently recovered, I set out to find work.
Most jobs I could find paid too little to put a dent in our debts, but I'd heard you could make good money trading booze in the high-end clubs.
I'd seen this myself when I used to go clubbing with my friends. The customers in those places were crazy tippers.
I picked my favorite club from the old days and went in to see if I could land myself a job.
The manager recognized me immediately and was happy to bring me on board. He even let me start off by working the VIP tables. Serving those rich kids and big shots meant I was bringing in a decent living in tips.
I never thought that one day, one of the VIPs I was serving would turn out to be Joseph.
He would never have frequented an establishment such as this. At least, not while we were married.
In fact, back then, if I was ever going to the club on a night out with friends, he would try to persuade me not to. He always said places like this were bad news.
Of course, whenever to tried to stop me, I would insult and belittle him, until he gave in and left.
He always seemed so innocent and naive.
Yet here he was now.
It was almost as if his meek and obedient nature had all been an elaborate ruse.
He was staring at me in silence. The condescension in his gaze made me want to run and hide.
If I'd have known he would be here tonight, I'd have swapped tables with one of the other staff.
Just as I was hoping for the earth to swallow me up, a cacophony of wolf whistles caught my attention.
As I looked around to see where they were coming from, I realized that everyone at the table with Joseph was one of my brother's erstwhile friends.
Fair-weather would be a nice way to describe them. Now that Joseph was rich, these fawning hangers-on had flocked to him instead.
They knew all about how I'd treated him, and now, as if to curry favor, they were making sure to humiliate me in turn.
I could see it would be best to leave.
Just as I was about to take my tray of drinks and go, a male voice piped up.
Chapter 3
"Hey! Aren't you Anna? Joseph's wife? What's wrong? Feeling shy? Come have a drink.
"Hold on a second ... Why are you wearing that uniform?"
As soon as he finished speaking, the table erupted in laughter.
I gripped the sides of my drinks tray and took a deep breath.
What choice did I have? They'd already seen me, and they were going to have their fun no matter what I did. It's not like I could escape now. Who knew, maybe I could even get a few tips from them if I weathered the storm.
My family's creditors weren't going anywhere. My father was still proclaiming daily how he didn't want to go on living, my mother was a one-woman waterworks, and my brother was running himself ragged as a delivery driver. Now wasn't the time for clinging on to hollow pride.
I walked back over to their table, working hard to force a smile.
I put on my best attempt at a jaunty voice and said, "What a coincidence. I didn't expect to see you all here. We're all friends; if you're happy with the service, feel free to leave a little something extra."
"Ha ha ha."
I was greeted by scoffs and sneers from the man who had called me over.
I remembered his face. Back when my family had money, he was always following us around like a star-struck sycophant. Now that we had fallen on hard times, we were suddenly beneath him. I felt a strong urge to reach out and slap his grinning face.
But now wasn't the time for self-indulgence. Money was more important.
So, I stood there smiling politely and said nothing.
This manâPhil, I think his name wasâsuddenly leaned across and put his face close to mine. With an obvious air of smug satisfaction, he jeered, "Look what we have here. Is this the same arrogant Anna, scion of the great Tate family? Not so high and mighty now your parents' money's all gone."
The table erupted into mocking laughter once more.
Will, another of my brother's old friends, joined in. "If you want a little something extra, then you'll have to work for it. You should know what kind of service people want in a place like this. Why not pull down that dress and give us a sneak peek of what's on offer?"
My hands gripped the drinks tray so hard my knuckles went white. I looked over at Joseph.
He was sitting there, completely unsympathetic to my plight.
I lowered my gaze and placed the drinks tray carefully on the table. Forcing a smile, I said, "Please don't misunderstand. I'm here to serve drinks. We all used to get along once. If you want something to drink, it would be my pleasure to help".
"Ha! Have things really got that bad for the illustrious Tates?" Phil dismissively threw his card down on the table, before saying, almost magnanimously, "There's 3,000 on that card. Get on all fours and bark like a dog and you can have it all."
Another wave of cruel laughter washed over the table.
The commotion had drawn the attention of a few people from the surrounding tables. I felt like a thousand eyes were on me.
Two of those eyes belonged to Joseph. He was staring at me impassively, his expression hard to read.
I stood there, frozen to the spot. Suddenly, Will threw his own card down on the table. "There's 10,000 on that one. Bark like a dog and then spend the night with us and you can have that one too."
I stared at him in disbelief.
My family may have lost all our moneyâabout the only thing these leeches cared aboutâbut as far as they were aware, I was still Joseph's wife. I couldn't believe they would dare talk to me like this in front of him.
Unless Joseph had already told them about our divorce, but even then, they would have needed some sort of signal from him, otherwise they'd never have the courage to act like this.
"What? I thought you needed the money. Now's hardly the time for self-respect." Will was smirking, menacingly. "You won't find a better deal than this anywhere else."
He had a point. If my family was ever going to recover, at some point I was going to have to do a few things I wasn't happy about.
I stared back at that mocking, moronic face. Just looking at him filled me with revulsion.
I picked up the credit card, with its 10,000, and threw it back at Will. "If you want me for a night, then you're going to have to do better than this. Make it a million and I'm all yours."
I remembered Will from his days mooching off my brother. He was one of those guys who liked to act the part, but when it came time to pay up, he was as stingy as they came.
For him, parting ways with a large amout of money was like cutting off one of his own limbs.
Yet now, he was willing to part with 10,000 just to humiliate me. It was hard to imagine what I could have done for him to hate me so much.
Was I really that horrible of a person before?
"Ha ha ha. Will, you're never going to get what you want being that close-fisted. This is THE Miss Anna Tate. 10,000 is a low-ball offer."
The laughter erupted once more.
Will's face had turned bright red and he shot me an angry look. "I'm not sure she's even worth that." He said, dismissively.
I did my best to ignore him and turned to pick up Phil's card. "So, all I need to do is bark like a dog and this 3,000 is mine?"
Phil's mocking expression suddenly turned to one of shock. He clearly never imagined I would take him seriously.
I knew full well that Phil was just the same as Will: all bark and no bank account.
I could see the unease on his face as he said, "The arrogant Anna Tate, looking down on all of us. Quit joking. There's no way you'd ever put aside your pride and go through with it."
He reached over and tried to take his card back.
I pulled the card back out of his reach. "Who said I was joking? It's not exactly hard to bark, is it? A few quick woofs and I make 3,000. Sounds like a good bit of business to me."
Panic spread across Phil's stricken face. He stared at the card in my hand, desperate to take it back.
Will's face had returned to its normal color. "Hurry up and bark then. I want to see how convincingly you beg."
All of my pride was gone. All I could think of was the creditors knocking at our door, my parents' despair, and my brother wearing himself thin working for pennies.
I took a deep breath, cleared my head, and said, "Okay."
But just as I was getting down on all fours, a pair of hands lifted me back up.
I looked around in surprise to find Joseph firmly grasping my elbows. My heart jumped.
"Get out."
His voice was soft but all of my brother's old friends heard him clearly.
They all stood up from the table and headed outside.
As Phil walked past, he grabbed the credit card from my hand, a grim look on his face.
Joseph's eyes bored into me. "Is your family really that broke?"
I extricated myself from his grasp and took a step back. "I think you're very clear on what our situation is like, Mr. Hertz."
Our family's fall from grace was big news across the city. Everyone and their dog knew what dire straits we were in. There was no way Joseph wasn't already acutely aware.
"Mr. Hertz?" He seemed amused, yet his gaze darkened.
I had no idea what was going through his mind right then. To be honest, I just wanted him to leave.
I waved towards the drinks tray, which was still sitting on the table. "If you're satisfied with my service, please feel free to leave a tip."
Joseph continued to stare at me in silence, his gaze deep and impenetrable.
I wasn't really hoping for a tip. I just wanted to find a way to end our conversation.
I forced another smile and turned to leave. Joseph suddenly called out, "I'll give you a million."
I froze, hardly believing my ears. I turned back to face him. "What did you say?"
He took a step forward. Our faces were now only inches apart. He stared into my eyes. "I'll give you a million ... but you have to spend the night with me."
Chapter 4
My lips quivered with barely suppressed rage. I wanted to scream at him.
But this wasn't the Joseph from my marriage. He was rich now, and powerful.
I swallowed my anger and replied curtly, "Joseph, please don't joke with me like this. I have work to do."
"It's the same offer you gave to Will. Why not leave it open to me?" Joseph said quietly, his voice cold.
I frowned. "That was hardly an offer. He was never going to accept it."
"You told him that if he gave you 1,000,000, you'd spend the night with him. Well, I have a million, so why won't you spend the night with me?"
I couldn't help but drop my smile.
I had only given Will that "offer" because I knew he didn't have a million to give me. Did Joseph really think I was being serious?
He walked over to me. He said, "Your family is in dire straits. All you need to do is spend one night with me and 1,000,000 could be yours."
My hands tightened with fury.
I understood exactly why he was doing this. To humiliate me.
I did my best to control the emotion in my voice as I smiled at him coldly. "So, now you have money you think you're suddenly above me? It's true, my family is broke, but I'm not about to stoop so low as to trade my body!"
Having said all I needed to, I turned around and hurried away. My eyes were already wet with tears.
A tide of complex emotions swelled up inside me.
With my brothers' old friends, it didn't matter how much they insulted me, I couldn't care less.
But with Joseph, it was different. His humiliation filled me with pain and sadness.
I hurried to the club's entrance hall where I was shocked to find my brother. He was dressed in his delivery driver's uniform and was surrounded by his old "friends".
For the sake of a couple of notes, he was kneeling on the floor before them.
At that moment, my remaining pride and self-respect crumbled to nothing.
I bit my lip, tears streaming from my eyes.
To make a little money, my brother was willing to reduce himself to this, while I was too proud to face up to Joseph's insult and make our family a million.
I turned around and ran up the stairs I had just come down, praying that Joseph was still there.
I sprinted back to his table to find him still sitting there.
It was almost as if he knew I would come crawling back. There was a smile plastered on his face.
I tried to compose myself as I approached him. "You must really hate me for how I treated you before."
Without waiting for him to respond, I went on, "Fine. As long as you help my family pay off their debts, you can humiliate me any way you want, for as long as you please."
Joseph lowered his gaze to his glass. He smiled even wider. "You'd be willing to be my mistress?"
I took a deep breath. "Yes."
He'd got rid of me as his wife, to replace me with his sweetheart, but he still wanted to keep me as his mistress.
The shame was almost too much to bear.
The next day, my father returned home visibly excited. He told us that our debts had all been repaid.
My mother cried tears of joy as she asked my father how this had happened.
He told her that Joseph had come to his senses and stepped in to help us. He had even bought us a home to live in.
Suddenly, Joseph had become an angel in my mother's eyes. How he must love me to help us so much.
All I could do was force a smile and bite my tongue.
That afternoon, Joseph sent his driver to pick me up.
My parents had no reason to be suspicious; as far as they knew, I was still his wife. To them, I was on my way to spend a happy evening with my husband, not to be used as a toy for his carnal gratification.
Joseph was now living in the villa that had once belonged to my family. Not much had changed; our old servants and staff were now his.
Servants are expected to follow their master, and ours had joined in more than a few times with our humiliation of Joseph.
The fact that he had kept them on after taking ownership of the villa showed how magnanimous he could be.
I just wondered if that magnanimity would extend to his treatment of me.
Thinking back to his demeanor at the nightclub, I somehow doubted it.
Our former servants and I were two different cases. At worst, they'd merely been unkind to him in passing.
But I had berated him, hit him, thrown things at him, and humiliated him in front of others.
Recalling my past treatment of Joseph left me feeling uncomfortable.
If I'd have known that one day our roles would be reversed, I'd have been a lot nicer to him from the start.
Poppy, our old maid, led me to his door. "Master Joseph asked you to wait for him here. Also ... "
She paused, as though uncomfortable with what she had been asked to say. "He asked that you wash yourself before his return."
My heart sank.
Clearly, both of us could see what he wanted from me.
But what other choice did I have?
I'd already agreed to be his mistress. I was well aware that I was giving up my dignity.
Joseph's room was the very same bedroom we had shared while we were married. Yet now, it felt very different.
Before, there had been a mat on the floor by the side of the bed. That was where Joseph had slept while I looked down on him from my bed on high, making sure to remind him of his place.
That mat was no longer here. Neither was my high and mighty feeling of superiority.
Another thing that was missing was my husband's meek and obedient facade.
The past is the past, I reminded myself, as I entered the bathroom with a heavy heart and turned on the shower.
After getting clean, I laid down on the bed to await Joseph's return.
I'd signed on to be his mistress, so I might as well play the part.
Things had certainly changed since the last time I was here, but lying on that bed, I thought to myself that it could have been a lot worse.
My family's debts, at the very least, had been paid off. My parents could rest easy. My brother would no longer have to work himself to the bone or prostrate himself at the feet of false friends.
All of these things came as a comfort to me.
I had no idea when Joseph would return.
Tired out from the last few days of working and worrying, I soon fell asleep.
When I awoke, there seemed to be a great weight pressing down on me.
As my senses gradually returned, I realized that Joseph was on top of me.
What's more, his hands were moving underneath my clothes.
"How ... How dare you!"
Without thinking, I raised my hands to push him off.
But before I knew it, he had grabbed hold of my wrists and forced them down.
"Even now, your pampered temper's still intact." He jeered at me.
I gazed around at the familiar room and then at the familiar man before me.
It took me a while to fully remember where I was.
This bedroom we were in was now his, and I was nothing more than his mistress.
My arms went limp, I meekly let out a soft apology, "I'm sorry".
He laughed, standing up and heading towards the bathroom.
As he cleaned himself, I wrung my hands nervously.
Before all this, once I had begun to have feelings for him, the thought of his touch on my body had not been an unpleasant one.
But this was different. There was nothing mutual or respectful about our current situation. This was simply possession and revenge.
In such circumstances, the thought of what was to come was horrifying, but I had nowhere to run.
After what seemed like an age, he finally emerged from the bathroom.
The sound of the door opening once more was almost more than my frayed nerves could take.
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