by J. A. Delese
“Maybe I’m cursed,” she said and smiled bitterly at herself in the mirror.
What kind of lawyer are you? Cursed?
Maybe she should change the word to unlucky. She was just so unlucky in every way. Her parents were very poor, and they couldn’t even buy a winter coat for her when she was young. She felt fiercely cold whenever she went to school in winter.
Her poor background always haunted her. When she married her ex-husband, his parents didn’t allow him to get married to her because of her family history.
Because I can, he had said. Sharpe said he was doing all these things because he could.
Because I have no shield.
She didn’t have anyone who could protect her. No one would know she had been kidnapped and treated like a whore here. No one would care. She touched her neck as she thought about Sharpe.
You are just luckier than me. You happened to be born as your father’s son and that’s it. You are not any better than me.
She came out of the bathroom and moved to the dressing room. Since that last horrible night, he didn’t hurt her at all. For the very first week after that night, he became so kind to her. He filled up the house with flowers and gave her a lot of gifts.
As usual.
This guy only knows flowers and gifts, nothing else.
How stupid, she told herself as she touched the jewels he gave her. She could not even go out, so what was the point of wearing them?
The first week after that night, he tried to spend time with her. He asked her to watch a movie with him—of course, in the house—or play chess with him.
“Why would I do that with you?” she had told him.
She still remembered his face when he heard her words. He looked deeply affected. She was scared that he would hurt her again, but luckily he didn’t. He just went back to his study and stayed there till night. She didn’t understand him. Did he think she would play chess with him after what he has done to her? What kind of psycho was he?
What do you expect from a rapist?
She sighed heavily. That’s right. What could you expect from a man who abducted and raped a girl? Anyway, ever since she had rejected him like that, he hadn’t bothered her. She could feel that he was being careful when he was around her. He would just come back home and take a shower and lie on the bed beside her and fall asleep. She was scared that maybe he was planning something crazier, but she didn’t want to worry about it anymore.
What could be worse than this?
She put on her clothes and came back to the bedroom. She sat on the bed and thought about what she had heard last night. It wasn’t just last night either. For several nights, she had heard him calling for someone. She couldn’t hear the name exactly, but he held her tight in his arms and called someone’s name.
Who is it?
She felt curious. Who was the person that he called out for so much? She was thinking about it when she suddenly heard noises from downstairs. She heard a woman’s voice.
“I know he’s not here, Susan,” the voice said.
She walked near to the door to listen clearly. She could not believe there was a visitor.
“Is she here? Is she staying here with Thomas?”
She heard this woman talking. It sounded like this lady was talking about her. She put her ear on the door but took several steps backward when she heard footsteps on the stairs. Someone knocked the door. She didn’t know whether she should tell her to come in or not. The door opened anyway, and a middle-aged lady stepped into the room. She had blonde hair like Tom, but hers looked slightly darker, like Nate’s. She also had blue eyes and her loose perm made her look beautiful. She was wearing an ivory-colored dress and wore elegant pearl earring on her ears. She looked so rich and classy. Catherine knew who this woman was.
His mother.
“Hello, I’m so sorry to drop in on you like this, but I couldn’t wait to see you. I’m Thomas’s mother, Ingrid. Nice to finally meet you,” Ingrid said warmly.
She extended her hand. Catherine took it and shook her hand.
“Nice to meet you, too, Mrs. Sharpe. I’m Catherine Lee.”
Ingrid looked so shocked when she heard what Catherine said. She looked at Catherine’s face with wide eyes for several seconds.
What? She got shocked by my name? Catherine couldn’t stand the awkward silence and asked, “Did I say something wrong?”
“No, you didn’t! I’m so sorry I was just…I haven’t met my son’s girlfriend, so I was a bit surprised. So, you are staying with him now?” Ingrid glanced at the room—particularly the bed—as she said it.
“Yes, since I have no choice,” she answered sarcastically.
Ingrid looked at her curiously.
“Why? What do you mean you don’t have any choice?” she asked.
“You don’t know? Your son kidnapped me and locked me up here.”
Tom
He was in the car on his way to his father’s house. He expected this and actually felt a bit surprised that it took more than two weeks for them to find out.
Uncle tried hard.
He roughly knew what his parents would say. They would say that he could not be involved with a woman like her. They’d tell him to end it and send her back. He would definitely refuse. He didn’t care about what they were going to say. He would keep her with him.
When he heard from Susan that his mother visited his apartment and met her, he honestly felt embarrassed, but he knew this would happen. When he decided to kidnap her, he knew what kind of things he would face once he brought her to his place. He didn’t mind that he would run into his parents’ objections, but he did mind if his mom talked about Liz. He knew that his mother spoke to Catherine, and it meant she heard Catherine’s voice.
She’s going to talk about Liz.
He laid his forehead on his hand. He really didn’t want to talk about Liz, especially with his mother. Besides, he’s kind of sure that Catherine already told her she’d been kidnapped— and raped—so it would be worse tonight.
He didn’t ask Catherine about what she said to his mother. He didn’t even need to ask. Her eyes were telling him everything. That night when he came back home, she sort of welcomed him with you-are-doomed eyes. He didn’t say anything to her, but it was actually quite funny. Did she really think that he would get punished or something? He snorted. If he were scared of any kind of punishment from his parents, he would not kidnap her in the first place.
Maybe she thinks she will be freed.
The thought of this, however, removed smile from his face. She probably saw how shocked his mother was and thought that his parents would help free her. He shook his head.
No, I won’t let it happen.
She wouldn’t go anywhere. He’d been thinking about the risks of keeping her at his place. Money was just one thing. He had either avoided or postponed all kinds of business trips overseas despite criticism from the board. He wouldn’t let her leave because of his mother’s nagging, for sure.
But what about father? He won’t like this either.
He breathed out deeply. It was never easy to face his father. His father will ask him to be rational. He would probably say remember who you are.
Yes, father. I know who I am, he thought. And I’m fucking tired of it!
The car stopped, and the door was opened for him. He got out from the car and walked into the garden. He was expecting Nate to welcome him in the garden by punching his face, but he felt relieved when he remembered Nate was still in the States. It was already a big help that he didn’t need to face Nate tonight. He walked into the house and found his parents in the living room. They were sitting on the sofa together. His father was sitting with his legs crossed and his arms lay on the back of sofa. His mother, on the contrary, was holding her teacup with her hands on her knees and only looking at it. He could tell that she didn’t even notice he’d arrived.
“Welcome, son,” his father said.
His mother lifted her head up to
look at him when she heard her husband’s voice.
“Thomas.”
The way his mother called his name made him feel how much she had waited for him.
“You asked to see me,” he said as he sat down on the sofa.
“Yes, and I’m sure you know why,” his father answered.
Tom looked in his father’s eyes. A tea set was prepared for him, but he wasn’t in the mood to drink something.
“Yes, and my answer is no.”
He held his father’s gaze. His father didn’t move at all. He just looked at him and quietly asked, “Why?”
Tom didn’t know how to answer properly, so he paused for a moment. How should he answer this question? Was it because he loved her?
No, I don’t.
He kept her at his house, but it didn’t mean that he was in love with her. Then what should he say? Should he give the answer that his mother was expecting?
I want to hear her voice.
It was true, but he didn’t want to admit it. He knew once he admitted it, his mother would talk about Liz over and over again. Tom still didn’t know how to answer this question, and his father noticed.
“You don’t even know why you are doing this.”
Tom looked back at his father’s eyes. He didn’t like his father, especially when he told the truth.
“I do know. I just need to think which reason justifies what I did the most,” he said.
His father didn’t reply. He just looked at him. Tom looked silently back at him. He wanted his father to know he was old enough to fight back.
“Nothing can justify what you did, son. We sincerely suggest you send her back with enough protection. Do you understand what I mean?”
“Yes, father and my answer is still NO,” he said firmly.
“Thomas!” his mother cried. “She is not Elizabeth!”
Here we go.
He closed his eyes. He wished he could block his ears.
“She’s not Elizabeth, Tom. You must let her go. She’s not good for you. If Liz knew what you were doing now, she would be very sad. Think about—”
“I know she’s not Liz, Mother,” he cut her off. He expected this, but it was still difficult to hear. He looked at his mother and found that her eyes were filled with tears. He felt bad that he cut her off.
“Mom,” he called her softly.
Tears dropped from her eyes.
“You have no idea how shocked I was when I talked to this girl, Thomas. I cried all night. I cried for you and for Elizabeth. I understand it’s difficult for you to let her go, but she’s gone, Tom. Liz is gone. This Asian girl is not Liz. You must—”
“I TOLD YOU I KNOW THAT!” he shouted. His parents looked at him in a shock. His father’s face was filled with anger, but he didn’t care. He felt he should cut them off tonight.
“I do know she’s not Liz and that’s not the reason I’m keeping her,” he snapped, his voice low and thick.
“Then what’s the reason?” his father asked.
“I don’t think I’m under obligation to answer anything you ask, Father,” he snapped.
His father sighed deeply.
“Alright, then. Don’t answer to my question, but do as I say. Send her back.”
“No,” he said.
“Thomas! Listen to me! IT’S GOING TO HURT YOU!” his father yelled at him, but he didn’t feel upset at all.
Why should I listen to you? Tom snorted in his head. What made him think that Tom would listen to what he was saying? This man had avoided getting involved with his first son till now, ever since his son’s marriage ended in divorce. Ever since then, his father, the noble Duke of Norfolk hadn’t called or talked with his son unless it was related to business.
“Why do you care, father?” he asked.
His father gave him a cold look and leaned back on the sofa.
“You are right. I don’t care about your personal life, but I do care about the name you are carrying. I warn you, Thomas. I won’t allow anything or anyone to hurt this house.”
Catherine
She heard him leave the house. She was still lying on the bed. He didn’t hurt her or rape her these days, but she found something strange. Whenever he slept in the bed with her, for the first few hours, he didn’t snore or say anything, but several hours later, he started mumbling. He started to call someone’s name. During the first few days, she only heard the strange phrases and failed to catch the exact words. She had, however, caught it last night. He said Liz.
He said don’t leave me, Liz, to be accurate. He held her in his arms from behind and said, “don’t leave me.” He repeated it many times, until she got annoyed. She had good ears and it was not easy to ignore him and get back to sleep. She was thinking of talking about this with him, but she was afraid that he might get angry or hurt her. Instead, she approached it in a different way. She started to answer him.
If she heard him saying “don’t leave me,” she would said “I won’t leave you” to him. When she said this, he hadn’t said anything back to her. So she thought he was awake, but he held her in his arms more tightly and fell back asleep. After that, he didn’t say anything, so she could sleep until morning without being disturbed.
She walked to the bathroom and took a hot shower. She seemed to take a shower at least two or three times a day. She had nothing to do here, so she just took a shower whenever she wanted.
She was thinking of this ‘Liz’ while she was taking a shower.
Who is she?
She must be his ex-girlfriend. He must have been dumped by her and couldn’t forget her.
But why didn’t he kidnap her instead of me, then?
Maybe it was way too difficult to kidnap her. Maybe she had good family background.
Then why couldn’t they be together?
Yes. Why? If she was also ‘high-born’ like him, it must have been easy for them to be together. Maybe she already got married to some other noble man?
“Whatever,’ she snapped.
She walked out of the bathroom. She saw the dresses that he had prepared for her, but she chose the same style of pajamas that she wore just now. She used to like dressing up. She liked to be formally dressed up and wear full make-up. It made her look more professional and feel more confident. These days, however, she didn’t need to be professional, since she was nothing but a hostage here, so she wasn’t tempted to make herself pretty at all.
It’s just going to make him rape me more often, she thought bitterly as she held one of the dresses in front of her. She looked at herself in the mirror. She still looked young and beautiful. She was only in her early thirties and had just started a new life as a lawyer. It was just so unfair that this was happening to her.
I worked so hard, so hard every day. Why should I get treated like this? Why? Isn’t the good and hardworking one supposed to get rewarded by God? Why should I be a hostage like this? I’ve done nothing wrong to him or anybody and—
The idea struck her suddenly. She looked at herself in the mirror again.
Maybe I look like her.
Maybe she looked like this Liz. Maybe this Liz was dead and she looked like her.
And that’s why he kidnapped me.
Her mouth dropped open a bit. She didn’t know what to do if her assumption were correct. If this was the case, she didn’t think he would let her go easily.
I should have had more surgeries.
She giggled at herself. Then she heard a sound from downstairs. It was a woman’s voice—the voice that she heard before. She smiled to herself in the mirror and went downstairs to say hello to the lady who may be a possible escape route.
Tom
He came home early. He got the report that his mother had visited his house again. He already knew something bad would happen when he heard it, but he didn’t know it would be like this. She was gone. His mother let her leave this house. He didn’t know what to say when he found his mother at home. Ingrid was sitting on the sofa. She looked very anxio
us.
“Where is she?” he asked, but his mother didn’t say anything.
“Alright.”
He picked up the phone.
“Hello, Mr. Macson. I need you to find her again. She—”
“THOMAS!” his mother shouted. “Let her go! SHE’S NOT LIZ!”
“Thank you. Hope to hear from you very soon,”
He hung up the phone and looked fiercely at his mother.
“Didn’t I tell you I am fully aware of that?”
“No, you are not. This is madness. You, my boy, abducted a girl.”
Ingrid shook her head in denial. “I cannot believe it. I won’t.”
She stood up and came to him. She held his hands and looked at him with teary eyes. “But, it’s alright now. We handled it. She won’t go around and talk about it. You just forget what happened here.”
“No.”
He shook her hands off.
“You still don’t know your children, Mother. I will not let her go. I wouldn’t even bring her here if I would let her go easily like this.”
His phone rang at that moment, and he answered the phone call. Mr. Macson told Tom that she was on a flight to Korea. Tom hung up the phone roughly and stared at his mother in anger.
“You sent her to KOREA?” he almost shouted.
She didn’t say anything back to him. She was avoiding his eyes. He felt his heart filling with anger, but he suppressed it with all his strength and called for his secretary on the phone. He asked her to make his jet ready, and his mother started to yell at him again.
“THOMAS! ARE YOU REALLY OUT OF YOUR MIND? STOP THIS MADNESS!”
He didn’t react to her at first, but when he heard from his secretary that it would take a minimum of three hours for his jet to take off, he couldn’t control himself anymore. He burst with rage and threw his cellphone against the wall. He felt his mother’s shock and fear at what he did, but he didn’t care. He glared at Ingrid in anger and said, “Leave, Mother.”