Chapter 182

182 v. Nightmare

It didn’t take long before his behavior escalated from that confrontation. It was like the Dominus she once knew had completely been reformed into another person.

No, it wasn’t about his eyes that lit up with mischief when he looks at her. Or the sweet things he would do for her. Those remained the same.

The problem is what he has been doing to keep her. He has become stricter on what she could do.

Prohibiting her from ever stepping outside, and when her assurance failed to convince him, he ended up locking the door from the outside whenever he would leave.

The first time she was locked in, she felt panic course through her. She reminisced about a childhood trauma she really didn’t want to live through again.

“Mary,” the weak voice whispered when the little girl entered the room.

She was chained in a corner of the master’s bedroom, her eyes were sunken, her skin pale, and her lips quivering ever so slightly.

“Mom?” she can barely recognize her mother now with the way her physical body has thinned.

If not for her soft voice and the love that shone in her eyes, she feared she would never have believed it was the same strong woman who used to run their household.

.....

“Come here, my child. It has been so long since I last saw you,” she walked closer to her mother.

She was just a five-year-old and her mind couldn’t comprehend what was happening between her parents. All she knew was one day her father declared her mother to have been missing from the compound.

Since then she never saw her again. But this time, when her father left to do his business outside of the yakuza house, he left the door unlocked.

Perhaps due to mere luck or his belief that the little girl will never go to his room since he has already prohibited her from doing so. Whatever the reason was, the little girl did not know if it was lucky or unfortunate that she had seen her mother in this state.

Her small arms reached out to touch her mother’s face. It has sunken from lack of nutrients. Her arms have been chained on both sides preventing her from hugging her child completely.

“What has happened to you, mom? Are you okay?” she let out a sob as she embraced her mom instead.

“Hush my darling girl. Everything is alright. Mama is alright darling,” the weak woman tried to assure her.

But how can she feel reassured, seeing the state she is in? The little girl trembled in her mother’s arms as she continued to cry.

Before she can even fool herself into believing that lie, they heard footsteps coming towards the room.

Her mom’s body stiffened as she whispered, “Go and hide under the bed sweetie. And no matter what happens, you shouldn’t make a sound. Do you understand?”

She didn’t want to do that, but the desperateness in her mother’s eyes made her feel like she was bound to. She needed to do that for her mother, that was the only thing that was clear to her.

The five-year-old child hid herself under the bed, still watching her mother who was just a few feet from her.

The door opened and her father walked in, “Honey,” it was a cheery voice.

Her mother didn’t greet the person back. Instead, she backed away until her back hit the wall. Her mother trembled, extremely afraid of her father.

The little girl didn’t understand what was going on and just continued to watch. She had a strange feeling that she should look away but she couldn’t.

Her father kneeled in front of her mom, caressing her cheek as she remained still, “Did you miss me, sweetheart?”

She didn’t speak, their eyes met for an instant and it was as if her mother was pleading for her to look away. She wanted to cry and rush to her mother’s side.

Her father took off her chains and kissed her wrists, “See what happens when you try to run away? On top of that, you even tried to take our child with you. How can you do this to me, love? How can you betray me like that when you know exactly how much I love you?”

“I just wanted my child to live a normal life. You won’t even let me see her. I begged you to let me see our child,” she hissed.

“Mary is mine in the same way that you are. But you know sweetheart. I don’t care about that fucking child. I’m trying to prevent myself from killing it. The more you show it affections, the more my jealousy grew inside of me. I can’t even look at that child anymore and feel anything except hatred. I warned you not to love anyone more than you love me, but you didn’t listen,” his hands gripped her mom’s neck, choking her.

She watched as her mother’s face turned violet before he let her go, “Now I’ll ask again. And you answer me very carefully okay, honey? Did you miss me, my love?”

“No. I don’t miss you, you crazy piece of shit,” her father slapped his mother on her cheek, the rings he was wearing coming in contact with her skin, and the force he used in hitting her made her skin bleed as it left a gushing wound.

Her father licked up the blood on her cheek as the keys fell from his pocket. She couldn’t get over the way her mother whimpered at her father’s violence.

“You are a monster,” her mother cried as he took off his pants and ripped off her nightgown.

“I don’t care what you call me, honey. For as long as you are here by my side nothing else matters,” luckily for the child the angle made her not see what her father was doing to her mom, it is just the motions of rocking with her as her body was on the floor.

She closed her eyes when she saw how miserable her mother looked but she can still hear her cries. She only knew it was over when the sobbing ceased.

Her father took another shirt for her mom and reattached her chains on the wall, “I’ll only take it off if you can promise not to run away again.”

“I’ll never do that. I’ll never be still here with you. I will always try to run away, and I’ll take my child with me out of here,” her mother’s bravery was foolishness, even she can say that.

But maybe pride is all she has left. She doesn’t even completely believe that. But she knew that it will just ignite more the fire of anger in her father’s.

“Then you’ll remain tied there like an animal. Don’t you see? There is no other way out of this mess but to love me again. You need to love me again like before. That’s all I’m asking,” she never knew her father can sound so pathetic as he did now.

“How can I do that? You have bedded a yakuza slave. I saw you with her. You and your men raped her,” she was furious now, her chains clanging as she moved her arms.

“I kept telling you it doesn’t matter. She betrayed this organization and made wrong decisions. She was pregnant with an enemy’s child. What don’t you understand?” his father nearly hit her mother again but the anger in her eyes matched his and he backed away.

“I’ll visit you again tonight. I’ll ask you the same questions. You only need to see it my way and agree for us to return to what we had before. That’s all I’m asking,” his father walked out of the room as her mother continued to cry.

She rushed back to her mom and hugged her, her little body trembling from anger and fear over what she has witnessed.

“Go away now, love. Mama will rest a bit,” her mother’s weak voice rang in the air.

She looked at her mother and saw how exhausted she is. There was no hope in her eyes. Nothing to keep her going.

“Mama, will you be fine?” she asked, doubt filling her heart.

“I will be fine darling. One day soon I’ll escape from here with you. I promise you that. We will be free from this accursed place. We will finally be free from the confines of this prison. Just wait for mama, okay?” her mother told her.

So she did what she was told. She walked back into her room and began to pack her things. But days turned into weeks and weeks to months.

And when she had the courage to see her mom again, she wasn’t in her parents’ room anymore. Instead, a woman who looked like a young version of her mother greeted her.

“Where’s my mom?” she asked, her voice breaking.

“Oh, dear,” she looked straight into her eyes and smiled, “your mother is already dead.”

Mary woke up with a jolt, her heart thumping harshly against her chest. It woke the man beside her, concern filled his face as he comforted her.

“What happened, love? What are you feeling?” his strong arms held her still as she sobbed.

“Tell me, please. Tell me what’s wrong,” his desperate voice just reminded her of her own father when he was talking to her mom.

She closed her eyes and realized she was living in the same nightmare her mother did. All she wanted is to wake up.