Scarred Seductress

Bruised and Raw

Damien stood wordless, his red eyes fixed on a sleeping Samantha, a thousand and one crazy thoughts running through his mind all at once.

He had got an anonymous call that morning after returning to an empty home the night before, with no sign of Samantha. She had scared the s**t out of him—only for him to find out she was at a club, wasted. Why exactly had she even gone there? It was her wedding night. Who goes to a club on their wedding night? He wanted to be mad, to lose it, but seeing how tired and worn out she looked, he could only contain his anger until she woke up.

“Sir…” a quiet knock came at the door, snapping him right out of his thoughts. He forced a faint smile as the doctor walked in.

“I… I… have some news for you…” he shuttered, shaking his head slightly as his gaze flickered to Samantha for a second.

“Is everything okay?”

“We… we ran a few tests on her…”

A soft cry escaped Samantha's lips, cutting the doctor off—her eyes finally blinking open.

Damien sat up quickly, scurrying to her side. “My love…” he called, taking Samantha's trembling hand as their eyes met. He had wanted to scold her the moment she woke, but actually seeing her awake, his love for her overwhelmed every trace of anger.

“Damien,” Samantha pouted, her eyes refusing to meet his as her heart ached in excruciating pain, tears slipping from the corners of her eyes.

“How are you feeling baby? Do you feel better?” He asked, planting a soft kiss on her hand as his other hand reached out to check her temperature. Samantha recoiled, breaking down bitterly, much to his surprise.

“My love… is something wrong?”

“Samantha! Where is my sister? Samantha!” Marina's voice blared across the hallway, followed by the rapid sound of her approaching footsteps. Samantha shook her head, her lips struggling to form words—she didn't want to see Marina. She had endured unimaginable horror last night and wasn't in the mood to start piecing anything together yet.

Before the doctor could read any meaning into Samantha's whimpers, the door flew open, Marina and her parents rushing into the ward.

“Sis…” Marina cried, settling beside Damien on the bed and taking Samantha's hand as tears slid down her face.

Samantha wanted to push her off, to stay distant because of what the men had said, but her body wouldn't move. She was too drained and weak that even her mouth could barely form words.

“How is she?” Her father asked the doctor. The doctor exhaled.

“How did she get to a club? Samantha never goes to clubs, and even if she did, her wedding night is certainly not the night for that,” Marina cooed, trailing her hand to Samantha's neck to check her temperature. Her eyes landed on the red hickeys, and a slow smile curved her lips. Just as she had planned, Samantha had indeed had a wild wedding night.

“I have always known this daughter of yours would turn out to be nothing but a slut, just like her mother,” her step mother raged, rolling her eyes and letting out a low scoff.

Damien cleared his throat. “You don't get to speak to my wife like that,” he snapped, darting his hard gaze at Samantha's step mother.

She scoffed. “You're still defending her?”

“Mom… please, this is not the time. My sister here is really bruised—look at this…” Marina whimpered, peeling aside Samantha's dress to reveal the red hickeys and bite marks covering her neck.

Damien's eyes snapped open, his blood running cold as his feet carried him up the bed—slowly.

“What… what happened to her?” Her father asked, directing the question to the doctor as his eyes fixed on his face.

“I… I … I was going to tell you that… there… there was, in fact, penetration,” he disclosed, drawing a sharp gasp from Marina's lips. Damien staggered back, dizziness overtaking him as the words crashed down around him.

“It will take days for the drugs in her system to leave, and she'll be able to do little more than walk, since it's clear she was assaulted…”

“Assaulted?” her step mother cut the doctor off, letting out a low, scornful laugh. “This is no assault, doctor. This slut took herself to the club—maybe to see the man she couldn't even spend her own wedding night without. She just didn't expect it to turn out like this.”

“Mom!” Marina whimpered.

“It’s the truth, Marina. She has turned out exactly as I expected—just like her mother,” she cursed, rolling her eyes again.

Thick silence fell across the room as Damien's blazing eyes returned to Samantha's face, her gaze still unable to meet his.

“Did you do it? Did you go to the club on our wedding night to cheat on me?” His voice shook as he demanded the answer. Samantha said nothing, tears streaming as her eyes squeezed shut, the horrors of last night crashing back. She had never felt such pain in her life—her body violated, treated like nothing but trash. More than facing Damien, she couldn't even face herself.

“Say something!” Damien roared, making her recoil on the bed as she trembled.

Her step mother scoffed, while the doctor quietly excused the family as tension mounted in the room.

“Please, Damien… this is not the time,” Marina tried to intervene. Damien chuckled bitterly, clawing his fingers through his hair as his legs carried him around restlessly. He couldn't imagine it; he couldn't even process it—the one woman he had ever loved, hurting him in this way?

“Whatever you decide, Damien… we'll understand you as a family. It's my fault for not raising my daughter properly,” her father pleaded, taking a quiet step toward Damien.

He stepped away quickly. “You can take her home… for now. I don't want to see her,” he said, causing Samantha to wince at the excruciating pain stabbing her chest.

“Damien…” her father called as he stormed out of the ward, his eyes refusing to look at Samantha again.

“Damien…” he called, hurrying after him, leaving Samantha with Marina and her smiling mother.

“Mom, you didn't have to say all that…”

“Oh stop it, Marina… there's no reason to pretend anymore. It's over now—Damien Moretti is finally done with this unworthy hag. It's just a matter of time, and he'll be all yours, my princess,” she scorned.

Samantha lifted her gaze to them, her tear-filled eyes settling on Marina's face. She wanted to ask why—why she would do such a thing to her, why she'd break her in such a manner, why she would go so far as to ruin her.

“But look at her mom, she's already suffering enough—there's no need to rub it in,” she pouted, feigning sadness as she reached for a helpless Samantha's face, tucking her messy hair behind her ear.

“You're such a sweetheart, my princess. You have a kind heart… you're really perfect for Damien,” her mother gushed.

“How was it last night, sis… was it exciting, sweet, just like you'd always expected your wedding night to be? or was it painful, wild… exactly as I prepared it to be for you? How many men were there—One? Ten?” Her low voice trailed off into loud laughter as she tore her eyes from the bawling Samantha.

“I assure you, Marina… her little fairytale is finally over. It's your time now, my daughter,” her mother cheered, a proud smile spreading across Marina's face as she slowly rose to her feet.

“It's time to make your move on Damien…”

“Who said I haven't already?” she teased, cutting her mother off as she catwalked to the door, exiting the ward first, with her mother following suit.

Samantha squeezed her eyes shut as a weak cry tore from her throat once more, memories of last night with the man she could barely remember flooding her mind and sending her spiralling out of control again.