DON’T GIVE UP
1274 Words
Athena's POV
The door opened. Someone dragged me inside Raphael’s room. My heart dropped. I stood there, legs shaking, but I didn’t let myself look weak. He didn’t speak. He just stood by the window, smoking. The smoke wrapped around him like fog. He didn’t even glance at me.
Time passed. I don’t know how long. I counted breaths. Counted drops of sweat sliding down my back. My stomach growled so loud it scared me. I pressed my arms over it. I prayed he didn’t hear.
Then he spoke.
“Follow me.”
That was it.
I followed him. What else was I supposed to do?
He led me to her room. Isabella’s.
The moment she saw me, she smiled like it was her birthday.
“Oh, perfect. Just perfect,” she said, clapping her hands.
I didn’t speak.
“Serve her,” Raphael said, like I wasn’t even there. Then he left. Just like that. No glance back. Nothing.
I stood frozen.
Isabella didn’t wait. She grabbed my arm hard and dragged me forward.
“Take my shoes off.”
I dropped to my knees. My hands were shaking too much to work the straps right. Where she touched me burned. I hated how much it burned.
She let out a loud, fake sigh.
“Slower. You’re hurting me, stupid girl.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“What?” Her voice turned fake sweet. “Louder.”
“I’m sorry.”
She laughed softly. “Better.”
I got her shoes off. She lay back on her bed, all relaxed, like I wasn’t there. Her hair spread out across the pillows like she was some kind of queen.
“You’ll brush my hair now.”
I nodded. What else could I do?
Her hair smelled like roses. I smelled like sweat.
I brushed her hair in silence. My arms started aching fast. I said nothing. She watched herself in the mirror, not me.
Out of nowhere, she spoke.
“Don’t you dare think you’re better than me, Athena. You’re not. You’re nothing.”
I kept brushing. My hands shook.
She smiled at my reflection in the mirror.
“You always wanted Raphael, didn’t you? Pathetic. He’ll never want you.”
I didn’t say anything.
Her smile faded. She grabbed the brush from my hand and threw it.
“I said answer me.”
“I never wanted him,” I lied.
She slapped me.
“Liar.”
I stayed kneeling. My cheek stung. My head burned. I didn’t look up.
She stood up then. Walked over to her dresser and dumped her jewelry and perfumes on the floor.
“Polish all these.”
I crawled over without a word.
She watched me like it entertained her.
Then she said it.
“You should be grateful. At least someone wants you around.” Her voice was colder than before. “You’re too ugly for Raphael. Too weak. That’s why you’ll always be on your knees like this.”
I wiped a gold necklace until my fingers cramped.
Suddenly, I felt it.
Sick.
My stomach twisted up. My head spun. I grabbed the dresser, scared I’d fall.
“Are you pretending to be sick now? Pathetic.”
“I’m fine,” I forced out. But I wasn’t. My body felt heavy. My head burned. Sweat ran down my back.
She laughed.
“When you’re done, wash my clothes. After that, scrub the floors.”
I didn’t answer.
I couldn’t.
I don’t know how long passed.
When I finished, she stood over me, holding her nightgown.
“You’ll sleep here tonight.”
I froze.
The bed?
No.
She pointed to the floor.
“Right there.”
I hesitated.
She smiled wider.
“Unless you want to complain to Raphael?”
I lay down. The floor was cold. So cold it hurt.
She turned off the lights.
“I like knowing you’re down there like a good little pet.”
She got into bed. I could hear her breathing. Slow. Calm.
I couldn’t sleep.
I couldn’t even close my eyes.
I lay there, staring at nothing, waiting for something worse to happen.
And I knew something worse would come.
Time passed. Minutes. Hours. I don’t know.
The cold from the floor sank into my skin. My body hurt. My stomach cramped. I didn’t move. Fear kept me frozen.
Then I heard her voice.
“You awake down there?” she whispered.
I didn’t answer.
She waited.
“Answer me.”
“Yes.”
She giggled. “Good. I like knowing you’re awake.”
Silence.
My heart felt like it was going to explode.
“You’re thinking of running away, aren’t you?”
I froze inside.
“I’m not,” I lied fast.
“Liar.”
I shut my eyes. I wanted to disappear.
“I said I’m not.”
I felt her move. She leaned over the bed’s edge until her breath was on my face.
“You’ll never escape him,” she whispered. “He’ll kill you before he lets you go.”
I cried then. Silent tears. The kind that burned.
She pulled back.
“You should accept it. This is your life now. You’ll always be beneath me.”
She fell asleep.
I didn’t.
I stayed awake, staring at the ceiling until the sunlight showed up.
I woke up on the floor. It was cold. My body hurt everywhere. My back, my arms, my legs… everything. I wanted to stay there, just stay and sleep forever. But her voice came.
“Get up.”
Isabella. Again.
I didn’t speak. I just pushed myself up, even though my arms were shaking. My knees felt like they would break. But I stood. What choice did I have?
She threw a bucket at me. “Go get my bathwater.”
I caught it. Barely.
My hands were weak. My head hurt. My stomach felt empty. I wanted to sit down and cry, but I walked. I walked like a ghost, step after step.
The water was heavy. My hands shook. I thought I’d drop it. I didn’t.
When I poured the water in her tub, she frowned.
“Colder than I like,” she said. Her smile was mean. “You want me to call Raphael?”
I shook my head fast. My heart raced.
“Then fix it.”
I carried the bucket again. My arms felt dead. But I did it. I filled her bath with hotter water. She smiled this time. Happy. I hated that smile.
“Good girl,” she said, like I was her dog.
I wanted to scream. But I couldn’t.
She made me wash her dirty clothes next. I knelt down and scrubbed until my fingers bled. The stones on the floor cut into my skin. I kept scrubbing. The water turned brown, then black. My eyes burned. My back hurt. I kept going.
I don’t know how long.
After that, she told me to clean the floor. I did. My body felt broken, but I cleaned.
When night came, I hoped she’d let me rest.
No.
She pointed at the floor. “You sleep there.”
The cold floor again.
I lay down without a word.
I closed my eyes, but I didn’t sleep. I couldn’t. The floor was too cold. My body was too sore. My mind was too full.
I heard her breathing softly in her bed above me. Warm. Safe. While I lay in the dark.
I felt tears on my cheeks. I didn’t wipe them.
Why fight it? Crying was all I could do.
But still… something inside me whispered.
Don’t give up.
- Writer
