Cracks
1338 Words
Mid-September brought the first signs of autumn: the nights grew cooler, the leaves on the old oaks in the garden began to turn yellow at the edges, and the air lost the suffocating heaviness that had lingered all summer. But inside the mansion the tension only increased — thick, almost tangible, like the atmosphere before a new thunderstorm.
Victoria Leyton had already been staying for three weeks. Officially — “to help Daniel with the deal reports.” In reality — she was conducting a full siege. Every morning she came down to breakfast in dresses that left little to the imagination: deep necklines, thigh-high slits, fabric clinging to her body like a second skin. She sat next to Daniel, touched his hand, laughed at his jokes louder than necessary, and threw glances at Arina filled with contempt and triumph.
Arina held on. During the day she was the perfect servant: silent, meticulous, invisible. But inside everything was boiling. Every time Victoria touched Daniel it burned like acid. Every “Danny, darling” from her lips felt like a slap.
At night everything was different. Daniel came to her — always. Sometimes at three, sometimes at five in the morning when Victoria finally fell asleep. He entered without knocking, tore off her clothes and took her hard, desperately, as if trying to erase the entire day from his memory. He f****d her against the wall, on the floor, on the table in her small room — coming inside her, growling her name, biting her neck until it bled.
“You’re the only one,” he whispered afterward, when they lay in sweat and trembling. “You always will be the only one.”
But the words no longer helped completely. Jealousy was eating Arina alive from the inside.
One evening Victoria arranged “a little dinner for two” in the living room — candles, wine, music. Arina brought in the dishes and saw: Victoria in a red dress, almost sheer, sitting pressed close to Daniel, her hand resting on his thigh under the table.
Arina set down the dessert and left — her hands were shaking so badly the plate clinked.
That night Daniel came late — at two. He smelled of wine and her perfume.
Arina was sitting on the bed in her robe, eyes red.
“You were drinking with her,” she said quietly.
He sighed, approached, wanted to embrace her. She pulled away.
“Arina…”
“You let her touch you. I saw.”
He grabbed her by the shoulders — hard. “It doesn’t mean anything. It’s a game for Father.”
“And what if Father orders you to marry her?”
He froze. “I’m not marrying her.”
“But you haven’t told him about me. We’ve been hiding for two months already.”
He let her go, ran a hand through his hair. “I’m waiting for the right moment. The deal is almost done. Then I’ll tell him everything.”
Arina turned away. “And what if the right moment never comes?”
He came up behind her, wrapped his arms around her — tightly, possessively. His lips touched her neck.
“It will. I promise.”
He turned her around, kissed her — hard, demanding submission. She responded — angrily, biting his lips until they bled. They f****d that night furiously: she scratched his back, he spanked her so hard the marks lasted a week. They came at the same time — screaming into each other’s faces.
But the crack had appeared.
Three days later a letter arrived.
Arina found it on the desk in the study while cleaning. An envelope with the Rivers family crest. Addressed to Daniel. She didn’t want to read it — but she saw her own name on the folded sheet that slipped out.
“…it is unacceptable for the heir of the family to become involved with a servant. The photographs sent by Victoria confirm the worst. End this shameful infatuation immediately. In October we announce the engagement to Victoria Leyton. This is not open for discussion. Father.”
Arina went pale. Her hands shook. She folded the letter back — carefully, exactly as it had been.
That evening she waited for him in her room. He arrived at midnight — tired, but smiling.
She silently handed him the letter.
He read it. His face turned to stone.
“I didn’t know she took photos.”
“You knew she suspected.”
He crumpled the letter. “This changes nothing.”
“It changes everything. Your father is ordering you.”
“I don’t obey orders in my personal life.”
Arina stood up. “You obey in everything else. The company, the money, the status — it all comes from him.”
He stepped closer. “Do you think I would throw you away for money?”
“I think you still haven’t made your choice.”
A heavy silence fell.
He grabbed her wrist — hard. “I made my choice. From the very first day.”
But a tiny flicker of doubt passed through his eyes — minuscule, but Arina saw it.
She yanked her hand free. “Then tell him. Right now. Call and tell him.”
He was silent.
“You can’t.”
He turned away. “It’s not the right time yet.”
Arina felt her heart tearing. “For me the time has already run out.”
She walked out of the room — for the first time leaving him alone.
The next morning Victoria smiled especially sweetly at breakfast.
Daniel didn’t look at Arina all day.
That night he didn’t come.
Arina lay alone — for the first time in months. Her body ached from his absence. She m*********d — furiously, angrily, but the orgasm felt empty.
The following day another letter arrived — from Daniel’s father. He was coming in a week. “To personally make sure everything is under control.”
Victoria glowed.
Arina worked mechanically. Inside — emptiness.
On the evening of the third day Daniel came — at one in the morning. Drunk — rare for him.
He entered, closed the door, pinned her to the wall.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered hoarsely. He smelled of whiskey and despair.
He kissed her — greedily, desperately. His hands tore at her clothes.
They f****d on the floor — hard, almost viciously. He took her from behind, spanking hard, biting her shoulder.
“You’re mine,” he kept repeating like a mantra. “I won’t give you up.”
She came — with tears in her eyes.
Afterward he lay beside her, holding her tightly.
“I’ll talk to him. When he arrives. I promise.”
Arina was silent.
She no longer fully believed promises.
But her body still belonged to him.
Meanwhile Victoria was preparing for her triumph. She ordered a new dress for the dinner with old Mr. Rivers. She walked around the house like its mistress.
One afternoon she caught Arina in the corridor.
“You know, darling, he’s already cooled off toward you. The last few nights he’s been sleeping alone. I checked.”
Arina froze.
Victoria smiled. “Soon you’ll be leaving. With a nice severance package, of course. Daniel is generous.”
Arina walked past — head high, without answering.
But inside everything collapsed.
That night Daniel came again — sober, but with dark circles under his eyes.
He lay beside her without touching.
“I love you,” he said quietly. “More than anything in the world.”
Arina turned to him. “Then prove it.”
He kissed her — tenderly, for the first time in a long while. They made love slowly, looking into each other’s eyes. He came inside her, whispering her name like a prayer.
But in the morning everything remained the same.
Daniel’s father was arriving in three days.
Arina understood: this was the end of their secret.
Or the beginning of a new story.
- Writer
