No Longer Afraid (Complete)

Dinner

Anrian gently wiped his swollen eyes and nodded. Simultaneously, however, Anrian received a call. It was Sadie’s mother, wondering if Anrian had seen her since she hadn’t come home just yet. Anrian squeezed his eyes shut as he suggested that she come over to his house. She was slightly confused but agreed. Before long, Sadie’s mother was sitting before Anrian and his parents in pieces. Melissa hugged Sadie’s mother tenderly, trying to hold back sympathetic tears. Anrian’s father patted her back. “We will get your daughter back. I don’t know how much Anrian had told you about us but we are retired Navy seals and are more than capable of rescuing your daughter. You have my word, as a father, this William will get what’s coming to him.”, Anrian’s father spoke sternly. Sadie’s mother thanked them all and looked over at Anrian, who stood silently off to the side. “Anrian?”, Sadie’s mother spoke curiously. Anrian walked over to Sadie’s mother and dropped to the floor on his face before her. “I am so sorry that I’ve caused you this pain. I wasn’t strong enough to protect her and now, because of my weakness, Sadie is kidnapped. Sadie, my heart. I’ve failed you, I’ve failed her!”, he cried out. Sadie’s mother stared down at Anrian in total surprise and sympathy. For a moment, she had no idea what to do but stare down at the broken young man. She then touched his back and spoke. “This isn’t your fault, my boy. My Sadie had never been so happy before you came along and for that, I’m so grateful. You filled her heart with hope and love again, which is all I ever wanted for her after what had happened to her. You have to get my daughter back, Anrian. Bring her back to me, please.”, she softly said. Anrian looked up at Sadie’s mother and nodded before hugging her tightly to himself.

Sadie slowly opened her blurry eyes and looked around. She had to blink a few times before she was able to see clearly. She was sitting in a room completely covered in white. There were white walls, white curtains, white rugs, and the white bed that she was laying on. She then noticed that her clothes were different. She was wearing a beautiful white strapless dress. She frowned deeply confused at her circumstances. “Do you like it? I remembered that your favorite color was white.”, William’s voice calmly echoed throughout the room. Sadie turned around on the bed and saw William standing in a navy blue suit at the head of the bed. Sadie quickly moved to the back of bed, pulling her legs to herself. William sat down on the bed beside her and gently stroked her leg. Sadie grimaced at his touch. She never thought that she’d ever be touched by William again. “You look so beautiful in that dress. I remembered your measurements exactly. Romantic, right?”, he spoke. Sadie turned her face away and buried it in her knees. She felt sick to her stomach and just wanted to disappear but this was her reality now. Sadie blinked as she felt William come closer to her. She quickly sat up to find his face decently close to hers. She leaned away from him. “Mmm, Sadie. You still drive me just as crazy as the day I met you.”, he grinned as he tried to come closer to her. She put both of her hands out in front of her, pushing firmly against William’s chest. “Don’t. Don’t you dare, William.”, she spoke firmly with a quivering voice. William chuckled. “What? What don’t you want me to do, baby? You don’t want me to love you, to hold you, to kiss you?”, he spoke as he mocked Anrian. Sadie’s face dropped. It was only just a few hours ago that she had heard those words from Anrian. She began to cry in agonizing pain. William watched her as she fell apart, burying her face in the white sheets. He gently stroked her hair and her back, and then whispered in her ear. “You belong to me, Sadie, so get used to it and get over it. This is your home now.” Sadie continued to cry as William slowly rose from her bed and walked dignifiedly over to her bedroom door. “Dinner will be served in an hour. I expect you to have yourself together by then. Stacy will be in with a selection of dress, chose wisely.”, William spoke slightly impatiently. He then left and closed her door. Sadie’s hands startled to trembling with anger and disgust as she clenched onto the sheets. “I hate you, William! I will never love you!! Never!!”, she screamed into the sheets.

That night, as William instructed, she had dinner with him. She was given a burgundy silk dress that was too revealing for her taste. It had a plunging neckline that stopped right above her navel and her back was completely exposed down to the base of her spine. Sadie wasn’t sure what magical forces were holding this dress together. “This is ridiculous!”, she exclaimed with a stomp. Suddenly, there was a knock at her door. “Miss, it’s time.”, one of the guards said without opening the door. Sadie bit her lip and squeezed her eyes shut. She hated every second of this. First, William beats Anrian probably to death and then he forces her to have dinner with him wearing a dress that she wasn’t comfortable in. Another knock sounded. “Miss, please don’t make me break this door down.”, the guard said in the same tone. Sadie quickly opened the door. The guard looked her up and down and gave her a suggestive smile. Sadie rolled her eyes in disgust. “Follow me.”, he said. Sadie did as she was told, maintaining a significant distance.

After taking a few turns, Sadie and the guard arrived at a large banquet hall. A single table set for two was in the middle of the large room with two small roses in a tiny vase in the center of the table. “Wait here.”, the guard said as he pointed at a chair. Sadie cautiously sat down and looked around the banquet hall as the guard left. “My, my, my, you look even better in that dress than I had imagined.”, William said as he emerged from the shadows.