Chapter 21
1045 Words
Alice's POV*
Days passed and everything started to feel a bit normal.
Like I wasn’t accused of anything.
Maria barely talked to me anymore, and that scared me. The last time she went quiet like this, it ended with me in a huge problem.
Mrs. River still hadn’t left.
Nena and Julie still loved me. At least they were the only people who hadn’t hurt me. Not like someone else did.
But happiness never lasts long for people like me.
***
It was evening.
I was taking a tray of food to Mrs. River’s room. My hands were steady, but my chest felt tight. Something wasn’t right. I couldn’t place it.
I got to Mrs. River’s door.
Then I heard muffled sounds. Like someone was being strangled.
I set the food down on the flower-face table outside the door and peeked inside.
I was shocked by who it was.
A person in a mask. But I knew that figure.
Maria.
She drove a knife into Mrs. River’s shoulder and covered her mouth with her other hand.
I tried to call for help, but Maria had already noticed me. She came out fast and shoved me into the room.
“Help… me, please… help,” Mrs. River whispered to me.
I ran outside, but Maria was already gone.
Why would she do this?
I went back in and dropped to my knees beside her.
“Don’t worry, ma. You’ll be fine, okay?”
I started shouting for help.
Soon people started rushing into the room. By then Mrs. River had already fainted.
“MOTHER!” Zain rushed in and pushed me away.
“You did this,” Zain said, glaring at me.
I was shocked.
“No, I didn’t,” I said, standing up from the ground. My voice was shaking.
Alessandro walked in and stopped.
He looked at the scene with cold eyes.
“How did this happen?” he said, stepping closer to me.
I got the instinct he was about to hit me and started stepping back.
“No, I didn’t do this. No. I know the person. It’s Maria.”
Maria, who had already changed and come back to the room, looked so innocent.
“Sir, she’s lying,” Maria said quickly. “She told me if I told anyone, I would be the next to be killed.”
I was shocked.
Such a big liar.
The workers in the room started cursing at me.
But Julie walked in. She came to my side and held my hand. She turned to Alessandro.
“Sir, I don’t think she did this. Please investigate.”
Alessandro didn’t seem to hear what she was saying. He made a phone call. Soon the emergency team from the hospital came to pick up Mrs. River.
“You have no excuse,” Alessandro said. His face grew darker. “A test was run on the knife and it showed your fingerprints.”
He turned to Julie.
“Juliet, call Adrian and tell him to be back soon.”
Then he turned to me.
“You couldn’t hurt anyone else, and you hurt my mother. You’re so dead.”
He grabbed my wrist and started dragging me out of the room. The servants made way for us.
“Sir, no, I didn’t hurt her. Please. I didn’t.”
He was dragging me to the punishment room.
No. Not there.
“You will learn how I treat enemies today,” he said.
“No… please.”
I didn’t want to feel the pain of the whip.
It’s so agonizing.
He threw me to the floor and locked the door behind him.
The sound made my stomach drop.
He stepped closer to me and shifted back. His hands went to his waist to get his belt.
No.
“I didn’t do it. Please.”
Today he seemed different. Before, he would tie me up to punish me. But now he didn’t.
He walked to the cardboard in the room and brought something out.
No. It can’t be.
Handcuffs.
“Sir, no, please.”
“Strip.”
What.
“I said strip!”
“If you make me do it, you’re going to regret this,” I said, tears streaming down my face. I didn’t move an inch.
Why should I strip? I did nothing wrong.
He closed the cardboard and came back to me.
“Not yet,” he muttered.
He stepped forward and grabbed my neck.
I started hitting him because I couldn’t breathe.
He started tearing my clothes off.
“No... sir... please stop... I don’t have... much... clothes,” I managed to squeeze out.
When he was done, I was left in only my bra and pants.
I immediately covered my upper body with my hands.
He grabbed my hair and dragged me. I yelped in pain. He pulled me to a table that had two holes in it.
“Put your hands in there.”
I obeyed because I didn’t want to see his next move.
I put my hands in and he cuffed them from the other side.
My wrists burned from the metal.
What did he want to do?
Without giving me time, I felt a cold whip land on my back.
Pain exploded through me and I screamed.
“Stop! I didn’t do it!”
Another strike.
“Please!”
Tears were running down my face. I couldn’t breathe right. My chest hurt. My back was on fire.
“Why?” I choked out. “I didn’t hurt her. Check the cameras. Please, Alessandro, just check.”
He didn’t answer.
Another hit landed.
My vision started to blur. The room was spinning.
“Please... stop...”
The last thing I felt was his hand on my arm.
Then everything went black.
I fainted.
The cold floor was the last thing I remembered.
The pain. The fear. The sound of the door.
And then nothing.
***
I don't know how long I slept but the next time I woke up I was on the bed in an unfamiliar comfortable room.
I looked around to see Zain, Julie and Adrian and I didn't see Alessandro.
I was a bit confused and didn't know what they were doing here.
Julie was on the bed sitting beside me.
- Writer
