5
2115 Words
Maddison Lorenzo.
I don’t want to open my eyes.
If I keep them shut long enough, maybe last night stops being real. Maybe the water, the cold, all of it will turn into a bad dream I can blame on stress or the universe hating me.
The bed is too good for reality. It’s warm, soft, ridiculously comfortable like the kind rich people put in magazines. But even wrapped in all that softness, the second I move from one side to the other, the truth will hit me again.
That I’m still here and it’s not a dream.
My phone starts buzzing violently somewhere beside me. I groan, blink my eyes open, and instead of hellfire or the afterlife, I’m staring at the most beautiful ceiling I’ve ever seen like something out of a mansion tour vlog. Smooth white with gold trim. Too pretty to belong above my head.
I grab my phone. Notifications explode across the screen and it’s messages from Carl. Some from last night, some from this morning.
“Where are you?”
Sent right after I decided I was going to jump. Then more: “Did you see me dancing?” “Let’s talk.”
And this morning:
“I’m sorry for what I said last night.”
“I was drunk. The drink was spiked.”
“All we did was dance, nothing else. I’m not lying.”
“Merry Christmas.”
My nose burns the way it does when I’m about to cry again, and I hate it. I sit up and wipe at my face aggressively.
My life isn’t over. It’s not. I keep telling myself that.
I still have college. I still have my scholarship which is the one thing that could actually change everything for me. And my brothers… Nico and Jacob… they’re going to come for me. I know they are. I just need to keep messaging them whenever I get the chance, so they know Adonis has me.
I can survive this. I can do whatever he wants. What’s the worst that could happen if I just… follow the rules?
I throw the blankets off and am about to get up when the door swings open. For a split second I think it’s Fuchsia, maybe here to check on me.
But it’s Estella.
She smiles, but it’s a poor attempt of a smile. “You should be downstairs having breakfast. Mr. Adonis has ordered me to make sure you eat breakfast every single day. So get up and come down.”
“Okay.” I whisper.
“It’s okay, ma’am to you! You’re a guest here.” She repeats it like I argued, even though I didn’t.
“Alright… ma’am.” I say, waiting until she’s completely out of the room.
I go into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I do everything exactly the way I used to back in my tiny apartment… except the music part. No blasting Afrobeats, no singing into my toothbrush like a microphone, no dancing in front of the mirror.
I can’t do that here. I’m not happy enough for that.
Once I’m dressed, I pull out my phone and start a list of things I didn’t get to take with me. Things I need. My laptop. My textbooks. My skincare stuff. My notebook. All the small pieces of my old life that somehow feel a thousand miles away now.
I’m still typing as I walk down the stairs and that’s when I freeze.
There’s a giant Christmas tree in the middle of the house. And I don’t mean “big.” I mean huge. The kind you see in hotel lobbies or on Pinterest boards with captions like “Dream Christmas.”
Green, glowing, covered in red ornaments and gold lights.
But that’s not the crazy part. The craziest part is the hundreds…literal hundreds of wrapped boxes piled around it. Fuchsia is on her knees in the middle of them, screaming dramatically as she opens gifts. Her brother, Myron, is beside her, ripping open a box like a wild animal.
“It’s a car key! No way…Dad got me a car!” he yells, bolting to his feet and sprinting out of the room to go see it.
I’m still standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring like I’ve stepped into someone else’s Christmas movie.
Fuchsia looks up, sees me, and jumps to her feet with her arms wide open.
“Merry Christmas, babe!”
I hug her back, trying to match her energy. “Merry Christmas.”
“Carl said you guys are fighting.”
“Yeah… he was dancing with—”
“It’s fine, don’t explain. Boys can be douchebags. You should’ve stayed awake last night though! The party was insane. Fireworks, people screaming, Emily literally vomited all over Nate’s face when he tried to pick her up—”
She bursts out laughing but I smile weakly, looking back at the insane mountain of presents behind her.
She notices.
“My dad went crazy this Christmas, I guess,” she rolls her eyes dramatically. “Daddy!”
She squeals and runs toward someone behind me.
I turn…slowly and see Adonis walking into the room in a grey robe. Fuchsia throws herself at him, and he wraps one arm around her with a hint of a smile touching his face.
“I see you have been listening. You did get me the Hermès!” Fuchsia sings, rushing to grab the bag again before kissing her father on the cheek.
I look away and start walking toward the dining room.
But then Myron comes charging back inside like a linebacker, and—slams straight into me!
I hit the floor. “Ah—!”
“Shoot, didn’t see you there.”
I get up before anyone can react and walk off like nothing happened. My face burns, but I keep my head down.
Behind me I hear Fuchsia snap, “You didn’t even say sorry to Maddy. You should’ve picked her up.”
“She got up before I could—”
I pretend not to hear them.
Soon everyone gathers around the table. I stay silent, eating just enough pancakes and eggs to have some energy. Fuchsia talks nonstop about the Christmas fundraisers she’s been invited to, high-class events with her mom, fancy dresses, charity auctions. Myron jumps in with his own plans.
At one point, a suited employee walks up to Adonis with a tablet for him to look at. He checks something, nods, continues eating like he’s running a kingdom even at the breakfast table.
“And make sure to find a position for her.” Adonis says suddenly.
My fork pauses mid-air. He’s talking about me.
“For Maddy?” Fuchsia asks.
“Yeah. Since the police are still investigating the events that happened to her, it’s better she works close. I’ve decided to find a simple job for her.”
“Thank you again, sir.” I say quickly, trying to sound normal.
“Awwn, Daddy.” Fuchsia teases. “You’re so sweet when you’re not angry. Thanks for supporting Maddy.”
Myron turns to me. “Maddy, do you have any other family members?”
“Uh… no. My parents are passed.” I say it softly, eyes on my plate.
A heavy silence falls over the table and it’s one of those uncomfortable ones. I hate it. I hate sympathy. I hate pity. Especially with Adonis sitting right there. I don’t want him looking at me like I’m fragile and how I got down on my knees to him.
“Why don’t you spend Christmas with us then? It’ll be fun. My aunt and some other family members are joining today. It’s gonna be a full family.”
“Of course, that’s if Mr. Adonis allows me,” I say, staring at my plate. I know I don’t have a choice but I still say it.
“Daddy?” Fuchsia chirps.
“Of course.” Adonis answers without looking up, then stands when his phone rings again. The moment he leaves the table I finally let myself breathe.
My phone buzzes…it’s Carl again. “Can we see?” the pheon says. My chest tightens. Wait. It’s not like I’m stuck here forever. I can go out. I can breathe. The best thing is to get out for a bit and grab textbooks from the public library for when college starts since I don’t think im allowed to go back to my apartment.
I type back. Fine. Meet me at the public library. Carl sees it immediately so I get on my feet.
“I think I’ll go to the library.”
“On Christmas?” Fuchsia’s eyebrows fly up.
“Yeah. Carl will meet me there. I’m fine, Fuchsia. Please don’t look at me like that. Plus I need to borrow some textbooks.”
“Oh right. Anyway, call me if you need anything.”
“Sure.”
Estella comes back into the dining room carrying a small package, maybe for Fuchsia. I step past her and see Adonis is still on the phone.
When he finally lifts his head his eyes snap to me.
I stop. Permission, I remember, is the rule here. I swallow.
“Sir…” My voice comes out small. Embarrassingly small. I’m terrified to speak.
He lifts his eyes to me, still holding the phone to his ear. That look alone freezes my entire spine. I’m suddenly scared to even open my mouth.
“What?” He ends his call without breaking eye contact.
“I’m… going to the library.”
Adonis scans me from head to toe like he’s checking for lies like he can smell them.
“By yourself?” he asks.
“No, my boyfriend will be there.” I clear my throat, trying to sound more confident than I feel. I’m afraid of him, but I don’t always have to show it.
“Your boyfriend? The one who got you jumping into the water? That one?”
He looks at me like he’s disappointed in my entire existence which is insane because who the hell is he to judge me? He’s literally a kidnapper.
“Yes, sir.”
“Go ahead. Curfew is 6 p.m.”
“6 p.m.? I’m an adult—”
“You mean prisoner? My prisoner?” he slides both hands into the pockets of his robe. My eyes fall to his chest and the way he’s built like some dangerous statue.
“Alright.” I step past him before he changes his mind.
When I get outside, a chauffeur rushes toward the car and opens the back door for me like I’m some guest of honor.
“Um…”
“Where to, Miss?” he asks politely.
Right. I don’t have money. I don’t have an ATM card. The only thing I do have is my phone and the only reason I even have that is because when Adonis’ men kidnapped me, it was on the bed and they grabbed it with everything else. So really… how else am I supposed to survive except exactly like this?
“To the public library, please.” I climb into the car and the door shuts behind me.
The chauffeur starts driving. It’s not until we’re on the road that I realize I forgot a sweater and it’s freezing.
Twenty minutes later, I get to the library. It’s empty because what college student in Miami cares about studying on Christmas Day?
The car drives off and I stand there alone in front of the quiet building,
“Maddy.” Carl spots me standing near the reception desk and rushes over. He throws his hands around me.
“I’m sorry,” he says into my hair. “I’m sorry about last night.”
He pulls back, pushes his messy hair out of his face, and his eyes drop immediately to my outfit.
“You’re not wearing a jacket?”
Carl takes his off and drapes it over my shoulders.
“I’m sorry, okay?” he says again, softer this time. “I must’ve been stupidly drunk to say those kinds of things to you. I rented a study room we can go there. We’ll talk. You can tell me what really happened to you.”
The way he says it melts something inside my chest. I reach out and hold his hand because I need the comfort, the feeling of not being alone.
“Hey.” He squeezes my fingers. “I’m here. I swear I’ll never hurt you like that again.”
I want to believe him because he’s the only person I have left.
- Writer
