Between Secrets In The Dark

Chapter Three

Selene.

Selene Ashwood.

The name echoed in my head, a ghost from a life I thought I had buried. A name I had long forgotten and hated, a name that had been filled with tainted memories and painful past, but one I had loved so much. I could never stop running away from Robert and Lorenzo- the two monsters in my life.

I was born in a small town, my mother, Anne, a hardworking doctor who always put others before herself. When I turned five, my father vanished with another woman, leaving behind a void that my mother tried to fill with overprotectiveness and subtle resentment. The guilt, anger, and rage that churned within her often spilled onto me, a child who just wanted to be loved. I endured it all, clinging to the hope that one day she would heal. And for a while, she did.

Ten years later, when I turned fifteen, my mother met Robert. He was charming, attentive, and seemed to genuinely care for us both. A year later, they got married, and we began to function as a family. I loved Robert like a father, and he showered me with affection, making me feel safe and cherished. Or so I thought.

Beneath the surface of his warmth, Robert's obsession and jealously festered, slowly suffocating me. I wasn't allowed to date, to have male friends, to even speak to boys without his disapproving gaze burning into my skin. Then Lorenzo came along, like a beacon in the darkness.

On my eighteen birthday, he proposed, asked me to be his girlfriend. Not just any proposal, this man literally brought me different types of flowers, a ring and a pendant just to prove how worthy I was. I accepted without hesitation, I loved him with every fiber of my being, and he loved me in return.

We were from different worlds, he the only son of a wealthy and powerful family, and me? A young bump with a troubled past. But he wanted me regardless.

However, Robert didn't approve of our relationship. His obsession with me grew darker, more possessive. Some days it was hard to even communicate with Lorenzo, I had to sneak out of the house just to see him. I confided in my mother, hoping she would see the warning signs, but she brushed it off, dismissing it as Robert being protective.

Until one night....he forced himself on me.

Scared, humiliated, and consumed by shame. I kept in hidden, burying the trauma deep within my soul. But it happened again, and again, each violating chipping away at my spirit, until I was nothing more than a shell of the girl I once was.

I ran.

Away from home, away from Robert, away from Lorenzo.

I couldn't look at him in the eyes- I couldn't face him. The humiliation...the guilt...it was all too much.

A week later, I was found, broke and trembling on a park bench. I finally confessed to my mother, desperately seeking her help. But instead, she disowned me, called me a liar, accused me of trying to destroy her marriage. Robert on the other hand played his part so well, I felt stupid. The only person who stood by me was Lorenzo.

But he didn't know what had happened and why my mother threw me out. He never asked, he never pestered me about it. He took me to his mansion, his family at first, were furious, disgusted by my status which was way below theirs. But Lorenzo, fueled by rage and possessiveness, insisted on taking me in.

But the trauma was too much for me to bear, making love to Lorenzo felt like a constant trigger, a reminder of the horror I had endured. Every night, when he touched me, I saw Robert's face instead.

Until one night, consumed by guilt and the need for a new start. I finally confessed. I told him everything.

What I had expected was for him to hold me, to confirm me, to reassure me that I was safe. What I hadn't expected was for him to slaughter Robert right in front of my eyes. Along with the police men who ruled the case shut.

The man I had loved and trusted turned out to be a monster. A f*****g mafia boss. At the young age twenty one, even though his father was still alive, he was already the don. How come I never knew? How come I never realized it? All those times I complained of people who hurt me, one by one, they all disappeared. Little did I know Lorenzo was behind it.

He claimed it was for me, to avenge me, to protect me. But all he did was trap me in a world of violence and bloodshed, a world I desperately wanted to escape.

Now, six years later, here I was, face to face with my past.

He was even more imposing than I remembered, a wall of dark power radiated an aura of danger that made my knees weak. He reached into his pocket, and pulled out a phone. "Make everyone leave the building, now," he ordered, his voice clipped and devoid of emotion. "There's a mess in the changing room. I need it cleaned, thoroughly." He snapped the phone shut and slipped it back into his pocket, his eyes never leaving mine.

He strolled closer, the heavy tread of his polished shoes echoing in the silent room. My instincts screamed at me to run, to disappear but I stayed frozen, paralyzed by a terror so profound it stole my ability to move or think.

Just as I tried to bolt, my senses finally kicking in, he moved with a speed, blocking me before I could take more than a few steps. He caught me roughly, spinning me around and punning me against the wall. The air rushed from my lungs as his weight pressed against me, trapping me.

He reached up, the gun still in his hand, he pressed the barrel against my jawline, the touch icy against my skin. I couldn't help the tremor that racked my body.

His smirk widened, a flash of pure, unadulterated malice. "You thought you could escape me forever, amore?" His voice was a low, mocking purr, dripping with possessiveness and a hint of cruel amusement.

My breath hitched again, a ragged gasp against the suffocating weight of his presence. His dark eyes, pools of bottomless depravity, bored into mine, stripping away the years of carefully constructed defenses, leaving me raw and vulnerable. His face inched closer, his breath hitting my face. "Unfortunately for you, Selene, I found you," he whispered. "And you won't leave my sight, ever again."

"Let me go, Lorenzo, please," I pleaded, tears welling up in my eyes.

"After looking for you for years? Not a chance."

Tears streamed down my face as I looked up at him, begging him to understand. "Please....anything....I'll...do anything, just let me go."

"That's the point, Selene. I don't want you to go. I want you. All of you."

"No," I shook my head frantically, my body trembling. "I can't...I can't be with you...I can't do this again..."

His frown deepened. He pulled the gun away, putting it in his pocket. He leaned back, however his hands was still blocking my path. "I can let you go, if you so wish,"

As I opened my mouth to speak, the door burst open and walked in a bulky man with spiky black hair. "Don," the man said in a gruff tone.

Without turning to face him, Lorenzo spoke, his voice clipped. "Get the body out and leave immediately. I need to be alone."

The man's eyes darted between me and Lorenzo then nodded. "Understood boss."

I watched as two other men walked in and dragged Andres's body out, I winced as the trail of blood followed him. I felt a hand touch my chin, I flinched, making Lorenzo's frown deepened even more. "Don't do that."

"Please Lorenzo," my voice cracked. "Let me go."

"On one condition," he repeated as the men left. "You'll be my mistress for six months."

"Lorenzo, I-"

"A million dollars is what I'll offer,"

My eyes widened at his words. A million dollars. Enough to start over, to build a new life, to ensure a future for my kids.

"Two million, if that's too little,"

"Lorenzo, I-"

"Three," he cuts in, his eyes darkening, a dangerous glint appearing in their depths. "Shall I make it more, Selene?"

"That's a f*****g lot of money!" I screamed, pushing against his chest. "Are you crazy?! Are you sick?! I said I don't want you! Which means I also don't need your money! I just want to be free!"

"Isn't that why you're here?" He asked in a surprisingly calm tone. "Think I'm stupid? Selene, you're one girl I know that wouldn't be doing that for fun, you need the money, that's why you're here. And I don't give a f**k what mess you're into before I get you out of it!" He then straightened up, putting his hands in his pocket, his expression unreadable. "Think about my offer. I'll wait for your response. But trust me, you don't want to keep me waiting too long. Else, you and everyone else around you would regret it." With that, he turned and walked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

I sobbed harder, my hands clenching into fists. What the f**k had I gotten myself into again?

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