ZARYA ROGOV
"Y-You did it, you clean i-it."
I immediately zipped my mouth up when I realized what I just blurted. He said nothing and slowly closed the book, putting it aside on the bedside table as he leaned back against the master chair.
"I will make you lick all of that clean if you don't start cleaning it now." His threat wasn't to be taken lightly. He was notorious and always did exactly what he said, and mostly, he's unhinged with his words.
I licked my dried-out lips and hesitantly got on my knees. With my head lowered, I began to clean. I didn't dare look up at him. He was probably having fun.
This humiliation...and this was only the beginning of this cursed marriage.
Just as I was about to pull back, he moved his feet in front of me. Coffee droplets dress his pale skin. He burned me, but he burned himself as well.
Sadistic.
I didn't move to clean his feet. I just stared at them with my blurry gaze. No, I didn't want to cry in front of him, but I couldn't control those tears of humiliation and the fear for the future.
"Go on," he said ever so slowly, his hand under his chin as he watched me.
I didn't want to, but I had no choice.
My hands trembled as I cleaned his feet, tears finally pouring down my cheeks. I kept my head low, not wanting him to see me so vulnerable, even though I was at his feet.
As I was about to pull back, he suddenly grabbed a fistful of my hair and pulled me towards himself. I yelped in pain, my hands falling on his lap.
He raised my tear-stricken face.
"Look at this..."
His grip painfully tightened on my hair, making me hiss. My hands shot up, trying to make him loosen his grip, but the struggle was useless against his power. His finger was digging into my scalp, inflicting more pain.
"Pathetic, aren't you?" He gripped my chin with his right hand to keep my face steady. I looked up at him with my teary eyes, and the blankness in his gaze was haunting me.
This man had no heart beating within him.
His grip painfully tightened on my chin. He said nothing, just stared as if he were mesmerized by my pain.
"I wonder why your father isn't at my door yet?"
"He w-would never come, not af-after your lies."
"Exactly, and that makes you even more pathetic." His harsh words were like stabs. "And...where is your ring?" My eyes widened, and a shiver ran down my spine when I remembered throwing it away in the room.
I swallowed thickly.
"Uh..."
He let go of my chin, left hand still gripping my hair. He opened the bedside table drawer and pulled out a knife. My already wide eyes stared in horror at the knife. "What are yo...agh" I tried to pull back, but he pulled me even closer to himself by the grip on my hair.
"What did I tell you?"
'I'll carve my name on your very existence.' I remember his words, and more tears pricked my eyes. I flinched when he brought the knife closer to my face and caressed my cheek with the sharp tip of the knife. The coldness of the blade made me shiver.
"Face, hand, or body?" He whispered under his breath. "Please n-no." I cried out.
"Will you take off the ring again?" He asked ever so slowly, knife pressing against my chin...harder.
"N-No," I barely manage to speak.
He harshly let go of me, making me stumble back and fall on my butt.
"Leave," he commanded. I didn't waste a single second before getting up and leaving his room. I didn't glance at him even once.
It felt like I was finally breathing when I was not in his overwhelming vicinity. By the time I reached my room, I collapsed on the bed and within a few seconds, I fell into a deep slumber.
Sleep was my coping mechanism.
******
I flinched and abruptly sat up on the bed when the ringing of the phone haunted my ears again. He was calling again. The effect that call was having on me would soon turn me into a mental patient.
The sun rays were enlightening the room through the window, the birds were chirping, and if it wasn't for that haunting call, maybe this would have been a peaceful morning.
I attended the call.
"Come to my room." He ordered me like I was his servant on command; that's exactly what this marriage was to him.
Slow poisoning.
He dropped the call before I could say anything.
Rubbing a hand down my face, I stood up from the bed and freshened up. I desperately wanted to change out of these clothes, desperately needed a good restroom, and a bed because my back was sore on that rotten mattress.
When I left the room, unlike late at night, the mansion seemed pretty lively. His family was the reason this mansion looked so lively.
The servants working around paused to look at me before whispering among each other.
I wondered what they thought of me.
*Knock* *knock*
"Enter," I stepped into his room hesitantly, closing the door behind me. His strong musky scent was all over the room as he stood near the dresser, putting on his black coat and then his watch.
He didn't say anything.
"You...c-called me."
"Grab that dress from the couch and get clean, you smell." How rude.
Thanks to you.
I moved towards the couch and grabbed the maroon colored dress. I was relieved to be finally out of these clothes. Just as I turned around to leave, his words had me halting.
"Where are you going?" He asked.
"Huh?" I slowly turned back to look at him.
"Did I tell you to leave?" He asked, putting on his rings, and I saw how he put the wedding first and then all the others. Why was he giving such importance to that ring when he was treating this marriage like shit?
I remained quiet.
"Get cleaned up in my restroom, you have 10 minutes."
"10 minutes is too little."
"9 minutes." He ordered with a blank face. I was taken aback by his audacity.
He was a psychotic asshole.
I immediately rushed inside his restroom, and it was already steamy since he had taken a shower. I didn't waste a single second before stripping out of my clothes and turning on the shower.
The warm water soaked me in seconds. I closed my eyes, enjoying the warmth of those droplets caressing my skin, but the pleasure was short-lived when I realized my time was running.
I immediately grabbed his shampoo and used it on my scalp. I was missing my Lily shampoo and rose body wash. Rinsing myself off one last time, I didn't bother to dry myself and immediately put on the dress he gave me.
It was a long maroon dress.
It looked like it belonged to someone who was married, and that's what I was now, a married woman in the cage of a beast husband.
My hair was drenched, soaking my dress.
I couldn't believe how desperately I was moving on his commands.
I would surely get out of this damned marriage before he actually consumes me.
I stepped out of the restroom and saw him sitting on his master chair once again. A cigar between his fingers and a knife in his other hand. My heartbeat accelerated when I realized I was not wearing the ring.
"2 minutes late,"
"It took me time to move out of my clothes." It was impossible to shower in 9 minutes. I don't even know how I did it in 11 minutes.
"I can show you how to take those off within seconds." His eyes lingered on my dress, and I uncomfortably shifted on my feet. My heart was beating in my ears, and my senses were fully aware of the threat before me.
"Show me your ring." His command had my heart falling.