Rain tapped relentlessly against the window. I sat on the bed, staring out, letting my eyes follow the streaks racing down the glass. Each drop seemed to pull a fragment of memory behind it, twisting into something I couldn't name.
"Another day has passed… how long have I been like this?" I asked myself again and again, but the question never brought an answer. One thought spiraled into another, endlessly, leaving me hollow.
The rain grew heavier, hammering against the glass like someone's screams and cries. And somehow… I felt as if those cries were meant for me.
Then, a deep voice sliced through the sound of the storm, pulling me out of my thoughts:
"Feeling guilty? Or just pretending not to care? Why were you staring out the window, unaware of your husband coming home?"
The words cut through my mind, mingling with the relentless rain, sending a cold shiver down my spine. I turned slowly and there he was. A familiar figure standing in the doorway, eyes locked on me, and everything in the room seemed to tense, as if holding its breath.
I didn't know if it was the sound of the rain or his presence that made me shiver. I forced myself to calm down, masking my fear with a neutral tone and expression.
"I didn't expect you to come back so early today... Maybe you're hungry. I can go to the kitchen and bring you something."
He didn't reply, just stepped closer. My chest tightened, confusion mixing with a strange pull I couldn't resist.
"What are you thinking about, my monkey?" His voice was low, teasing... and somehow commanding.
I stepped back from his presence, my hand brushing against his face, trying to ground myself. "Nothing" I whispered
His eyebrows knitted together, forming sharp lines across his forehead.
"Don't think you can hide it from me. You always like to hide things from me... and you know I'll always find a way to make you tell me."
His deep, commanding voice resonated through the room once more. I showed no reaction. This wasn't the first time, and I had grown numb to it-day after day, every single time. I braced myself for another argument but didn't bother explaining. I simply pushed him aside and walked out, a chill crawling down my spine.
A sharp tug yanked my hair back. Pain shot through my nerves in an instant. "I haven't given you permission to leave," he said, voice low and dangerous. "Why are you trying to go? Do you want to avoid me that badly?"
The sound of his teeth grinding echoed in the room. Each word he spoke felt like my hair was about to snap, like every syllable carried a subtle threat only I could feel
He pulled my hair so hard, it felt like my head was going to explode. He slammed me to the ground, and I screamed from the pain. He stepped back, looking at me like I was a trembling animal trying to get up. He sneered, glancing at the window where the rain hammered against the glass.
"The more you resist... the truer you are to your nature. Since it's raining... should your husband lock you in a dark room again, huh? My little monkey."
Hearing "dark room" made fear explode inside me. My body shook uncontrollably. I crawled to his feet, begging, voice breaking:
"Don't... don't lock me in there. You know... you know I'm scared, I'm so scared... please, don't lock me in there. I beg you!"
He looked at me with a mix of contempt and amusement.
"I know... but naughty animals must be punished by their owners."
He grabbed my head again, dragging my body behind him. I held my head, screaming:
"No! Don't lock me up! Please... I don't want to go in there!"
He ignored my pleas, dragged me into the basement. The door slammed shut. I banged on it, screamed, begged, but he pretended not to hear. Rain and thunder pounded outside. Darkness swallowed me.
I huddled in a corner, hugging myself, unable to see anything. Crying, screaming, banging on the door-I was like a wild dog in a cage, exhausted, terrified... until I finally passed out, alone and broken.
Unconsciously, I could still feel the cold from the rain. It wasn't bone-chilling, but it was enough to make my chest tighten, as if my heart itself shivered.
The basement was built to lock me up whenever I was stubborn and disobedient.
Even though it was familiar, it still felt as strange to me as the first time I entered.
There was nothing in the room but me and the darkness, the dripping sound echoing like rain seeping through the walls.
Now I wondered when he would come. I knew he too feared the sound of rain, and being alone, without me, he could not sleep. He had told me once that whenever he slept alone, he felt as if someone were watching him, wanting to kill him. I understood. Every night, he held me in his arms, never letting me go.
Thinking back, nostalgia washed over me. Those nights apart felt endless, yet somehow, our bond endured. During our long-distance relationship, separated by countries and languages, we maintained our love through two phones. Every conversation was a puzzle of miscommunication and lingering doubts.
We video-called each night to fall asleep together, night after night. He was often overly protective, and if I ever said I couldn't call, he would worry, sometimes even suspecting I had cheated. I felt helpless, but always agreed to call him, because it was the only way to keep our bond alive.
Now, even living under the same roof, our nights are no longer just calls. Yet, no matter how busy he is or how late he comes home, he always finds a way to be with me every night, making sure we are never truly apart, as if even distance or fatigue could not sever what we share.
Everything seemed perfect... until that day came. The day that shattered it all, the day that changed everything between us.