Celine lay there in total surrender, her eyes squeezed shut. She chose to kill her feelings, allowing her body to be explored by Leo's wild, roaming hands.
Leo began to trace her body with frantic kisses. He scattered hot, searing marks across her pale skin, leaving behind a trail of crimson bruises. They were forced marks of ownership.
Leo's breath came in ragged gasps as his desire reached its peak. He looked down at Celine's face. She looked lifeless.
"Why are you so silent, Celine? Open your eyes. Look at the man who owns you now," Leo demanded in a hoarse voice.
Celine opened her eyes, but only to stare at the ceiling, carefully avoiding any eye contact.
"Just get it over with," Celine said sharply, her voice dripping with cold hatred.
A devious smile played on Leo's lips. "I paid a high price for you, Celine. I'm going to enjoy every second, slowly." He leaned down, whispering harshly into her ear.
With a rough shove, Leo's hand touched her intimate areas. "You're wet. That's a sign you're enjoying this too, isn't it?"
The accusation hit Celine like a physical blow. Her chest heaved, not from lust, but from the effort of holding back a sob.
A small shriek escaped Celine's lips as he forced his way inside her.
"Ah!"
The tears she had been holding back finally spilled over.
"Does it hurt?" Leo whispered again, his tone filled with cruel satisfaction. "This is nothing, Celine. I'll make sure you feel even more pain, so you never forget tonight."
Leo began to move his hips with a fast, punishing rhythm. Celine remained silent, only able to grip the silk sheets beneath her as hard as she could. She endured the excruciating physical pain mixed with the agony of her torn dignity. She closed her eyes again, the tears flowing from her lashes without pause.
***
The Next Day.
The hotel room was still dim. Celine opened her eyes in the morning to find herself wrapped in Leo's arms. Leo's face looked calm and peaceful in sleep, a sharp contrast to his cruelty from the night before.
Celine pulled herself away from his embrace with extremely careful movements. She bit her lip, stifling a wince as a stinging pain shot through her lower body. With staggering steps, she made her way to the bathroom.
Under the warm spray of the shower, Celine let the water wash over her body, but it failed to wash away the sense of ruin in her heart. When she finished, she returned to the bedroom, her body wrapped in a towel.
Celine stood beside the bed, staring at Leo's sleeping face. For a moment, traces of tenderness from old memories surfaced, back when they were teenage lovers. But quickly, that look transformed into pure loathing.
"Are you satisfied now?" she whispered softly, her voice catching. "You made me rot for ten years in prison, and now, you've given me a new prison the moment I'm free."
Celine's tears fell, but she stood tall. She was no longer crying because of the physical pain, but because of the realization that she had lost everything, including her dignity, for the sake of this man.
Celine quickly dressed herself. Without looking back, she stepped out of the hotel room.
"I'll make sure this is the last time we meet, Leo," Celine muttered under her breath, quickening her pace as she left the hotel.
***
Celine sat on the edge of her mother's hospital bed. She held her mother's thin hand, wearing a forced smile. Celine worked hard to hide the traces of the anguish and devastation she had experienced the previous night.
"Mom, listen to me," Celine said gently. "In two days, you're going to have your surgery. You have to be strong and get well soon, okay?"
Celine took a bag of green grapes from her purse. "Would you like some grapes? I bought your favorite."
Her mother's weak eyes moved, searching Celine's face with questions.
"The surgery?" her mother asked faintly, her voice barely a whisper. "Where did you get the money, Celine? It must be so expensive."
Celine looked down for a moment, swallowing the lump in her throat. She knew she had to lie.
"Do you remember my boss, Mrs. Betrix?" Celine replied, trying to sound cheerful. "Yes, she's very kind, Mom. She lent me the money. She said it will be deducted from my salary every month."
Her mother's breath hitched. The worry on her face vanished, replaced by relief and deep gratitude.
"Oh God," her mother whispered, tears of emotion trickling from the corners of her eyes. "Thank you, Lord, for sending such good people to help my daughter."
Celine could only respond with a thin smile, her heart breaking. She kissed her mother's forehead. The lie she had just told was the only way to hide the bitter reality. The "good person" her mother referred to was a pimp, and the money was the price Celine had paid for her soul.
***
Leo woke up slowly. He felt the side of the bed next to him. It was cold. Celine was gone.
Leo stood up and reached for his bathrobe. As his gaze swept over the bedside table, he saw a small scrap of white paper lying there.
Leo picked it up. The handwriting was neat but firm, as if every word had been forced out of pure hatred.
The note read:
I'm sorry, I took five hundred dollars from your wallet. I needed it for taxi fare and to buy some fruit for my mother. Please deduct it from the payment for my body.— Celine.
Leo read the sentence. Five hundred. An amount so trivial. A bitter, crooked smile crossed Leo's face. He crumpled the paper in his hand.
His smile faded, replaced by a cold, determined stare. He tossed the paper onto the floor.
"You think you can just escape me, Celine?" Leo muttered to the empty room.
"I'll make sure you're right in the palm of my hand." Leo spoke again, his eyes sharp and his jaw tightening with a cruel resolve.
***
The night had grown late. In a simple coffee shop, Celine was finishing her shift. she moved deftly, gathering dirty plates and coffee mugs from the tables. The scent of coffee filled the air. The shop was closed, with only the small side door left open.
As she wiped down a table with quick, efficient strokes, she heard a set of unfamiliar footsteps approaching. They were firm steps, accompanied by a mocking laugh.
"Is the profession of a whore not enough to sustain you?"
That voice. Leo. His mocking tone immediately ignited a fire of rage in Celine's chest.
Celine did not look up. She did not react. She continued to wipe the surface of the table briskly, as if she hadn't heard a single word he said.
Leo lost his patience. He grabbed Celine's wrist, forcing her to stop her work and look at him.
Celine pulled her hand away with a violent jerk. She slammed the wet rag in her hand onto the wooden table with a loud thud, a clear signal of her fury.
"Don't we hate each other?" Celine asked curtly, finally looking at Leo. Her eyes were piercing. "It's better if we never see each other again."
Celine reached for the rag again and resumed her work, trying to build an invisible wall between them.
However, Leo stepped closer again. This time, he caught both of Celine's hands, halting her entirely.
"Marry me, Celine," Leo said, his voice low and serious. "Let's get married."
Celine stood there, gaping at the words that had just come out of Leo's mouth.