COLD TRAP

MIRABELLA

“Tell me something about you; something I don’t already know.”

Matteo questions in a soft voice as he wraps the cuff of the sphygmomanometer around my upper arm. I blink a few times from the

unexpectedness of his question.

He raises an eyebrow nudging me to answer as he continues taking my blood pressure and I scoff. “Bold of you to think you know even a thing about me.”

“You have no idea, Annabella… His voice is laced with mischief

I narrow my eyes at him. Something in my gut telling me that Matteo knows something about me something that might jeopardize me. My identity perhaps

“So, what’s your story, you know with the consistent nightmares.” Matteo calls back my attention and I bite down on my bottom lip.

“I don’t know, Matteo, you tell me. After all you’re the one who has dedicated your time to making sure you traumatize me with your horrific punishments,” I answer in one breath making sure my sarcasm doesn’t go unnoticed

“So? I’m responsible for your nightmares?” Matteo chuckles dryly

a one worded answer

“Yes.” I I give a o

“Well, I’m honored.”

I scoff and my mouth hangs open for a minute. What sort of messed up man did I end up with? I ask myself.

“You’re all good for now, wife” Matteo’s voice in a monotone as he packs up the sphygmomanometer. “We hope to keep it that way, don’t

we?” I gasp when he places a kiss on my temple

“We do.” I look at him a little longer than I should and gulp. “Matteo?” I say his name in a hushed tone.

“Yes?”

“You’re an a**e but thank you for taking care of me.” Why the**k did I just say thank you to the man who almost killed me?

Jesus

Get your head in order Mirabella.

I swallow my pills and wait for Matteo to leave the room so I can take out the contact lenses and be back down but he doesn’t move. He

stands beside me for a while, his eyes heavy on me and it takes a lot for me not to squirm.

feel so bare and violated by the way his eyes are scanning every inch of my body.

Matte heaves out a sigh and walks around to the other end of the bed and I narrow my eyes, “what do you think you’re doing?” I question,

bom nervovaly

12:26 FM, 21 JUI!!

“Trying to get some sleep. Keep up, Bella.”

Jesus F**g Christ.

“In here? You cannot be in here, Matteo, leave!” My voice become thick with anger and Matteo only scoffs as his back lands on the bed with a

small squeak.

“Go to sleep, Bella, I’m not about to f**k you in your sleep,” he looks me up and down with hooded eyes, “except you want me to.”

“In your wildest imagination,” I mutter.

Matteo holds my glare for a moment before his lips tilts up. His voice rasp when he whispers, “you have no idea in what ways I’ve imagined

you beneath me.”

My eyes widen at his words and my face contorts when I realize he’s serious about sleeping on the same bed as l

I pull the bedside drawer open and grab an eye mask. I lie down and face away from Matteo as I subtly take out the lenses immediately covering my eyes with the mask.

Matteo’s presence in my room might be foreign, but it is surprisingly comforting. I pay attention to the pace at which he inhales and exhales his breath and it feels like the most heart warming lullaby I’ve ever heard.

I shift and turn a few times before my breath starts evening out. This is the fastest I’ve fallen asleep in a really long time.

I sit on the bed in my old lab, my chunky headset covering my ears as I blast loud music through them.

Ares runs in, panting like he just returned from a marathon. He forcefully takes out my headset and flings it across the room. “You’re a f**g idiot, Mirabella. How many times do you have to be warned about this s**d headset of yours before you actually listen!” Ares screams at me for the first time since I’ve known him.

But I don’t care that he’s screaming and cursing me out, it is the fear in his voice that gets my attention and I immediately know that the day I

dreaded has come.

I stand up in one quick move as my body tremble, “they’re here?” My voice unsteady and my tears blurs out everything.

Ares nods once, “everyone is dead, including our master.”

“Gesù.” I choke out.

“They can’t ruin all of this, no they cannot.” I grit out and Ares shakes his head ‘no’, knowing exactly what I’m about to do.

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“They’re here for me Ares; there’s no choice here.” I say in a whisper and shove him aside as I take calculated steps outside.

I’m knocked out the moment I step outside and when I wake up, the familiar smell of my father’s basement welcomes my nostrils and I

shudder.

“Here comes our little fugitive,” father giggles like a mad man and i swallow hard. He stalks over to me with heavy steps and before I can gather any strength to push myself back, his hand comes down hard on my face.

“How dare you run away from the school?” Slap.

12:26 Fri, 21 Jun (1

“Trying to get some sleep. Keep up, Bella.”

Jesus F**g Christ.

“In here? You cannot be in here, Matteo, leavel” My voice become thick with anger and Matteo only scoffs as his back lands on the bed with a small squeak.

“Go to sleep, Belia, I’m not about to f**k you in your sleep,” he looks me up and down with hooded eyes, “except you want me to.”

“In your wildest imagination,” I mutter.

Matteo holds my glare for a moment before his lips tilts up. His voice rasp when he whispers, “you have no idea in what ways I’ve imagined

beneath me.”

My eyes widen at his words and my face contorts when I realize he’s serious about sleeping on the same bed as L

I pull the bedside drawer open and grab an eye mask. I lie down and face away from Matteo as I subtly take out the lenses immediately covering my eyes with the mask.

Matteo’s presence in my room might be foreign, but it is surprisingly comforting. I pay attention to the pace at which he inhales and exhales his breath and it feels like the most heart warming lullaby I’ve ever heard.

I shift and turn a few times before my breath starts evening out. This is the fastest I’ve fallen asleep in a really long time.

I sit on the bed in my old lab, my chunky headset covering my ears as I blast loud music through them.

Ares runs in, panting like he just returned from a marathon. He forcefully takes out my headset and flings it across the room. “You’re a f***g idiot, Mirabella. How many times do you have to be warned about this stupid headset of yours before you actually listen!” Ares screams at me for the first time since I’ve known him.

But I don’t care that he’s screaming and cursing me out, it is the fear in his voice that gets my attention and I immediately know that the day I

dreaded has come.

I stand up in one quick move as my body tremble, “they’re here?” My voice unsteady and my tears blurs out everything.

Ares nods once, “everyone is dead, including our master.”

“Gesu.” I choke out.

“They can’t ruin all of this, no they cannot.” I grit out and Ares shakes his head ‘no’, knowing exactly what I’m about to do.

“They’re here for me Ares; there’s no choice here.” I say in a whisper and shove him aside as I take calculated steps outside.

I’m knocked out the moment I step outside and when I wake up, the familiar smell of my father’s basement welcomes my nostrils and i shudder.

“Here comes our little fugitive,” father giggles Eke a mad man and I swallow hard. He stalks over to me with heavy steps and before I can gather any strength to push myself back, his hand comes down hard on my face.

“How dare you run away from the school?” Slap.

12:26. Fr, “ZIJUN

“You stupid, ungrateful piece of shit!”

Slap.

“Strap her in!” He orders his minions in a thunderous voice and they obey.

This time I don’t care to protest; I brace myself for it and it annoys my father to shit but he still doesn’t change his mind. He stands there, watching his men as they electrocute me until I’m close to passing out before he orders them to stop.

I’m swiftly unstrapped from the chair and I hit the ground with a thud as I wince and groan. “Did you suddenly remember something? Is that why you ran, hmm? Mirabella?” Father asks and I shake my head “no”.

“Strip!” Father orders and I push myself back and stutter, “w-why?”

Father chuckles dryly and his eyes searches between his men until he smiles at the youngest of them and orders him to come play with me. “F**k her until she spills the truth about what she knows!

“No!” I scream, “I’ll not allow it! It has been eleven f**g years and you still don’t believe that I do not remember even a thing?” I feel angry. so angry that i forget in whose presence i stand. But all I care about is protecting what is left of me and I’m not about to stand back and watch this criminal take my innocence from me.

“What kind of a father are you? Are you really going to stand there and watch your daughter as another man rapes her? And for what Marcelo? For something she knows nothing about!”

I get on my knees and sob, “please father, this is the only part of me that I believe I have control over; don’t take away this one from me at least not in this Inhumane manner.”

Deafening silence ensues as my father looks at me; his eyes laced with amusement. A hearty laughter erupts from his throat and that’s all the

sound there is in the room for a few minutes.

“I knew you had it in you, that feistiness. Welcome to the family, Mirabella,” father says and nods to his minion and my eyes widen.

My father is trying to brand me; like a s**

The man grabs the hot iron bit; you can see the large letter M boldly carved onto the iron. “Cleavage,” father orders.

“No! I’m not a s**e!” I scream.

“I don’t belong to you!”

“Please! No!” I cry out.

My body jolts awake and for a moment I stay still I touch my face and thank my goodness when I realize I still have my y eye mask on. The next minute catches me unaware when a hysteric laughter erupts from my throat.

Someone might hear it and think what is so funny, but this laugh? It seems like my cry for help. “There’s not a moment of peace in my lifer” i scream out loud as I kick my legs into the air.

My body goes stiff when I roll over to the far end of the bed; an end where Matteo should be asleep in but he’s not there. Thankfully.

“Great! That a** eating, ugly, broken, mad n o f a i c h is out of here.” I seethe as I get out of bed and stand in front of the mirror.

I grab the hem of my shirt and pull it over head, with my fingers skimming across the tattoo on my cleavage. Funny how I got ‘failure’ tatted on me. It was how I felt like a failure-after my father branded me.

Beneath this tattoo is my father’s everlasting mark. There was nothing I did not do to get rid of the mark of s l a v e s on my skin but my attempts were all futile and I resorted to getting a tattoo on it.

“That is quite the opinion you have of me,” a thick voice snaps me out of my trans and I gasp loudly.

I’m fidgeting, what the freaking hell is going on? I don’t know what to conceal anymore, my eyes or my exposed breasts?

Jesus.

I sag against the ground and curl myself into a ball, my gaze remaining on the ground. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you were in here.” I rush out the words and slam my eyes shut as I wait for a slap or a punch but nothing. Only the sound of Matteo tutting.

“It’s okay. Everyone is expected to have their personal opinions.” Matteo stalks over to me and I lose control of my emotions. With every step he takes toward me, a certain emotion that I’ve successfully suppressed over the years threatens to resurface. That’s all it takes, Matteo standing before me and I burst out sobbing, very loudly.

He immediately backs away.

“Did I say something wrong?” Matteo questions with a concerned tone. I continue sobbing as I wonder if he’s so dumb that he can’t see that

I’m bare in front of him.

I feel so vulnerable before him.

“Get out!” I scream. “You p e r v e e s o n of a i tc h! Why did you watch me take off my shirt? You couldn’t even alert me that you were here,

idiota.”

I sniffle and Matteo chuckles and I could swear I heard him laugh.

“Jesus, Bella, don’t be so dramatic.” He snickers as he walks out of the room.

F** k my life.