Page 2 of Deviant Secrets
1
CHLOE
The crisp fall air caressed my skin, and I pulled my sweater closer to my body. Every year, my sister and I made the trip to the family cabin to enjoy the way the leaves turned from their forest green to darker shades of yellow and crimson reds. The fresh air rejuvenated us and allowed a chance to clear our minds. The mountainous land and dipping valleys were always home to me.
Despite the blazing inferno in front of us, the soft rain drummed against my cheeks in a soft rhythm. We hadn’t been getting along and wanted to use this time to talk it out.
Her cheeks puffed out, and her mouth opened and closed a few times, striking my curiosity. Instead, she jabbed at the fire with a branch, her movements sharp and forced. Sighing,I rubbed the droplets away with the back of my hand.
Just say what you need to say…
The night would be ending for us soon and she would make the trek home while I stayed a few more days to enjoy the peace and quiet. No city noise and barking dogs next door. No painful reminders or tagging along to work with my father.
“So, any plans to settle down?” She asked curiously. “These posts you make are dangerous, and I don’t want you to get hurt.” Her voice showed genuine concern, but the underlying tension in her tone was unmistakable.
“The way I choose to live my life isn’t anyone’s business.” The words left my mouth before my brain had the chance to process them. I personally researched everyone before I met them. Endless amounts of money spent on background checks, STD checks. I left no stone unturned. “I promise you. I’m as careful and precise as possible. Nothing will happen to me.”
Her face contorted to one of concern, and she hummed her disapproval, as if she was the older sister. She rolled her shirt tight in her hands, faster and faster, and I couldn’t help but to feel suspicious. She was a confident person, able to decide what she wanted and take it. This was out of character.
“You know what I mean,” she continued. “Don’t you want to get married, or have a family? It’s great you're focusing on yourself, and I’m overjoyed you take measures to look into these mysterious strangers properly. You had the perfect life though, and a fiancé that would’ve given you the world. Tried to.”
“Is that what they’re calling it?” I scoffed. “He was a monster, Maya. He threw me in a cage and locked me away from the world. I don’t want that life. I’m free now.” My voice cracked, and I found myself drifting back to a place I didn’t want to be.
The psychotic look in his darkened eyes made my skin crawl as he backed me against the wall. One arm at the side of my head, caging me in like a rabid animal. While the other squeezed the life from me, coiled around my neck like a snake.
“You’ve embarrassed me for the last time, Chloe. I don’t ask for much. All I asked for was your obedience, and to stay fucking quiet. You never learn, and now I’m going to punish you.”
My eyes darted around the room, already forming a plan to escape if needed. Falling on the open door just down the hall from us, he followed my eyes. His gaze landed on the door that was slightly ajar, and he smirked evilly.
Snapping his fingers, a couple of his men strode down the hall and slammed the door harshly before locking it from the outside.
“You were given to me. That means you obey me, you dress how I order you to, you fuck who I want you to. You keep your mouth shut, or I will remove your vocal cords myself. I don’t want or need a wife, but I do need what your family has.” A lone tear fell down my face, knowing this was my life now and I needed to accept it. “I will keep punishing you until you get the hint. Got it?”
The fear gripped me as tight as the hand that held me hostage against the wall, leaving me speechless. Forced to choose between a few heaving breaths and the courage to speak up. His nostrils flared as he spoke threateningly, and the smell of nicotine engulfed my nostrils the further his nails dug into the skin of my neck.
The pounding and yelling from down the hall caught my attention, and I turned my head toward the noise. Gripping my chin harshly, Ezra returned my focus to his dangerous eyes.
“You’re done skating, and if I find out you’re continuing to sneak out for those private lessons with him, you’ll be sorry.” A sinister smile
formed upon his twisted face as I clawed at him, trying desperately to fill my lungs with air.
“Th-t-there’s n-noo private less–ons, I swe–ar,” I choked out against his grip. “W-we volunteer with the k-kids.” He watched in
satisfaction as I sputtered, taking in deep breaths before being pushed into a stronger pair of arms that gripped me painfully and hoisted me over their shoulder.
“Not anymore. What you’re going to do now is please my men while I watch.” I cried out as a hand came down hard on my asscheek, spreading a ripple of pain throughout the delicate flesh. I sobbed, my pleas falling on deaf ears.
She struck a nerve, and I started to regret opening up the conversation. Yes, traveling was lonely sometimes, but it was better than what I had endured. I would never go back. Not for all the money in the world. “That freedom is worth something to me, and I’m never going back.”
This was a constant fight within my family, and I hardly attended functions due to it. I have no regrets about the life I chose for myself. The only one brave enough to escape the chains. While everyone else
hid in a secret world of arranged marriages and flexing blood money to get out of trouble. A small attempt to exit the conversation dawned on me and I yawned, moving my glasses further up my face.
“I think I might call it a night. I’ll be up late tomorrow stargazing. Will you stay?” I asked with a slightly melancholy tone.
Despite the slight snap, I didn’t want our weekend to end so abruptly. Growing up, Maya and I shared a lot of the same interests, and one of them was our love for the stars.
“I’ll let you look in the telescope first, and I’ll even set it up, too.” The awkward laughter erupted from my body, but died down quickly; noticing her almost mischievous stare.