Page 60 of The Devil
“Ah, good, you’re finally here,” he says calmly while drying himself after a shower. “Listen, now that we’re married and you’re my wife, a few things need to change.” I nod casually, thinking he might be talking about joint accounts and such. “First of all, I’ve phoned your college and told them you won’t be returning; I explained about Jessie.”
“Wait, Evan, I went to college all through pregnancy. I only have one year to go, and they have excellent childcare facilities, not to mention Mom has already offered to -”
“You’re her mother, Helena, not the college and not her grandmother.”
“But –"
“And my mother is going to take you shopping so you can dress more appropriately,” he continues as he combs his hair in the mirror, not even looking at me.
He sounds eerily assertive, completely contrasting with how he normally talks to me. There’s no saccharine sweetness to his tone; it’s as if there’s no longer any need to be charming, or even friendly. I’ve officially been downgraded; I am beneath him.
“You can also tell your brother to stop looking at me the way he does, or he can forget seeing either you or Jessica ever again. And I no longer want you to see your cousin. She’s associated with the piece of shit with whom you cheated on me.”
“What do you meancheated? You agreed we were never exclusive and that you had fucked around with a lot more people than…”
I trail off as I lose sense of everything when my new husband begins slowly walking toward me, making every step determined and purposely thought out. Barely inches away from my face, he grips hold of my chin between his finger and thumb, pinching my skin so I am unable to turn away.
“Don’t fight me on this, Helena, I’m your husband and you will do as I say. Do you know how easy it would be for me to paint you as a bad mother? Here, take a look for yourself.”
He pulls up his phone so I can clearly see an image of me smoking marijuana with a table full of minors, looking horrifically out of it. I had no idea he had taken a photograph of me that evening.
“Th-that’s an old picture,” I stutter, pointing at it as if it’s something I can destroy with only my finger.
“Is it?” he says with theatrical confusion. “I can see you, very clearly, and I can see a bunch of high schoolers, but I don’t see a date.”
“Wh-Why?!” I gasp, sounding pitched and on the edge of a meltdown.
“Because,” he says, leaning in to kiss me on my cheek, which only makes me feel incredibly nauseated, “believe it or not, I want you; I’ve always wanted you. Regardless of the extremely questionable picture here, you have perfect wife material written all over you. Socially, financially, and aesthetically, we are a perfect match. Your father has trained you well, keeping you on a tight leash and making you extremely obedient to a man like me; I must thank him for that one day, Helena,” he whispers, sounding menacing.
“He looked so proud today, don’t you think? I remember meeting him at various business soirees, the famous Mr Carter with the darling Carter children. Of course, he knew about us Stones, knew of our firm and reputation, so he naturally gravitated toward me. It took him all of five minutes before showing me your picture, though I already knew how deliciously beautiful you were from school. But how he gushed about you, how he wanted you to make the perfect match. He sold you to me like a piece of prime real estate. And I was sold, Helena, I really was. And I did everything right; I was Prince fucking Charming to you, but I still didn’t compare to the asswipe who fucked you once and threw you away. Not that I was going to let that stop me from getting what I wanted…what Istillwant. Jessica was an added bonus to speed things up and to keep you how I want you. Do you really want to risk losing Jess?”
The look in his eyes terrifies me; they tell me he will make good on any kind of threat he chooses to throw against me. He lifts the corner of his mouth into a wicked smile the moment he sees my fear. Only then does he finally release my chin. He then turns away from me and gets into the bed, looking expectant.
“Now, take off your clothes, and let me consummate our marriage.”
I remain frozen, feeling unsure as to what to do next until he suddenly jumps up with his face looking like thunder.
“Fine,” he huffs, “I’ll do it for you!”
I’m spun around so he can unzip my dress, letting it fall to the floor in a rather undignified heap at my feet. He then rips my panties away and unhooks my bra with aggression.
“I’ve waited months, Helena, fucking months, and you will learn to behave for me!” he growls through his teeth, so close to my ear, I can feel spittle landing on my skin. I am then pulled to the bed where he pushes me onto the mattress. My whole body turns rigid while my mind is questioning the reality of what is happening and what he is about to do to me.
When he enters me, it feels angry and painful. There is no kissing, no foreplay, no affection, no concern for my pleasure, just cold, hard fucking. My new husband thrusts with venom, all the while I bite the inside of my cheek to stop myself from screaming. Tears roll down my cheeks as I fast come to the realization that life isn’t over; the nightmare is only beginning.
“Good morning, Mrs Stone,” Evan says as he whips the cover away from my body the day after our wedding. “Time to get up!”
I take a moment to look at the man who has managed to infiltrate my life under the guise of a totally different person. Then I remember my daughter and the fact that I haven’t heard her crying for her early morning feed. My heart feels like it leaps into my throat over the thought of something having happened to her, so I jump off the mattress to try and get to her. However, before I even reach the door, Evan blocks the frame with his giant arm and an expression that is nothing short of menacing, taunting me to try and fight him. I don’t though, I step back, and he smiles. He’s enjoying the fact that I am already falling into line under his heavy-handedness.
“She’s been fed, if that’s what you’re worried about,” he says as he steps toward me. “My mother has her, so we can have some ‘alone’ time. That’s what newlyweds do isn’t it? Have ‘alone’ time.”
“They have this magical stuff now, it’s called formula,” he says with an arrogant shrug of his shoulders, still smirking in my direction. “My mother fed me on formula, and I was one of the healthiest kids at our school. Besides, I don’t want my wife getting her tits out in public and I sure as hell don’t want you spending any more time than is necessary having to feed a child who can be fed in a fraction of the time using a bottle and formula. Gotta start thinking with that brain of yours, sweetheart,” he says while tapping against my temple with his rigid fingers. “Put something formal on, we’re going to lunch with some of my dad’s clients.”
“But I want to breastfeed my child,” I demand with my anger beginning to rise. “You should have discussed this with me. How dare you!”
Evan walks slowly toward me with a scowl taking over his face; I’m slapped hard across the cheek with a burn that quickly spreads across my skin. I’ve never been slapped before, and I was kind of hoping it would be one of those experiences I would be fortunate to live without. However, something tells me the feeling is going to become a familiar one.
“She’sourchild, Helena, so what I say goes. Now get your ass dressed and stop arguing with me!”