Camila

My body was numb. I felt helpless. Tears streamed down my eyes as I stared at my reflection in the restroom mirror. I saw pain in my eyes. I saw a broken Camila. I trailed my shaky hands slowly over the marks Antonio had inflicted on my neck. I felt dirty, at the way he controlled my body. Angry at the fact that my body somehow reacted to his touches, igniting something inside me, making me cower at his mercy.

Even when I tried to pull away, the way his fingers caressed my skin left me numb. It made me want more, but it also made me angry. I shook my head, discarding the illusion from my mind. "You hate him, Camila! You hate his touch! You hate Antonio!" I hissed out, punching my fist on the restroom counter.

However, deep down, I knew I feared him. Ever since he pointed the gun at my forehead, I knew messing with Antonio would be the worst mistake I'd ever make. He had threatened to kill someone in front of me; he could easily kill me.

The sound of my phone vibrating from my purse got my attention back. I fished it out, and my heart skipped a beat when I saw my father's name on the screen. Anger suddenly surged inside me. Why was he calling now? None of them had bothered to check up on me ever since they sold me to Antonio.

Yes, I had been sold to him. He got me on a free platter, which was why he was exerting torture on me. The marriage was nothing more than a means to save my father's company.

At first, I had planned not to pick up, not having the strength to talk to anyone yet. But another call came through almost immediately. This time, it was my mother calling. That meant they were together.

I reluctantly answered, sliding the accept button and placing the phone to my ear without saying anything. My heart was still pounding. "Camila," came my mother's calm voice. Bitterness settled in the pit of my stomach. Here I was, caged with a heartless mafia boss, and there they were in a calm situation.

"Are you there?" She said again.

"Yes, mother," I answered weakly, hoping she'd catch on to my dilemma. But her next words shattered the little hope I had left. "How are you? Why didn't you pick up when your father called from his phone?"

I swallowed a lump. "I'm—"

"Let me speak to her," my father interrupted. "Camila." The familiar sharpness in my father's voice resonated through the phone.

I bit my bottom lip, trying to hold back from breaking down in tears. They seemed to be in a calm mood. I shouldn't bring up my problems; they wouldn't have a solution, after all. Father didn't have one before all this. Anything that involved Antonio Di Salvatore didn't have a way out, unless he chose to back down himself. "I heard you and Antonio are in Italy." If it were before, I'd be surprised, but I had already lost hope with the current situation I was in.

"Yes," I answered shortly. My father's heavy breath sounded. "I'm sorry, Camila." That should have warmed my heart, but instead, I felt bitterness settle inside.

"I know you're there against your will. I'm sorry you had to go through that, but I will definitely find a way to get you out of this mess."

I wanted to shout and say there was nothing he could do. Antonio had already made everything worse. But my words wouldn't be heard. My pains wouldn't reach them. My eyes began tearing up. I held my breath. If only they knew what I was facing.

"Hang in there a little bit more, Camila. I'm sorry." My father's words came through again. Unable to bear it any longer, I ended the call and dropped the phone on the table, resting my head on my arms. My heart was in flames. I wanted the pain to go away, but how? When Antonio kept inflicting more upon me, burning me down.

I allowed the tears to flow. I stayed in that position for what felt like several minutes until my breathing began to calm down. I washed my face, cleaning my neck where marks were imprinted. "Let's put on a smile, Camila," I whispered, cracking a smile that undoubtedly didn't reach my eyes.

I grabbed my phone and purse and headed to the door. I almost lost my balance when I bumped into something or rather someone. "Watch where you're going, bitch!" The drunk man spat out, barely keeping his composure.

"Sorry," I managed to apologize since I was the one who had bumped into him first.

I didn't get to take more than two steps when I felt a hand circling around my waist. "You look hot, why don't we spend the night? I have gotten a high bid tonight," he said, his eyes darkening with nothing but lust. Even if he was sober, I wouldn't stoop so low to a man like him.

"Sorry, but I'm not interested. Find another whore," I replied, adding a sorry to my words. A slap was what I should have given him in the first place. I thought my polite words would make him back off, but he went on and grabbed my wrist.

"Oh, come on, pretty lady, don't tell me you wore this hot outfit for fashion. These round breasts will literally bring any man to his knees," he licked his lips. The patience I once had left inside me disappeared. How dare he! I charged forward, hoping to push him away, but my hand mistakenly landed on his waist, his belt for that matter, catching both me and him by surprise.

The next thing that followed was the sound of clapping. My body shuddered as I saw Antonio advancing his way towards me. His eyes were directly fixated on my hand that was still holding the drunk man's belt. Antonio's eyes darkened, and he instantly yanked me forward. "You bitch! So this is what you have been doing!" He seethed.

"I-" I tried to speak, only for a gasp to leave my lips when he circled his large hands around my neck, making me choke for breath.

"Hey! What are you doing? I'm taking her away tonight. I need to have a taste of tha—" The man didn't get to complete his statement when a loud sound echoed through the surroundings. My eyes widened in shock as I stared at the lifeless man on the floor.

My body went even weaker when blood flooded from his body. "I-"

"What-" I tried to make the words out, but Antonio yanked me forward once again. "Shut up, bitch. I will deal with you when we get back home. You'd better tell me what you were doing with this fool."

Antonio dragged me away with him. The image of the lifeless man clouded my brain. The way Antonio had shot him without a second glance. The blood. It was hard to keep up with Antonio's pace due to the image of what had happened just a few minutes ago in front of me. I felt as if my legs would give out.

I didn't know where Antonio was going or where he was taking me. We passed through an underground area, and a black car stopped in front of us. The person who came out of the car handed the keys to Antonio. "Di' a Raiden di uccidere chiunque non rispetti le regole! (Tell Raiden to gun down anyone who doesn't follow the rules)," he said in Italian, and even though I couldn't understand the Italian language, his words held a sense of danger.

Antonio pushed me inside, closed the car door harshly, and then headed toward the driver's seat. He drove at a high speed, and I had to hold onto the door handle, fearing that we might get into an accident. "Can you slow down-" My voice hung in the air when his hand connected with my face, delivering a strong and painful slap.

"Shut the hell up!" He seethed through gritted teeth. The rage in his eyes was different from any I had seen before, with a much more intense intensity.

**

My body was pushed down onto the bed by a dominating Antonio. "You want to get laid, right?" He began to take off his suit, tossing it onto the floor.

I shook my head as I started to move on the bed, trying to find a way out. He had misunderstood. He didn't give me a chance to explain. And then he killed the man right before my eyes. The Antonio charging towards me was a completely different man. The darkness clouding his pupils was a shade I had never seen before. "Strip!" He ordered. I didn't make a move, probably due to how weak my legs were.

Before I could even consider complying with his demand, Antonio grabbed me by the arm and yanked my dress down. Chills ran down my spine as his eyes grew even darker than before. In that moment, I realized that nothing and no one could save me from this lustful demon.

However, a glimmer of hope embraced me when I caught a glimpse of his gun as he slid his belt off his waist. Without a second thought, I lunged forward and grabbed the gun. "Don't come near me!" I yelled, moving away and aiming the gun at him. He was taken aback, seemingly having forgotten he had a gun with him, the very same gun he had used earlier.

"If you take another step, I will pull the trigger, and then I will shoot myself too," I warned, my eyes locked firmly onto his.