JOSI

Today is the same as every other day. The windows are open, showcasing the scenery outside, the same one Josi currently stares out of. She has the new phone in her hand, which she's made no use of. It's clear that the phone is bugged, so how safe really is it? Idris has made it his mission to keep her under constant watch. One slip up and he would act accordingly.

There's no way of telling if physical contact with her family will be possible. Knowing Idris, it would be far-fetched. He would even derive some joy at the sight of her family in shambles once they find out about her disappearance. He would laugh in their faces, because what amount of power do they have over him? What amount of power does anyone have? Not nearly enough to bury the devil known as Idris Verdonni.

Josi waltzes into the bathroom with weakened strides. She opens the glass door to the bath, closes it gently, then turns the shower on and takes a seat on the floor. There's no reason tied to it, but she sits there and allows the water soak her clothes. She brings her knees under her chin and closes her eyes, as if trying to enjoy the shower's company.

Things are quiet, just the way Josi wants them to be, until Martha bursts through the door all in a rush. The maid grows alarmed at the sight, but quickly regains her composure and goes to pull Josi out.

"Ms. Cade, please don't scare me like that." Says a very worried Martha. She leads Josi towards a chair and has her take a seat, then grabs a towel off the rack. "I know things are hard now, but it never stays that way forever. And I shouldn't be saying this, but I wholeheartedly believe in karma. Things will all work out in the end. I'm sure of it. So don't give up."

Josi gives no response. How could things possibly get any better? Idris is a man with too much power to his name - an influence that even the authorities couldn't meddle with. Even if they were any good, there's no way of telling if her family would remain unscathed. Josi is stuck in the mud, caught in a web spun by Idris Verdonni himself.

Martha takes Josi to get her clothes changed, then ushers her towards the bed, the one place Josi tolerates. The maid spares her one last glance and leaves, still hopeful that Josi will one day find some strength.

While that day may be uncertain, it doesn't rule out as a possibility. For the time being, Josi goes back to staring outside the window.

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Another dreadful day for Josita Cade. It's now evening, but she keeps the curtains open so the view remains accessible. The moon is her only friend tonight. It keeps her occupied, yet deepens the hole in her chest.

Josi looks down at the plain dress she has on. It has become loose; a product of self neglect and days of missed meals. This should incite some worry, but as the circumstances currently have it, Josi has little care. She heads for the bathroom once again.

Her target this time is the tub. It sits next to the window, waiting for Josi's attention. Drawing her in. She turns the faucet on, then takes a seat on the edge and watches the basin fill up to the brim.

But much like her previous attempt, Josi is interrupted. The visitor this time around is Idris. Needless to say, he's more than puzzled.

"What the hell are you doing?"

But Josi will not allow any interruptions. She keeps her attention on the tub, waiting patiently for the water to fill up.

Idris frowns. This seems to be all what he's done since he brought Josi into his home. Still, he keeps up the interrogation. "Have you finally stopped moping around like a log?"

No response.

Idris clenches his jaw. "Fine. Sit there and sulk." He turns to leave.

Once the tub reaches maximum capacity, Josi turns the faucet off and submerges herself in the water. Everything goes still. Her eyes are still open, taking in the warped world underneath. Air bubbles can be seen fighting their way to the surface, something Josi makes no effort to do, even as her chest grows tight from the lack of oxygen.

Despite all this, Josi doesn't move. All she wants is that moment of peace before she's pulled back to reality. The reality where she's trapped with no place to go. So she lays still, at the comfort of the basin. Until she's pulled away from that level of peace once again.

Idris draws her out from the tub and carries her back to the bedroom, where he has her take a seat on a couch. Josi struggles to catch her breath — coughing and hacking until most of the water has left her system. Once it seems like she's gotten herself together, Idris throws a towel over her body.

But it still doesn't take away from the surge of anger he's in. He goes on some rant in Spanish and Italian, then ends it all with, "What the hell is your problem?!"

Josi's end goal wasn't to put herself out of her misery, but to make things go away, to escape reality for a bit. But the fact that Idris is this hysterical is puzzling. For someone who has made it his mission to torment her, he seems quite disturbed.

". . . why do you care?"

It's Idris's turn to go mute, because the shock of hearing Josi speak has overtaken him. He seems a bit lost, like he has no idea how to respond, because he wasn't counting on a reply. But he soon gets back in order, and now he's every bit as vexed as he was seconds ago.

"Don't ask stupid questions."

Josi doesn't let it end there. "Don't tell me you actually care about me."

"Cade." Idris calls, now displeased at the direction the conversation is heading. "Shut your mouth."

Under normal circumstances, Josi would oblige. But this isn't normal circumstances. Normal circumstances would be Idris egging her on. He would encourage her to stay a while longer in the tub, submerged under all that current of water, all while sitting high on his throne.

This Idris doesn't seem to like that idea.

"Do you have feelings for me?"

It may be a farfetched deduction, but it would line up with everything that has happened so far. What really ties the knot together, however, is Idris's choice of silence. He makes no move to deny the accusation and instead, stands there frozen as the truth bitterly comes to life.

But Idris is not the only one currently in a trance because Josi is now in disbelief. Quite difficult it is to grasp. What a strange reality - a reality where Idris may see her in a different light than just some toy. That he may actually care about her. She's having as much trouble dissolving that reality as Idris did himself.

"No fucking way . . ." Josi starts, eyes now wide. "You have feelings for me? After ruining my life-"

"Watch that mouth of yours before I have it sewed shut." Idris warns.

Josi shuts down all allegations, but keeps her thoughts alive. She eyes him warily, as though the man in front of her were someone else entirely and not Idris Night Verdonni. Idris Verdonni, the same man who humiliated and tormented her for months. It doesn't seem real. It can't be real. But it has to be, because the man himself has said nothing to deny it.

"Don't get ahead of yourself." Idris tells her, then stomps out the room. And this time, he slams the door.

There are more thoughts running amuck in Josi's head than there have been in the past couple weeks. The idea of Idris harboring some romantic feelings for her is a strange and difficult concept to grasp, but it also gives way to fury. Fury from how drastic the situation has developed.

Idris doesn't get to change her life for the worse, then decide to develop feelings later on. That just doesn't seem fair to Josi. His selfishness has caused her the only relationship she's ever truly cared about. And now he has her locked up, confined to a prison because of those very feelings.

But there's still curiosity. Curiosity at how deep those feelings are. Josi wants to know, and she intends to find out.

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