Page 5 of Taken By Him

“You’ll be staying with me until the ceremony.” Dominik answers me but doesn’t move toward me.

My head whirls. No. My entire life is spinning out of control.

“Why?”

“So many questions,” he smiles, but it’s not a kind, gentle smile. It feels like a warning. I’m asking too many questions.

“It’s for your safety, Kasia,” my father says, quieter. “Go. Pack a bag. You’ll be leaving with Dominik. He’s waited nearly all night for you. He shouldn’t need to make a second trip to pick you up.”

And that’s it.

I’ve been dismissed. Not just from the meeting, but from my home. My life.

“Do you even know this man?” I ask my father. Everything I’ve done over the past four years was to earn my freedom. I went to the school he chose, I roomed with girls he hand-picked. I did everything because after graduation, I’d be free to move out, to start a new life on my own. And he’s pulled the rug right out from beneath my feet. Not so much as a conversation, a warning. Just a simple command thrown at me like I’m nothing more than a foot soldier.

No. Less than a foot soldier.

This is my life.

My father’s eyes narrow, but I don’t care. I’ll take whatever punishment he wants to dish out; I deserve to know what’s happening to my own life.

“I know everything I need to know. Now, don’t show Mr. Staszek what a rude girl you can be, go pack your bag.” He flicks his hand toward the office doors. He’s dismissed me off hand.

Our relationship has strained over the years since the accident. It’s hard for him to look at me. I understand that, I look just like her, so much like mom, too. And my part in it, he’s never forgiven me. It has to hurt, even for a man who values his work over his family. But this is beyond what he’s done before. He’s throwing me into the arms of a stranger.

Tears threaten, but I turn away before anyone can see. I force my expression to wipe clean of the fear, the sadness.

“Kasia.” Dominik’s voice stops me at the door.

I turn slightly, waiting for him to continue.

“It was nice seeing you again.”

My jaw aches, I clench it so tightly.

I march up to my room. Anger shakes inside me, fear wraps a cold blanket around me. But I hold it in, I shove it down. Because there is no other option. This is my life; this is my duty.

Once safety inside my room, I look around. Nothing here is really mine. Everything can be taken away at a moment’s notice, most of it has been either a punishment or a test.

I grab a bag from my closet and get to work.

There are no options for me. It’s not new, but this feels different.

I’ve been released from the grasp of one monster, only to be thrown into the grips of another.

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