Page 53 of Shattered Hope
Jonathan opened his mouth to ask more about it, but I shook my head, dissuading him. “Please… let’s not go there. I know you have a lot of questions and I’ll answer as many as I can, but not now…”
Jonathan raised his hands, surrendering. “Right… whenever you’re ready.”
“Thank you. Now, let’s go back to work.”
Posing for a painter was a hard job… harder than I ever thought possible. Maintaining the same position for hours was hard and incredibly dull. It gave me way too much time to think, and I really didn’t need that.
I spent the whole damn day scrutinizing every word Jayden said during his visit to Jonathan, as well as every nuance in his voice and the slightest change in his stony mask.
I was more than happy to disappear when Jonathan told me he was done for the day, eager for a bit of privacy.
I picked the box Jayden had brought me, and after saying goodnight, I had rushed back to the guest house.
There was a warm meal on the kitchen table, but I wasn’t hungry. I needed a hot bath and a good bottle of wine.
I was just picking a cup from the cabinet when I heard a strange noise coming from the hallway.
Certain I was overreacting, I put down the wine and the cup grabbed my phone and went looking. Though Jonathan’s house had a tall wall surrounding most of it, the house could be accessed from the beach. It was a hell of a climb, but certainly not impossible.
“Who’s there?” I asked as I walked towards the hall, trying to decide if I would be safer running away.
“Did I startle you?” Daniel’s voice sounded behind me, coming from the kitchen I had just left, and my heart skipped a beat.
I didn’t even turn to look at him. I ran to the main door and made it to the small front yard, but he was faster than me. Before I could call for help, he was knocking me to the ground and covering my mouth with his hand. My cell phone flew out of my hand, and I cried harder, knowing no one would come to my rescue this time.
“Oh, no, you won’t… not this time,” he snarled in my ear. “This time, no one will come to your rescue, my sweet unfaithful wife,” he added, pushing something inside my mouth – a small cloth, or something similar – gagging me effectively before he pulled my arms behind my back and tied them together in tight restraint.
I was crying so hard I couldn’t see anything, cursing my luck and wishing I had left town the other night.
“Do you have any idea how much time and money I’ve wasted looking for you? I’ll make sure you pay for it for every damn penny,” he assured me as he pulled me up and threw me over his shoulder.
I struggled and kicked him, but nothing I did, slowed him in the least.
Indifferent to my struggle, Daniel scurried away, staying away from the scarce lights that lit the garden until he reached one of the side doors. Dropping me on the ground with a loud thud, careless of what happened to me. My head hit the wall, but my cries of pain were muffled by the gag. He kicked the door open and dragged me to the car he had waiting, not far.
He opened the car’s trunk and threw me inside, taking a few seconds to tie down my ankles. Then, he taped my mouth to keep me from spitting out his improvised gag.
“We’re going home. Aren’t you happy, sweetheart?” he said, with a cruel grin on his lips before he punched me in the face knocking me out.
***
Jayden
The apartment was so silent and felt so cold I almost turned around and left. Furious with myself, I undid my tie and threw it down before I went looking for a drink. I needed one… hell, not just one… a few, if I had planned on sleeping tonight.
Jonathan’s words still haunted me, and I felt incredibly frustrated about not being able to do much.
I had called one of the private investigators the company used to check on the staff’s backgrounds, and the man had promised to call me back as soon as he had news. But it still didn’t feel enough.
How could I have missed the bruising on her face? Why she didn’t ask for help?
‘You didn’t let her speak.’ A small voice in my head mocked me, and I knew it was only telling me what I already knew. I hadn't let her explained herself.
The betrayal had hurt too much, blinding me to the little details I had been gathering ever since I met her…
I knew her story was sketchy. She was in trouble but did nothing to learn the truth. Probably because I was afraid of what that truth could do to us… to the fiery passion that burned between us. I was living with her, not daring to consider the future or her past. I lived just one day at a time until her past caught up with me and slammed me hard in the face.
Was she running away from him? Was he an abusive husband? Jonathan’s words implied he was. Was that why she was running away from him? So many questions… and not having the answers was driving me insane. I needed to speak to her, but I also knew she wasn’t ready to talk to me again.
