Chapter 4
617words
The women fumbled as they unlocked the chains on my wrists and dragged me toward the kitchen storage cabinet.
The chains scraped against my wounds, and the pain nearly made me pass out.
They shoved me inside the cabinet, locked the door with the chains, and stuffed a cloth into my mouth so I couldn't make a sound.
"Make a noise, and I'll kill you," Giovanna hissed, pressing herself against the cabinet door as she threatened me.
The cabinet was pitch-black. The cramped space made it hard to breathe, and the pain from my injuries grew worse by the second. Blood trickled down my body and pooled on the cabinet floor.
Soon, the villa's front door opened, and Fabrizio's voice came from outside. "Giovanna? Why are you here?"
"I just wanted to take a look at our future home and start planning a bit," Giovanna said, forcing her voice into something gentle.
I could hear Fabrizio walking around the living room, as if he were taking in the space. "She'll like this layout."
The "she" he meant was me.
Tears flooded my eyes instantly. My son was right outside, yet I was trapped in this dark cabinet, unable to tell him what I had been through.
"Why do I smell blood?" Fabrizio's voice suddenly turned cold.
I heard Giovanna panic. "R-Really? Maybe I nicked my hand while cutting fruit earlier."
"Is that so?" Fabrizio clearly didn't believe her. His footsteps moved closer, heading toward the kitchen. "My mother really likes kitchen designs. I'll take a look."
My heart jumped into my throat. I clawed at the cabinet door, my nails digging so hard that they nearly broke.
The footsteps stopped at the kitchen entrance, then slowly approached the cabinet.
"Why is there a chain here?" Fabrizio asked, confusion in his voice.
Giovanna hurried to explain. "It's nothing. I was worried about break-ins, so I prepared it ahead of time."
I could feel Fabrizio's gaze settle on the cabinet. His fingers slowly reached for the handle.
In the darkness, I opened my eyes wide, silently begging him to open it and pull me out.
The cabinet door shifted slightly, and a thin line of light slipped inside. Giovanna's breathing grew rapid. I could almost see the tension on her face.
"What's in this cabinet?" Fabrizio's voice grew colder by the second.
Just as the door was about to be fully opened, Giovanna suddenly screamed, "Ah! A rat!"
She rushed to Fabrizio's side, trying to distract him.
"Honey, let's get out of here. I'm terrified of rats!"
Fabrizio frowned, clearly hesitating.
Inside the cabinet, I struggled desperately, trying to make noise to get his attention. The cloth in my mouth reduced everything to muffled sounds.
His footsteps paused for a few seconds, then he slowly moved away.
"Fine. Let's go out first."
The cabinet door shut again, and darkness swallowed me whole.
I collapsed inside the cabinet, overwhelmed by pain and humiliation. I was on the verge of breaking down.
Just when I thought Fabrizio was really leaving, the kitchen door was suddenly kicked open.
Giovanna screamed in panic, "What are you doing?"
"I want to see exactly what's hidden in this cabinet," Fabrizio said, his voice cold enough to freeze the air.
I heard the chain being torn loose, then the cabinet door was yanked open. Blinding light poured in, and I instinctively squinted.
Fabrizio stood there.
When he saw me inside, covered in blood and barely recognizable, the cigar slipped from his fingers and hit the floor. His pupils shrank instantly.
