Repaying the Mafia’s Dept

Isabella It’s gray and cold.

I’m trying to see through the fog.

Fog?

How can it be foggy in the house?

And where’s Mama?

I walk down the stairs quietly. I’m not supposed to be awake. My father gets angry when I stay up late.

Mama doesn’t mind so much when it’s a Saturday. Since it’s Monday night I know I’d anger both my parents if they catch me up at this hour.

A scream makes me jump.

It’s my mother. Another scream moves me, and I run down the stairs. I stop short when I see her lying on the floor in the living room and my father kneeling over her stabbing her in her stomach over and over again.

I’m so shocked no sound comes from my mouth when I open it to scream too.

Her head rolls to the side and her eyes fixate on me, but I don’t think she can see me.

She’s looking at me, but not really.

“Mama!” I cry.

I look back to my father as he looks to me and his face changes into Dmitri’s. He transforms right in front of me as does my mother’s body. Instead of her I see Eric lying on the ground.

His face is covered in so much blood I can’t even recognize him. There are so many bruises his face is swollen.

“Don’t look my love,” he calls out. “Don’t look!”

“No, please don’t hurt him. Don’t kill him. Stop.”

Dmitri picks up a sledgehammer and brings it down on Eric’s head and that’s when I scream.

The vision fades before me. Not quite though….

My eyes snap open and I nearly jump out of my skin when I see Dmitri sitting on my bed, right next to me watching me sleep. Watching me wake from a nightmare of a memory of terrible things that happened.

“What do you want?” I rasp out, my heart beating so fast it hurts. “What are you doing in here?”

A dark smile inches across his lips and he tilts his head to the side as he regards me with amusement.

“I’m fairly certain I told you to watch that mouth of yours when you speak to me. Unless you’d like to start putting it to use. Hard to talk with a mouth full of cock.” He laughs and I feel like vomiting.

“I’m sorry,” I quickly apologize.

He stands. “Quite a lot of eventful dreams you have there, Isabella. I used to wonder what the boss’ daughter dreamt about. With a father so powerful and … let’s face it evil, what could his child have in that pretty little head of hers. I realized the more I got to know you you’re nothing like him.

More like your mother instead.”

“Please, don’t talk about my mother,” I breathe feeling my heart squeeze. I always find it hard to talk about her, and I definitely don’t want to after a double nightmare.

“Stop with the begging it won’t help you. You should know that,” Dmitri says and moves forward to catch my face. “The way I hear it, your mother was the same type of whore you were.”

I gasp at his harsh words. “Stop it!” I cry.

Dmitri laughs. “You know you sound exactly like that day when I killed Eric. Begging a man like me to spare anything is fruitless. I remember how you begged for his life.”

I hate crying in front of him, but I can’t help myself. I’ve been a mess since I found out I’ll be marrying this monster and I can’t seem to find myself.

The tears roll down my cheeks and he laughs at me. His fingers loosen from his grasp and I draw in a breath to try and calm down.

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out the little origami flower my kind stranger gave me.

“Look at this shit,” he taunts and before I can say another word, he tears it up, ripping it to shreds.

He walks out, slamming the door.

My heart breaks as I look at the pieces of paper on the floor. I slide off the bed and gather them.

There’s no trace of the beautiful flower. It’s just a mess, like me. Pieces of what used to be, all torn apart and irreparable.

I don’t know what will happen from one day to the next.

Everyday seems to get worse.

Soon there will be nothing left of me.

This morning was just the start of another disastrous day with Dmitri. Usually on Friday’s I do art therapy with my patients. He wouldn’t allow me to because they were travelling to another clinic for the session. It was from one disaster to the next.

We’ve been home now for hours. Sacha came to start his shift, but Dmitri insisted on staying and sticking around like the asshole he is.

I’ve been downstairs with the both of them, just sitting in the sitting room watching TV . It’s safer to be out here with Sacha and not alone in my room where Dmitri can get to me. I’m so suffocated though I feel like I’m drowning. Drowning in sorrow and shit just from his presence.

It’s nine before he stands up like he’s going to leave. Another ten minutes passes, however, as he goes into the kitchen to make himself a drink.

I hold my breath when he shrugs into his jacket.

“Think I might spend the weekend here with you,” he says.

Sacha just looks at him and doesn’t answer.

Dmitri blows me a kiss. Then the bastard just walks out with that smile on his face.

I push to my feet when the door closes, and I look at Sacha. He’s already looking at me.

He comes over and stops before me.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“No, I’m not. What am I going to do Sacha?” I rasp out. “I don’t know what my father was thinking. This is going to destroy me. Having Dmitri in my life all the time is going to kill me.”

“I’m sorry Isabella. I wish there were something I could do to help.”

Help?

I know he can’t. He can’t help me the way I need because what I need is to escape this prison I’m living in. If he helps me do that it’s death. Just like the last man who tried to help me.

There is, however, one thing that Sacha can do. I need a break. I’m drowning and I need to breathe. If Dmitri is going to be here all weekend, then I need to prepare for it. I need freedom for a few hours.

“Sacha, please let me out. I just need some time.” I need to be by myself for a little while. “Just some time, please.”

His brows knit together. “We need to be more careful than ever Isabella,” he replies. “It’s not a good time for you to go out like that. It was fine when it was just me. The other guards would do as I tell them. We could keep things under wraps. Dmitri is a bastard. He’s just waiting for me to slip up.”

“Please, Sacha I need a break. I can’t stay in this house locked up, and I can’t be under Dmitri’s watchful eye at work either,” I beg shaking my head at him. “You know what awaits me in a few months when he’ll be with me all the time. He killed Eric and he will be my destruction too. You know this. You’re like a father to me. I know you can see I’m suffering.”

His gaze clings to mine and understanding brims within his eyes. Understanding and sorrow.

“Mne zhal’, my dear girl,” he expresses his sorrow. “I’m so sorry so much has happened to you.

Your mother must be turning in her grave.”

He’s known me all my life and knows this request is different to any other I’ve made for a break.

Tonight, I really need it.

“I promise I’ll be careful, and I won’t be long.”

“Okay. Isabella, please don’t do anything foolish. It won’t just be your head it will be mine. If anything happens to you, or you try to escape your father will kill me.”

That’s no exaggeration. I know it’s true.

“I promise.” I know the risk he takes every time he gives me freedom, so I would never do anything to put him in danger.

I’ll just go to town, to the little club I sometimes hang out at on Mainstreet. Then I’ll come right back.

“Okay, be safe, take the phone and you call me if there’s any trouble. Just press the alarm and I’ll find you.”

I give him a hug and he holds me. This man has been more of a father to me than my own. Always tending to my wounds. Inside and out.

Trust is what makes us who we are.

It gives me the small mercy of freedom.Content rights by NôvelDr//ama.Org.

As I leave the house, I savor the feel of having a break and getting the chance to breathe. I savor just being by myself and I resist the urge to drive away and never look back.