Finding Beauty in the Darkness

Aria rolls her eyes and scoffs, “Fine. Give me whatever you can and then I need to get out of here.” I don’t bother to let her know she isn’t going anywhere. The doctor might have signed an NDA, but I can’t imagine her holding to it if she knew that technically Aria is being held here against her will.

“Sweetie, I’m here to check you out and then we’ll see what we can give you for the pain. Can you tell me what happened to you? How long you were in this condition?” Dr. Fox pushes Aria’s hair from her face and speaks soothingly to her.

“I’m not sure. I don’t even know what today is.” I tell her the date and her eyes go wide in shock.

“Oh my God! That asshole had me locked up for nine months! My mom was killed in an accident in May. He took me right before my finals, only a couple weeks after she died, and it’s already February! Nine goddamned months!”

Her head drops into her hands as she shakes her head back and forth, mumbling incoherent words through her hands as she chokes on her sobs. I’ve never felt so helpless in my life. My first thought is that I want to find that piece of shit and kill him. It’s the only way I know to try to right this wrong, consequences be damned. But realistically, I’m aware it’s not going to make Aria better. Only time will heal her, and even then, she’ll never truly be okay. Open wounds eventually heal, but wounds as deep as the ones she’s sporting will leave thick scars as a reminder of what she went through.

“Giovanni, can you give us some privacy so I can examine Aria, please?”

As much as I don’t want to leave her, I reluctantly get up and go to my sitting room, which is attached to the bedroom, to give them privacy without leaving.

Chapter Eight

ARIA

I wake up in a soft bed, one I’ve never seen before, and for a second I get lost in the comfort of the plush pillows and down comforter I’m wrapped up in, wondering how I ended up in this comfy bed. Then everything comes back to me. The basement. Giovanni taking me. Attempting to throw myself out of the moving vehicle. I try to sit up but the pain in my abdomen forces me to stay still.

“Careful, sweetie. I need you to tell me where it hurts.” I jump at the sound of a female’s voice and see a woman sitting on the edge of the bed next to me.

“Who are you?” I look around to see where I am. I’m in a large room, most likely a master bedroom. The entire room is decorated in dark browns and creams. I’m lying in a king-sized four-poster bed. All the furniture, including the bed, is made of what looks like real mahogany wood. The drapes are closed, leaving the room without light, save for a single lamp next to me. On the wall across from the bed is a roaring fireplace which spans from floor to ceiling with a flat screen television hanging over the mantle.

“My name is Vivian Fox. I am the on-call doctor here at the club. Giovanni asked for me to check you out. Can you tell me what hurts?” Something about the way this woman speaks and smiles softly at me, has me feeling suddenly at ease. She looks to be in her late forties, beautiful sandy blond hair pulled up into a low ponytail with comforting brown eyes that remind me of my mother. She patiently smiles at me and my heart craves the love of my mom.

Ignoring the pain, I sit up to give her a hug, hoping her touch will feel like my mom’s. Her being here is the first sense of hope I’ve had that I will finally be free…or at least safe. After a few minutes of crying in her arms while she simply hugs me without saying a word, I hear the door open, causing me to jump back.

Giovanni walks in, no longer in his suit but in a pair of sweatpants and a shirt that make him look just as alluring as the suit does but in a completely different way. This man screams power no matter what he’s wearing.

They ask me some questions and I’m shocked to learn Weston has been holding me captive for close to nine months. In less than two months I’ll be turning twenty-one. It felt like I was in the basement for so much longer and to think Weston would have been holding me there for another year, until I turn twenty-two, send shivers straight down my spine.

“Giovanni, can you give us some privacy, so I can check out Aria, please?” Dr. Fox asks. He doesn’t appear to be thrilled about leaving me alone, but he gets up and walks out and into what looks like an extension of his room. Maybe a sitting room? I’m not sure. She hands me a mug and I take a large sip. It’s cold water and it feels soothing going down my throat.