moving on

Well the married life is an exciting. At least for the first few years so it’s good to travel as much as possible. Because eventually you’ll have kids and you’ll have to put your adventures on hold for a good decade. I was indeed born and raised in Ireland. Up north in a place called Castlebar. How about yourself?

Yeah, I s'pose it is. It's wonderful, it's like... Nothin' is gonna separate us again, yeah? Ooh, children. I think we're lookin' to adopt, acutally. Castlebar. That just sounds gorgeous. Was born in London. Was... Places for a while. Found my way back here.

I find it odd myself because I usually dream of being back in Ireland. I expect to see the countryside outside my window. All I ever see are a few trees and London in the distance. It’s almost the holidays, though, so I’ll be back there soon enough. Where’d you go off to if you don’t mind my asking.

Ireland? That's on my list.. I gotta give Em my list actually.. Ireland is a beautiful country. I was jus' in India. Beautiful, beautiful place... Sadly, had to come home eventually.

"Who doesn’t drink coffee!?"

“Oh Doll, you don’t seem to understand, make a deal with me and I’ll let you stay with your little boyfriend and your little family and your little job. Give me something I want and I’ll give you something I want, I’m an honest, fair man. And if you want this to happen, then you can’t cry to the police or your boyfriend or your friends. Give me one date once a week and rights to visit you whenever I want and I’ll let you live your life. ” Charles looked down at her, her eyes a bit puffy from tears and her mascara streaked down her cheeks. He reached out to brush fingers against her cheek, cleaning her of make up. “My beautiful Babydoll.”

“I…Oh…” Daphne inhaled deeply, swallowing, stopping her tears. She hadn’t cried in months, not since she’d told Emrys she loved him. Her Emrys… Her beautiful Emrys… She would do anything to protect him… Anything to keep him safe. “You can’t… hurt any of them. And you can’t… let any of them… know. You don’t… Emrys… He… He will try to hurt you. He loves me. And… Don’t hurt him, please.” She trembled slightly. “We’re… going away. On… a trip… I… I’ll…” She inhaled deeply, withholding all venom. “I’ll make it up to you… When I get back.” How she managed that without gagging she had no idea.

  Charles sat there in silence as he listened to the girl break down beside her, she hadn’t grown up at all, was was still the little girl he had done terrible things to, but then again he had done that to quite a few women, though she had been the youngest. As the begging begun he pulled a cigarette from his pocket, slid it between his lips and lit up.It felt good to feel nicotine in his lungs, letting out the smoke out into the air of the limo. “Dolly, I’m a business man who makes good deals. I could take you back and uproot you from everything you have made yourself over the years or you could make a deal with me.” Another long inhale of smoke, groaning a bit out. “I raped you, I know I did and I am not oblivious to how much you must have suffered while in my care. But I gave you a chance. And look at you now, Dolly, you’re doing fine. We’re going to spend tonight at my penthouse, we’ll talk and you make me an offer I can’t refuse to let you stay.”

“Oh…I… What?” Daphne inhaled sharply, nearly coughing at the smoke. She never liked cigarettes… perhaps they reminded her of him, and it all came rushing back. The way the smoke smelled as he ran his soft, possessive fingers through her hair. After a long time, she had stopped crying, stopped fighting and just let him take his pleasure from her broken body. “I… I don’t want to stay.” She shook her head. “I have… I love him. I love him and he loves me. I can’t… I love him.” She continued to repeat. “I have… Family. A real family now. Real people who care about me. I can’t stay with you… I can’t… Don’t… Don’t hurt me.” She spoke softly. “Don’t make me stay with you. Please.

Charles hushed her quietly as he brought her outside to the curb, paging the limo driver and simply standing there with his arm tightly around her. “You admitted that you belonged to me, that is a good first step, Dolly” Soon enough the limo pulled up and he put her in first before slipping in next to her. “You’re giving me a lot of information, even if I know you hate me, if anything, I took care of you, could have starved down there with the rest of the girls but instead you got to eat good food more than three times a week. I’m the only reason you survived my warehouse, Dolly, but you were always so shell shocked after our sessions you didn’t feel grateful towards me, not once did you say ‘thank you for feeding me’ or ‘thank you for warming me at night’. You’re still ungrateful to me, Baby doll, but I am still glad I tied my scarf around your bed post.” The limo began to drive, Charles sitting in silence, hand setting on her knee.

“I…” She couldn’t say much else before she was put into the limo, her frail body betraying her. “You… you raped me. Never once did I ask you for any of that. I’d rather… I’d rather have died than…” She couldn’t help but let a tear fall, her eyelids fluttering, her mouth opening but quickly closing, swallowing down a sob. “Ungrateful… You… You hurt me. You… took away every last piece of my innocence.” She could feel the car move and a sob did escape her lips, her face contorting in fear and terror. “W- Please… Don’t kill me, don’t hurt me… I… I have a life now… Don’t… Please, I am begging you.” She knew he wouldn’t respond well to harshness, but perhaps begging. “You… That… That scarf… haunts my dreams.” She whispered hollowly, feeling an ache begin in her chest. I’m so sorry, Emrys, she thought, closing her eyes tightly

Listening to her words he did not release his strong grip on her, close against is side, almost protective. “You might be with someone new, but you belong to me, Dolly, and you won’t ever change that. Has your boyfriend.. seen it?” Charles reached to brush fingers against her inner thigh, exactly where the scar tissue would be where she was branded with his company’s marking. Charles pulled her to her feet rather forcefully, moving her to walk along with him. “You may not be in the market but you belong to me, Dolly, every fiber of you.” Charles’ fingers curled up into her hair, stroking through it, face suddenly pressing into it, inhaling the scent. “Be smart.. I know you are..” He kissed against her head. “You blame me for everything, don’t you, Dolly? Come on, I’ll get you cleaned up, pour you a drink..I’m not that bad of a man”

She flinched away from him, but found she could not truly escape his hold. How… symbolic. “He knows it’s there, yes. We’re not… like that… I love him, but we’re not sexual. Because sex means absolutely nothing to me. That was fucking taken from me.” She gasped as she was suddenly pulled along with him, looking around with wide eyes. Why was no one helping her? No one… No one even glanced their way. She shut her eyes tightly, willing the tears away as he kissed her head, the gesture anything but comforting. “I don’t belong to you anymore.” She whispered, but didn’t move, she just stood there, with her eyes shut. “I… You… You… You made me the way I am… You broke me. And I… I… I moved on… You… I have an entirely new life. I have… I’m employed. I have a best friend, even. I can laugh and joke and smile and… you… don’t take that away from me again.” Her lip trembled, but she didn’t cry, nor did she open her eyes.

“Come on, Dolly, this is all just a misunderstanding, yeah? But I must say.. you have grown since you were sold off. Got a good buyer huh? Or were your buyers dumb enough to manage to lose you?” Charles’ voice was quiet, though nostalgic as his hand moved from her forearm down to her waist, her thin as ever. She felt as breakable as ever beneath his fingertips and it made him flashback to a different time in his life. The man leaned in close, and like a long lost lover his lips brushed up against her ear. “Let’s go to my penthouse, we can talk out all of this nonsense and.. catch up.” Charles could feel the eyes of the bartender on him, him must be looking old to be hassling such a lovely young woman but the bartender didn’t seem to interfere. “How old were you? Fifteen? Sixteen? Since we last saw each other, a lot of time, Doll, let’s go..” Charles moved to stand, running hand still n her waist, meaning to guide her.

“I wasn’t bought.” She hissed quietly. “We were… There was a raid. Police… I was saved. Although… he found me… The cops aren’t all they’re cracked up to be.” She swallowed, the words falling from her lips. She shivered as he pressed up against her, but not in pleasure, in revulsion and fear. It wafted off of her, surely he could see it, surely anyone could see it. But she couldn’t run. Couldn’t make a scene. Somewhere in her… it was still ingrained to follow this man. “I… Don’t… Please don’t call me that.” She whispered, feeling ever the little girl again. “I was sixteen the last time you saw me. First time? I was fifteen, or… No… I was fourteen. Fourteen.” Her lip curled, some strength entering her. “Fourteen years old and you… You are a real fuckin’ piece of work.” She pulled away, swallowing heavily, years of building up walls infusing her with strength. “I have a life now. A f-family. A boyfriend. And I love him. And you… You can take that away from me again.”