Chapter 3
The bright city lights blurred past the car windows,
casting a soft,
golden glow on Esther's tear-stained face.
She sat quietly in the passenger seat,
her hands folded tightly in her lap,
still wearing that awful,
damp apron that symbolized her torment.
I pulled into the underground parking garage of a luxury hotel,
a quiet,
secure sanctuary where my twisted family could never find us.
I turned off the rumbling engine,
unbuckled my tight seatbelt,
and reached out to gently hold her shivering hand.
"We are safe now,"
I told her softly,
hoping to ease the deep terror that still lingered in her beautiful eyes.
She looked at me,
her lower lip trembling,
and finally let out a loud,
heartbreaking sob that she had been holding back for hours.
I pulled her over the center console and into my arms,
holding her tightly against my chest,
letting her cry until her warm tears soaked my expensive shirt.
"I am so incredibly sorry,"
she whispered brokenly,
burying her delicate face in my broad shoulder,
"I just wanted them to like me,
to accept me as your worthy wife."
My heart shattered into a million tiny pieces,
realizing exactly how deeply they had manipulated her kind,
gentle nature.
"You have absolutely nothing to apologize for,"
I said firmly,
stroking her soft,
messy hair,
kissing the top of her warm head repeatedly.
"They are the ones who should be begging on their knees for forgiveness,
for treating a literal angel like a common servant."
She pulled back slightly,
wiping her swollen,
red eyes,
taking a deep,
shaky breath to steady her fragile nerves.
"It started a few months ago,"
she confessed quietly,
unable to meet my intense gaze,
"whenever you went on your long business trips overseas,
they would fire the professional cleaning staff,
and tell me it was my wifely duty to maintain the massive household."
A cold,
murderous rage washed over my entire body,
a dark anger that I had never felt before in my entire life.
"They told me I was useless,
that I brought absolutely no value to the family,
unless I earned my keep by scrubbing the floors,"
she continued,
her voice barely above a painful,
raspy whisper.
I closed my eyes tightly,
taking a deep breath to calm my racing heart,
silently vowing to destroy everything my mother and sister held dear.
"That nightmare ends tonight,"
I promised her,
cupping her delicate,
beautiful face in my large hands,
wiping away a stray,
salty tear with my thumb.
"I will never leave you alone with them again,
and I will make sure they pay for every single tear you shed in that house."
We stepped out of the luxury car,
walking hand in hand into the elegant hotel lobby,
ready to start our brand new life together.
We rode the quiet elevator up to the penthouse suite,
the plush carpets muffling our tired footsteps.
I ran a hot,
soothing bath for her,
making sure the clear water was perfectly warm,
not dangerously scalding like the dirty dishwater they had forced upon her.
I gently untied that wretched apron,
throwing it straight into the garbage can,
where it truly belonged.
Seeing her finally relax in the warm water,
a small,
May you like
faint smile appearing on her beautiful face,
gave me the immense strength I needed for the difficult days ahead.
