Chapter 17
My cries ring through the walls of the study room, punctuated by whipping sound. Every time Ivan hits me, it feels like death, except that i don’t actually die. It only keeps hurting more and more, the blood tricking down my back and staining the floor.
Will it everend, task myself,
My body stopped holding itself upward a long time ago. I lay on the ground and Ivan leest stop hitting me until fitty lashes have been administrated. I whimper. unable to move a single muscle The old master Whitlockstands and I hear him walk away with his came in hand.
“Make sure to clean before you leave, Catalina.” He says to me on his way out. “You stained my perfect marble floor with your filthy blood
And then, there’s the heavy sound of the door opening and closing. I think I lose consciousness for a while because when Lepenimy eyes again, it feels like an etemity has passed.
Someone carries me in his arm and 1ery again at the contact with my back. I don’t act when I lookup and see that bean is carrying me. He puts me down on his father’s chair His face is wet and his eyes red. Has he been crying?
I’m immediately filled with deep repulsion. How dare be creafter what he did to me!
Without a word, I see him mopping the blood I lett on the marble floor. I wish I could use at him, hurt him, pluck his eyes out. None of that is possible, though. I’m just too weak
When he’s done mopping, he cares me again to his bedrooms. I make little sounds of protestation that he ignores. I’m laid down on my stomach, on his bed. I don’t see him anymore so all can do is sit and wait. Suddenly, there’s a sharp pain on my back. I wince and look over my shoulder to find that ivan is attending to my wounds with cotton pads and alcohol. I grit my teeth together when our eyesmeet.
“Don’t Touch Me
shhh…
1
I hate that I can’t fight. 1 endure this torture of being tended to by the person that injured, find it even more disrespectful. After half an hour, he puts one of his shirts on me. Delaw at his hands, hit his chest with my tists.
“Stop, Catalina.” He whispers. “Let me do this for you.”
He takes the puriches 1 throw at his chest without making a sound. I wish I was stronger. I want to cause him pain similar to what he makes me feel. Ivan buttons the shirt and drags me on his lap despite all my struggling. He rocks me in his arms.
I’m sorry.
“Fuck you.”
Catalina. I didn’t want to:”
bear him sob, his face hidden in the crook of my neck and his tears wetting my skin..
“you shouldn’t have left.” He whispers..
“Fuck you, Ivan
“Thad to do it. I had no choice. If I didn’t punish you, he’d have done it.”
I push him away but he doesn’t move an inch, still clinging to my body like his life depends on it. In the end, I have no choice but to give up. My arms fall limply to my sides and like a soulless corpse, 1 let himling me and put pressure on my wounds. It hurts but I barely make a sound.
I don’t remember how or when I fell asleep but I wake up in the moming, laying on Ivan’s king size bed. My back is giving me hell. My attempt at sitting up is stopped by a hand holding my shoulder. I find with horror that ivan has laid inest to me all night.
I shrug has hand off and sit up too quickly. I feel dizzy and weak but more than anything, I’m terrified of this man next to me.
“How dare you sleep here?” Tory. “What did you do to me?”
Look at my body, coveted by his shirt and nothing else. It doesn’t feel like I’ve been violated though. Ivan sighis heavily. His face is back to being its regular, undsgivingne. You wouldn’t believe that he was the one unbbing on my neck last night.
“This is my bed, Catalina Thave every right to sleep here if I want to.”
“Ben why did you bring nor leer?“
“I cleaned your wounds when I could have left you all alone my father’s study. You should think me.”
*Ldidn’t ask for your help old remind you that you’re the one who gave me the womata?”
His jaw clenchors painfully and a vein starts to beat on
“Can’t you just be forking grateful for once ?” He yells atine
19)
Trower in fear when he stands out of bed, towering over me lider the devil, Loover my face withany hands, hoping that he’s not going to hit me again. I scream when he suddenly pulls my hands away and locks my wilsis is an iron grip
“you have no one to blame bot yourself for what happened yesterday. Thebeating was your punishment for coming away. “
My sarcasm pisses him off more.
“You should team to accept your fate!” He spits throgh gritted teeth, “You belong here and not resisting will make it easier.”
I stare at him through my tears, Ivan’s thumb wipe them away as they fall, his hand lingering on the side of my face and slowly tracing my lower lip. I hold my
breath.
“Your mother never broke a vase, Catalina.” He confesses to me in a soft voice. “She was a very sweet woman The only maid that father tolerated in this mansions but she made a terrible mistake. She told father about you and showed him a picture. It was an innocent act, really. She just wanted to show how beautifully her daughter had grown 1 happened to be present too at that moment and father saw that your picture didn’t leave me indifferent.”
He poshes away the strands of hair on my face.
“You’re so beautiful, Catalina…I desired you at first sight and father noticed. He decided that you’d be the one.”
“…The one for what?” 1 ask tentatively.
My head leans into his touch over my right cheek. His gaze softens slightly.
“It’s a family thing. The Whitlocks are renowned for their ruthlessness in business and personal affairs. That’s what makes por success. A soft heart cannot be tolerated and so, we must handen muurselves. One of my girat ancestors stated this tradition…Each Whitlock nun must have a prey to torture, someone innocent, land and pure much like yourself…It’s really hard to hurt someone like that, isn’t it? The one who succeeds to do so has certainly become heartless and that’s what we are aiming for. You are my prey, Catalina, I must break you to become stronger.”
His words make me shiver.
“But you also make me weak…I’ve never struggled to hurt people before. I thought this would be easy but you. You make it hard. You’re so soft, small and sweet… When I see you, I just…Torture is the last thing that comes to mind When I hurt you, I feel it too and that’s the greatest sign of weakness.”
His face twists again in anger but this time, I think it’s directed toward him. I hold his hand between mines, noting how much bigger it is Ivan watches me with hawkeyes as I hold his hand to my cheek 1 stare at him through my lashes. Perhaps what rebellion can’t give me, seduction will do. I make my voice as soft at Lean when I speak again.
“Maybe you don’t have to follow this family tradition, Ivan. If it doesn’t feel right, why must you beat yourself up? You know deep down that it’s wrong I don’t want to be a prey. I w–want to have a good tite. I’m a human being just like you.“!
He shakes his head in denial:
“You have nothing out there, Catalina. Your mother is gone and your father is an idiot. I admire your positivity, I really do. But it’s foolish…People will crush you out there. You’re safer here, believe it or not Can’t you really try and accept this? I promise I won’t hurt you if you just settle, pretend that you’re understood your
His face gets closer to mine.
“I saw the way you talk to other men can’t you be that way
y with me too?”
“Other men have not tried to enslave me, Ivan. They haven’t asked me to give up on my dreams and become their little dumb toy. Either you’re going to change this psychotic mindset or you’ll be met with resistance. I’ll never surrender to you.”
find that I’m trapped under his larger body, terrified but still holding my head high. He managed to fit himself between my legs. I’m wearing no underwear and his lower body is directly against my sensitive skin. I can feel him growing in his jogger, which tell me that he’s also aware of the inappropriate proximity between
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“So you ask me to choose between you and my family?” He breathes down on me.
“No.“I blink “I’m asking you to choose between morality and Whatever disgusting shit your family is up to.”
“Well…Too bad, Catalina. I’m a Whitlock and 1 will always adhere to my family’s tradition. I don’t think it’s wrong. I
If I’m weak now, I’ll just have to work harder to Tix myself. Father warned me about these feelings and he was right. They’re just a waste of time.”
He brushes his thumb over my nipples, perking through the fabric of his shirt. I keep a stole face, not willing to show an ounce of emotion.
“Since you’re the trigger to my weakness, Catalina, you become my nemesis. I’m sure you understand that I can’t be easy on you…No matter how delicious and inviting your body is. Despite your pouty lips and bambi eyes.. I’ll resist you.
He thrusts his hips against me and my mouth fall open at the jolt of electricity i
by that spread through my body. Ivan smirks, happy that he finally got a reaction our ot me. Even if he still has his jogger on, I don’t trust this position we’re in. I turn my head to the side to escape his lustful gaze. Somehow, the way he stares at me is putting butterflies in my stomach and I hate it.
“Here are the new rules for you.” He tells zur “Are contact with the men in this house, including my brothers is strictly prohibited. You’re not allowed to step out, not even to the garden You’ll also hand your phone over to me.”
“silence. You also won’t have a bedroom of your own anymore. You don’t deserve that privilege.Every night, you’ll sleep in this bed with me,”
“Fuck you!”
“Ch. Don’t tempt me, Catalina TM
Iglare at him The chuckles. His hand tries to hold any face but I slap it away.
“You’re not taking my phone” I protest,
“1 am. You ran away, didn’t you? It’s because youfeh too confortable, Tonist remind you that i hold all the power. You have no one to run to for protection except ine, Catalina. If you’re good to me, I’ll think of giving you certain privileges back Understood?”
As I don’t reply to him, he gives another violent thrust between my legs that dip a man voi në me,
1 d. the hums and his body lifts i sit up quickly and try to fix my shirt van still stares at me with last evident in his eyes. I ignore him.
roberg and get started with bread ast, now.” He orders. “The others will wake up soon.”
And so, I walk out of his room, feeling more trapped than ever How am I going to get myself out of this situation?
