Betrayal Down Memory Lane

California Captive (23)

WARNING: this chapter contains themes of sexual assault. It's nothing too intense (it'll probably just evoke slight uncomfortableness) so just a heads up !

Nadia witnessed her relationship with Danny slowly deteriorate into fear, power, and control. Her body was covered in light bruises from attempts to fight him back and unwanted love marks from non-consensual acts.

She was now locked away in a room upstairs in Christian's vacation cabin. Nadia had no idea where she was. Somewhere in California was the only thing she knew.

In this room, a large skylight was placed high upon the ceiling and she would lie down and look up at the stars in the night sky, hoping the next day would be different.

It had been a month and nothing happened. She wondered how secluded this place was. Or maybe Danny was just good at keeping off the radar.

The doorknob twisted and Nadia gasped, quickly sitting up.

Her heartbeat began to race as the same distinguished feeling of fear engulfed her. Danny walked in, quietly shutting the door behind him.

"There's my favorite girl." He smirked, stepping closer to her.

Nadia quickly stood up, backing away from him.

"Hey, where are you going?" He pouted. "I only want to talk to you."

Nadia's chest felt heavy and she started to cry. This wasn't the Danny she knew anymore. She wondered if the real him was still there somewhere. She didn't want to believe he was completely gone.

Her back hit a corner of a wall as she didn't realize he had led her directly into the spot she was in.

"Danny, please." Nadia whimpered, trying to hide the fear in her voice.

"Please what, baby? Hmm?" His voice was dangerously low as he leaned down to her level.

Nadia lightly shook her head. "Please, don't hurt me." She sobbed out.

He chuckled softly. "No, I'm not going to hurt you Nadia." He leaned closer to her face, caressing her cheek. She flinched at his touch as her breath trembled.

"You don't have to be so afraid." He whispered, tucking a strand of Nadia's hair behind her ear.

Nadia desperately wanted to push him away, but she cowered in fear knowing making him angry would worsen her situation.

Danny tilted her head up as he placed his hand under her chin. "I wanted to let you know I'm going out for a bit. You won't miss me too much now, would you baby?" Nadia looked away from his gaze, keeping her mouth shut.

He grasped her chin, applying uncomfortable pressure to her jaw until it grew painful.

"No," she cried out. "I won't."

Danny smirked in satisfaction, finally releasing his grip.

"Guess what? When I get back, I have a surprise for you." He mischievously grinned at her, faintly tilting his head as he leaned in to kiss her cheek. Nadia tensed up and he provokingly placed a hand on her thigh, slowly trailing inward and Nadia instinctively gripped his wrist, stopping him.

He chuckled, giving her a wink as he stepped away from her. Danny left the room without saying anything else. He closed the door behind him, locking it once more.

Nadia slid to the ground, tangling her hands in her hair. She softly began to cry as she dreaded Danny's return.

...

"Here it is." Amelia leaned closer to the windshield, looking up at the hotel Nadia stayed in. They left Austin at 10pm, driving for 21 hours, with minimal rest stops. It was 5pm when they arrived in Vegas.