Devil's Snare

Chapter 24- is this the beginning of her destruction??

had been days since she was attacked, and she thanked God daily for keeping her alive and saving her on that day. She was healing well, but the scar remained. She did not feel bad about it. Her scars never bothered her. Scars are reminders of her survival, a reminder of situations that she was put through, and a reminder that she won the battle and that she came out stronger. Every single scar is a reminder of what she had been through. It's like a vintage collection of exotic things, not on paper or in her closet but on her body, unique to her and her only.

She returned to her work as soon as she was healed. Mr. Paul and the little kid were waiting for her return. As soon as she stepped in, Mr. Paul immediately hugged her and said, “we were so worried about you, dear; the little master was so cranky every single day,” looking at the little kid at his feet.

Alzea picked him up and kissed him. She entered the kitchen, grabbing something for herself. The entire mansion was calm since it was afternoon. Alzea grabbed an apple for herself and took a bite out of it, oblivious to the presence of someone behind her. She turned around, ready to head out to her room when she collided with someone. However, a pair of hands prevented her from falling and steadied her on the ground.

She looked up to see who it was, and she was met with the gaze of Rafael standing there and looking at her with unfamiliar emotions in his eyes. For the past few days, she had forgotten about everything that happened between Rafael and her as she was busy healing from the unfortunate incident. Alzea stopped chewing the apple and dropped her head because she feared the man in front of her.

Rafael looked at Alzea, who was standing there, not knowing what to do. He looked at her hands on her sides and the apple in them; he slowly lifted her right hand, which still had an apple in it, and brought it to his face while holding her gaze and took a bite of the apple staring into her brown eyes. Alzea felt as if he was gazing into her soul, she tried to pull her hands back, but Rafael held her arm tighter and took another bite of that apple which made Alzea gulp. He then let her arm go and moved his finger onto the left side of her chest. Alzea was unsure of what was going on.

As soon as he moved the cloth on her chest to one side, he traced the scar with his thumb. Alzea tried to push his hand away by holding his veiny hand, but he spanked her with his free hand instead. In just a few encounters, Alzea had become accustomed to his demanding nature without his words, so she seized her attempts to free herself.

Rafael bent down and kissed it close to her mouth with his finger tracking her scar. Alzea squeezed the apple in her hand as he rolled his tongue across it. Scared of being caught, she kept looking at the door. If she was caught, she could lose her job or life, and she was confident that Sadie would not appreciate this situation. Alzea attempted to push Rafael by holding his shoulders, but he refused to budge. He continued rolling his tongue around her scar until he was satisfied. He then lifted his face, looked at her one last time, and left the kitchen, leaving Alzea flustered. What was he doing?

After working for the remainder of the day, she decided to go out when she heard a scream. Alzea was left shell-shocked after hearing that. She wanted to investigate, but her instincts did not allow her to do so, but the problem with human curiosity is that it clouds your judgment. When Alzea was about to proceed, she heard another scream followed by a loud thud. She moved slowly and with precise movements as native Americans trudged through enemy waters.

To see what was going on, she sneaked into the basement quietly. The door was slightly ajar, so she peeked in. Two people were torturing a tied-up man. She couldn't figure out who the people were, but she knew from the outline that one was Rafael. Despite her inner voice telling her to stop, she kept looking.

“So, will you tell me now, or do you want me to skin it out of you?” Rafael asked, licking the knife in his hands.

Despite being beaten to death, the man sitting in his chair could not muster up even a single ounce of strength, but Rafael kept asking. His patience was thin, and he decided to get on with his work, so he did what he did best: skinned the person alive. Rafael started with the man's hands, making sure they hurt him.