Ruthless Love

Chapter 16 - Sydney

I blow on my fingers to warm them up but it's no use. The tip of my fingers are purple and I almost believe I have lost sensation in them.

My royal blue dress has many layers, layers that I hold up against the snow as a fan pushes my hair back and waves my dress in the air. The cameraman takes several snaps in a matter of seconds before instructing me to turn to the side and hold my head up.

Everyone is in layers and I'm here in a thin delicate dress. Mine has layers too but its thin and there is no sleeves. My head snaps to Flint for a second who is wearing at least four to five layers of thick clothing.

I take a deep breath. I'm doing this for Alaina, remember. I shiver against the cold snow as twist my body for the photo shoot. I can feel the colour going from my face.

Flint stops the shoot. "She needs more makeup. Her face is going blue."

I frown. He doesn't even have the ability to look at me while he says that. I hurry into the tent and change into a red dress that has a huge cut out from the chest area right down to my belly button, revealing the middle part of the front of my body. It's also backless, and barely anything is left to the imagination.

The makeup artist touches up my face and skin within ten minutes before I'm ushered out of the tent again. I stand on the mountains in the middle of what looks like nowhere but in reality is Bulgaria. My head sways but I push myself further. Just a little longer then I'll be out of here and under warm sheets in bed.

Flint grabs my arm and pulls me forward, anger clearly written in his eyes. He positions me forward and makes me grab my dress. "Hold it high, the fan will help push it against the air."

I do as he says watching him carefully but he never looks me in the eye, not even once. Part of me thinks that perhaps I taught him a lesson but the other part knows that he actually has too much control and power over me and in reality, he's the one teaching me a lesson.

I blink as snow falls on my eyelids. Keep calm, Sydney. I brush my fingers against my face to get the snow out of the way, my hands almost frozen. I feel my lips quiver and I'm tempted to break down and cry right here and in front of everyone but I hate losing and I am not about to do that.

"I think we should stop, sir," someone says besides Flint.

"We're nearly there, this is the last dress," Flint replies and the way he stares at the guy warns him to not utter another word.

I've seen that stare before, he has given it to me multiple times but somehow I always speak up. Well almost always.

I grab either side of the red dress and twirl, forcing the dress to spin in a circle with me. In the background I hear the clicks of the camera go off as the photographer takes photos. I can see the photographer run from side to side trying to get a good angle.

I'm wearing flats under my dress, my toes frozen and I know I can't feel them. I stare at everyone who has boots on, thick boots. I breathe, this is insanity. If I continue I'll die from the coldness.

I rub my hands together in an attempt to bring some heat to the palm of my hands. I shiver against the snow as the group talks amongst themselves. I notice they point several times towards the screen where my photos are being displayed before the photographer joins me again.

I feel disgusted in myself. The fact that I accepted this is crazy. Alaina wouldn't want me to kill myself amongst all this, although dying would be a lot easier than all this.

I look down at my dress, I pull the dress a little higher making sure I don't show cleavage but this dress barely hides anything. The redness of my dress is a huge contrast against the whiteness of the snow and mountains versus what everyone else is wearing. Everyone has dull black or brown jackets and pants. Hoodies pulled over their heads and thick boots around their feet to keep them warm.

My head sways and I lean down on my knees to breathe. The photographer thinks I'm posing because he bends down to take my photo, throwing suggestions on how I should position myself to look good.

I blink as his words become a muffle of sound and noise. My vision gets blurry and I hold my breath. The buzzing in my head gets louder and snow beneath my feet begins to move. I blink, am I moving? My head sways forcing me the grab onto the snow which instantly dissolves between my hand.

I pull my head high up and try to stand but my body sways this time. I can hear talk in the background but I can't put them into words. I hold my hands out in front of me and twist them side to side, first staring at my palms before I turn to look at the back of my hands.

Everything spins. Someone places a hand over my shoulder. I can hear them ask me something but I don't know what it is. I take a step backwards away from the voices that sound like a buzz in my ears.

It gets louder and louder forcing me to take another step backwards and then another. For a second I hear someone shout "Watch it!" and as I turn my leg slips against the snow.

I'm sure I'm about to fall off the edge when something hard hits against me, my body twisting against it and I tumble forward. It takes a few second to realise it someone else holding onto my body.

"Give me your hand," the voice says calmly.

I blink.

"Give me your damn hand!" it shouts.

As I reach forward, my dress gets caught against the side of rock and it rips. My leg slips from the post and we both tumble further down. This is where I die.

"Hold onto me," the voice whispers. I wrap my arms around their solid body and then realisation sets in. It's Flint. I'm about to die with Flint.

As we tumble forward, anger fills me for the way he treated me. He forced me in a dress to freeze to death, he forced me into this situation. He never cared and suddenly I don't either.

As I hit the rock, my body twists and we begin tumbling at an even faster pace right near the edge of the cliff into the middle of nowhere. I push myself away from his body and I hear him shout something before he falls and hits his head hard against the rock.

I grab against the snow several times trying to stop the fall until I hear a crack. My legs dangle right off the edge of the cliff with only my hands holding on. I blink before dizziness pulls me in. I feel my fingers slipping. I look down into the darkness. It's all black, I can't see anything.

"No!" I shout as I pull myself up. It's just a dream I tell myself. I'm in a bed with layers and layers of blankets.

"You're okay," the man in the white coat says. "You're perfectly fine. Just cold," he says with a smile.

I blink. "What?"

"I'm Doctor Radoslav."

I push the blankets and sheets away and stand up.

The doctor reaches out. "I don't think you should do that," he says.

I push his arm away as I walk towards the door. Doctor Radoslav tries to stop me but I push past the doctor, down the elevator and that's when I see him.