A Bride For Us

In Spite of You

Fear clutched Lily's chest, burying its fangs into her heart as Raymond tightened his hold on her wrist. His eyes were a burning furnace of fury as he held her captive, cutting off the blood supply and leaving her fingers feeling numb.

In that second, she was certain he would hit her. Clenching her teeth, she braced herself for the feel of his fist on whatever part of her body he would deem fit. Instead, all he did was continue to hold her captive, his fingers burying themselves in her skin. She pressed her lips together to keep from howling in pain, knowing fully well that she was helpless to fight back. Then, as suddenly as he had taken her captive, he released her.

He stepped back, as if in realization of his error, before turning around. She watched as his gaze swept the room, running from one child to the other, before he stumbled out of the room, leaving the door wide open.

Lily stood frozen on the spot, her heart racing in her chest and threatening to explode. She felt her hands tremble where they hung by her sides and while she tried to move, her feet remained rooted to the floor boards, holding her prisoner.

It wasn't until she felt arms encircle her legs, did she realize that she hadn't been breathing. A loud gasp escaped her lips, air filling her lungs as tears simultaneously stung her eyes. Her hands flew to her mouth to keep herself from sobbing.

She waited until she was certain her tears wouldn't break loose and her breathing was regulated, before going to her knees on the wooden floor.

“I'm alright, Milly.” She whispered, fear lacing her voice as she stared into Milly's teary brown eyes.

Milly shook her head, wrapping her arms around Lily's neck, as if certain that if she let go, more harm would come to Lily.

“Perhaps it's time to go to bed.” Lily kissed her cheek, lifting her up in her arms. She felt Milly bury her face in her neck as she continued to sob.

Once on her feet, Lily's gaze traveled the room to find the children staring solemnly at her, even Scarlet. In a split second, Lily thought she saw pity flash through Scarlet's eyes but as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone and Scarlet was turning to the side.

Lily forced an encouraging smile to her lips in a bid to reassure the children that she was fine even if she knew she was anything but fine. She was terrified beyond words at Raymond's behavior earlier. Never in her life had she seen a man treat a woman with such fury neither had she ever stared into such deadly eyes as his.
Certain she couldn't survive another episode if it should arise, every instinct in her body told her to take her belongings and leave. What assurance did she have that it wouldn't happen again? Perhaps she had been a fool to think that marriage to a complete stranger would work. For all she knew, she was married to the devil and she wasn't sure she wanted to stay in his hell.

Milly stirred in her arms, leaning her head against her shoulder. Lily instinctively reached up and smoothened Milly's hair before leaning slightly against her head.

Something warm fluttered in her heart at the feel of the child she held and in that second, her eyes scanned the room once more; Scarlet still hadn't turned around and the others seemed to be on the verge of falling asleep. A wave of pity washed over Lily at the sight of the children. Malnourished in many ways; food, clothes, toys and most importantly, love. They all seemed to have learned how to survive on their own, without a mother and certainly without a father. They fell asleep without bed time stories or lullabies. They ate very little and spoke less. They never played and they hardly smiled. While Lily had tried in the few days she had spent in the house, to get them to like her, they seemed afraid to do so.

It wasn't until Lily began to hear Milly's soft snores against her shoulder, did she realize that the children weren't just afraid to like her, they were afraid to love her. There was something in them, something that came with age and experience -which explained why Milly didn't have it yet- that had succeeded in convincing them that they would lose whatever they love. Because, in truth, they had already lost everything they ever loved.