✔️ SLANDEROUS INTENTIONS | +18

Chapter 10

HELENA

I feel like I'm in a different dimension.

He calls it his realm, naming himself the ruler of it. He calls it his land, declaring himself the landlord. And he is right. This is his realm. He sets the rules. This is his land, and he solely cultivates evil. Nothing good.

This is his dimension, and I feel like an alien here. He spreads menace like a virus, infecting everyone in his space. He turns them into his shadows, walking behind him and devouring every extraordinary alien like me who dares set foot in his realm.

He doesn't speak English. His language is violence. His words cut like a deep wound. His actions scream of crime. But all eyes are turned to the corner, blind to his savage deeds. Heads bow in submission. An invisible gag silences them, forcing them to keep his ominous secret within his mansion-like castle.

He didn't cheat the system — he became the system. And I don't want to participate in his flow. Like an alien, I want to jump into my imaginary UFO and fly away from his realm, his kingdom, his dimension.

Because the money he put on the nightstand doesn't take my pain away. The piece of paper, which is actually worth nothing, doesn't erase the humiliation he put me through. The injustice. I don't accept his money as an apology. I don't forgive him.

I'm only coerced into accepting the clothes because my jeans are ruined, vanished like a ghost. I can't find them. Blood is hard to wash off, so my shirt is ruined as well. Left with the options of accepting his attire or walking around indecent, I've chosen the first. Being demure, I opted for the clothes.

Wearing the gray pants and turtleneck shirt, I put on the black hoodie over it. Sighing, I rolled up the pants and sleeves. I thought he'd asked the maid to bring me clothes in my size, not his.

I'm in his clothes. They smell like him—musky like the earth and fresh like water. His scent lingers on my body. Wrapped in his garments, I feel his aura surrounding me, like a shadow that clings to me. Even in his absence, he makes his presence felt.

And I want to leave this place. Leave him behind, after contributing my verse. I try to get up from the bed as Beth comes in with a pair of crutches.

"Auntie, where have you been?" I ask her as she walks to the end of the bed, placing the crutches there before approaching me.

As soon as she is near, I hug her tightly. I really need comfort after my encounter with the tyrant during twilight.

"I'm sorry I had to leave you alone, honey," she mutters, rubbing my back. "I had to go grocery shopping and take care of some chores. Are you alright? Has anything happened while I was away?"

She pulls away, looking at me worriedly. "N-No," I stammer, leaning my back against the bedpost and shaking my head. Her eyes are tired, with circles lingering under those rusty brown orbs. I don't want to worry her and add to her stress.

"When can I leave this place?" I ask her, biting my lip. "Leave? Don't you want to stay?" she replies, a frown forming between her brows.

"As far away from this place as possible," I mutter with a subtle nod. "But do you have a place to stay?" she asks. I can tell she wants me to stay, but I can't. I simply can't go by his book.

"I'm currently staying in a cheap motel," I confess honestly, with an embarrassed smile. It's nothing but humiliating to admit that I'm currently living in a place that could go by a pleasure house disguised as a hotel with all the fun people are having there at night. "But I'll move to a better place once I find a job."

"You can work here with me, as a maid. I'm sure the master won't have a problem with it if I put in a good word for you," she offers, helping me get up and use my crutches to stabilize my balance without putting too much pressure on my injured leg.