ᴀᴘʜʀᴏᴅɪᴛᴇ // $ᴜɪᴄɪᴅᴇʙᴏʏ$

Chapter Eight

APHRODITE

It only took one fight with his cousin to let Aristos' demons take over his mind. He was brutal and full of rage.

I served him breakfast and after one sip of coffee, he smashed the mug against the wall because it wasn't hot enough. The next cup I made was too hot, so he smashed that one on the floor. "You are useless, useless annoying bitch! Stop crying! Stop crying or I swear I will give you a reason to cry!" He yelled in my face in a deep growling voice, his fingers gripping tight around my neck.

"Sir, please." I sobbed.

"Shut up, shut the fuck up!" He screamed, punching his fist into the wall next to my head. "I will kill you, I swear I'll do it if you say one more word!"

Rage. His head was full of rage. And there was no way I could make him take his pills. No matter how hard I tried, it always ended up with yelling and smashing things.

"Why are you here for real? Hm?" He grabbed me by my hair once he found the pill I had put in his egg omelet. "Did somebody hire you to kill me? Is that what this is about? You're here to murder me? Did my cousin hire you to kill me?"

"Aristos, you're being paranoid, really. Your cou-"

"Paranoid? Paranoid? Really, bitch? Maybe it's something you all want me to believe. But let's look at you. You have appeared out of nowhere, fucking gun in your drawer, you leave every Sunday afternoon, you have no problem fucking me. No, it's way too obvious, way too obvious." He muttered into my face, pulling my hair. "It's hunt or be hunted, baby girl. Hunt or be hunted..." He whispered threateningly in my ear.

"I go to my apartment on Sundays for alone time... even though I live here for the time being, I still have it. That's all I do when I leave." I said softly.

"Liar! Lying bitch!" He yelled.

Yes, I spent those days just cleaning, picking up shards from broken things, cleaning the messes that he made and trying to survive in my locked room taking my stupid pills that calmed my anxiety. But he would never take his. Every time he would throw one of his fits, I would sit on my bed and stare at the wall, running my fingers along the scars on my arms that were always covered with makeup. Sometimes I just needed a moment of peace so I would go to my apartment on Sundays.

Memories from two nights ago when I saw him like a man, like a human were already forgotten. Ape, marching gorilla, angry dog, nothing human about him at all. A caveman would be a perfect gentleman next to him.

◇◇◇

Later, he came home already in a bad mood. He was slamming doors, kicking things, and yelling. I was sitting in my room on the bed, covering my ears with my hands. "Make it stop, make it stop!" I whispered as I cried and raised my eyes when I heard him walking up the stairs. I looked at myself in the mirror. "Make it stop, Aphrodite." I whispered to myself and stood up, went to the small dresser and grabbed the pistol.

Aristos kicked the door in and froze when he entered the room.

"Move, move you fucking primitive asshole and I'll shoot you." I said, pointing the gun at him, my eyes vacantly staring into his.

"Sure." He growled and took one step forward.

I fired the gun, not knowing where the bullet would end. The wall? His head? Leg?

The bullet went through the wall.

"I have no idea what I'm doing, Aristos. The next bullet might kill you." I murmured.

"You-"

I fired again and this time it went into the ceiling somehow. "Turn." I yelled. "I said turn!"