The Empire's Descent (First Draft)

Chapter 14: What We Owe to Each Other

TW: Abuse scene

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"Wake up!" Lia gasped as she felt ice-cold water drench her. After a moment, she was able to see that Adam stood before her with a bucket in hand and she was on the kitchen floor.

"All you do is sleep or hang out with your 'kids'," Adam mocked her. Lia held her head down.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you," Adam growled. Lia looked up at him in fright.

"Go make me food!" He ordered and Lia began scrambling to get up, she slipped and fell back in the water. Adam laughed her to scorn.

"Pathetic," he threw the bucket at her, it hit her in the chest, but she made no noise. Adam left and Lia took her time in getting up.

She looked around at the blood and water on her white tiles and remembered the events that led to this moment.

The screen had just gone black from her kids and Luca.

"Hello, Luca- Luca!" She could hear some warbled conversation on their end.

"Luca, hello?" She tried again before hanging up.

"Who the fuck is Luca?" Adam's dark voice bit out.

Lia felt paralyzed by her trepidation. Adam walked up to her slowly and gently caressed her head, but she still shivered in fear.

"I'm only going to ask one more time, Lia," Adam informed.

"He's the guardian of the girls. They were just calling me to let me know they were alright," she rushed out.

"Do you always talk to your cases so familiarly? 'Luca' is it?"

"I'm sorry, this was a unique case and I got attached to the girls," Lia hoped to placate him. It was indeed a unique case; the town was small and the only cases the Social Services received were ones of accidents leaving children orphaned, babies being left under the safe-surrender law and the like. Never a case of triplets being held captive, malnourished and beaten.

"Hmm," Adam hummed and coiled her hair around his hand and yanked her head back.

"Adam, please, I'm sorry," she didn't know what she was apologizing for, but she prayed it would save her.

"Sorry? Sorry means you did something wrong, Lia. Did you do something wrong, Lia?" His grip tightened.

"N-no, Adam"

"I don't believe you," he whispered in her ear and began his assault.

Lia returned to the present when her phone buzzed on the table. She rushed to it and saw a message from her boss.

'Mr. Giordano would like to schedule a Skype meeting for when you get in the office'.

She sent an okay and quickly attended her duties at home and left shortly thereafter.

Arriving at the office and saying her 'hellos' and other greetings, she entered her office and breathed deeply for a few minutes. Then, she got on to Skype and was on call with the girls and one of Luca's brothers.

"Hello, CeCe, so pretty!" Mma squealed, but didn't attempt to rub her face on the screen. She then looked to Ada who muttered a 'good girl' to her. Mma preened at the praise.

"Hey, lovelies!" Lia squealed and she found the enthusiasm hurt her ribs. She had to school her reaction, but it was too late, Ada already caught her micro-reaction.

Ada sat back in the chair and begun forming a plan while the other girls spoke to Lia. She was going to tell Luca and Lia would not convince her otherwise.