ETHAN HUNTER

A Tale of Misery

We stopped checking for monsters under our bed, when
we realised they were inside us...
- Charles Darwin

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Savannah's POV:

"H-he's afflicted with DID-Dissociative Identity Disorder."

"He's wh-what??" I asked her, absolutely stunned by her words.
My mind processed what she had just said. And everything started to fall into places. All his actions and behaviour right from the beginning, perfectly fell into places.

"Tell me I'm wrong." I demand, shaking my head feverishly. Every cell in my body wanted this to be a nightmare. But unfortunately I could feel the pain in my heart. It was anything but a nightmare.

"I'm afraid you are right my dear.
He's been having this for a long time now. He's not to be blamed though. Poor boy." Elise trailed off, tears welling up her eyes.

"Elise??" I called out to her, knocking her out of her trance.

"I've been working here, from when his mother was pregnant with them.
They had a tough time even before they were born. Their mother Amelia was the most beautiful, sweet, loving lady, I've ever known. But her life was otherwise. She was a bird trapped in a golden cage. Her husband, Ethan's father, David was a monster. The best word that can define him. I still wonder how Amelia got herself trapped inside of this nightmare."
Elise spoke, taking deep breaths inbetween.

"David forced her to do everything he intended her to do. But he gave her nothing. All she ever wanted was his love. But he was a monster that never even knew the meaning of love. He kept her to be his doll. A beautiful, expensive doll that he proudly owned.
A doll that he kept all for himself, and at the same time abused, in a way no one was deserved to be treated. He thought he had right to do anything to her, since he owned her." Her voice strated breaking as she spoke.

" She used to do all the household chores alone, before I was here.
He didn't want her to know anything, that was happening outside this house, all he wanted her to know was him. He was a sick, twisted person. Seems when she got pregnant with the twins, she became very weak and couldn't do all these things on her own. She got sick often. Thats when I was appointed to work here. Thats when my life turned head over heels. I never expected a job can leave a never fading mark on me." She inhaled deeply before she started over again.

"When I first came here, Amelia was almost 23 weeks pregnant. She looked malnourished and pale and soo sickly weak. The day I started working here, I knew something was terribly wrong with this place, and it was clear with the way David looked at me. Turned out he was not only obsessed with Amelia but a lot other women, but she was the only one, he was glad he owned. Amelia being the kind hearted, sweet person she was, we had become good friends very soon.
She shared everything with me, all of her sorrows and happiness, which was the babies in her womb. That releaved her alot." She explained further.

"Although she did everything she could to earn David's love, he hit her, abused her and used her only for his pleasures even when she was carrying their babies. Her being weak, only made him more mad, and he treated her the worst way possible.
Whilst I could only watch all this happen in front of me, and stay idle.
There were certain days she would even find it hard to walk. Her pregnancy seemed longer than ever, due to the trauma she had to go through. She was almost 37 weeks when it happened."
Elise was stuck between her words. Her voice was trembling and tears started rolling down her cheeks. Then she looked away from me and trailed off in her thoughts.