PHILANDERER'S AMOUR

CHAPTER 5. THE PHOTOGRAPHS

5 Hours later, Rosewood Manor, Lanimer Woods, December 3, 2018. 

The constant slaps from the thin and clammy hands woke her up. The distressed maiden's tired eyes struggled to open. The bright light pierced her vision, and she felt a tingling pain striking in her head. While desperately trying to gain consciousness, she struggled invariably. 

Then, she eventually opened her eyes to find herself lying in the caress of his arms. She recognised the surroundings and realised that it was his basement. While gently stroking her hairs, he placed small kisses on her forehead. Abigail made an effort to push him off, but it was nothing but futile endeavours. She constantly made movements to get away but was unable to succeed as her hands and legs were still tied. 

During her constant struggle, she began to notice a foul smell that surrounded them. It was so atrocious that it was getting harder to breathe. She tried to look behind him in order to discover the hidden source of the smell, but he pushed her head down. 

While she yelped in pain, he smiled. Thereafter, he lifted her head, cupped her face and kissed her nose. Then, he announced his plans for the day. Abigail tried to crawl away from him, and then he placed his foot on her butt and exerted force on her wound. She began screeching in pain and stopped moving. 

Then, he dragged her back to her former spot and made her sit while garnering support from the wall. The tears blurred her vision and she couldn't see anything that lied beside her. Then, the man lowered down and wiped her tears off her eyes.

Then, she gaped at the figure lying in front of her. It was the dead body of Caleb which was still tied to the chair. Though his dead eyes were left open, his body began to show signs of degeneration. She screamed in pain and began to crawl away from the spot once again. 

The man moved and stood in front of her. Then, he pointed at the camera that was fixated on the ceiling. She observed the camera and understood what he had been planning to do. She began to pant heavily and began to lament while shedding tears. 

Then, she opened her mouth and struggle to utter comprehensible statements.

"I beg you to leave me. I don't even know you. I have never hurt anyone in my life, including you as much I remember. Why must you put me through this?"

The man just glared at her with gleeful eyes and held a jovial smile upon his lips. Then, he began dragging her back to the former spot, in front of Caleb. 

She wept and trembled with fear. Then, he sat and made her sit upon his lap. Thereafter, he untied the ropes that bonded her leg and began caressing her cheeks. She shivered and lied without any movement. 

Then, he drew her closer to himself. 

He turned her face by holding her jaw and began speaking. 

"You know what, Doll? A man covets things that he sees frequently. That is the matter with me too."

While shivering, she began to lose her consciousness. As the man didn't wish for that, he slapped her hard on her left cheek. She woke up in haste and began trembling and crying further from the pain. He paid no heed to her pitiful cries. 

It was the advent of the moment he had been passionately waiting for. He unfastened the ropes on her hands and then began to remove her coat. While trying to get her hands freed, she tried to loosen his grip upon her. He trapped her in his arms and drew her closer. 

Abigail's heartbeat was racing out of fear as she was sitting upon the very man who killed her family and love. The worst thing about the dilemma was that she would never be able to leave, she reminded herself. 

The man began to wiggle his tongue upon Abigail's ear. From helix to lobule,  he licked every part as if it was some sort of candy. She felt disgusted and tried to push him away, but ended up having his tongue inside her mouth. He twirled and twisted his tongue, and didn't let her leave for a whole minute. 

Abigail felt disgusted, but her struggle to rid herself from him never worked.

He held dominance over her body and mind. He was capable of deciphering ways to break people's resolve, and he used that on her. She was beginning to lose herself. That was apparent when she stopped revolting and lied tranquilly just like the corpse that lied adjacent to her. 

Thereafter, he removed her clothing gradually. At first, he removed her t-shirt and then went towards her pants. He unbuttoned it and removed it as well. As she hadn't been wearing any garment, she was lying there in absolute nakedness. She tried to cover herself up with her hands while tears dwelled in her eyes.

The disgust that she felt clouded her thoughts and she couldn't comprehend anything. The atrocity of the man was evident in that very moment, as even though she was so close to having a breakdown, she was made to sit upon him naked. He held her closer and spoke, "There was that girl. She was also a rebel, just like you. She tried to escape numerous times. I tried reasoning with her, but she couldn't fathom my reasons. That wretched women's audacity knew no bounds. I had to teach her a lesson". 

Then, the man clammed up and Abigail wondered about the accuracy of his tale. 

The man took out a cigar from his under pocket, lighted it, began to smoke and exhaled the smoke out on her face. She coughed and began to wobble to get away from him. He further held her sternly and didn't allow her to move.

"I wasn't done, Dear. I don't think you listen. Do you?", he inquired.

The man jolted her off, and due to the sudden fall, she ended up hurting her back. 

The man walked back and forth and then left hastily. She heard the loud sound of footsteps fading away, so she crawled towards her clothes which were placed next to Caleb.

While shivering and weeping, she picked up her clothes and avoided looking at the cadaver. She dressed herself up and stood up. Just when she made her way towards the stairs, she was greeted by the callous man. He pushed her back and made her sit on the ground. Then, she noticed the trunk that the guy had brought back. 

He seemed oblivious to the fact that her gaze was fixated on the trunk from the moment he entered. The man gave in to her curiosity and placed the trunk on the floor and opened it. The contents of it paralyzed her with fear. It was brimming with all sorts of restraints, collars and scourge. The man felt content with her reaction and grabbed the thing that she didn't seem to observe. The corner of the trunk contained several photographs. 

He was flipping the photographs, and then passed one of the photographs to her. 

She gaped at it with amazement and then stared back right at him. 

He comprehended the ambiguity her eyes held, and replied, "She is the woman I mentioned before. She was my wife. I enjoyed being with her, and that must be the same for her too. We were married for a year, and then she left. She was a rebel like you. I can only disclose to you that her end was not pretty". 

In the photograph, there was a woman with blonde hairs and chestnut eyes. She was wearing a maxi dress and her hairs were drifting in the direction of the wind. It seemed as if it was taken on a beach. Her eyes glistened, and she had a perfect smile. Everything that the woman seemed to have in the photograph, Abigail lacked. She lacked her liberty, will and the love of her family. The thoughts of being captivated for a lifetime made her heart heavy with pain. The pangs of death that were inflicted upon her by the man-made her remorseful, but she still didn't wish to yield.

Then, the man took the picture back and placed it in the trunk with the others. Thereafter, the man scrutinized her with her apathetic gaze and approached her. He glared at her with astonishment and asserted, "You were supposed to lie the way I left you. That's how I like to see you. I wonder if I ordered something of that sort before leaving, I don't think so. Since you have ruined it, you will make up for it. You will undress, and that too while looking at this dead corpse. If you were to flinch or tried averting your gaze, then you're gonna end up gagged up to a chair in positions that are too distant for your own imagination. I know you don't confide in anything I say but believe me, that's definitely not what you'd want".

The girl stood up and began to look at the degenerated form that lied in front of her. The flesh was showing the signs of rotting, and the dead eyes that were left opened seemed to gaze at her. The uneasiness of the beginning was replaced by the horror that prevailed at that moment. While unbuttoning, she was agitated and petrified to the extent that she stood like a stone. Then, she lost all her composure and ran away towards the stairs.