Chapter 6

Welcome to the beginning of the end. Here are some trigger warnings for this chapter: attempted sexual abuse and suicide.

The next morning I wake up from a very peaceful rest. Probably the most restful one I have ever had living here. The room is still dark from it being too early. Then I feel it. The gentle breathing of someone behind me. Warmth across my back.

Damien. I remember. He stayed with me last night. And he…. He kissed me. At the memory I can feel my face heat up as I touch my lips. I sit up and hear a protest from behind me as the cold air hits my skin. Damien tries to get closer to me in his sleep. I turn and look at him. His black hair is covering part of his face and he is smiling. I do not want this to end… but I have to do my job. As I think this I get up and go to my wardrobe. I grab my suit and get changed quickly. As I am putting on my tie I watch as Damien stirs and sits up on the bed rubbing his eyes.

"Good morning Alex." Damien says sleepily and with a yawn.

"Good morning sir." I finish up my tie as he stands up. I feel him walk up behind me and wrap his arms around my waist and rest his chin on my shoulder.

"I have told you not to call me that." He says right beside my ear and I shiver. I pull away gently. The sudden cold makes me frown a little.

"I need to get back to my duties. Chef should have some breakfast ready if you would like to come with me." I turn to him and watch him nod as he gets ready for the day. His usual bright eyes are clouded by a small hint of sadness.

"Will you at least talk to Mark about you coming with me? There is no harm in asking." Damien says as he pulls on his shirt. I give him a small nod. Once he is dressed I lean forward and plant a small kiss on his cheek. His cheeks seem to turn red. I slowly take his hand as we walk down the hallway and up the stairs.

A sweet smell of eggs and vegetables wafts from the kitchen. The light sound of our stomachs growl. I laugh a little at the sound. We walk into the kitchen and Chef is standing there with trays on the counter. He looks up at us and narrows his eyes.

"Master Damien is not allowed in here while I am working. Get him out." Chef raises a ladle at me as he says this.

"He is hungry. Is it okay if he eats now?" I ask as I walk around and grab an apple. I take a bite out of it. I look over the trays. It looks delicious.

"Okay fine. Just let your new boyfriend eat out in the dining room." He turns to the sink to work on cleaning his pots. I roll my eyes and finish up my apple.

"Go and eat Damien. I need to deliver these to their rooms." I say as I grab two trays and make my way up the stairs to Mark's room. I have both trays on one arm. I lightly knock at the door. "Master and Mistress. I have brought you breakfast." The sound of light movement is heard.

"Come in." Mark's voice comes from behind the door. As I step inside I hear the water running from the bathroom. On the bed Mark is sitting up not wearing a shirt. "Good morning Alex." He says with a smile as he looks up at me.

"Good morning Master." I say with a bow and set the trays down on their night stands. I turn to leave but then stop. I turn back around. "I have a question sir."

"What is it?" He takes a fork and examines the food.

"I was wondering… Damien…. He offered for me to stay with him. I was…. I was wondering if I could go with him. I-"

"No." Mark's stern voice cuts me off. I am taken aback by the tone. His eyes seem to almost glow for a second. "You are not leaving this place. You belong here. You belong to me. Do you understand?" The hints of anger in voice is scary. I nod quickly. "Good. Now. Did you see anyone at the wedding that you think would be a good match?" Mark takes a bite of his food. Any sign of his anger is gone.

"Yes sir. Benjamin was his name. He seemed kind." I saw and bow. As I walk out the door I hear Celine walk out of the bathroom and laughter. I make my way downstairs to grab another tray. Damien stops me as I walk back out of the kitchen. My eyes must have been watering a little.

"What happened? Are you alright?" His touch on my cheek warms me and makes me instantly feel a little better.

"I am alright. Mark…. Mark says that I cannot leave with you. I am sorry." I look down at my feet. I hear as Damien exhales and kisses my forehead. All of my previous emotions go away.

"I was really hoping he would let you. It looks like he upset you. I will not push it then." I close my eyes enjoying the feeling for a second.

"I need to check on William and bring him his breakfast." I pull away and make my way to his room. I knock gently on the door once I make it. "Master William. Breakfast is ready." I call into the room.

"Ah, come in please." I hear some from the other side as I walk in. He is standing in front of a full length mirror. He seems to be looking himself over. He is only in a towel. I look away out of politeness and set the tray down on his night stand. From what I did see there was lines down his back. Like scratches. I shake my head to clear it.

"I hope you enjoy breakfast Master William." I say and turn to walk back out of the room.

"Can you keep a secret?" William's voice stops me. I take my hand off of the door handle.

"What is it sir?" I ask and turn back to him. The look in his eyes is pain.

"Do not tell anyone. Especially Mark… Celine… she was here last night. We talked. One thing led to another ..." William is not looking me in the eyes. I blink a few times in shock.

"She is married…. Mark is you friend. What were you thinking?" I try to keep my voice even.

"I know. I know. I was not thinking. I have loved her for a very long time now. It just kind of happened." He buries his face in his hands. "And I still love her." I can hear his voice break a little. I walk forward and place my hand on his shoulder.

"I understand. You cannot help who you love. Whatever you do from here is up to you. I will not tell Mark." I say and he looks up at me. His eyes are red and wet from tears. He pulls me into a hug.

"That you. Thank you so much." I touch his back gently and comfortingly. I can feel him relax.

A little over year passes pretty quickly. Damien left the house a few days after the wedding. William left about a month later. William would stop by from time to time. Unknown to Mark, William and Celine would spend their days together. William would leave before Mark got home. Mark only recently hired Benjamin as part of his staff a few weeks ago. He has lasted longer than most.

Today I could tell it was going to be different. Something just felt different. I was working in lathe living room around mid day when I heard the front door open.

William is upstairs… Benjamin is cleaning elsewhere. George is off today. Who. I walk into the main area and see Mark standing there with a small bouquet of flowers. "Master what are you doing home so early?" He is going to find out.

"We got done early with practice. I figured I could come home and surprise Celine. Where is she?" Mark asks as I take his coat.

"I ah… I believe she is upstairs. I think she was taking a nap. Might be best to leave her alone." I comment and put his coat up. He walks up the stairs trying to be quiet. I wince at the thought of what is going to happen. I find myself right next to the hallway to him room. I should not be here. I should go back to my work. I hear the knock and the door opening.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!" Mark's voice has never sounded this way before. The venom in his time can be felt from where I am standing. I hear a muffled reply from in the room. I cannot make out what is being said. "GET OUT. Get out William. You are no longer allowed or welcomed in this household."

Seconds later William passes by me as he round the corner. He is mostly dressed from what I could see. I cannot tell much of his expression. I see Celine step out now. She is fully dressed in a black dress.

"We were just talking." She tries to defend herself.

"Bullshit. How long has this gone on?" As he says this I can hear the flowers fall and hit the ground.

"I…" Celine refuses to answer.

"How long?!" The anger is rising in his voice again. The sound of thunder crackling can be heard. Strange since it was fine earlier.

"Since our wedding." Her soft voice says, but I can hear it starting to have hints of anger. "Our wedding was so forced." Her voice is getting louder now. "I did not really have a choice in the matter. I never liked you like I like William."

"You are sick!"

"No. You are sick. Sick and twisted. Marrying me only for your father's wealth. I found the will. You never really like me." Her anger is showing a lot now. "I am leaving with William. At least he treats me right."

"You had your bag already packed?!"

"I was going to tell you tonight that I was leaving." I hear them walking down the hallway towards me. I am too stunned to move. As they pass by me Celine points in my direction. "She knew this entire time. She kept it from you." Mark stops in front of me and looks at me. There is almost a white glow of anger in his eyes.

"I will deal with you later." Mark's anger cuts through me. I nod and watch as he runs after Celine. I turn and see William standing there looking at me. He is down the hall.

"I… I hope you do not think of me differently." He tentatively says. "I do not want to lose our friendship we have." He says this and all I can do is shake my head.

I look down and walk past him. I can hear the rain hitting the roof clearly. I keep walking and can hear the arguing getting louder. I decide to stay out of it and go to the servant's quarters. Ben is standing there looking a little frightened.

"I am guessing you heard that." I comment and lean against the wall. My thoughts are racing.

"I do not think our neighbors heard that…. What do you think is going to happen?" The concern in his voice takes me aback a little.

"I… I am not quite sure. But I know that everything is going to be different. Celine is leaving. She has a suitcase." I glance down at my hands. What is going to happen….

"I hope Mark is going to be okay after this… What should we do? Should we prepare for the night?" Ben questions and paces around the room a little.

"We should. Once he calms down he might want something to eat or drink. We need to be ready to help him." The sound of yelling and banging can be heard from upstairs as I say this. "We can only hope that Master Mark will be okay." As I say this I can hear the unmistakable sound of the door slamming shut. The sound reverberates the house.

About an hour or so later I push the door open into Mark's room to see him sitting there on the bed holding a picture frame. It is of Celine and him the day before their wedding. On the ground is a shattered frame of what I can only assume is William's picture he sent to us of his new uniform. Mark's eyes are red and I can see him shaking. I think his anger has passed and now… I have not seen him like this in a long time. The light hits his face and I can see wet streaks going down his cheeks.

"Master I have brought you dinner." I say gently as I walk fully into the room. He does not look up from the picture. He does not say anything for a few seconds. "Sir you do still need to eat." I set the tray down on his nightstand. As I turn away he grabs my arm gently.

"Would you please bring me some wine. And two glasses." He quietly says. The tone in his voice is hurt and sadness. He sounds tired as well.

"I will be right back sir." I gently pull my arm away from his hand. I pull the door open and walk down the hallway. After a few minutes I come back up to the room with two glasses in my hand and a bottle of wine. Why two glasses? I wonder as I open the bottle and pour him a glass.

"Why are you so kind to me Alex?" Mark asks as he picks up the glass. He takes a giant sip and the red liquid is gone. I gently pour him another.

"It is my job to take care of you, sir." I say and fill the other glass. As he finishes his second glass I hand him the second glass.

"No that is for you." Mark says as he grabs the bottle of wine and fills his glass.

"Sir… I am working. I cannot drink while I am working." I say as I watch him sip the new glass. He shakes his head.

"Take the night off and relax with me. Do not think about leaving me." There is a little bit of harshness in his voice. I decide not to argue and take a sip of the glass. The red liquid is very sweet and delicious. "Are you hungry?" Mark adds as he pokes at his food with his other hand holding a fork.

"Not really besides that is your food." I comment. Mark drops the fork and grabs my arm. He yanks it down making me sit on the bed. The sudden movement makes the wine in the glass slosh up the side and a little gets on my dress right on the white.

"You are too stiff sometimes. You need to relax." His words are starting to slur together a little as he finishes the last of his current glass. His hand does not move from my arm.

I do not know what to say so I look down at my dress where the wine is starting to stain. I will need to really work at this tonight. I look up and am met with Mark's dark brown eyes. There is almost like a cloud in them. I can feel a tighter pressure on my arm where he is holding it.

"What are you doing?" I ask and keep eye contact with him. Suddenly he leans forward and kisses me. The smell of the wine is strong. I pull away immediately with wide eyes. "No."

"Why not? You admitted to wanting to be with me in the past." Mark complains as he is still close to me. His tone is has a small hint of harshness. His other hand still has his glass of wine. He finishes off the last bit of it.

"I said maybe if things were different, but things are not different. They are worse now." I lean away but his grip on my arm stops me. The grip seems to tighten as I move.

"It is not fair." Mark slurs and his anger is beginning to rise. "It is not fair that everyone that I love does not want to be with me!" His voice is getting louder.

This anger. The way he is acting. I need to get out of here before he does something. I manage to yank my arm free and run to the door. As my hand touches the door handle to pull it open I am slammed against the door. The back of my head hits the wooden door hard. Mark is there trapping me.

"You are not going to leave me. Never. Understood?" He grabs my chin and narrows his eyes.

My I turn the door handle and somehow the door opens. I stumble backwards a little. What the hell. Mark is gone. I am not no longer in his room. I am no longer upstairs even. I look around to get my bearings. Where am I? I do not recognize this room.

I am in a small room filled with books and a desk in the middle of it. This is not the library. How did I get here? Should I even worry? I am at least away from Mark… I am glad I got away. I sit down in the chair to collect my thoughts. All I can hear is my heart pounding in my ears. I close my eyes. Without realizing it I drift off to sleep my mind slowly calming down.

I awake with a start as the sunlight drifts into the room. I immediately get up and look around the room. I need to get to work… even after last night I have to do my job… I walk out of the room and go up the stairs to Mark's bedroom.

It is empty. The room is destroyed. Clothes flung everywhere and food on the floor. And empty bottle of wine. I add cleaning up the room to my mental list of things to do.

He is probably in his study then. I think and walk out of the room. Ben has today off and I think he is in town. So I will have to pick up a few of his chores. I stop outside the door to his study. The door is slightly ajar and there is a broken wine glass shattered on the ground. A pit forms in my stomach. Something is wrong. Something does not feel right.

I carefully step around the glass and push open the door. The lights are off but my heart drops. In the middle of the room there is a figure. Hanging from the ceiling.

Sorry I cut it short guys. If not it was going to be soooooo long.

Happy fun times are behind us in this story.

Come check out my Instagram hunjess96 for illustrations and stuff.