CHAPTER THREE
"Come on in," I hesitated, even though I knew Flora wouldn't do anything to jeopardize my safety, doubts remained. My hospital stay had settled, and Flora had arranged a safe place for me to stay until I would found a job and afford my own place. "I would really like to have you in my house, but we're already four girls, and there's barely enough space for us. Can you hold on just for a couple of days? I can talk to the girls, and maybe we can move to a larger place?" Flora's words sparked hope in me. It was a confusing feeling, as I had never felt this close to anyone, and no one had ever cared for me like this—except for my mom and dad.
Unfortunately, it had been years since they both passed away. My mom died giving birth to me, and my dad succumbed to a heart attack, leaving me behind with four domineering, brutish brothers and a truly wicked stepmother. "Stella?" I snapped out of my daydream when she called me. "Is everything okay? Are you scared?" I shook my head immediately; she had already done so much, and my only responsibility now was to pull myself together as quickly as possible. I wasn't planning on creating any problems for Flora. At least not from now on. "No, no. I'm fine."
As soon as I entered, I took a quick look around the house. The tasteful decor indicated it was the home of someone with an eye for aesthetics. Living in such a luxurious house, Flora explained that her cousin no longer lives here, often traveling abroad. And when he returns, he visits his family's house instead. Her cousin had entrusted her with the key, asking her to check on it from time to time. Even though I knew this arrangement between us, might be considered wrong, I wasn't in a position to voice any objections. Saying no to this house meant having no place to stay for me at all. Sighing, I began to walk around the house slowly. To an outside observer, it might have seemed like I was doing this at gunpoint. My movements were slow and nervous, prompting Flora to approach me.
"Stella, even if my cousin was here, he would never be mad at me for bringing you in, trust me. He's a really good person." I nodded, "No, I have no doubts about that, Flora. Thank you, really. This means so much to me. You saved my life." She smiled widely and hugged me. "Come now, I'll give you a tour."
After Flora left, I took a shower in the bathroom she had shown me. There was only one room in the apartment, which I assumed belonged to her cousin of course. She assured me it was okay for me to sleep there after we changed the sheets. Surveying the room, I could easily see that emerald was his favorite color. It adorned every corner of the apartment, but not in a monotonous way. Sighing, I attempted to dry my wet hair with the small towel. I had always dreamt of having a house like this, though mine would be adorned with more yellow-orange tones.
I opened the curtains to invite the sun set in. Feeling the warm touch of the sun on my face always energized me in a way I never quite understood. Well, it's probably the heat, but I'd rather call it a magical touch of the rays. Flora had left some clothes for me. Despite her saying 'some,' when I opened the luggage for underwear, shorts, and a shirt, it was filled with clothes that seemed barely worn. Smiling to myself, I thanked God once more that day. Musa and Bloom were just as caring as Flora, and I was sure they had helped Flora with the clothes too.
I grabbed the small bag in the suitcase and headed back to the bathroom. Letting the towel I was wearing fall to the floor, after a long time, I mustered the courage to look at myself in the mirror. My bruises were starting to heal, evident from the yellowish hue they had taken. A few scars lingered, but I didn't expect them to vanish completely. Flora had given me a cream for my scars, and I retrieved it from the small bag, applying it diligently.
When I finished, I quickly put on my underwear and warmed my cold feet with socks. After donning shorts and a tank top, I applied the care cream to my hair, a thoughtful gift from the girls, and started combing it. I sighed and examined the soft strands in my palm. Despite everything, my hair resisted and maintained its strength. Even though I didn't use a care cream, I always smiled at my voluminous and robust hair.
The aspect my brothers detested most about me was always my appearance. Although they never expressed it, they particularly enjoyed hitting my face because I was beautiful, while they, not so much. However, when struck in the face, I transformed into a complete madwoman, standing up against them and doing my best to prevent their blows. After applying a few creams sent by the girls and brushing my teeth, I finally walked toward the bed and lay my body there.
Fortunately, they couldn't prevent me from learning. Before my father's passing, he entrusted the necessary funds to his best friend, ensuring that I received a comprehensive education at home. This continued until last month when I turned eighteen and asserted my freedom as an individual. I did everything in my power to find a way to escape, resilient to the screaming and violence that followed. It wasn't too difficult; they didn't expect me to attempt an escape because I had never tried before. I stayed undetected because I knew my chance would only come when I turned eighteen, enabling me to access the money I had inherited. Of course, I needed my ID for this, but Flora assured me she knew someone who could help me with that too. She mentioned their "technological brain" staying in the same house with them, but I wasn't exactly sure what she meant or if she was joking. She had told me she was 22 years old, and Helia was 24 years old.
A part of me wanted to ask about her cousin but I stepped back. This didn't interest me. Watching the ceiling I took a deep breath and relaxed my body. The tiredness was still there and I could even feel my bones hurting. The temperature of the house was warm enough for me so I didn't bother to get inside the sheets. But grabbed two of the pillows, one for hugging and the other to put under my head. While my eyes were closing the only thing I could think about was Flora's cousin's taste. He was really self-indulgent.
I opened my eyes with a shudder, finding myself alone in the dimly lit room. The only source of light was the moon's gentle glow. Stretching, I sat up, wincing at my aching joints, I started to tenderly massage my neck and shoulders.
"I think I came into this world to suffer," I muttered, feeling the weight of the trials I had faced.
"I don't think anyone was sent for that purpose," a voice replied calmly. I jolted, screaming, as I got on my knees on the bed, turning toward the source of the sound. "Who are you?!" It felt like a vulnerable question given my vulnerable position. I had nothing to protect myself!
"How strange, I was going to ask you the same thing," the voice retorted. My heart pounded in my throat as I noticed a man with long legs sitting opposite me. The moonlight only reached up to his body, concealing his face in darkness.
"What?" I stammered in a shaky voice. The man stood up and started approaching me. I remained on my knees, moving backward on the bed until my back met the headboard. He leaned over me, placing one hand on the headboard, and finally the moonlit revealed his face. His emerald green eyes appeared fixated on me, their intensity as if he wanted to etch my face into his memory.
"Who are you?" he asked me calmly. Why was he so calm?! And who was he?! "I, I'm," gulping I stopped talking. The tears already forming in my eyes, I took a deep breath before I spoke. "Stella." I said. Not really sure why I told a stranger my name. My eyes were fixated on his eyes, and his eyes only. He came a little closer, now his warm breath brushing my face.
I waited for the nausea to start crawling its way up to my mouth, but it never came. Normally, a sense of nausea accompanied my brothers' threats, carried in the very breath they exhaled on my face. However, this man's breath on my face didn't induce any. Instead, an unexpected warmth spread, and I felt my cheeks flush. His eyes seemed to sear the places they touched. Shifting slightly in my place, he remained silent, increasing my nervousness.
"Stella?" he repeated, and at that moment, my gaze left his eyes for the first time, wandering over his face. My stomach tightened, not solely because of his handsomeness—though that might have played a part too—but mostly because his face was familiar. It was as if I were looking at someone I knew very well. I simply nodded; I didn't think I could muster any words out right now.
His hand slowly reached out toward my arm. Anticipating a touch, I leaned a little more against the headboard, unintentionally limiting myself further. He frowned, gesturing for me to look at his outstretched hand. When my gaze fell upon it, I realized he was pointing with his index finger at the scars on my arm, clearly visible since my tank top wasn't hiding them. "What are these?"
My eyes remained fixated on my arm, the tears streaming down independently of my will. My lips parted as if to respond, but no words escaped. When I mustered the courage to raise my gaze and meet his eyes, I found his eyebrows furrowed even more. I swallowed hard and took a deep breath, sensing that I may have angered him. As the phone rang, my attention shifted to the screen flashing, awaiting some kind of reprieve. He continued to examine me, and when he realized my withdrawal from his gaze was permanent, he took a deep breath, turned away, and started walking towards his phone.
"Flora." He said, already having my attention. He listened for a minute and said nothing, it was obviously Flora's cousin than? She told no one but her has the keys of the apartment. Well no one but her and him obviously. "No, I didn't." Wiping away my tears I was still looking at him, who was literally speaking like a robot. He started to walk to me while Flora said something to him. Feeling tired and lost I sat on the bed, relieving my knees from the pressure and waited for him to finish his call and kick me out. "No, I don't." he said again. What a nice conversation.
"Okay," and this was it. He looked at me and ended the phone call. In that moment, it felt like I couldn't even breathe under the weight of his gaze. Without lifting my head, I cautiously raised my eyes to the man standing above me. His gaze was unreadable, piercing deeply that it felt suffocating. He undid the cufflinks of his shirt and leisurely rolled up the sleeves to his elbows. His deliberate movements were so slow that I feared I might faint. Closing my eyes, I lowered my head and braced myself for whatever would come next. Standing there, uncertain of what to do, I pondered my next steps. I knew Flora wouldn't abandon me; that much I was certain of. Still, I didn't want to burden her any further.
Slowly opening my eyes, I sensed movement on the bed. I wasn't sure when he had circled the bed and sat beside me, his back against the headboard. When I turned my head, emerald green eyes immediately found mine.
"So Stella. Tell me again, who are you?"