Clean Inspirational Romance: Escape to Paradise (Inspirational Happy Sweet First Love Second Chance Romance) (Contemporary New Adult Love Inspired Holiday Short Stories) (19 page)

In the airport parking lot, was a huge, black, and very expensive jeep. Roy gently opened the passenger doors and helped them get comfortable. Connie took a moment observing Jill’s face; it was a mix of confusion and, partly, joy. They weren’t accustomed to so much luxury in their everyday lives, so it was a surprise to experience it so suddenly.

Connie wanted to say something, but it was Jill that made the first move. “What does this button do?” she said, a little bit hesitantly.

“Why don’t you push it and see for yourself?” replied Roy, with a slightly cute tone.

She immediately pushed it and a television turned on behind Connie’s seat. It was already tuned in to a kids’ program, playing one of Jill’s favorite shows. He had turned from a total stranger to her newest hero. She expressed her joy with a loud, and long, giggle. Roy was radiating joy after hearing this. Connie smiled too. It seemed Jill was feeling safe for the first time in a while.

“Is she always like that?” Roy suddenly asked Connie.

“No. She is usually the strong, silent type. But it seems like you’ve shattered her defenses,” she said to him.

He smiled before talking: “Yeah, I have that effect on people; especially children. I hope your trip was good.”

“It was perfect. Jill had so much...” but before she could finish her sentence, Roy turned on the radio, cutting her off.

She got a little confused, but she thought that there were times when she was speaking really fast, that sounded like she was blabbering. Maybe Roy wanted to save her the trouble, but she couldn’t be sure since she was positive she saw that shadow flashing across his face again. This time though, the ominous feeling she had before, lingered longer inside her. She decided not to talk again throughout the journey, while also keeping an eye on him.

They were on the road for over an hour, and still hadn’t arrived at their destination. Now and then, Roy was asking Jill things about school, her favorite cartoon heroes, and what toys she preferred; but he made Connie feel like a ghost. Connie tried to draw his attention with different ways, only to feel even more neglected. Nevertheless, once again, she decided that everything was part of her imagination and started looking out of the window.

The land seemed vast. She could not figure out where the fields started, or ended. She was looking for familiar sights, since she had passed through Texas before, while on a road trip with her husband. But it was like she was visiting an entirely different country this time.

“Do you like what you see?” he suddenly asked.

She got startled from the sudden interest towards her, but nevertheless, answered, “Yes. Everything seems...bigger here.”

He silently smiled, while his attention was still on the road, “Everything you see, is mine. And can be yours too...if you do me a small favor.”

For a moment, Connie sensed the familiar knot in her guts; but she wasn’t sure if this time it had to do with the charming Mr. Coleman. On the contrary, she almost felt obliged to nod before letting him speak again.

“You see, my father just passed away, and unfortunately, he left a pretty particular demand in his last will. He wanted me getting married before assuming full control of his company. So, by now, I think you’d understand why I, how to express it correctly..? Bought you. Now, if you want for us to keep having fun all together, from now on you’ll do as I say. Is that okay?”

Without changing his expression at the very least he had made her feel threatened. It wasn’t just what he’d said, but an ominous aura around him, too. She suddenly felt afraid for her own life.

But the most unsettling part was that after a moment, he continued talking to Jill as though nothing had happened. His abrupt change in mood made her feel like she was having a dream; that she would wake up at any moment and the usual, handsome Roy would be there, smiling at her. But that wasn’t the case.

***

Half an hour later, the car started decelerating. Connie didn’t notice it at first, since she was lost in her own thoughts. Only after the car completely stopped moving did she snap out of her reverie. This was happening. She was in Texas. She wanted to get out of this arrangement, but couldn’t see how; she had already accepted his money and used it to pay off their debt. Feeling imprisoned, she looked at him and Jill one after the other, searching for something to hold on. It was then that she saw Jill smiling at her with utter joy, and a sense of reassurance.

That was her wake up call, and the reason why she could do whatever he asked from her – everything she did was for Jill. With new-found determination, Connie straightened herself up, and turned to see what Roy was doing.

He seemed to be getting upset.

“What the…?” it was the only thing he said before getting out of the car and moving towards the house, where a car similar to Roy’s was parked; a black jeep with black windows, but not quite as big as Roy’s. Next to it, a middle-aged man was waiting with his hands crossed in front of his chest, looking nervous. He seemed like a nice-looking man, but Roy was not pleased to see him.

Roy started furiously moving his hands, looking very annoyed by something; the other man though didn’t move an inch. He just kept observing the house, looking like he was waiting for something to happen.

Jill got wind of the tense atmosphere, and stopped watching TV. “Mom, is everything okay?” she asked while gripping her sleeve.

“Yeah, don’t worry. Roy had to deal with something and then we’ll go into our new home,” she smiled at her, although she wasn’t able to even fool herself.

The inaudible quarrel continued for another minute, with the strange man ignoring Roy most of the time. Finally, Roy returned to his car. He took his time returning to the car, while Connie and Jill watched him with concern. He got in, turned the engine on and drove to the spacious garage, passing right next to the other man, who had gotten into his car, ready to drive away. In that moment, she thought she saw him nodding at her.
I’m curious what have happened between those two
, Connie thought, but she was too afraid to ask Roy—especially the agitated Roy.

Connie couldn’t wait to get out of there, and start unpacking. She wanted to be occupied with a task to get her mind off what was bothering her; namely her future husband.

“Sorry for the fuss. He is a pesky guy, always annoying me with silly things. So, are you ready to see your new home?”

Even Jill couldn’t share his enthusiasm, but after seeing her mother encouraging her to go, she hesitantly got out of the car and followed him inside; Connie was once again treated as a ghost. Even so, she got out of the car and followed them, while at the same time taking a good look of the house. It was a beautiful house, well-preserved and decorated.
Probably the work of a professional
, she noted, not able to picture Roy fussing about interior decoration.

While getting closer to the house, she noticed an advanced security system full with cameras, an alarm requiring a pass code, and thick doors with many locks. It was a small fort, making it very difficult to get in, or out, if the owner didn’t want you to. Nevertheless, she couldn’t bring any new concerns in her mind, not before making sure that Roy was the monster he had made him to be.

After getting in the house, she could hear their voices coming from upstairs.  With a quick look around, she felt like she had stepped into one of those houses that they showed on TV. Recently restored, with many shades of white and black, it wasn’t a usual farmhouse—it was a mansion. She couldn’t quite believe how much money this guy had, clearly understanding his motives now.

Moving upstairs, she could see many different kind of rooms even before actually taking a step on the second floor. By the time she found them, she had counted two master bedrooms, three guest rooms, two bathrooms, and a storage room; she was very amazed by how big the house was. Nevertheless, she heard Jill and Roy both giggling. They looked so adorable together, playing with dolls, talking about what color they should paint the walls.

Jill was the first one to notice Connie; she ran towards her and pulled her into the room. It was a big one, bigger than the last one, with a kid’s size bed being the only furniture inside it. Roy was smiling at Jill, but still gave Connie the cold shoulder. They all played together for a while, but before long, Jill had fallen asleep. It was late in the afternoon and Roy reassured her that he would wake her up when the dinner got delivered. However, for the first time that day, Connie and Roy were alone.

***

They moved to the living room, away from Jill’s bedroom. For some reason, Roy didn’t her to overhear the conversation.

Roy said, “There are certain rules that you have to follow if you want to have a good time in this house. First: you’ll never ask for explanations. You just do what I ask you to do, no questions asked.”

“Okay,” she said in a weak tone.

“Second: you’ll never disturb me when I’m working, or away from home. I will not pick up the phone if you’re calling, even if I know you’re in a danger of any sort. Oh, now that I’ve mentioned it, try to keep yourself out of trouble. If you try to hurt yourself, be certain that I’ll send your child to an institution where she’ll live the rest of her life feeling guilty for your death.”

The demands were getting harsher by the minute. She had never thought of hurting herself, not once in her whole life. But this man had a mean way of crawling into her mind, making her seriously consider all these things.

“Third: You’ll be living in the guest room that is farther from Jill’s. If I even think that you’re going to escape, I’m going to call the police and make sure you’ll lose your child due to negligence. Also, because the list is getting long, be creative. If you think that something will bother me, then be sure that it will. Lastly, you will always fulfill your marital duties whenever, and wherever, I ask you to. Is everything clear?” he said with a blank look.

Connie felt like she was in a horror movie. She felt nauseous and imprisoned and in danger, and did not know what to say. But she had to respond.

“Yes,” she whispered.

While giving her an arrogant look, he raised his finger and beckoned her closer to him. She felt her guts turning, a feeling of raging nausea managing somehow to blur her consciousness. She knew exactly what he was asking her to do, and did not want to, but also felt paralyzed. In just one day, he had got what he wanted at the cost of destroying her.

While she was walking towards him, Connie was thinking that things could actually be worse. It was the image of her daughter, lurking in her mind, which helped her get through that night.
I would turn the world upside down
, she remembered thinking that fateful day. Now, the world had indeed been turned upside down, but at least her daughter was sleeping soundly in a wealthy home, with a good father. The fact that Roy was a good father, but a terrible man, was a secret worth keeping.

***

A couple weeks had passed since they moved into Roy’s house. Jill had started attending the local school while Connie was staying back home most of the time, taking care of the house chores. Cleaning, cooking, laundry, and generally keeping the house in a great shape were her duties. After that conversation on the first day in their new home, Roy rarely spoke to her, and even when he did, he made her go through hell. Fortunately, Jill was never present when these scenes occurred. To her, he was a prefect father, spending time with his stepdaughter, making her feel at home.

On the contrary, he made Connie feel trapped into her own life. He would criticize her cooking, throw food away because it was overcooked, or undercooked, or not evenly cooked. She was starting to believe that he did most of these scenes out of the sheer pleasure of a power trip, loving to watch her feel helpless, unable to talk back at him. But at those times, her thoughts always returned to Jill, and how comfortable her life was now.

Nevertheless, she didn’t dare to speak up, knowing that the consequences would be dire. All the same, she started noticing things around the house. For example, she had uncovered the alarm pass code. She had studied the camera patterns, and found their blind spots. She also found a way to get out of the house quickly, without never using any of the main exits, too. It had become something like a hobby to her, fantasizing ways out of her prison. She wouldn’t dare using any of her new-found tricks though, afraid that Roy would find out and take Jill away from her.

One other thing she noticed, though, was the enraged man who lived next door. He had begun visiting their house now and then to see Roy. Roy did not about him, but whenever the angry man next door came over, it would affect Roy’s mood. In the two months since Connie had arrived, she had overheard many conversations between the man and Roy about he and Connie’s supposed marriage, and the fact that he had tried to impregnate her.

Roy was a confusing man, at the very least; he was good in taking a good care of his family and wanted to have many children, but he couldn’t hold back his sadistic urges. She had heard him laughing many times over other incidents where he had humiliated a woman in the company. It made her guilty to think it, but she felt relieved after learning that she wasn’t the only woman he taunted; it made her feel less special, in a good way.

Two months had passed since arriving, and it was Sunday night. Two whole months in this messed-up situation. He had been out since last night, but had phoned to wish Jill good night. Connie took the day off, cooking only a meal for two and then spending some quality time with her daughter. It was late in the evening when she heard a key turning. Her guts started turning, and she stilled herself for another burst of rage from Roy; she was sure, even without seeing him, that it would be a long night. It took him a while to open the door and get in the house. Once inside, he started calling out loud Jill and Connie’s names.