39

CHAPTER THIRTY NINE
GABRIELLE
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He suddenly produced a wicked-looking blade and for a second, I just stare at him paralyzed by fear. Then, I started to back away slowly, keeping my eyes locked with his.
There wasn't enough space to move inside the car and soon enough, my back was pressed against the very edge of the seat and windows.
In the next flash of moment, stern hands suddenly gripped my shoulders and I screamed and started to struggle.
One of his palmed cupped my face in an almost delicate manner but I wasn't fooled.
"Don't move." His voice was deceptively gentle, his face was an expressionless mask, but I could feel the rage simmering quietly underneath.
I expected the knife to go through me but he only used it to cut off the ropes from my wrists. His face was close to mine, I could see the slight flare of his nostrils as he inhaled.
"L...Lucian..." My voice cracked, I didn't know what to say but was very sure that an apology would get me nowhere.
My brain searched desperately for a way to get out of this, I suddenly thought that maybe I could lie. I could tell him that Anya had abducted me and I had not wanted to leave at all. Would he believe that? I didn't think so. There was this cold aura around him as he stared at me that made me think that perhaps he had known about everything since the very beginning.

"Shh...You don't want to say anything right now wife, trust me." He spoke and my heart sank straight to my stomach.
He abruptly lets go of me and I tried to set some space between us so that I could at least breathe.
The rest of the journey continued in silence. Lucian didn't speak another word to me, he was pretty much focused on his cellphone.
With every second that drew us closer to the mansion, my stomach twined tighter with accumulating dread.
The car halted in front of the house and Lucian stepped outside, he proceeded to open my side of the door.
"Get out!" He barked.
I didn't move. I stared at the house which was my prison, and then shifted my eyes to Lucian who was my husband and captor.
I wasn't sure what I was expecting him to do to me.
Was he going to hit me or brutally take me?
"I hate to repeat myself, wife, I'm asking you to get out!" He snapped and this time, I shook my head slowly in refusal. I didn't want to go inside. I assumed that he didn't want to hurt me outside, or he would have done so at the airport.

He leaned closer and suddenly caught my arm, jerking me out of the car, and before I could catch my breath, I was suddenly lifted to his shoulders. He started in furious strides into the house. I stayed limp in his arms, first was because I didn't think I could escape him even if I struggle the other reason was that, several of his men and some employees were starting to stare at us curiously.
We bumped into Loretta on the way, she blocked Lucian's path, staring at us in anxiety.
"What happened? You just left, I was very worried...And Gabrielle, oh goodness, you are hurt!" She stared at me wide-eyed. I had even forgotten about the pain in my head, it was nothing compared to what was about to happen to me.

"It's nothing, Go back to your room Loretta," Lucian spoke impatiently.
"Are you sure there's nothing wrong?" She stared at the both of us, at Lucian's silent stare, she left hesitantly.
He didn't stop until we got to his room, locking the door behind him, he carelessly dumped me to my feet, almost forcing me to lose my balance.
I was kept captive under his piercing stare.

"I'm going to ask a few questions, you will do well to answer them, do you understand?" He took a threatening step closer and my heart skipped. He didn't bother with getting a reply from me before he continued.
"The other day you came here, it wasn't to fucking apologize to me, you came here because you wanted something else." It wasn't a question, it was a statement filled with certainty.
I looked at him neither denying nor admitting it.
He smiled, it was one of those smiles that sent a disturbing feeling in my heart.
"You came into my office, touched things you weren't supposed to. Did you think I wouldn't know anything about it?" I swallowed tightly. If he knew about that, why didn't he do or say anything?
He took another step forward to suddenly grab me, holding me tightly. I started to writhe hysterically in his arms.

"I've always known there were spies around me, but I didn't think that it would be you helping my enemies in getting what they want!" He snarled, breathing heavily.
"No!" I cried out suddenly remembering those documents Anya had collected from me.
"I didn't know there were that important... I just wanted to..." I stopped, I couldn't tell him that what I wanted information about Derek's whereabouts.
"Yes. You wanted to find out about your lover boy's whereabouts, you wanted to save him, so you could escape with him, thinking you could escape me!!" He sneered, his eyes possessing a dangerous dark glint that sent my blood turning to ice.
His hands gripped my head, yanking hard. My vision blurred at the pain, my scalp was on fire, it felt as if he was ripping off my hair.
"I told you to forget about him! You said you won't fight me anymore, all you wanted was a chance!" He roared.
"I'm sorry." I broke into uncontrollable sobs under his menacing glare.
"Don't fucking tell me that? You are only sorry because things didn't go as you had hoped! Do you have any idea what would have happened to you? What they would have done to you! And then everyone would say that I wasn't able to keep my woman safe!!"
He backhanded me.
HARD!
The force of it would have sent me to the ground but his hand held me firm. The pain was blinding. My eyes watered and I couldn't hold back the tears.

"You betrayed me, I can kill you right and you will deserve it!"
His anger didn't appear to ease a bit, his fists were clenched.
I braced myself for more hits at the same time, I could feel myself growing weaker and weaker.
I was both physically and emotionally drained.
I didn't think I have any strength to fight anymore, Derek's betrayal had already snatched that from me.
As for Lucian... I was back to the monster who owned me. And this time, I think the leash would only get tighter.
The hits never came as I felt myself floating into the welcoming darkness.

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