without lying on a therapist’s couch and shelling out money to the bastard when I was done.
Fuck therapists.
Without a word, he stood up from the table and poured me a small amount of milk in a glass. After a few bites of the toast and gulping down the milk in the glass, my stomach signaled me to stop. I didn’t want to leave the other piece of toast on the plate, but I also didn’t want to throw up the first thing I’d have kept down all day.
When reality set in, the voices that had been quiet slowly crept up on me again. The violent screams caught me off guard and shook the calm that had settled momentarily. I blinked my eyes closed, and only opened them when the touch of his hands disturbed me. I looked up to see Gabriel standing above me, tending to the cuts on my forehead. The voices grew louder and louder. The screaming hurt my head.
However, beneath the chaos, the quiet female voice returned. She was calming. She talked me down.
Eleni, he is helping you. Eleni, his touch is gentle. Eleni, don’t let them win.
I tried to focus on that voice. It helped me, it calmed me, and it gave me the time to let him clean and bandage the cut he caused.
It pissed me off that he hurt me. When I thought about how he caused this fucking bullshit ass cut on my forehead, the rage boiled inside me and I started to pull away from his touch. He tightened his grip in my hair, holding me in place. I winced from the pain and without another thought, I gave up the fight. I needed to get my strength back before I could take him on because I was nowhere near being able to wage a fair fight. He was right about one thing – in this condition, I was weak. Mentally and physically, I didn’t stand a fucking chance.
“Eleni, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let me finish cleaning this.” His tone was firm and demanding. I hated it.
“I don’t want your hands on me.” I sassed him back and, in the blink of an eye, his open palm collided with my face. The fucker slapped me – my head spinning around from the force of his strike.
“I won’t tell you again, Eleni. Let me finish cleaning this. I was fucking polite the first time.” He had no remorse for his actions and I could only cup my cheek with my free hand.
“I’m sorry.” I whisper in defeat.
“Don’t let it happen again. I’ll let that slide… for now.”
His tone should have scared me, but it didn’t. I’d given up. The Eleni I’d been for years would have continued to push him. But that new voice was keeping me somewhat in check. I worked on changing the subject as he finished bandaging my head.
“Tell me about your tattoos, Gabriel.”
Chapter Eighteen
~ Gabriel ~
Her question annoyed me the minute the words fell from her mouth.
“There’s nothing to tell. They’re ink – dark black ink that means nothing more than the image they convey. Patterns and designs with no meaning.”
I finished up cleansing her head and placed a small bandage where the glass of the mirror had cut into her skin. The wounds weren’t anything that would scar and, most likely when they were closed, they’d be nothing more than fine red lines within days.
Walking away from her chair, I placed the medical kit on the counter and turned to lean up against it while pinning my eyes to hers. Her lashes fluttered and I watched as she attempted to look away, but was obviously too scared to let me out of her sight.
“Are you feeling better?”
She nodded, her lips thinning when she so obviously tightened her mouth so as not to speak. I still noted rebellion in her mannerisms – there was still the obvious refusal in her glare, the way she held her body to cover what was revealed beneath the pink of her nightgown.
“I’m glad. Food and water can do great things for the body. You should try it more often.” The sarcasm of my words wasn’t lost between us and her eyes narrowed in response. Pushing myself up from the counter, I moved towards the table, my
Fuck therapists.
Without a word, he stood up from the table and poured me a small amount of milk in a glass. After a few bites of the toast and gulping down the milk in the glass, my stomach signaled me to stop. I didn’t want to leave the other piece of toast on the plate, but I also didn’t want to throw up the first thing I’d have kept down all day.
When reality set in, the voices that had been quiet slowly crept up on me again. The violent screams caught me off guard and shook the calm that had settled momentarily. I blinked my eyes closed, and only opened them when the touch of his hands disturbed me. I looked up to see Gabriel standing above me, tending to the cuts on my forehead. The voices grew louder and louder. The screaming hurt my head.
However, beneath the chaos, the quiet female voice returned. She was calming. She talked me down.
Eleni, he is helping you. Eleni, his touch is gentle. Eleni, don’t let them win.
I tried to focus on that voice. It helped me, it calmed me, and it gave me the time to let him clean and bandage the cut he caused.
It pissed me off that he hurt me. When I thought about how he caused this fucking bullshit ass cut on my forehead, the rage boiled inside me and I started to pull away from his touch. He tightened his grip in my hair, holding me in place. I winced from the pain and without another thought, I gave up the fight. I needed to get my strength back before I could take him on because I was nowhere near being able to wage a fair fight. He was right about one thing – in this condition, I was weak. Mentally and physically, I didn’t stand a fucking chance.
“Eleni, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll let me finish cleaning this.” His tone was firm and demanding. I hated it.
“I don’t want your hands on me.” I sassed him back and, in the blink of an eye, his open palm collided with my face. The fucker slapped me – my head spinning around from the force of his strike.
“I won’t tell you again, Eleni. Let me finish cleaning this. I was fucking polite the first time.” He had no remorse for his actions and I could only cup my cheek with my free hand.
“I’m sorry.” I whisper in defeat.
“Don’t let it happen again. I’ll let that slide… for now.”
His tone should have scared me, but it didn’t. I’d given up. The Eleni I’d been for years would have continued to push him. But that new voice was keeping me somewhat in check. I worked on changing the subject as he finished bandaging my head.
“Tell me about your tattoos, Gabriel.”
Chapter Eighteen
~ Gabriel ~
Her question annoyed me the minute the words fell from her mouth.
“There’s nothing to tell. They’re ink – dark black ink that means nothing more than the image they convey. Patterns and designs with no meaning.”
I finished up cleansing her head and placed a small bandage where the glass of the mirror had cut into her skin. The wounds weren’t anything that would scar and, most likely when they were closed, they’d be nothing more than fine red lines within days.
Walking away from her chair, I placed the medical kit on the counter and turned to lean up against it while pinning my eyes to hers. Her lashes fluttered and I watched as she attempted to look away, but was obviously too scared to let me out of her sight.
“Are you feeling better?”
She nodded, her lips thinning when she so obviously tightened her mouth so as not to speak. I still noted rebellion in her mannerisms – there was still the obvious refusal in her glare, the way she held her body to cover what was revealed beneath the pink of her nightgown.
“I’m glad. Food and water can do great things for the body. You should try it more often.” The sarcasm of my words wasn’t lost between us and her eyes narrowed in response. Pushing myself up from the counter, I moved towards the table, my
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