Novel ✪ Memory Corruption (R-18) (Book 1 and 2 Finished) (Book 3 on release now)

You are an angel Looking forward to the chapter

 

This is an excerpt of the chapter about Ryan's lies to Belle, from his POV. I've suppressed a part of it because it's a huge for book 3 and for his Gaiden. Hope you enjoy to read it, even though it's the same scene from chapter 17 (I'd appreciate feedbacks about it, btw especially if you feel like it should be written differently).

Another occasion when Ryan had blatantly lied to her was in his house, when she had asked about his father. He didn't think twice before lying, because she hadn't been the first one to question his lack of physical resemblance with his father and brother. Still, instead of feeling offended and snapping at her, as he would usually do, he felt ashamed and had recoiled.

-What do you think I can do to make you feel better? Tell me and I'll try to get it for you.

-Anything? -She whispered, and he was surprised to realize that yes, he would actually give her anything she asked for, if it would make her smile and feel better.

-Anything in my power. -He stared at her, intently. For God sake, just don’t ask for the pills, or to see Daniel, or to leave the house. Anything else, you just have to say it, and if I can get it, it’s yours.

To his surprise, she leaned forward and pressed her lips against his, softly, keeping the pressure for a few seconds. The tasty smell of her breath, mixed with the scent of Samantha’s shampoo, bewildered, then distressed him. The sweetness of the moment too, got him intrigued. He tried to understand exactly what he was feeling, but confusion was blurring everything else. He just couldn’t move. He couldn’t even close his eyes or push her away. What the fuck are you doing, Ryan? Stop this shit before it gets out of your control! He tried to think about where he could touch in her body without leading her into believing he was corresponding to her feelings. He ended up holding her biceps firmly and pushing her back, as gently as he managed to.

-Ok… Anything except groping you. Or its derivatives.

-Sorry. -Belle blushed and looked down, rubbing her eyes.

Ryan still couldn’t understand what had just happened. Maybe it had been just a hallucination, or general confusion, caused by the withdrawal. Maybe she had seen her deceased boyfriend, Bill, projecting the boy in him, probably because he was treating her kindly, and it had triggered memories. Magda had warned him that things like that could happen. At least it had been just something embarrassing, not harmful or dangerous, and she would soon forget about it.

-It's ok, it's probably just the confusion. You don't have to feel ashamed. -He tried to assure her and saw her cheeks getting even more red. -It's alright, let's pretend it never happened, ok?

It would be best for both of them. It was already disturbing enough to have dreamed about her naked body and have to jerk off to ease at least a bit of this desire for her. If she started to get feelings for him, it would be virtually impossible to keep her there without some irreversible shit happening.

Ryan realized his face was burning too, but wasn’t sure if it was because he was involuntarily seeing her naked body now, or because he felt dirty for his behavior in the shower that morning. Thankfully, when he looked at Belle, she had her head down, so she wasn’t aware of his shame. On the other hand she looked sad.

-Belle… -He reluctantly put one hand over her shoulder and pulled her head up by her chin with the other. She shivered and he flinched when he saw tears threatening to stream from her eyes. No, please, don’t cry… -You're a very strong woman. You'll get over it. The way you handled things till now... I don't think many people would be able to. I believe in you. Let me help you, let's do this together, ok?

That was the truth. Her self-control had been remarkable until now, and even though he knew that it had to be a great effort for her, especially since he believed she was holding it all down only because she believed she would be a burden to him if she didn’t, he felt very proud of her. Still, he would rather have her throwing things at him and mistreating him, than to have her crying, suffering and holding all the bad feelings inside. When he thought about it, even though he knew it didn’t make sense, considering they had just met, he would prefer to carry her burden for her, if it was an option.

-I'm sorry if I hurt you. -Ryan added when the first teardrop rolled down her cheek.

He opened his mouth to go on, but knew that what he had to say would only add to her confusion, so he decided to shut up. Still, her face showed that she was feeling rejected and he didn't think it was fair, not in the least.

He wanted to tell her how beautiful and lovely she was and that, if they weren’t in that situation, he would be flattered by her approach, and could even correspond to it, hadn't the age gap been this big. But no, she was already too confused, the worst thing he could do would be to stir it up even more.

-It must be too cold already. Do you want me to reheat it for you? -Ryan asked, pointing at the tray. His intention wasn’t just to change the subject. It really bothered him to see her having something bad to eat inside his house.

-You don't need to, I'll eat it anyway. -She sniffed and he held down the impulse to wipe away her tears. -I'm so hungry these days, I feel like I could eat a stone.

He chuckled involuntarily. She was indeed eating more than himself.

-It's a symptom too, don't worry, it will probably be over in a day or so.

-Good, or else I'm gonna get really fat, real fast. -She looked down and frowned. Ryan could bet she was preparing another of her random inquiries. -Desmond… Can I ask you something personal? I know I said I wouldn't pry, but I'm curious and the question is bugging me, and my head is spinning with it…

Yep, another question. Ryan felt disturbed, but not about having to answer her. What bothered him to notice that she was talking too fast and without any pause to breathe. Magda had warned him about it too, that she would get anxious and start having manias and paranoid behaviors.

-Calm down, Belle. -He sighed. The idea of her behavior changing annoyed him deeply, even though he knew it would be temporary. He just hoped the question wouldn’t be about Samantha or Richard, this time. Actually, he hoped it wouldn’t be about anything about his past. Anything that could make her feel bad about him. -You may ask whatever you want, I even prefer if you do ask everything that passes through your mind. Just don't bother me if I tell you I won't answer it.

-Is your father Japanese? -Well, aren’t you full of surprises? Ryan pressed his lips and looked away. He remembered finding it awesome, how she had avoided the family subject almost completely when they were sitting together and chatting at the Doughnut's cafe. Only after he had made the mistake of mentioning Samantha, a spark of interest was shown and, to his surprise, even a hint of jealousy.

Although he hated jealous behavior, it had flattered him, the idea of a girl this interesting and beautiful suddenly feeling like competing with his fiancée, who she didn't know a thing about, for his attention. By the time he couldn't ever imagine that she'd be practically living in his house for only God knew how long. He didn't have any reasons at the time to believe that they'd one day sleep beside each other, even less in each other's arms, with the girl blatantly teasing him, by pressing her body against his or rocking her hips against him.

It had been just funny, totally innocent, flirting. Not even flirting, actually, since he hadn't in the least tried to make the conversation take romantic or sexual turns, but there had been moments when they could've easily moved toward it. Her rosy cheeks and her sparkling eyes should've warned him, but it had been so long since the last time he had felt like “courting” a woman, let alone a girl, that he hadn't really paid any attention to his or her behavior. He had just enjoyed her company and her beautiful smile, without giving a shit to the world or anything else besides her.

He remembered wanting to tell her about Agatha, something he would never do, especially with a stranger. Even worse, he had caught himself trying to show off, and at some point of the chat had almost used Agatha to do so. He could bet Belle would've been impressed <... SPOILER... > her complaints about him being negligent when it came to their relationship, or if she would understand his motives.

-I thought it would be about… -Samantha. His first guess would certainly be Samantha. He remembered how the girl’s light had faded immediately at the mention of his fiancée before, so he didn’t dare mention her. -Damn it, I'm so tired. Yes, kind of. He's nisei but hafu…

Because why wouldn’t you understand it, right? Damn, I’m indeed very tired. Ryan took a deep breath and prepared himself to tell her at least part of the truth about Edward and how he came to exist.

-His father was Japanese and immigrated. He married my grandmother who is American and she gave birth to my father. Why? -He knew why, but he wanted to see how she’d phrase it. She wouldn’t just go as assholes usually did: “well, because it seems like you are adopted”.

-Nothing. -As expected, she would save comments for herself.

-Why, Belle? -He was curious about what she would say about it. Even though he didn’t want her to despise him, he was seeking her judgment, to some extent.

-Just curiosity. You don't look like you are Japanese. -Why the fuck would you even say that? She had hit him pretty much the same as everyone else, but even more offensive. For that he certainly wasn’t expecting.

-I'm not Japanese! I'm an American and I'm proud of my country!

-I'm sorry, that's not what I meant. It's just… I just saw the picture and wondered if they were your parents. Your mother has some resemblance.

Ryan stared at her, the anger caused by her words still boiling up inside him. She was certainly being honest, her intention hadn’t been to offend him, but still, her line of thought bothered him so much he felt like walking away.

-I have his eyes... -He decided he wasn’t willing to tell her the whole truth anymore. Just then he realized it had been stupid to choose the eyes for reference. Asian eyes looked extremely different from his. The hair would be a better choice, since she wouldn’t know what Edward’s hair looked like. -Just the color, I mean. The shape is a mix-up... And I got his hair to some extent. Fortunately I seem to have skipped the baldness tendency.

He hoped that joke would be enough to smooth the tension that had built up. Belle’s beautiful smile sprouted and he immediately smiled in response. That was one of the most pleasant things he had ever felt and it would be a nuisance not to have that view daily, when she went away.

-Are you feeling any better? -He checked the iPod, hoping it would still be dead, but unfortunately this time Apple had decided not to put an expiring date on a device. -Well, it looks like it still works. Give it one hour or two to charge completely.

-I'll probably stop bothering you when I have music to distract myself. -He was about to tell her she didn’t bother him, but then saw her putting a large piece of cold lasagna into her mouth. Ugh!

-This can't still be good… Are you sure you don't want me to reheat it? -Please, say yes, for God sake, Isabelle… He wouldn’t insist, though, since he didn’t want to trigger any paranoiac idea on her.

Still, cold lasagna sounded like a disgusting meal to have. He wondered if husbands felt like that when their pregnant wives announced they were craving nasty things like beef with strawberry ice cream or a piece of mud. He would never know, since he had avoided talking with Samantha about her desires and she was way too proud to come up with it and risk getting a denial from his part. He walked to the door, using the opportunity not to watch her put the next piece inside her mouth.

-Well, I have to get back to work. -Ryan opened the door and turned back to her. -I talked to the principal of your school. I didn't explain it all, don't worry, just told him you'll be under witness protection for a while… He said he'll find a way so you don't lose the year because of your absence. He said you're probably gonna have to do some extra homework and essays to keep your excellent grades. Is it ok for you?

-Sure. -She answered before putting another piece in her mouth. Then she covered it with the back of her hand to answer. -Thank you so much, Desmond.

Ryan fought the urge to ask her to stop thanking him. He didn’t know why, but it bothered him way more when she was the one who did it. He decided to just leave. They had time. He would have time to explain it to her when she got over the drugs.

 

Wow, another BIG chapter with so much going on. I think that we can all safely assume now that Edward is not Ryan’s biological father and this is a sensitive, rather prickly point for Ryan. I get the impression that Ryan sees himself as “inferior” because of this and he gets very defensive when the topic comes up. I don’t fully understand why as it doesn’t appear that he was treated any less by his family, and for him to have the Desmond surname that means that Edward must have legally recognized him as his son. And from what we know Richard certainly loved and cherished him. So where is this insecurity coming from? Or maybe I have it all wrong?
We also know that when he parted from Richard it was not on good terms. On Domenico’s island when Magda cautioned him not to make the same mistake with Belle as he did with Richard, she reminded him that the worst part was that he never got a chance to say goodbye and he would never know if Richard had forgiven him and if he still loved him. So this had me thinking, Ryan must have done or said something that was extremely hurtful to Richard. I’ll take a wild stab at this and guess that Ryan must have told him something along the lines that they weren’t real brothers and this wounded them both deeply and he never had a chance to make amends. This may also explain why he was so insistent on referring to Aaron as Noah’s brother, not half-brother. This is pure speculation on my part but I would love to get author @GiBro’s opinion on this.

 

ohoho Hoho this is good ~\(≧▽≦)/~

 

Spoiler: Spoiler

nailed it, as usual, my dear reader =)

 

Thank you @xiaoyigege =) welcome to our tiny but lovely community, hope you'll like it

 

i

I will definitely enjoy this (~_^)

 

I missed Ryan and belle... Thaaank you so much for this❤️❤️❤️

 

My dear author @GiBro , can we have more of Ryan’s POV while Belle was staying with him at his house in New York? Just so that we can keeping feeding our addiction to Ryan and Belle

 

Dear readers,
Hope you're doing fine =)

I was actually thinking about posting a bit about Agatha, but I'm still thinking about how it might affect your perception about her in book 3.
I also don't have much ready about it to post, just pieces, so I'd need to revise them and reorder them before I felt comfortable to show them to you. That said, I unfortunately don't have anything ready at the moment to share with you. I'm gonna try to have it next week, ok?

thank you so much for your support and patience

 

My dear author @GiBro please don’t feel pressured to post something, this is really a testament to your writing and story-telling which leaves us readers craving for more

 

Me after reading the chapter titles for Book 3

 

You have no idea =.

 

I hope that there is some light after all of this darkness and despair

 

Hello, dear readers
I miss you I'd like to bring good news. I believe that I'll be able to restart posting once a week, starting next week.
I'll let you know if I manage to reach my goal till then =) I believe that as soon as the story reaches a less complicated path I'll be able to write more in less time, like before.

 

This is the best news!
We miss you and your amazing story

 

Waiting with great anticipation for the next chapter

 

Hello, dear readers, hope you're doing great =)
This first chapter and some of the first few chapters of this book have uncomfortable subjects, I fear maybe triggers too.
I was inspired by Max's days under her father's torture and about some news I read during the pandemics, so I'll start by apologizing for the flip in the mood, and also with with a spoiler: it doesn't last long, ok? So please stick with me a bit before giving up the story.

 

Chapter 1


-Are you awake? Drink.

Belle tried to open her eyes, but her eyelids felt too heavy, so she just gave up.

She knew the face she would see, anyway, and she didn't want to see it ever again. It would be the same face she kept seeing when her body allowed her to cross the door of sleep and she hated those mean green eyes.

As consciousness started to take over, the burning ache that had become a constant reminder that she was still alive creeped in and filled her veins.

The first days, three to five, had been the worst. After that, she got used to her stomach and guts aching, and just learned to ignore it.

-Belle… Drink this. You need the water, don't make me force you.

His threats didn't scare her anymore. He couldn't do anything worse to her than what he had already done. He had taken everything from her, her freedom, her dignity, her hopes, even her dreams, more likely nightmares, lately, belonged to him now… She had nothing, and didn't want to have anything anymore. She didn’t want to have anything else he could take from her.

Before deciding to stop eating she had convinced him to announce he had killed her, so the FBI would stop looking for her. Only a few days after she did that, she realized it wouldn't help a bit.

Ryan would seek revenge, for sure. He had spent two years trying to avenge Samantha's death, a person he despised. She couldn't even imagine what he would do for someone he cared as much as he cared for her… Even though she had no idea of how much she meant to him. Even though he didn't love her, she surely had become someone important in his life.

But it didn't matter anymore. All she knew was that she loved him, more than anything or anyone, for the rest of her life, that, if she was lucky enough, would end pretty soon. This was the thing Daniel couldn’t reach with his touch of demise. Her love. It wasn’t hers anymore, it belonged completely to Ryan, therefore couldn’t be taken away.

She had gone through all phases of mourning for herself already. At first she had hoped Ryan would find her immediately. There was no way Daniel could come and get her, right under his nose, and Ryan wouldn't follow them and arrest him. But now, after two months, maybe three… Or four? She guessed two months, but it was likely more than that. Now she wouldn't even try to count the days anymore. All hope was gone.

Sometimes she would shut her eyes very tightly and wish she could go back in time and not have gone to that damned store to get his gift. Ryan wouldn't mind that she didn't have anything other than the drawing kit to give him, after all, he didn't even celebrate his birthday.

Every time she stopped to think about that night, and about how she had turned his birthday into one more painful date for him, her self-harming thoughts would take over and she would go back to the days she wished she had died in the fire, along with her parents, or in one of her suicide attempts. If she had died by then, she would have never hurt him, this way she would have never been this huge problem in his life, and maybe Daniel wouldn't have become this monster. He would be a monster anyway, because that was who he was, but maybe he wouldn't have grown this far into his madness.

-Look what I have here, my love… You love lasagna, don't you? It's your favorite dish, isn't it?

His voice startled her and she realized she had dozed off. The smell of the food nauseated her, but it didn't really matter, since she only had water inside her stomach to put out.

She knew they were bathing her more than once per day, which had messed up with her mental calculation of how many days had passed. She also knew someone had started to put diapers on her a few days ago, since she had stopped waking up to use the bathroom. She didn't care anymore either. If anything, she hoped Daniel would start to feel disgusted by her at some point, since he kept laying his hands on her randomly and then would beat her, saying she was tempting him, even though she hadn't moved an inch on her own for days.

At first she tried to react and push him, or slap him back, but when she realized that fighting against him aroused him, she started to play dead every time he lifted his hand to hurt her. Now she didn't have to feign. She just couldn't react, even when she wanted to, because her muscles had no strength left in them.

A physiotherapist visited her constantly, moving her arms and legs and neck. It felt good, especially when she massaged or stretched her sore dimming muscles and joints, but she had also heard the woman telling someone that it would soon be useless, since she was losing fat weight way faster than expected and her body would go back to consuming her muscles when her fat resources were depleted. The woman had insisted that she should be put on a liquid diet urgently, but one of the nurses had answered that God didn't want this, that she would live without that aid, and if she perished, it would be because the Devil had already consumed too much of her soul for her to be saved.

-You should try to fight him, Belle. I know you're weak, but I'm here, I'm your strength, remember? I'm the only one that will always be here to support you. -She didn't know how, but she gathered enough strength to let out a mocking laugh that sounded like a groan. -Yes, fight him, Belle. Here, drink.

She felt the cold glass touch her lips and only then she realized how hot her body was. Her skin was tingling with the frozen sensation of the air touching it through the thin semi-transparent clothes she was wearing. As the water began to pour through her cracked lips and down her throat, escaping from the corners of her mouth and running down her jaw to her neck and ears, she choked, breathing water. Her first reaction was to cough and try to spit it, but something dark inside her mind gave her enough self control to take a deep breath through her mouth, inhaling as much water as she managed to, before he took the glass away and shoved her by her shoulders, forcing her to lie on her side.

-Nurses! -He shouted and she suddenly felt a lot of hands on her. One pair of arms lifted her from the mattress and pressed her stomach repeatedly, the bones of her back pressing against the muscles of someone's chest, until she vomited the water.

Belle tried to open her eyes, but lost consciousness as soon as her body touched the mattress again.

When she woke up, she cursed inwardly. The fingers were running down her navel and up her thighs again.

-You're back. You came back to me. -Daniel stated. -You used to be prettier, before, Belle. Your body is becoming ugly. Fight the Devil inside you… He's taking over. He's consuming even your beauty.

She tried to open her mouth to tell him to go fuck himself, but she couldn't really feel her face to remember how to talk. The mental confusion was alarming and she wondered if she had damaged her brain somehow, but then realized she wouldn't be able to wonder about it, if she had.

-Do you wanna die, Belle?

-Yes. -Her own raspy voice startled her so much that her eyes popped open. Daniel's somber look was a painting of a nightmare. Still, when she thought about it, she realized she didn't mean it. -No. Not die.

Her throat hurt a lot with the effort to talk.

-You don't want to die? -He tilted his head, relief clear in his face. -Is that what you tried to say, my love?

She tried to nod, but her neck was too sore.

-I don't want to die. -The more she talked, the more her throat burned. Her voice was slurred and weak, but she longed to hear her own voice. -I just don't want to…

The words wouldn't come out. I just don't want to live with you. I don't want to live under you. I don't want to live in a world where you exist. Belle wondered if it was out of self preservation or just tiredness. She knew he would beat her if she went on, and even though she tried to convince herself she wanted him to get on edge with her and to kill her already, she kept clinging to life.

-Don't want what? -He encouraged her. -Speak, Belle. I can feel it, I think we won this time, I think the Devil is finally being forced to leave your body for good. I’m praying so much for you, for us… I pray everyday, every time… We’ll make it, my love.

She wanted to roll her eyes and say he was ridiculous, but didn't have any humor left to do so.

-You stopped calling his name in your sleep. -He smirked. -Soon you'll start calling mine.

Dream on, you loathsome pervert. She closed her eyes to relieve herself from the burden of having to look into his.

She knew why she had stopped calling Ryan's name. He would never find her. And she hoped he would stop looking for her soon. She was lost forever, just like all those women and girls.

She woke up again and felt the IV drip on the back of her hand. She remembered vaguely waking up with Samantha choking her, her pointy fingernails digging on the skin under her ear, her deep black eyes menacing to suck her sanity. She remembered nurses and doctors running around, remembered the tube being forced down her throat and the air filling her lungs.

No, please, let me die, please. Let me go! She had tried to beg the nurse that kept pumping air inside her lungs, but although she had tried to talk, not even a moan had escaped through her parted lips.

While she was lying there, unable to lift her hand to try to pull off the tube, she tried to keep her mind occupied, which unfortunately gave her brain the opportunity to force her to relive the last weeks. To relive the hell she had been thrown at, from day one.

After the nightmare inside the liquor store, she woke up inside a van. Anna was watching her with angry eyes, while the boy that had tried to calm her down asked for her permission to treat the cut in her hand. Even though her arms and legs were free, she couldn't move them, no matter how much she tried. Truth was, she felt like she had been anesthetized, from neck down. When the boy approached with a fist aid kit and took her hand, checking her face once more to see if she would fight against him, she passed out again, but this time it felt as if she was just taking a long nap.

When Belle woke up again, the confusion and despair hit her at once and she looked around, feeling paranoid. She wasn't inside the van anymore. Instead, she found herself sitting inside a car, with the guy she had kicked in the face by her right and the boy who had stitched her hand by her left. Her body didn't feel numb anymore. Instead, it hurt badly, except for the hand, where apparently some kind of ointment had been applied, to reduce the pain.

She immediately started to scream and tried to force her way out of the car. Almost all eyes turned to her, except for the driver, who tried to keep his focus on the road.

The memories from that moment on were all blurred.

She remembered Anna trying to inject something on her thigh, but the boy kicked her arm away, making her drop the syringe under the driver's seat. Even though he had sworn it had been accidental, that he was only trying to restrain Belle, and had, involuntarily, pulled his leg up, Anna threatened to cut his throat and kick him out of the car so he'd bleed to death. She also remembered trying to get away from the boy's hands, who kept telling her to calm down, saying they wouldn't harm her, and that, at some point, the man sitting by her other side held her neck in an armlock and grasped both her wrists with his other hand. She was almost sure she had tried to hit his chin with the top of her head, but couldn't remember if it had landed. All she knew was that the man had kept a firm grip, not seeming to care if he would choke her to death.

As flashes of the night spinned inside her head, she cursed herself for her naivety. When they stopped beside the airplane, she had already decided not to be taken alive. If finding her in Florida would be difficult, once they put her inside a plane, she would be lost forever. After what seemed like an eternity fighting against the two men’s strength, that without mentioning Anna slapping her face and pulling her hair, she finally gave up fighting when a young woman approached and told her she had a message from Daniel.

The woman explained that the airplane was full of innocent girls and that for each minute she kept struggling to get in, Daniel would have one of them killed. The woman hadn't even made an effort to disguise her lie. She just said it with a gentle tone, as if she was just offering her a drink. Belle didn't even think twice. She didn't want to be responsible for the death of girls who had already been through the nightmare of being kidnapped, just like her.

But when she got inside the airplane, a quick glance around made it clear that she had been fooled. Even though she tried to run out, it was already too late and she was trapped. At least Daniel hadn't managed to do what he wanted. He hadn't taken control over her. After having the seizure, the doctor and two nurses wouldn't leave her side during the whole flight, which felt less uncomfortable than sitting near Daniel, even though his eyes wouldn't leave her face.

She had no idea of how long the whole trip took, but after they landed, she was dragged inside a car and Daniel would sporadically make a remark about how ugly she looked with short hair, saying she looked like a boy, or about how she had gained weight and looked fat. It was hard to ignore his words and not get annoyed by them, even though she knew they weren't true. Her hair wasn't that short, to begin with. Shoulder's length wasn't even a conventional size for men. About her body, if anything, she liked it better than before. Her curves had become even more accentuated and she felt like her breasts and buttocks were more appealing. Ryan liked both things in her and that was all that mattered. Even then, she held her tongue and didn't answer to his instigations.

This only seemed to add to his will to break her self esteem, so he moved on to grabbing her arm and pulling up her sleeve, saying that the Belle he knew would never vandalize like that, marking her body like a cow. She tried not to show any signs of recognition, but blushed when he declared that flowers were a symbolic reference to female genitalia, implying that she wanted to offer herself to men by walking around showing it. Her shame seemed to satisfy him and he ranted about how she knew he was right and should apologize to him for behaving against his values.

They parked in a garage and she tried to run, even though she knew it would be impossible to get too far, since she was handcuffed. As predicted, it slowed her down and soon she was inside the elevator, with a pissed off Daniel and his two bodyguards looking down on her. At the top of the building, a helicopter was waiting for them, ready to leave. Even though she tried to recognize the city, looking frantically around, she had no idea of where they had taken her.

During the trip, Daniel tried to kiss her mouth again, this time holding her neck with one hand and sliding his other hand through her waist and back. She bit his lip hard, and it would've been enough to break skin if he hadn't stopped her by whacking the side of her head, making her see stars. His mood was somber after that, and he would find excuses to hurt her, even though she kept quiet.

-Stop looking out the window. What are you thinking about? Do you want to run back to your fag husband? -And then would pinch her thigh or arm hard enough to leave a mark.

-Don't look at me that way! Why are you looking at me with that face? -And would slap her, making her cheek burn and tingle.

-Are you sleeping? Why are your eyes shut? Do you think you're too good to look at me, Isabelle? Open your eyes! -And then he would pull her hair until she opened her eyes and stared into his.

About half an hour later they were landing in a huge property. At first it looked like a farm, but as they left the main walls behind, she spotted the giant structure of the mansion. It wasn't fancy looking. It looked more like a prison than a tycoon's refuge. She wanted to ask Daniel how he happened to end in a place like that. His parents had money, but not by far this kind of money. Even if she herself considered her enterprises’ money as her own, she believed a place like that would be too much to maintain. Then it dawned on her: that was “the palace”. It had towers, it had gates. It looked, indeed, like a huge palace.

Belle was pushed inside the main corridor and the number of armed men scared her. Still, the place was beautiful, even though very sober, with no signs of paintings, statues, or chandeliers. No, the white marble, the golden handrails, they had the sole objective of showing off the opulence, other than being a decorative choice.

One man approached them and, after greeting Daniel, eyed her up and down.

-Should we announce your arrival, my Lord? -He bowed and Daniel smirked.

-Yes, we'll have a party to welcome the new members of the palace. Don't mention the princess, for now. Aside from her security squad, no one should know about her arrival. -Daniel thought about it, then nodded. -In fact, spread a rumor that we failed. That she managed to escape.

-I understand that your majesty is still worried about the spies… Is that the reason why? -The man tilted his head.

-You shouldn't question my reasons, Wisdom. You should only follow my orders. But, yes, I need to find whoever is managing to take information to the outer world and I'm afraid insurgents might try to harm her or take her by force. We can't let it happen.

-Should we examine her? -The man looked down, at her waistline.

-Did we get a woman? -Daniel smiled broadly when the man nodded. -Good, if we hadn't, I would have to do it myself. Yes, call me when they're ready, I'll supervise it. But now I want to bathe and take a nap. She can wait till tomorrow.

-Where should we take her, my Lord? -The man took a tablet from his pocket and wrote something in it, using a stylus.

-Golden and red plates. -Daniel answered nonchalantly. -Make sure she will be watched all the time, and that she won't have means to harm herself. Tie her up, if necessary.

-Sir? -The man seemed confused. -To the plates? The princess?

-She needs to be reminded about why she misses me. It doesn't seem like she realized yet how fortunate she is to have me by her side. -Daniel sighed. -Maybe spending some time among the impures will help her clean up a bit. I'll seek God's enlightenment about a better alternative, but for now, that seems to be his will.

The man nodded and she was guided by the armed men to another corridor. She remembered wondering if they'd shoot her, in case she tried to run. She didn't want to get shot, so she would endure anything Daniel had in store for her until she was rescued. Ryan was an extraordinary detective. He would find her before things got too extreme, she was sure of it. That's how she felt by that time, at least. In fact she remembered even thinking that it had been for the best. That now they'd get Daniel. By finding her, they'd find Daniel and end this.

After passing by iron doors, iron gates and climbing down some stairs, they got into a narrow corridor. It was well lit, so much that her eyes hurt, since the ceiling, walls and floor were all white. At the end of the corridor, an iron door covered the whole wall. They walked slowly and she remembered finding it peaceful, being in the all white silent corridor, with the sounds of their footsteps mixing with the tinkling of her handcuffs and the beating of her heart. It was a huge contrast with the messy events she had been through in the last hours.

But then they stopped in front of the iron door, and when it opened, it was as if the gates of hell had opened in front of her. The first thing that hit her was the overwhelming symphony of moans, groans, screams, begs, pleads, cries… Most of them were women’s and girl’s voices, but now and then she could hear a man grunting or cursing, urging someone to shut up or to scream louder.

She froze, feeling the urge to run back down the corridor, but being unable to move. When her breath started to get heavier she realized the stench of the place too was overwhelming. Feces, sweat, vomit, urine, blood, semen. A cocktail of human fluids, all at once, hit her nose, and she felt like she could either vomit or pass out. None happened. The smell of bleach was almost as strong as the rest, but was far from being able to overcome it.

 

It was a long wait but our dear author @GiBro did not disappoint.
Poor Belle, she is living through hell

So it’s been a few months (anywhere between 2 and 4 months according to Belle) since she was taken by Daniel. What about Ryan, he must have been going through his own hell. Will we get his POV during this time? Also a few questions for consideration:
1) What happened to Trevor? Did he survive or did he succumb to his injuries?
2) Did Ryan follow through and quit the FBI like he told Riviera he would do at the end of Book 2?
3) Where is Corey through this? Is he really the traitor?
4) What happened to Noah, Betty, JP and Mia? Is the Florida arc finished or does it still have a role in Book 3?
5) Where is Destiny? Is she at the palace and if yes, will she have any contact with Belle?
6) Did Ryan go back to New York?
7) Did Daniel do what Belle asked him to do and leak to the FBI that she was dead?
8) if Belle was calling for Ryan in her sleep, does this mean that Daniel now knows that Desmond is still alive? Did he make the connection that Belle’s “fag husband” and inspector Desmond are the same person?
I don’t expect the author to give away any spoilers but it would be nice to know if the questions are going to be addressed in future chapters of Book 3.
Anyways, I am very grateful that our dear author has started to post again. I can’t wait for the next chapter.