Cassandra was humiliated. Tears of shame ran down her cheeks.
"I hate you, Rufus! I hate you so much as I have never hated anyone before!"
Cassandra roared. The throbbing pressure on her body and her temples almost made her collapse.
"Go ahead! Hate me all you want! I don't give a damn how you feel!" he shot back.
The night seemed long and distressing. Finally, Rufus lay asleep soundly beside her; his exhaustion was evident from the venting.
Cassandra's eyes widened at the sight of the man beside her.
He was fast asleep. Despite his unguarded disposition, tension shone visibly on his face.
His eyebrows were furrowed. 'What is he dreaming about?' she thought.
The tie around her wrists was loosened—a product of her unrelenting struggle. Cassandra gingerly moved her hands and freed them bit by bit
until they were finally fully hers again.
She cautiously pushed herself up and was mildly surprised that Rufus did not wake up to this. He must be exhausted, not just physically, but also mentally.
Every cell in her body hurt. Her wrists were bruised very badly.
She was not sure how she could face the tyrant on the bed. She quietly went to the closet to get some clothes.
It was better for her to leave before Rufus woke up.
She pulled on her clothing, turned around and found Rufus staring right at her. She was taken aback.
"Where are you going?"
His icy voice almost made her jump. She began to tremble.
The sound of the closet door woke him up but he waited until she got dressed to cover the bruises on her body.
'Does she think those clothes would be enough to cover the marks I left on her body? Does she really believe she could escape just like that?
Cassandra, you are so naive!' he jeered within.
"I'm bare naked and you're fully dressed but why are you still the one shaking? It's like you have a cold,"
he said mischievously. There was a hint of allure in his voice. Under normal circumstances, Cassandra might even think he was flirting with her.
The situation now, however, was far from normal. Cassandra trembled and her legs grew weak. With all her strength, she worked hard to keep it together.
"You're clearly cold. Why don't you go back to bed and let me warm you?"
he said as he scooped Cassandra up and tossed her into the bed.
"Let me warm you up since you feel so cold," he said as he pressed his body on hers.
The torture was endless. He trampled her dignity until it was reduced to dust.
An unfamiliar feeling crept over her. It was as if her body and soul were going two opposite ways.
She felt as if her soul were floating in the air, staring blankly at the woman and the man beneath.
'Cassandra, can you see? This is what you get when you offend Rufus. He is nothing like the affectionate and thoughtful gentleman you once knew. Upsetting him would grant you a revenge worse than hell.' Right now, that was exactly how she felt.
It pained her so much to find that the trust she once had for him was all a lie.
The sun had risen. Rays of sunlight peeked into the room and fell on her bruised wrists.
Cassandra woke to the brightness and warmth of sunlight.
Rufus had gotten up, taken a bath and gotten dressed. He was wearing a tie.
In his fine suit, he looked immaculate. The gorgeous man that stood in his place showed no trace of the tyrant from the night before.
"Stay here. You are not allowed to go anywhere else. If you are not here when I come back, trust me you'll regret ever trying to leave,"
he uttered frostily before he turned around to leave the room and slam the door behind him.
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