MAHIRA
I eagerly waited for Thane to come back from the hospital since he didn't want to have me
around. I kept walking up and down the living room, watching the door.
He finally came but Bianca was hand in hand with him and they were looking at each other like
lovers, he was looking at her the way he used to look at me and then he kissed her forehead.
'Thane?'
He looked me up and down like I was just some piece of shit unworthy of being in his presence.
Bianca was smiling like a fool next to him.
'Thane, what's going on?'
He took out a document from his pocket and handed it over to me.
'Sign it now!'
'What are these papers for?'
'All your property will be mine legally if you sign these papers.'
'But why would I give you my assets?'
Thane untangled himself from Bianca and took quick heavy steps towards me then he pulled my
hair gathering it into a fistful and pulled on it so hard I swear my hairs roots were being pulled
out.
'Sign it!'
'No.'
Thane punched me, his other hand still gripping my hair and the pin soured through my head. I
touched my nose and brought my hand into view and it had blood. He punched me again and
this time I passed out.
Sometimes the trust we place in someone is broken but it never takes away the love you have
for them.
When I woke up that day after blacking out, I was chained to a wall with nothing much to protect
me from the cold. I don't know how many days or weeks or even months had gone by, I
managed to memorise the days and months though when Bianca would randomly mention what
day or month it was. I memorized the routine too, I memorized who came to feed me on certain days and the times
they usually came.
The man I had married wasn't who I thought he was. He accused me of murdering his family, he
believed that I only let him back into my life so many times because I wanted revenge. He
accused me of trafficking about 9000 children, he accused me of cheating on him and lying to
him, he accused me of burdening him with the responsibility of another man's child.
Most nights he brought various women home, there was a TV screen in my room specifically for
that, to make me watch as he fucked other women, worshipped them and touched them the way
he used to touch me.
Some nights it would be a blonde woman, some nights it would be a brunette, another night it
would be a red head, they were all beautiful and what I would like to believe is that they were all
models, trying to climb the social ladder using my husband and he let them.
When he was angry he would come to the room himself, he would hit me, punch me, drive a
knife into my skin until I blacked out.
Even when he wasn't angry he would hurt me, he would hurt me a lot and sometimes I would
count to a hundred, I would zone out and I would think of my kids wherever they were going
through. When he felt generous, as he would call it, he would use sex as a way to bring me
pain, I wouldnt exactly call it rape because we were married but I got tired of begging him to
stop, of begging him to be a bit more gentle, of begging him to believe me because even though
I didnt do anything I was still being blamed.
Most of the time when it was Briana's turn to feed me, she never really fed me, she would sit
and stare at me and tell me how pathetic I looked. The only time they saw it fit to bathe me was
when I was covered in blood and you couldn't tell apart which was my skin and which was the
blood.
Despite claiming that he was in a relationship with Bianca ,every single night there was always a
new girl in his room moaning like the whores they were.
It pissed me off most of the time and it hurt me too because that was my husband who was
fucking them whilst I was tied up in a room being punished for a crime I didnt commit without
getting as much as the decency of being treated like a human.
What made me sick was that even despite the countless nights of losing sleeping, the countless
times my heart broke I still sympathized with him and I still loved him or maybe it was just toxic
attachment but I still felt something.
What scared me the most was death. I didn't want to die, not until I found my children and
brought them back home. I had to find a way to escape, I had to try something, I had to do
something. It wasn't just about my safety but the safety my kids too.
The only thing I knew the only piece of information I got was that my kids were part of the
children who got trafficked among the other 1000. My company wasn't even my own I don't even
know if Horatio was still part of the guards I had hired because if he was he would have found
me I'm sure of that.
If I did my math right three months from now my boy's would be turned 6 years old and if I didn't
find a way to escape I might die before I ever find them.
They may have no food wherever they are, Elena is even at more risk of being forced into
prostitution and there was nothing I could fucking do about it. Finding Elena may be simple if she still has her necklace on and now I wonder why I never
thought to make custom made trackers for the boys as well.
I have to find a way to track my children, I have to survive and I have to get out of here.
I will leave as soon as I get the chance and if I find them I will go away from here, I will take my
kids with me and I will start afresh. Everything will be okay. It will be okay.
Today is Monday, usually on Mondays, Thane is the one who feeds me. He wouldn't be affected
if I pretended to be hurt, I was always bleeding so blood won't make a difference. But it's worth
the shot.
The one part he never hurts is my wrists. That's the only part I'm pretty sure has no scars or
blood. It could work. I need to hurt myself somehow. With my hands above my head I just need
to slit my wrists somehow.
It took me six hours to get my hand to start bleeding. It hurt like a bitch twisting and turning and
pulling on my wrists until I felt my skin tear apart. The pain was so severe but I had to endure it
for the sake of my children.
Thane came in as usual with a non appetizing plate of food. I couldn't believe that the CEO of
AMS, which is me, was going to eat that disgusting food on the plate but I've eaten it one too
many times because it was better than starvation.
I hung my head and closed my eyes praying to god that this would work even though it was a
stupid plan, beyond stupid perhaps.
'Time to eat little bitch.'
I kept my eyes closed then he tapped me a couple of times until panic settled in.
'why the fuck are you wrists bleeding baby, I never touch your wrists so why?'
Baby. He does care about me and yet he hurts me. He removed the fit in cuffs from my wrists
and removed the chains from my feet as well as the one's on my waist, criminal vibes much,
yeah, more like I'm some serial killer psychopath. He threw me over his shoulder and I nearly
winced from the pain but I bit my lip hard enough to stop me from making any sound.
He took me to our room then laid me gently on the bed. The room smelled like sex, of course it
would smell like fucking sex because that's all he seems to do in our room, is it even our room.
I felt his lips on my forehead and then he caressed my face and then he left.
Fuck fuck fuck.
I looked around for a phone and I didn't have to look long to find his phone on the bedside
cabinet. His password hasn't changed, it was still my name and birthday.
Cute.
I scrolled through his contacts list until I found Rachel's number.
'Hello. Rachel speaking, how may I help you sir?'
'Rachel it's me…'
'Boss! Wow I didn't think I'd hear from you. How have you been?'
'Rachel, that doesn't matter. I need your help immediately. Please come over to my place, make
sure no one sees you, especially Thane. You will find me in a room that has a white door.
Rachel. Please. Make sure no one sees you or finds you.'
'But…'
I cut the call when I heard footsteps approaching and deleted the call history with Rachel's
name then I put his phone back where it was after wiping it. Thane came in with the first aid kit and I was still sitting on the bed, now awake and aware.
Thane glared daggers at me and I stared right back hoping he would break eye contact. The
silence was so awkward so I had to break it.
'Thane...my hands hurt. Could you please stop locking me in there, I'm tired.'
Thane just rolled his eyes at me and took my hands in his then cleaned off the blood that was
on my wrist before applying ointment onto it.
'How about the wounds you inflicted yesterday, the scars on my back or the cuts on my stomach
or the head injury I got last week from you banging me against the bed.'
He pressed on the wound on my wrists applying more pressure which made it hurt more than it
was supposed to. The more I spoke to him, the harsher he treated my wounds.
'Angelo and Alex are alive, Thane. Our sons are out there...!'
Thane threw the cotton away and grabbed my arm pulling me closer to him. I closed my eyes
ready for a punch to my face or something but he only squeezed the life out of my arm.
'Angelo and Alexander are not my children. I know you fucked around with Ares then put the
responsibility of his kids on me just so you could take revenge.'
I didn't sleep with anyone besides him. Why doesn't he believe me? Didn't I bleed when he took
my virginity and I'm rich? I have no reason to put the responsibility of another man on him. Why
doesn't he understand? My eyes stung from the tears that were threatening to spill.
'I didn't sleep with anyone besides you Thane, why don't you believe me?'
'I hate you Mahira and I can't believe you went this far to hurt me, just for revenge. For seven
years I felt guilty for hurting and rejecting you but I regret the day I fell in love with you and I
regret the day I fell for your innocence.'
Thane forcefully dragged me off the bed and took me back to the room he had been keeping me
locked in then he put back the chains one by one. He didn't care that I was hurt, he didn't care
that he had just applied ointment on my wrists.
'I'm sorry.'
He pulled my hair again this time bringing it to his face and I heard him sniff my hair before he
threw my head back and left.
Why? Why is this happening to me? I couldn't help but cry. What happens if I die? What if
everyone is dead, what if the people I'm holding on for are dead, what then.
I don't want to see his face. I just wish I could disappear. My tears flowed profusely with no one
to wipe them away or tell me it's going to be okay, that things will get better.
He is the first and only man I have ever got intimate with. Only he has fucked me so why doesnt
he believe me. Why can't he believe me? Between me and him who the fuck was sleeping with
different whores every fuckin night. It was him.
I'm not sure how much time had passed after I fell asleep but I was woken up by the sound of
someone climbing through the window. Rachel gasped when she saw me and she nearly lost
her balance but held on to the window pane.
'Mahi... who...who did this to you?'
'Thane did this but that's not important, I need you to help me with something please.'
'Why would Thane do this to you, he loves you.'
'I thought so too. This is not about me, Rachel. I need to find my children please and I can't do
that whilst I'm here, please help me please.'
'Aren't they dead?' 'No. they have been trafficked and im pretty sure they have been separated and sold into
different countries to different people and dealers. Please, I need to find them.'
'That is almost impossible, Mahi. There are more than 200 counties, and we have no idea
where to even begin with searching for them. It will take our whole lives to find them.'
'There's a necklace I gave to Elena. Track that necklace and find Elena. If we find her, I can find
my son's. Please lead her here.'
'Yes Mahi, I'll go now.'
Rachel snuck out and I sighed in relief. If Elena can help get me free then I would be able to
look for my son's. As soon as I get free , I'll never look back. I'll raise my children alone because
Thane thinks they aren't his. After I find my son's I'm leaving this hell.