"Get the doctor, quickly!" My mother yelled as I cried, wracked with pain. Victor stood off to the side, watching me as tears streamed down my face.
"Everybody out!" Victor bellowed.
"What?! She needs a doctor!" My mother protested.
"I know. Leave," he replied coldly, giving her a piercing stare.
"Damn it, Victor, she's my daughter!"
"And that's precisely why she's still alive, in case you haven't grasped that," Victor retorted in a low, chilling tone reminiscent of Archer. The realization hit me—did he suspect my involvement in this?
"Victor, I swear I don't know anything!" I sobbed, as the room emptied, leaving only the three of us at the dining table.
Victor took a few steps towards me, joining me by my side. I could feel the sting from the broken glass and shattered plates embedded in my back. Trembling with tears, I knew these wounds would leave scars.
"Get out, Patricia," Victor ordered my mother, his gaze locked with mine. There was a darkness in his eyes that filled me with fear, and I pleaded with my mother not to leave me alone with him. But Victor seized her forearm, ignoring her pleas to fetch the doctor, and forcefully pushed her out through the double doors, locking them behind him. Returning to my side, he pulled me up, and waves of pain surged through my body. Victor stood beside me and began removing the shards of glass embedded in my back. The pain was excruciating.
"Are you so desperate now that you're conspiring with my enemies against me and my son?" he whispered, his voice laced with accusation and unnerving calm.
"Victor..." I whispered back, reaching for his free hand and wrapping my arms around his muscled bicep. Leaning against his chest, I winced in pain as he continued extracting the glass from my wounded back. "I know how much Archer loves Mark. I would never do anything to hurt him, knowing he would come after me. I didn't do it, Victor, I swear, my darling, please," I pleaded, my words choked with tears. He withdrew slightly, grabbing me by the throat, his fingers tightening around my neck. Leaning closer, he left only a hair's breadth between our faces.
"This is my house, Jessica. I know everything that happened here," he hissed, his voice mirroring Archer's coldness, sending shivers down my spine. "I'll give you one more chance to tell me the truth. Did you provide Adolf with information about my son and this house? Jared was audacious enough to enter here... I've been wondering who gave him that extra backbone. What gave him such audacity?"
"I'll tell you the truth, Victor, please..." I gasped, struggling for breath as his grip tightened.
"That's my good girl," he rasped, loosening his hold on me. Coming to stand between my legs, he pulled me to the edge of the table, his groin pressing against my core. My dress hitched up, exposing my naked thighs. Victor's grip tightened on my thighs, his nails digging into my skin. "Tell me, Jess, tell me how you messed up."
"I... I wanted to find out who the girl staying with Archer was. I befriended Adolf to gather information about Adele. I was only interested in what I could learn about her, Victor, I swear," I pleaded, my voice barely above a whisper.
"And he freely gave you that information?" Victor questioned sharply.
"I... I slept with him," I confessed, my voice trembling.
"Of course you did, and then what?" he demanded.
"I... I..."
"Speak up!" he thundered.
"Victor, please," I heard my mother's muffled voice through the door. Tears streamed down my face as I suppressed the urge to cry out for her help.
He grabbed me by the throat, his voice deep and filled with anger. "I told him where they both frequented and who Archer was dating."
"You told him about Barbara Blackwell..."
"Yes, and in return, he told me about the enforcer's sister."
"Sounds like an interesting bargain. Now, tell me, are you so foolish as to think he wouldn't take action based on that information? Hmm, JESS?" he growled, his voice filled with fury.
"I'm so sorry. I didn't want anything bad to happen to Mark," I cried, my tears flowing freely.
"I've helped you this time, Jessica. I asked Archer to spare you. But if Mark is found dead, I will not intervene," he declared coldly.
"Victor, please. I... I can prove it. I'll find Adolf and discover what happened. I swear I'll find out!" I promised, genuine fear gripping me at the thought of losing Victor's protection.
"Fine," he said, shifting the fabric covering my core. Pulling me closer, I felt him enter me, his arms wrapped tightly around me as he thrust. His lips brushed against my ear as he whispered, "We'll go together."
Overwhelmed, I clung to him, tears streaming down my face. He covered my mouth and fucked me hard and fast. My mother was right. Victor was insane. I was covered in blood and in pain and yet he took me anyway. When he was done, he drew back, leaving me with his semen pooling under me, and strode to the door. With shaky hands I pulled my dress down to cover my shame, hiding the evidence of what he had done. My mother rushed in after he opened the door and strode out.
Locking eyes with her, my emotions overwhelmed me, and tears streamed down my face. "Mama," I sobbed, struggling to speak through my anguish. Through my blurry vision, I could see her battling to hold back her own tears.
"Someone, get the doctor!" she shouted, her voice filled with urgency, at someone just outside the door.
Despite Patricia's sometimes abrasive demeanor, I couldn't deny that, in her own peculiar way, she genuinely cared about me.