“Baby girl, are you okay?”
“No, I’m not! Tonia, why the hell am I chained to the bed!”
I’m totally panicking right now. A shackle is running from one of the bed’s feet to my ankle, with a big leather bracelet holding it up. Why the hell am I chained to this bed? I look at Tonia, trying to get a decent, logical answer to what is going on, but she just seems uneasy.
“Nora, I... Sorry, I couldn’t stop him...”
“Tonia? ...Don’t tell me this is Damian’s idea.”
Her silence is more than eloquent for me, but I can’t believe it. Is Damian crazy? Why would he chain me to the bed like a dog! I try to force on it, but of course, it won’t go off. He can’t do this to me! I get out of bed, only to realize the chain is about ten feet long, just enough for me to reach my bathroom. I take my head in my hands, unable to believe what’s happening.
“Nora, are you okay?”
“I’m not, Tonia! Why would he do this? I’m chained to a bed!”
She really looks sorry, exchanging glances with her brother.
“I swear I tried to stop him, Nora, but he didn’t listen. He said he doesn’t want you out until they have caught that guy, Marcus.”
Oh, my Goddess, is it because of what I told him? Did he freak out because I told him the details of when Marcus assaulted me? I remember his last words before I fell asleep. He really meant it. He won’t let me out until they have caught him. But he didn’t have to chain me to that bed like some animal! I try pulling on it, but Tonia intervenes to stop me.
“Stop, stop, Nora, calm down. You really shouldn’t be moving around so much when you collapsed earlier...”
“Tonia, I don’t care! I don’t want to be chained! Not by Damian or anyone else! Where is he?”
“He had to go back to work. He left about half an hour ago...”
“Call him,” I order her with a clear voice.
I won’t calm down until I can talk to him. Tonia sighs but takes out her phone. I’m so angry, I’m almost shaking right now. She gives me her phone, and within a minute, Damian is at the end of the line.
“What is it?” He asks coldly.
“Damian, you can’t chain me to a damn bed!”
“...I’m in a meeting right now.”
“I don’t care!” I yell. “You just can’t do this! You undo it right now! I can’t believe you did something that crazy to me!”
“You are safe where you are, Nora. I don’t want to risk you sneaking out on Tonia and Bobo again and getting yourself in danger.”
“Damian, I promise I won’t do that again without telling you. I swear. But I don’t want you to force me like this. I don’t want to be chained like a dog!”
“No.”
“Damian!”
But he hangs up on me without letting me finish. I let out a scream of frustration. How can he do this to me! I know I shouldn’t have snuck out, but that doesn’t mean he can go ahead and do something like this to me!
Tonia is nervously playing with one of her braids, visibly feeling sorry about the situation.
“Tonia, do you have a key to this thing? Answer me honestly.”
“No, baby girl, I swear I don’t. The Boss knows I was against this, so he won’t trust us with a spare key.”
“Bobo, can you break this bed?”
He lets out a growl and shakes his head. I can’t blame him. This thing is obviously too big, but I had to ask. I sigh. I can’t believe this...
