Bound By One Mistake

Eva’s POV

The taxi stopped in front of the apartment building. Rain tapping hard against the windows. The driver finally turned around and looked at me through the mirror. “Miss, this is your stop”.

“Thank you,” I murmured, slipping a note into his hand before stepping out.

"Miss, are you good?. Do you need me to take you to a hospital?"

I shook my head. My voice was weak. "No. Just here. Thank you."

I opened the door and stepped out into the rain.

The building stairs smelled like wet concrete and old paint. My footsteps echoed as I climbed. Each step made my head hurt more. When I reached my door, my head was pounding with pain. My fingers shook as I looked for the key and tried to put it in the lock.

And that's when I heard it.

"Ah ah yes, don't stop!"

A woman's voice. Can’t say I was suprised. I should’ve been used to it by now.

For a moment, I couldn't move. Couldn't breathe. I was getting fed up already but what could I do. Then, slowly, I turned the key and pushed the door open.

The living room was dark. But the bedroom door was open a little bit. Light came through the crack.

Then i saw Daniel. Naked. His body pressed against a woman in my sheets. Her back was arched. Her nails dug into his shoulders as she moaned his name. His face showed pleasure.

Then his head turned. His eyes met mine across the dark room. He didn't stop. Didn't even slow down.

"You're back," he said in a flat voice, like I had interrupted nothing important.

My lips barely moved. "Yes."

The woman finally saw me. Instead of covering herself, she laughed. She slowly dragged her fingers down Daniel's chest. She moved like she wanted me to watch. Like she was putting on a show.

"Daniel, who is she?" The woman's voice was fake and cruel. "Don't tell me this small thing is your girlfriend." Her eyes looked at me from head to toe. She saw my wet dress, my shaking hands, my pale face. "She looks like she can't even keep you happy. No wonder you needed someone else."

Her smile got bigger when she saw how my hands shook. She saw how I couldn't look away even though everything in me screamed to run.

He pulled away from her slowly, like he was bored now. He reached for his cigarettes on the table beside the bed. The lighter clicked. A small flame showed his face for a second before smoke came from his lips. He took a long breath of smoke and let it out slowly. He didn't answer her question. He didn't really look at me either.

"I'm hungry," he said to no one in particular. His voice was casual, like he was talking about the weather. "Go make something."

The woman leaned back against the bed. She let the sheets fall off her shoulder on purpose. Her eyes looked at me again. "She's not your maid?" She laughed again. The sound hurt my ears. "I almost believed it. She has that sad servant look, doesn't she? All beaten down and obedient."

Daniel breathed out more smoke. His eyes were sharp and cold when he looked at me. Just one word: "Go."

My body moved before my mind caught up. My muscles remembered too many moments like this. I walked toward the kitchen, feeling numb.

From down the hall, her voice called out again. "Daniel, don't be too hard on her. She probably tries her best. Though clearly, it's not enough for a man like you. You need someone who knows what she's doing." Another laugh. "Someone who can actually satisfy you."

He didn't reply. Instead, his footsteps came toward the kitchen. Toward me.

I put the fish on the counter with shaking hands. I picked up the knife. But my hands wouldn't stop shaking. The blade moved as I tried to hold it steady. My vision was blurry at the edges.

Why did my parents do this to me? The thought crashed into my mind. Why did they force me into this nightmare? I could hear their voices in my memory. They said this relationship would work out. That I just needed to try harder. That I should accept everything no matter what. That Daniel's family connections were more important than my happiness.

But I didn't want to accept this anymore. Not another day. Not another hour.

"Tomorrow night, you're coming with me to a gala" Daniel suddenly said, putting me out of my thoughts. Is he serious right now?

"I can't." My voice broke. It was barely loud enough to hear over the rain hitting the windows. "I'm not feeling well."

"You're coming," he said simply, like it was already decided. Like my words meant nothing. "This project is important. You'll be at my side whether you like it or not. I need you there to make the right impression."

My stomach twisted hard. Memories of past parties came flooding back. Strangers' hands on me. Touching. Grabbing. Daniel watched and did nothing. Sometimes he even encouraged it. He laughed with his business friends as I tried to pull away. Punishments disguised as social events. Tests of my obedience.

The knife slipped. A thin line of blood appeared on my finger. Bright red against my pale skin.

My lips trembled as I forced out the words: "Daniel... let's break up."

Silence. Heavy and choking. Then the sharp snap of his lighter closing.

His shadow filled the kitchen doorway. "What did you say?"

"I said..." I swallowed hard and forced myself to look at his eyes. "Break up. I can't do this anymore."

He crossed the kitchen in two fast steps. His hand grabbed my wrist with crushing force. His grip was like iron. The pain shot up my arm, sharp and immediate.

"You really have no say in this. This whole thing…this so called marriage is all a business alliance between your dad and I, so you do not decide when you want to leave is that clear?”

I pulled against him, my heart hammering. “I’m tired, Daniel. I don’t want this”

"You disgust me, Eva." His face was inches from mine now. His breath smelled like smoke and alcohol. "Every time I touch you, I feel sick. Do you understand that? But for the sake of your dad I’ve decided to marry you so whether you want this or not is completely out of the question."

Tears spilled down my cheeks. Hot against my cold skin. My chest moved up and down with held-back sobs. "Then let me go. Please. If I'm so dirty, if touching me disgusts you so much, let me leave. You'll never have to see me again. I'll disappear completely."

His laugh was short and bitter. No humor in it at all. "Leave? Not a chance”

He pushed me hard. My back slammed into the wall. Pain exploded in my head. White light flashed behind my eyes.

My knees gave out. The knife fell from my hand and bounced across the floor.

"If this is how you'll treat me," I whispered. My voice shook but I kept talking. "If this marriage is just endless punishment, just let me go. Let me leave with whatever dignity I have left."

Daniel crouched down. His shadow covered me completely. His tone was pure ice. Each word was chosen to cut. "No. This marriage is bigger than you. Bigger than your feelings, your pain, your wants. Your family’s businesses. Everything rests on this alliance. You don't get to walk away, Eva. Not ever. Not until I say you can."

I pressed myself against the wall. Too broken to answer. Too tired to fight anymore.

He stood up slowly. He brushed imaginary dust from his shirt. The movement was mocking. His voice was cold and final as he turned to leave. "You'll be ready for the party tomorrow. Dress well. I need you to look the part. That's final."

The door shut behind him with a loud click. I was left alone on the cold kitchen floor. Trembling. My tears mixed with the blood from my cut finger and the pain in my back and head.

The storm outside was still raging. Rain tapping hard against the windows like it wanted to break through. But it was nothing…nothing compared to the storm inside me. In that silence, one thought repeated itself in my mind.

I can't survive like this. I need to get out. Before he destroys whatever's left of me. Before there's nothing left to save.

Tomorrow, I would find a way. I had to.