My eyes fell on the dog’s collar, and I squinted to read the tag.
“Artur?” I muttered, confused.
Wow, he named his dog after him? The bulldog barked again in approval. But before I could process the absurdity of the situation, the door behind me creaked open.
There, standing in the doorway, was Artur. His damp shirt clung to his chest, and the muscles in his arms and chest flexed under the fabric. His gaze was as sharp as a blade, enough to freeze you.
The bulldog, who had been happily munching on the steak, immediately perked up and trotted over to Artur, tail wagging in a frenzy. Artur crouched down, a rare soft expression crossing his face as he ruffled the dog’s fur.
“Next time you open his door without permission,” Artur said, his eyes narrowing at me. “I’ll cut off your fingers.”
A chill ran down my spine. My pulse raced, and I pushed down the knot in my throat. “Understood.”
Artur straightened up, his gaze never leaving me. “Now, get out of my sight.”
Nodding, I backed out of the room, the image of his chilling eyes burning into the back of my skull as I hurried to leave.
A monster like him wasn’t supposed to keep a pet. But his choice of name for his dog surprised me even more. I had seen his knife, even the rings on his fingers had Artur engraved on them. He shared a name with his dog. But too bad they didn’t share the same characteristics.
After that night, everything settled into a silence. The days passed in a suspicious calm I didn’t mind. There was no chaos ornoise, just the hush of waiting. Matvet and Doctor Dorothy were right. When I stayed underwater, everything remained still. But with each passing hour, I knew I didn’t belong here.
I watched every detail like a prisoner mapping out the cracks in her cell wall. And one truth settled cold in my bones.I couldn’t escape, not even if I tried.
The boss had me locked in his world, using me as nothing more than his maid. I scrubbed every corner of his house until my fingers ached and my knees bruised.
As innocent as I knew I was, I did exactly what they demanded. But every time I inhaled the air of this mansion, something inside me snapped. The patience I held onto like a lifeline frayed and tore.
They couldn’t kill me. The boss had taken me to the edge of doom, ready to auction me off like a worthless item, then turned around and bid me back.
What was his deal? What game was he playing?
It infuriated me to be kept in the dark, to obey the very people who shattered the foundation of my life. And I was so tired of being unable to do anything.
I was alone in the kitchen setting Artur’s dinner on the trolley as usual. A tin of salt caught my eye, and something came to my mind. The chef had mentioned Artur’s particular tastes before. Artur didn’t like too much salt in his food. Matvet also mentioned it, saying he would rather have saltless food than salty food.
Whatever the case, I didn’t care. My frustration bubbled to the surface as I thought about how powerless I was in here and his need to make me feel small.
The soup was hot, the steam rising from the bowl in gentle waves. With everything I had been through since he kidnapped me, I couldn’t resist the temptation to hurt him, even if only a little. I grabbed the salt and added a generous amount to thesoup, stirring it quickly.
A rush of defiance surged through me, and I smiled. I returned things to their normal positions and rushed out before anyone could stop me. I had calculated the timing. Artur always took about an hour to finish his dinner. It meant I had to disappear for an hour. I could pretend I had a running stomach and lock myself in the bathroom until he was done.
As I approached the quarters, I heard the familiar sound of claws on marble. The bulldog barked, bounding toward me playfully. It tempted me to kneel and cuddle it, to let his warmth melt away my frustration.
But I saw Artur seated at the kitchen table, hunched over a newspaper. My heart skipped. I swallowed the urge to touch his dog and approached him instead. He wasn’t supposed to be here. I had to leave immediately.
Though my hands trembled, I kept my voice steady. “I’ll set your dinner, sir.”
Once I finished, I turned to leave, but Artur stopped me with a single order. “Sit.”
I froze.
The command came from nowhere, as if he expected me to obey without question. I hesitated, unsure if this was a joke or another power play. What if he was talking to his dog? But there was no dog in sight.
He slammed the newspaper down, the sound like a whip cracking through the air. “Should I repeat myself?”
My body obeyed before my mind could catch up. I sank into the chair across from him, my heart racing. The dog came back running and padded over to my side, curling up on the floor beside me, but I kept my gaze focused on Artur.
Artur didn’t speak. Without a word, he pushed the bowl of soup in my direction. My pulse quickened. My gaze remained fixed on the bowl of soup before me. Steam rose in delicatetendrils, each twist of vapor mocking the situation. This was the soup Artur was supposed to enjoy. I prepared it for him, though not in the way he would have liked.