I glance up to see Budimir is standing in the doorway, clutching a spare set of clothes.
“At last,” I say. The five days I’ve been in here have been the longest five days of my life. It might as well be a prison as I’ve been climbing the walls, desperate to get out.
I swing my legs over the side of the bed, wincing at the pain in my side. Eliza hasn’t been by since, even though I asked Budimir to get her here. She refused. Clearly, she believes that because I’m stuck in a hospital that she is immune to my fury. Her little games end today.
“Do you want help?” he asks, concern clear in his eyes as he places the clothes on the bed next to me.
I shake my head. “No, make sure the car is ready to leave.” It’s going to take me a while to get back to normal, but I won’t be treated like a cripple.
He hesitates before bowing his head and turning to leave me alone. I watch him go, thankful that he’s stuck by my side through everything. Budimir has been loyal to me ever since we were children.
There was a time when we were younger I would have referred to him as a friend, but as I got older and the plan to take power grew, he became a loyal follower. A man who follows my orders and shows me respect, even before I had a crown on my head or a throne to sit on. He believed in my vision almost as much as I did.
I stand and pull the hospital gown off, throwing it onto the bed. A white dress shirt, the same as the one ruined when I walked in here, is on top of the pile, and I shrug it on, ignoring the throbbing pain in my side. Next, I pull on my boxers and pants, doing them up. Leaving the jacket which I grab and shrug on, groaning when I feel the heavy weight of my gun pressing into the wound.
I pull it out of the pocket on that side and switch it, even though it won’t be so easy to grab at a moment’s notice. A nurse pokes her head in. “I have your prescription here.” She holds a bag up.
I tilt my head. “Prescription?”
She nods. “Yeah, pain meds. You’re going to need them.”
I walk toward her and take the bag. “Thanks,” I say, through gritted teeth. “I’m free to go, then?”
She nods. “Just sign these release forms.” She puts them down on a counter just inside the door and I sign on the dotted line. “All done.” She nods toward the door. “If you have any problems, just come straight back.”
“Thanks.” I turn and walk out of the room, purpose in every step I take.
It’s time for me to dole out my punishment. Eliza has been a bad girl and bad girls must be punished.
* * *
I strideinto the mansion after a long drive across town after being stuck in traffic, searching instantly for Eliza.
Budimir assures me she’s unaware that I’m being released today, so I can’t wait to see the blood drain from her face when she sees me.
Beautiful.Innocent. Breakable.
I’m going to find out what my wife is made of today.
And that’s when I hear it. A voice so utterly angelic it stops me in my tracks. She’s singing, like a beacon leading me to where she is. I walk slower toward the small living room two doors down from the kitchen and pause in the doorway, watching as Eliza plays the piano and belts out a tune.
Something inside of me constricts as although the song is melancholy and she’s singing in Spanish, so I do not know what it’s about, I find it hard to believe she has it in her to sing at all, considering everything I’ve put her through in the last month.
Month.
The thought puts my mind on a different track. Ever since we married, I’ve been fucking her daily to get her pregnant, and she hasn’t bled. So unless she’s bleeding right now, perhaps my attempts have already taken root.
I watch her for as long as I can, realizing the moment I step into that room, her entire demeanor will change and I don’t want that. Not really. I enjoy seeing this side of Eliza. A vulnerable, artistic side of her.
Unfortunately, my presence doesn’t go unnoticed long as she glances over at the door and then shrieks when she sees me. Her piano playing instantly stops as she holds a hand over her heart and shakes her head. “Adrik, you scared me half to death.” Her brow pulls together. “When did you get released?”
I step inside the room then, keeping my eyes on her flawless face, which somehow has become permanently etched in my mind. “Just now.” It’s a shame a woman so utterly perfect landed in the hands of a man so scarred. She’ll end up the same as me once I’m through with her. “You ignored my request to come to the hospital.”
Her face pales, and she stands from the piano stool and grabs the music sheet she was playing from, shaking her head. “I didn’t see the point.”
“The point was your husband requested your presence, and you ignored him.”
Her hands tremble as she clutches the music sheet to her chest. “Yes, I did.” She holds my gaze even as her bottom lip trembles.