Chapter two

Seraphina's pov

It has been one week of being in a marriage that I had no say in.

One week of Dante showing me how cold and ruthless he could be.

Dante and I are in two different rooms and I am happy for that. My daily routine was all inside the room to avoid any interaction with him. The maid comes to give me my food everyday—i had nothing to do but sulk.

I was bored out of my mind and I wanted to peel my skin from my body.

Today I woke and decided it was going to be different.

I got up took my bath, dried myself and changed into a mini sundress with black heels. I dried my hair and let it flow down my back as I applied my make up with red lips.

A knock came from the door, "Come in."

The door was pushed open and my maid, Janet walked in with my breakfast.

"Rise and shi….." she paused when she saw me all dressed up, unlike the rest of the days when I slept till the next day.

"Ma'am," she called confused, "is there an event happening?" She quickly dropped the tray of custard with avocado toast and some fresh orange juice and hot milk.

I gave a shy smile, "no, Janet. Today, I want to explore the mansion."

I got up from the chair, "what do you think about my outfit."

She had a little smile on her face, "Prefect."

"Thanks." I walked over the little table and chair which was closed to the huge windows in my room as I sat to have my breakfast.

"Janet, you would be the tour guide." I said as I scoped the hot custard meal into my mouth.

"Yes ma'am,"

"Please call me Phina, we are the same age grade, drop the ma." I said to her and I could feel I freeze.

"But…" she tried to counter.

"No buts….you are excused, you can leave when I'm ready I would let you know." I told her.

"Yes ma'am, sorry, Phina."

I gave her a smile which she returned and turned on her heels.

Phase one—Make a Friend, complete.

Even if it was a slow process, I would find my way to leave.

I finished my breakfast and called Janet and she took me around the grand estate which was two times bigger than my evil father.

The living room, kitchen with the huge dining hall connected to it. The outdoor swimming pool, the tennis court, a huge land just for golfing and the most beautiful and magical garden.

This place had it all!

Janet directed me inside as I explored the rooms. The indoor pool and tennis court had me mesmerized but what brought me to my knees was the library stacked full with books.

I walked in and I thought I had walked into book heaven

Never knew the monster liked to read. I walked around and found the books arranged in genres, both fictional and non fictional.

"This is amazing, I never knew the devil reads."

"The devil is quite versatile."

The deep voice made me pause. I turned back to see Janet look at me with sorry eyes.

"Leave."

The command came and Janet rushed out like a dog with his tail in between the legs.

Now we are all alone. The room air tensed up as he began to take steps towards me.

For every step he took, I took two steps back till my back hit a book shelf and I was cornered.

"What did you call me, Mi amore?"

I swallowed hard, the words at the tip of my tongue but I couldn't say it.

"Come on, say it…. I want to hear how much you hate it." He urged on but I refused to say it.

His eyes darkened, as he gripped my neck, choking me.

"Don't make me repeat myself....say it!" He whispered into my ears as I struggled to breath.

"De….de…vil." I struggled to bring out the words from my mouth.

He smiled hard as he kept on gripping hard, "Ahhh, I love that name."

He released his hands from my neck leaving his fingerprints over my pale skin. I coughed out loud trying to breathe properly.

He turned back, but paused, "It is nice to see my play toy come out to play…..It was fun, do come out more often or else you want to starve."

He turned and walked away, Leaving me thinking about what he meant.

I dropped to the floor as I shed more tears than I could.

After about thirty minutes, I got up with some books and began to find my way back to my room.

As I walked back to my room, the books clenched tightly in my arms, I couldn't shake off the feeling of unease. Dante's words kept echoing in my mind, "My play toy came out to play." I felt a shiver run down my spine as I realized the true extent of my situation. I was trapped, a prisoner in this grand estate, with no escape in sight.

I reached my room, locked the door behind me, and leaned against it, trying to catch my breath. The books slipped from my arms, scattering across the floor. I didn't bother to pick them up, instead, I slid down to the floor, my back against the door, and buried my face in my hands.

Tears streamed down my face as I thought about my life before this prison. I thought about my friends, my family, my freedom. I thought about the life I had planned for myself, the dreams I had yet to achieve.

As I sat there, feeling sorry for myself, I heard a faint noise coming from the other side of the door. It sounded like footsteps, light and cautious. I froze, my heart pounding in my chest.

The footsteps stopped outside my door, and I held my breath, waiting to see what would happen next. The door handle turned slowly, and the door creaked open.

Janet peeked inside, her eyes scanning the room before landing on me. She smiled softly and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

"Phina, I'm so sorry," she whispered, rushing to my side. "I didn't mean to leave you alone with him. I didn't know what to do."

I looked up at her, tears still streaming down my face. "It's not your fault, Janet," I said, my voice shaking. "You didn't know."

Janet nodded, helping me to my feet. "We need to get you out of here," she said, her voice firm. "We need to find a way to escape."

I looked at her, hope rising in my chest. Maybe, just maybe, I had found an ally in this prison. Maybe, together, we could find a way out.