Kicks—sharp, ruthless—landed against her sides from his polished shoes. She curled into a ball, trying to shield herself. Blood-matted hair stuck to her face. No more screams—only the involuntary whimpers of a wounded animal. The necklace flew under the bed. He didn’t even notice.
Eventually, the man who’d once courted her like a gentleman walked out—leaving her in a puddle of blood, still wearing her red dress.
She groaned and rolled onto her back. Everything hurt. Her body felt torn apart. The sparkle of diamonds and rubies shimmered nearby under the bed. Summoning all her strength, Victoria reached under the bed and found the necklace. Her body trembled violently. She grabbed it with her fingers and clutched it in her fist. She stuffed it inside her bra, beneath her bruised chest. Every movement sent waves of searing pain. But in her foggy mind, she thought: If I die now, at least let it be with my diamonds. Then she leaned her head back and slipped back into darkness.
Pain brought her back again. New blows jolted her. One eye barely opened—the other was swollen shut. She saw darkness. After a few seconds, her brain caught up. She was in some tight, hard space. They were moving. The trunk. She was wrapped in some kind of cloth—soft, fuzzy. A towel, maybe. But it didn’t cushion the jolts on the bumpy road. Finally, the car stopped. She clenched her jaw and turned onto her side. They lifted her—one by the wrists, the other by the ankles. They began swinging her. Then—weightlessness. Then—a splash. The impact with water.
Softness. Coolness. Then—cold. No oxygen. The fabric clung to her face, blocking every breath. Panic hit like a hammer. Victoria thrashed, ignoring the agony in her body, fighting to break free. She managed to tear through the cloth and surged upward, her fiery hair streaming behind her. She kicked again and again, leaving a trail of blood in the water. The current caught her, carried her. She surfaced, gasping, chest heaving.
She was alive. Alive…
Floating on her back, she let the current carry her gently. The cool water caressed her open wounds like a comforting friend, nudging her toward a rocky, wild shore. After a while, she felt the bottom beneath her feet. She crawled to the edge and closed her eyes again.