Chapter 8 - Push & Pull

Celia's POV That was five years ago. ** “Drive safe!” The words fall from my mouth in a cheery tone despite the agony that crashed throughout my body. I stare at my parents, waving at them with a pained smile on my face. Snow falls from the sky. Snowflakes land on my clothes, immediately melting from my body heat. My parents wavs and get inside their car. The engine roars to life. Anxiety causes my body to tingle. I fight against the invisible grip that holds me in place, wanting to bring my parents back inside the house…so that they don’t have to drive in hazardous conditions. The car slowly rolls out of the driveway, their tires slipping across the ice covered road. My parents wave from the car window, the back tires spinning and slipping across the black ice. The hold on my body releases and I rush down the stairs. Tears drop from my eyes at a rapid pace. I chase my parents’ car down the road, watching as they disappear further and further down the street. I watch as my parents’ car spins out of control. Their screams mingle in with mine as I yell at them to stop the car, to slow down, to save themselves. But it’s too late. I watch as the car crushes in on itself, colliding with a tree. It's blood. “Mommy, daddy...!” I fall to my knees and hold out my hand to the accident, unable to do a thing. * A large pile of bills decorates the table. More weight is added onto my shoulders as I shuffle through the late notices. The red letters stare at me. They’re mocking me, adding more salt into my already throbbing wound. I glance over at my frail grandmother. She lays in bed, a pained expression on her face. I look between her and the bills. I can’t lose another family member…! What can I do to support us, though? There’s not many jobs that I can have while in school. Grandma’s medicine is so expensive and my student loans are adding up by the day. I don’t have many skills to offer to anyone. Then I see that man. Who saved me, and bought me. I look up and into his eyes, captivated by the sight. Soren looks down at me with a stoic expression. I shiver from the chilled winds. “...Would you like to be my lover?” ** My body jolts awake from sleep. Beads of sweat cover my entire body, leaving me feeling clammy and uncomfortable. I press my hand to my forehead. I stifle a laugh and lean backwards into my desk chair, looking up at the ceiling. It was just a dream. I never have to go through that ever again… I turn to the side and curl up into a ball. I’m such an idiot for thinking that things could be different between Soren and I. Our relationship was founded upon a contract, a legally binding paper that made me his until someone better came along. Soren doesn’t care about me. He never has. He used me for his own sick and twisted games, using me as a stand in for his precious Bianca. And yet…I still fell for him. I still fell in love with the way his eyes light up at the sight of homemade cookies. I fell in love with the way he held onto me throughout the night. My parents would be so ashamed of me if they knew I turned to becoming someone’s substitute lover…and feel even more heartbreak to know that I was stupid enough to fall in love with him. I clear my throat and sit up in my chair. I pull out an unopened bill from my student loan collector. I open it and look over the statement before signing a check, which is connected with my savings account, and placing it inside the return slip. The envelope sits on top of the other bills that I paid. ...I wish to restart my life now. My life hasn’t been my own for a long time, and I doubt it ever will be, but I wish to desperately start anew. In time, I’ll be able to repay Soren back every single cent and dollar he has given me. If I work hard and concentrate on my career, I’ll be able to repay him and live my own life. — ...I want him out of my life forever. Soren's POV The dull ache behind my eyes has persisted for days on end. Medication and herbal remedies have yet to subside the aching feeling. Lights have been too bright for me to properly concentrate and I haven’t been able to focus on my job at hand. Bianca has tried her best to make me feel better. Despite me telling her that her remedies have not worked yet, she remains in a blissful denial and thinks that I am perfectly okay, that she’s saved me. It’s the furthest thing from the truth. Bianca tried to give me a head massage, but her nails always scraped against my skin, digging into my head, and it always ended with me feeling much worse. With Celia, my condition and headaches felt less severe than they do with anyone else. ...What has she done to me? What is it about her scalp massages that aids me in my plight against headaches and migraines. “Beta,” I turn in my desk chair. The room is dark, shades sewn shut to not let any extra light in. Warm light from the hallway floods inside, the temperature and brightness just enough for my eyes to handle. “Yes, Alpha?” My Beta approaches the desk. “If I were to pay Celia to come back and massage my head, do you think she would take the money?” I ask him. At the end of the day, money is her biggest motivator. She’s been greedy throughout our contracted relationship, always taking my money for her loan payments without a problem. She did say she loved me, though…no. That’s not a possibility. I don’t believe her for a single second. She loves my wallet, not me. After hesitation, my beta says: “Sir…aside from the contract’s requirement of you paying off her loans, Celia has never taken any extra money from you.” I fall in silence:“......” “...What？”