A Graduation Gift

Cassandra was humiliated. Tears of shame ran down her cheeks.

"I hate you, Rufus! I hate you so much as I have never hated anyone before!"

Cassandra roared. The throbbing pressure on her body and her temples almost made her collapse.

"Go ahead! Hate me all you want! I don't give a damn how you feel!" he shot back.

The night seemed long and distressing. Finally, Rufus lay asleep soundly beside her; his exhaustion was evident from the venting.

Cassandra's eyes widened at the sight of the man beside her.

He was fast asleep. Despite his unguarded disposition, tension shone visibly on his face.

His eyebrows were furrowed. 'What is he dreaming about?' she thought.

The tie around her wrists was loosened—a product of her unrelenting struggle. Cassandra gingerly moved her hands and freed them bit by bit

until they were finally fully hers again.

She cautiously pushed herself up and was mildly surprised that Rufus did not wake up to this. He must be exhausted, not just physically, but also mentally.

Every cell in her body hurt. Her wrists were bruised very badly.

She was not sure how she could face the tyrant on the bed. She quietly went to the closet to get some clothes.

It was better for her to leave before Rufus woke up.

She pulled on her clothing, turned around and found Rufus staring right at her. She was taken aback.

"Where are you going?"

His icy voice almost made her jump. She began to tremble.

The sound of the closet door woke him up but he waited until she got dressed to cover the bruises on her body.

'Does she think those clothes would be enough to cover the marks I left on her body? Does she really believe she could escape just like that?

naive!'

dressed but why are you still the one shaking? It's like you have a

in his voice. Under normal circumstances, Cassandra might even think he was flirting with

from normal. Cassandra trembled and her legs grew weak.

back

he scooped Cassandra up

so cold," he

trampled her dignity until it was reduced to dust.

if her body and soul were going

if her soul were floating in the air,

see? This is what you get when you offend Rufus. He is nothing like the affectionate and thoughtful gentleman you once knew. Upsetting him would grant you a revenge worse than hell.' Right now, that was

so much to find that the trust she

Rays of sunlight peeked into the room and fell on her bruised wrists.

woke to the brightness and

gotten up, taken a bath and gotten dressed. He

stood in his place

not here when I come back, trust me you'll regret ever trying

before he turned around to leave the room and slam the

retrieved her wrists from the sunlight and

for breaking up with

to cry but her tears

to move. Neither motivation nor strength

demons skinning and eating me alive! Let me

on! Hold on, Cassandra! Then we both will owe nothing to each other,

mused as she closed her eyes. She allowed relief to take over her the moment Rufus left and drifted into a deep, sound

reserved that day. He dealt with his work as quickly as possible to make sure he was

bruises on her wrists made him regret his actions a little.

more she struggled, the

and she didn't talk

all her clothes to make sure she would

cooled down, he began to reflect on whether he overdid it.

he abuse her

her. The thought of how much she feared him that morning horrified him. She could not even look

Cassandra woke, the sky was already dark. She slept the