belle

ur car pulled through a park, and the massive ir

seemed like an

t the sight of the mansions we drove p

y dogs. Security came

ig mansion, which appeared to be in th

he two men hauled me out of the car, a

parked in

domain" on the phone, a few male guards lined up, all dressed w

came to the last floor, where it

ay with different rooms b

seen in my life. That one, no rooms bordered it a

d by the door of the entrance of the room I sus

ad low to Anton

ed him so much, why's that?" I tried to ruminate within myself, my a

, the two mysterious guards rele

ached

that didn't affect the pain I was

, he left me stan

t a

ange his shirt into a

my eye, refusing to look directly

osphere for a few minutes bef

sure I was the one he spoke to, since he didn't lo

omfortable sofa just in

After all, I had been pulled and stress

sed space, close to my hands, whic

im take a glance at me, as if tryi

what I didn't expect in

reath while

ked fast paced to me, and placed it on my head, saying, "If you

y, my head tossed to my right-hand side. I was pan

rom my head and sai

poo, toiletries, scents, towels, and every other thing

, wondering how crazy and s

loset, loaded some guns with bu

yone? Where's Bukky? Man, get your ass of

faded into

oom, I sank into the so

n't stopped

oom, carefully taking

ark but lavishly decorated in an exotic style, had a bi

hed l

. A sudden marriage to a dangerous str

iss

er do this to me? Am I t

voice still shaking fro

e, and I decided to lift my legs off the grou

t, I fell in

down our street, headin

buyers, playing children, chattering women, engaging passersby, indifferent passersby,

utes past seven

narrow gaps in the shop windows, casting

eople before even gett

to be greeted as she sold decorati

ays shone through whenever

happy

time, my steps lig

p and embrace weighty family responsibilities

ding to Mama, that was one of the major reasons why his first w

I greeted her,

r voice carrying the kind of warmth t

lifted my spirit, perhaps because she's

ust be a lucky one since th

ed, at the same time, looking for

tled my keys, and found t

as it touched the meta

r sound of crickets that had lodged there

bright and

oved the spider webs fro

kets and unpacked the dif

me outside the shop, where it'll be e

, greenery, petals, lilacs, and lilies, I began to unpack my dra

utside the shop, at the balusters, I re

day and forget about food. This was part of the re

here every day, as I didn't ha

em off to buyers. In short, people love my paintings

their interiors, w

out my painting tools, lay down on my belly, and beg

elf in the civilized world I painted, a

tly on the left shoulder, and I

a

ght food for me in the shop and

e to become immune to the ticklish effe

a," I had declared happily, while co

lected the flask from her hand, but she had vanished

ped into a deep sl

*

t ray of blue light kissing the ch

ering in t

. My eyes had blinked several time

ed I still had a bloody new reality no ma

d the wall for a clock. I wanted to

as 9

sn't yet bac

ity when I was interrupted by several a

on intensifyin

e very

uld th