Chains No More: Breaking Free from the Chains of Emotional Turmoil

By Hawraa Al-aridhi

My breathing was rapid, and my heart felt like it would jump out of my chest from pounding so much. I struggled against the drugs to regain my focus. My eyelids fluttered open to reveal that my situation hadn't changed. Desperation filled me, sprinkled with the raw pain coming from my body. I looked down to find new bruises on my arms. One had a trickle of blood coming down from it. It matched the blood coming from my busted lip. It all came rushing back to me, how this happened. I had tried to be good, to behave like Damonic had wanted, but failed. His hand found swift retribution across my lower lip. I had learned what he wanted and didn't like. At least, I thought I had. I enjoyed two hours out of my chains yesterday. Today, I was back being chained to the bed. I knew he would return later to take what he wanted from me.

I shuddered as the door opened but was relieved to see it wasn't Damonic; it was his younger brother Anthony. Anthony was kinder and gentler with me than his brother. He treated me like a person, not a possession. He walked over and began cleaning my most recent wounds. "I am sorry he did this to you; you are here. I am going to clean up and bandage your wounds. Please don't tell either of them that I was nice to you. If they come in, I will have to put on an act." Anthony picked up my arm to bandage it, and chills ran up my spine. He didn't seem like his brother or father, but I didn't trust him. That was how I ended up here, falling for a guy, trusting him too soon.

Anthony cleaned my lip and said he would return later to bring me some food, but he couldn't be here too long. As the darkness enveloped me again as he closed and locked the door, my mind went back to that day, several weeks ago, the last time I had been happy. Damonic approached me while placing fresh flowers on my brother's grave. Jayden, my brother, had been my biggest cheerleader and supporter. Our parents had died two years earlier, killed by a drunk driver, and we were all the family we had left. Jayden had died of Cancer. It had been long and painful. I had taken care of him every day. He was always encouraging me. I felt I could stand up to the world as long as he was with me. Now I was all alone, until Damonic. He had seen me shivering, putting the fresh flowers down, and shown me such kindness.

He came up behind me, gently putting his jacket on my shoulders and handing me a cup of coffee just as I liked it. We had said hi a few times, passing each other around town, but never really stopped to speak with each other until then. I had felt so alone and torn down by the world. Like I was alone and didn't have the strength to stand for one more minute. His acts of kindness meant the world to me. It made me feel like someone still cared for me. I mattered to someone. We started dating; I could never have imagined the monster inside him that he was unleashing on me.

We had begun that day with lunch after the cemetery. We walked into a local place, and they knew him. Walking in, they took us to the best table and had drinks before we had scarcely sat down. He pulled out the chair for me like he wanted to honor himself. They also immediately brought fresh flowers for us. We sat there, and he ordered for me perfectly, knowing exactly what I would like. They brought out each course with pride and presentation like they were serving the king or something.

He was a critical, wealthy man. They treated me like a queen. Our lunch was lovely. I had the best time and forgot my utter misery for a few hours. By then, we were feasting on the delicate chocolate mousse; the rest of the world had utterly disappeared. In the following days, he texted and had flowers sent to me, along with a gift.

Theatre tickets and a lovely piece of jewelry with an invitation for two weekends from now. The box brought a smile to my face. The necklace was beautiful and quite extravagant. I quickly replied yes. He sent back the smiley face with the hearts all around.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 19, 2023
• ISBN: 9798350904574

Book preview

Chapter 1-Isabella’s POV

My breathing was rapid, and my heart felt like it would jump out of my chest from pounding so heavily. I struggled against the drugs to regain my focus. My eyelids fluttered open to reveal that my situation hadn’t changed. Desperation filled me, sprinkled with the raw pain coming from my body. Looking down at my arms, I in inspected my new bruises. One had a trickle of blood coming down from it. It matched the blood coming from my busted lip. It all came rushing back to me, how this happened. I had tried to be good, to behave like Damonic had wanted, but failed. His hand found swift retribution across my lower lip. I had learned what he wanted and didn’t like. At least, I thought I had. I enjoyed two hours out of my chains yesterday. Today, I was back to being chained to the bed. I knew he would return later to take what he wanted from me.

I shuddered as the door opened but was relieved to see it wasn’t Damonic; it was his younger brother Anthony. Anthony was kinder and gentler with me than his brother. He treated me like a person, not a possession. He walked over and began cleaning my most recent wounds. I am sorry he did this to you; you are here. I am going to clean up and bandage your wounds. Please don’t tell either of them that I was nice to you. If they come in, I will have to put on an act. Anthony picked up my arm to bandage it, and chills ran up my spine. He didn’t seem like his brother or father, but I didn’t trust him. That was how I ended up here, falling for a guy, trusting him too soon.

Anthony cleaned my lip and said he would return later to bring me some food, but he couldn’t be here too long. As the darkness enveloped me again as he closed and locked the door, my mind went back to that day, several weeks ago, the last time I had been happy. Damonic approached me while placing fresh flowers on my brother’s grave. Jayden, my brother, had been my biggest cheerleader and supporter. Our parents had died two years earlier, killed by a drunk driver, and we were all the family we had left. Jayden had died of cancer. It had been long and painful. I had taken care of him every day. He was always encouraging me. I felt I could stand up to the world as long as he was with me. Now I was all alone, until Damonic. He had seen me shivering, putting the fresh flowers down, and shown me such kindness.

He came up behind me, gently putting his jacket on my shoulders and handing me a cup of coffee just as I liked it. We had said hi a few times, passing each other around town, but never really stopped to speak with each other until then. I had felt so alone and torn down by the world. Like I was alone and didn’t have the strength to stand for one more minute. His acts of kindness meant the world to me. It made me feel like someone still cared for me. I mattered to someone. We started dating; I could never have imagined the monster inside him that he would unleash on me.

We had begun that day with lunch after the cemetery. We walked into a local place, and they knew him. Walking in, they took us to the best table. We had drinks before we had scarcely sat down. He pulled out the chair for me like he wanted to honor himself. They also immediately brought fresh flowers for us. We sat there, and he ordered for me perfectly, knowing exactly what I would like. They brought out each course with pride and presentation like they were serving the king or something.

He was a critical, wealthy man. They treated me like a queen. Our lunch was lovely. I had the best time and forgot my utter misery for a few hours. By then, we were feasting on the delicate chocolate mousse; the rest of the world had utterly disappeared. In the following days, he texted and had flowers sent to me, along with a gift.

Theatre tickets and a lovely piece of jewelry with an invitation for two weekends from now. The box brought a smile to my face. The necklace was beautiful and quite extravagant. I quickly replied yes. He sent back the smiley face with the hearts all around it.Three days before the theater, another surprise showed up, a fancy evening dress that fit perfectly and I went with the necklace. I felt like a princess, and he knew it. He made me feel like I was the only woman in the world.

We went to a lovely meal by the theatre where he knew my every need before I did. He was charming, and his presence so commanding but still so gentle. I felt safe. I felt like nothing could harm me while I was with him. Damonic was the man I had dreamed of since I was a little girl. At least, I thought he was.

The days after Jayden died were dark and terrible for me. I went to work and then would come home, crawling back into bed some days. Some days, it was all I could do: get dressed and go to work. On the worst days, I couldn’t even do that. Then I found a letter Jayden had left me. There he was, encouraging me still, never leaving me. There was a necklace with anotesaying, Here is a piece of my heart. Have courage. I am with you. Which I placed under my shirt, keeping it close to my heart.

Now Jayden was always with me. That gave me the courage to go on. I found new strength in it. I also found a new purpose in helping cancer patients. I would take them goody baskets with blankets, socks, hats, books, crackers, ginger ale, and quarters for the vending machines. Anything I could think of to bring them comfort. I spent hours listening to them, holding their hands while undergoing chemo or post-surgery treatments.

That helped me to come back to the world. Jayden had enabled me to find the will to live again, as had Damonic. He treated me so well. I couldn’t imagine anything ever changing. The gifts and the dates kept coming. When we had been dating for about two months, I remember a charming date by the beach. My mind drifted off as I was lost in thought, remembering our enjoyment.

The sun had been out, but it wasn’t overwhelming. We had removed our shoes and left them on the edge of the sand. The water was gently lapping over our feet, wetting our toes. The water was cool, but not cold. The school had started back, so hardly anyone was out there. We saw this magnificent lighthouse as we were nearing the other end of the beach. We went to it, and it said they were closed, but Damonic found the manager and sweet-talked our way in, slipping him some extra cash.

The lighthouse was so well preserved and an actualhistorical wonder. It was well maintained and had been handed down in this family for hundreds of years. They kept the ships safely coming into the harbor of this small fishing village. The entiretown’s income had been dependent in one way or another on the fishing industry. The city lost everything when the fish went elsewhere to look for more food and safety from man’s big boats. The family owned and lived in the lighthouse, along with most others. It wasn’t until forty years later that people started coming back to the town to invest in and revitalize it.

A couple of wealthy families wanted to build a pleasant resort town. The beach was clean, and the waves were amazing. The temperature was great year-round, and they brought loads of jobs, making it a welcoming place for tourists; only wealthy tourists could stay there. Damonic’sfamily was one of the families that worked to make over the town, bringing it back to life. That was the rosy version of the story. The one they kept in the public eye. The not-so-rosy version was that Damonic’s family was setting up shop there for their human-trafficking business and needed several ports to operate out of. Ports that weren’t too crowded and where they quicklybought off the people in charge to forge records and look the other way when specificshipments came in.

The town grew, and so did the wealthy families. The ports thrived and operated without interference. This became known as a hideout and vacation spot for the mafia and their families. They used the money from legitimate tourism businesses to fund their not-so-legitimate but far more lucrative smuggling activities. He took me to the lighthouse and showed me around the little town. Everyone knew him and anticipated our needs before we ever asked. People in the city came up and gave us gifts like we were royalty.

We went to a local beach hut with a great rooftop restaurant. Capturing sunset from there was unlike anything I had ever experienced before. We had lobster and fresh crab legs paired with the finest wines and chocolates to bring the meal to a close. Then we returned to the beach, where we had left our shoes, with the sunset painting the evening sky. We ended our day in a cabana his men had set up for us, where we made sweet love for hours. He leaned in and whispered, I will neverlet you go, Isabella. You are my perfect match.

At the time, I had yet to learn how much trouble those words meant or where they would lead. If only I could have seen the future.

Chapter 2-Damonic’s POV

I stared at her and knew I had to have her. She had long, thick, flowing black hair and pristine skin. Her bright green eyes stood out, though they looked sadder today. She was a welcomed addition to the business and would bring a high price, or I could keep her for myself. Occasionally, if I found a worthy pet, my father would let me keep one, at least for a while. I would break them, train them, and then sell them. This year would be huge, too, as my father gave me more responsibility and showed me how to run more of the business.

We were in the export business, and it was going well. We were getting our product within the States, from all over, and getting them all over and bringing them here. We had a huge compound to house our yield. We used this as the place to break them by using another of our products. It was a sound, well-thought-out system. We all worked hard to keep it flowing nicely.

Our product was humans. We got them for all ages, races, and sexes. We would lure them in or get runaways, promising them things like a modeling career or movie parts. We would use one of the other products to drug them and break them using sleep deprivation, starvation, drugs, physical violence, and