38

Victoria

I was exhausted, but I forced myself to stay awake. When Michael's breathing became steady, I kept an eye on the clock. I waited ten minutes before carefully slipping out of bed. I quickly put on my underwear and Michael's shirt and hurried downstairs. I grabbed Michael's jacket from the floor and dug through his pockets. Not only did I find his car keys, but the keys to his office.

Perfect.

I headed to Michael's office, unlocked the door, and closed it behind me. I opened Michael's desk and looked through his drawers for a sedative.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

I jumped at the sound of Michael's voice; I hadn't even heard the door open. I looked up and was horrified by the menacing look in his eyes.

"I asked you a question!"

I slowly stood up, not knowing what to say. What could I say? I was caught red-handed looking through Michael's office after swiping his keys.

I shakily backed away as Michael came around the desk.

"I'm guessing the sex we had was nothing more than a casual fuck to you. Well, to me, it meant something!"

Michael lunged at me, and before I could move, he put both hands on my throat and slammed me against the wall.

"Everything I have done has been for us! I want things to work out, and you've been playing me this whole time?"

"Michael, please," I choked out as I clawed at Michael's hands to make him let go.

"Is that why Antonio hated me for so long? You tried to turn him against me?"

With tears in my eyes, I shook my head as best as possible.

"LIAR! YOU FUCKING BITCH!"

Michael's grip on my throat tightened, and he slammed my head against the wall twice more, clouding my vision with black dots.

"LEAVE MY MOMMY ALONE!" I could hear Antonio shout.

Michael turned around, loosening his grip on my throat.

"Listen here, you little brat!"

I yanked a picture frame off the wall and slammed it against Michael's head, causing him to fall. Once on the floor, I hit him twice more, knocking him unconscious. I fell to my hands and knees, coughing and gasping for air.

"Mommy!" Antonio ran up to me.

I hugged Antonio and held him tight with tears in my eyes.

"Are you okay, mommy?"

I nodded my head and kissed Antonio on the forehead.

"I'm okay. Thank you."

"You're welcome, mommy."

"Go to your room. I'll be right there."

"Okay, mommy."

Once Antonio ran off, I went back to digging through Michael's desk and found a large black case. Thinking I had found what I was looking for, I opened the case but was shocked by the multiple prescription bottles. All the bottles had Michael's name on the label and were for various Antipsychotics.

What the fuck?

I got over the shock and resumed searching. I finally came across a case filled with bottles of Benzodiazepine. Luckily, there were syringes with them. I filled one syringe and injected it into Michael's neck, and I quickly found duct tape and tied Michael up.

I went to my room dressed in a black T-shirt, jeans, a light jacket, and gym shoes. I grabbed Michael's car keys and moved the car to the garage since it was attached to the house. I dragged Michael to the car and got him in the trunk.

I returned to Michael's office and grabbed twenty thousand dollars from the safe. I was surprised Michael hadn't changed the password; after the "betrayal," the password was still my birthday. I went to Antonio's room and found him playing with his blocks.

"Antonio," I said.

"Yes, Mommy?"

I picked Antonio up and sat down on the loveseat.

"I need to go. I'll be gone for a few hours, but I promise I'm coming back."

"Where are you going, mommy?"

"I need to make sure Daddy can't hurt us again. Once I'm finished with that, we'll leave here and start over." I kissed Antonio on the cheek. "I love you."

"I love you too, Mommy."

I smiled and sat Antonio next to me.

"You need to stay here. Keep the door closed, and don't step out, okay?"

"What if I get hungry or thirsty?"

I reached under the bed and pulled out a bin filled with water and healthy snacks.

"You can take from here. Remember, you have your own toilet there," I pointed to the half bathroom in Antonio's room. "I'll put another movie on for you, and you have your toys. Okay?"

"Okay, mommy."

After putting on another movie for Antonio, I headed to the car. I took a deep breath and began to drive. My heart was pounding as I hoped this plan would be a success.

Michael

I woke up with a throbbing pain in my head. My vision was blurry, and my breathing was heavy. When I could see clearly, I looked around and saw I was in a large room. I tried to get up but was held down. I noticed my hands and ankles had restraints; I was restrained to a table and in a hospital gown.

What the fuck?

I kept looking around the room, and my eyes finally landed on Victoria sitting in the corner, reading a book.

"Victoria?"

Victoria looked up at me and said, "You're awake! I'll go get the doctor."

Before Victoria could leave, I asked, "Where are we?"

Victoria looked at me and said, "A hospital in Wyoming." Then she walked out.

I kept my eyes on the ceiling until I heard someone walk into the room. I looked towards the door and saw Victoria step in, followed by a man wearing a surgical gown, cap, and mask. He looked at me with bright eyes that suggested he was smiling.

"It's good to see you're awake. My name's Dr. Weaver, and I'll be the one castrating you today."

"What?"

"Don't worry. I'll put a catheter in once the procedure is done."

Victoria lifted my gown for the twisted doctor, exposing my package.

"Victoria, you can't do this!" I yelled.

"Oh, yes, I can," Victoria said with a sinister smirk.

"Would you like me to use a scalpel or box cutter?" Dr. Weaver said as he looked at a silver tray next to him and then at Victoria.

Victoria looked at me and reached into her pocket. "Use this," she said as she handed the doctor a knife. I recognized that knife.

"I have a gift for you," I said as I sat next to Victoria.

"What?"

"Well," I reached into my pocket. "Dating a gang leader can be dangerous; some people might try to hurt you, and I want you to be able to protect yourself."

I handed Victoria a knife I had custom-made for her. It was a small, slightly curved blade with a Jade handle, and the knife's edge had a silver cover with small diamonds.

"It's beautiful."

"Just like you."

Victoria blushed and said, "Thank you. I love it."

Victoria left that knife behind when she left me; she must have found it when looking through my desk.

"Wow. Pretty knife," Dr. Weaver said.

"It was a gift."

Victoria grabbed a chair and dragged it over to sit next to me.

"You might want to give him a shot of adrenaline right now; there's only so much pain a human can take before passing out."

Victoria picked up a syringe from a tray on a table next to me and stuck the needle in my arm, injecting me with the syringe's contents. The stone-cold look on Victoria's face scared me.

"Victoria, pl-"

I couldn't finish my sentence as all I could do was scream as I felt an agonizing burn on my penis as Doctor Weaver cut from the base to the tip. Tears poured from my eyes from the excruciating pain. The burning worsened as I felt the doctor cut all around the bottom of my penis.

"Can't you go slower?" Victoria asked.

"If I go too slow, the incisions will be sloppy, leading to an infection."

Once the doctor cut off my penis, there was still an agonizing burning sensation and soreness; I felt myself slowly fading out of consciousness.

"He's ready to pass out," I heard Victoria say. "I'm giving him another dose."

Victoria grabbed another syringe.

"Victoria, please," I cried. "Make it stop."

I was ready to die if it meant the pain would end. The least Victoria could do was let me pass out. Victoria looked at me with cold eyes.

"That's funny. I asked you the same thing every day when you let your men rape me. Karma's a bitch isn't it?"

Victoria injected me with adrenaline again and went back to her seat. I screamed as Doctor Weaver got to work on cutting off my balls. There was no escaping the pain; whenever I was about to pass out, Victoria injected me with more adrenaline. My voice became hoarse from all the screaming. At one point, Victoria was smiling. It hurt knowing that she was satisfied seeing me in so much pain.

When Doctor Weaver finished with the catheter and slowly stitched me up, there was a lingering burning sensation, and I couldn't stop crying.

"So what now?" I heard Victoria ask.

"Well, the wound will need time to heal to prevent an infection, and he'll also need proper nourishment."

"Can someone here take care of him? I have other things to do."

"Well, it will cost you.

"How much?"

"One hundred thousand dollars."

"How long until he makes a full recovery?"

"About five weeks."

"Here's fifty. I'll give you ten at the end of each week. Remember, no pain medication. Give him the bare minimum."

"Yes, ma'am."

My vision became blurry as I heard footsteps approaching me. I felt a sharp pain in my arm, my vision cleared up, and I felt the pain of the procedure I underwent. Victoria leaned on the table and looked into my eyes; she grabbed my throat and squeezed tight, choking me.

"Victoria!" Dr. Weaver yelled.

Before I could lose consciousness, Victoria let go. I gasped for air and started coughing. Victoria gave another cold stare and said, "It hurts, doesn't it? You better enjoy your time recovering. Because your life is gonna be hell once you're better."

Victoria walked away, leaving me shaking in fear.