Blind Billionaire Bride

CHICAGO, UNITED STATE OF AMERICA

That was the last thing Ria had heard before she felt a sharp pain on her head and she had blacked out completely. “I woke up in strange place. I didn’t feel at home and I couldn’t accept that my parents were dead. Ethan, it was hard and I wished Lucas just killed me.”

“Where was that place?”

Ria sniffed and wiped the tears with her finger tips. “Money make life den. Lucas took me with him to their hideout.” She paused. Ria wasn’t sure if she should tell Ethan what Lucas did to her.

“Lucas kept you in his den?” Ethan said.

“Yes.” Ria nodded.

“That means he saved you and took care of you.” Ethan added.

That’s what he could think of. And Ria wished that was how things turned out. She wished Lucas had saved and took proper care of her without violating her existence.

Their gazes met but Ria looked away quickly. Ria rubbed her palms together and tried to control the tears but it won’t stop. The tears kept flowing over and over again.

“Ria.” Ethan placed his hand on hers.

Ria withdrew from his touch and wiped her face.

“Tell me what happened in that den.” Ethan said in a tight whisper.

“Lucas saved me and took care of me.” Ria’s answer was immediate. She concluded that Ethan doesn’t have to know what Lucas did to her. “That’s all.” She said in a low tone.

“No. That’s not all. Ria, you are hiding some things from me.” Ethan muttered.

“I think I should head home now. It’s late.”

Ethan grabbed Ria’s arm when she was about to open the car door. “Tell me what happened in Lucas’s den.” His voice was clear and his jaw tightened.

Ria’s heartbeat rapidly. “There is nothing to talk about… Lucas took proper care of me.” She said shakily.

Ethan’s didn’t believe her. He was confused. He was curious about how things had turned out so well for her. “Nothing? And you want to leave? Ria, look at me and tell me nothing happened in that den.”

Ria shook my head but she couldn’t look at him. “Perhaps, did Lucas -”

Ria swallowed hard and cut him off. “Lucas saved me and took care of me.” She repeated and this time she looked at him.

Ethan’s hand dropped from her arm. She wasn’t telling the truth. “Okay. Ria, I guess the eight years of separation made us this way. You must be thinking that I appeared out of no where and asked about your past. I know-”

“No, Ethan, I just don’t want to talk about it.” Ria cuts in sharply.

“I want to know.” Ethan said sternly.

Then Ria heard the sound! Ethan locked the doors! “And you are not leaving until you tell me about it.”

Ria knew Ethan was stubborn and he hasn’t change! Ethan was totally different from him-Ian Bryant won’t have pressured her to tell him stuffs if she didn’t want to share it with him.

“Ethan, open the car now.” Her forehead and palms became sweaty.

“No.” He declined.

“I want to go home!” Ria yelled.

She was becoming aggressive and she feared what she would probably do if Ethan doesn’t open the car. It felt like her old self was about to resurface, a part of her that didn’t want to be close to a man but she controlled herself and tried to calm down.

“Ethan won’t hurt me. He is not Lucas.” She chanted in her head.

“Ria.” Ethan called in a soft voice.

“Please let me go.” She whispered.

“I know you want to tell me about it but something is holding you back. Please Ria, free yourself and open up to me.” He muttered in the calmest tone.

And there was no arguing with him. Ethan won’t let her go if she didn’t tell him about the past. He reached out to hold one of her hands and she was trembling.

“Lucas… Lucas came to-” She sobbed.

“You can do it. Ria, tell me about it.” He gave her hand a small squeeze.

“He came to me and…” She paused as more tears streamed down her cheeks.

Ethan held her hand tightly. Ria’s body trembled as she worked the courage to tell Ethan everything.

“He forced himself on me.” She muttered.

Ethan tensed up but he still held her hands tightly. “Just that day?” He asked.

Ria cried. “No Ethan, I was with him for several months and I became Lucas… sex slave. He came to me every time he wanted to…” Her voice broke off.

“No… no.. Ria don’t call yourself a sex slave.” Ethan released her hands and he cupped her face in his large palms.

“Then what would call someone who was used by a bunch of criminals. A sex slave or a sex toy because it wasn’t… just Lucas.”

And Ria can’t possibly change that fact about myself. Lucas used her to pleasure himself, many times that she had lost count. That even Lucas once called her his sex slave and Speedy also said that she was Lucas sex pet the day he tried to force himself on her too.

Ria wanted to tell Ian about her past too but she just can’t do it. And each time she remembered being a sex slave to Lucas, it tears her heart apart. And she feels that Ian would hate her if he ever finds out about her past. That was why she said he deserved a better woman.

“You were not a sex slave.”

“Then what?” She demanded.

Ethan was silent.

“Lucas girlfriend?” She snorted.

“I am sorry.” Ethan said.

“Sorry? It wasn’t your fault so don’t apologize. Even a prostitute was better off than me because you don’t have to force it. It is their job so they come willingly as long as you are ready to pay for their services. Lucas didn’t kill me but he used me to pleasure himself. I spent months in his den praying for death to come but it didn’t. Lucas would come to me every morning and night to pleasure himself. I was barely sixteen when he had raped me repeatedly. I begged Lucas to just kill me but he said that he was doing me a great favor by keeping me alive.” She sniffled.

Lucas was a monster, a beast in human clothing who didn’t deserved to live among humans but the jungle where his likes inhabits.

“He hired a maid to take care of me and he said I was paying him with my body for saving my life. That I should have been dead but he had made up his mind to take me in.” She sobbed.

That wasn’t a help or a favor-It was wickedness! And it made Ria regret ever being born into this world. She hated herself for being blind. She never saw the face of her parents while growing up. She has never see the face of the man who sexually violated her on several occasions and the man who had made an attempt to do the same. She has only seen the face of the man who ordered the killing of her parents on the internet; Frederick Robert.

One of Lucas men named Speedy came into Lucas’s room one night while Lucas was away and he tried to rape Ria but Andrea the maid assigned to take care of her came in before speedy could do anything. She had received several punches from Speedy when she tried to fight him.

Speedy threatened Andrea and Ria never to mention it to Lucas but one way or the other he had found out and things turned the wrong way for her. Speedy was able to defend himself by saying Ria tried to seduce him when he came into the room to pick up a flash drive. He lied that Ria offered herself to him so he could take her out of the den.

They were all Lies! And that fool had believed what Speedy said because he was his right hand man! Lucas tortured Ria for wanting to leave him and for giving herself to his right hand man. Ria would have taken it all, she would have fine with just the beatings but Lucas had his way with her over and over again. Lucas went as far as sending his men the next day to do the same to her.

Lucas never came back to Ria after the day he claimed to teach her a great lesson. Ria was abandoned in his room, left to find my way and all locked up in the room. No one came in not even Andrea and she was scared of what lie Speedy would have said just to make Lucas punish her.

Ria was starved for days, all she did was cry day and night blaming herself for many misfortunes that had happened in her life.

“If only I wasn’t blind then my dad wouldn’t have thought of accepting his inheritance. Frederick wouldn’t have sent those men to us. My parents won’t have died and Lucas won’t have done those horrible things to me.”

Everything Lucas and Frederick did to Ria made her hate men and all she did was think of getting revenge! Lucas destroyed her. He ruined everything about her, her body and her soul not minding the fact that she was a little blind girl. The horrible experiences had made Ria decide that she would never trust any man. She developed a phobia for men.

“How did you make it out of the den?” Ethan asked in a low tone. He was shocked by the revelation of Ria’s past.

“When I saw no way out of that room and I remembered my mom’s teaching about God that…”

“He is the only that can save one in times of trouble. All you have to do is talk or pour your heart to him.” Ethan completed Ria’s sentence. They were words Mrs Madison would always say just to encourage anyone.

Ria shook her head. “Yes. I started praying. Some days later, someone started bringing my daily meal. Ethan, days turned into weeks, weeks turned into a month and I didn’t stop praying until Lucas came back. He came to the room one day and apologized for what he did to me! It was a miracle for me and I was glad God had answered my prayers and it was could be a sign of me coming out of that hell soon. Lucas didn’t touch me that day, he only apologized but that didn’t take away the deep hatred I had for him.” Ria swallowed hard to get rid of the lump of tears that was forming in her throat again.Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

“Lucas said he brought a gift for me which I couldn’t see but feel and hear. It was Andrea. He told her to continue taking care of me and I was a happy that she was safe. Andrea was my only companion, she was always ready to tend to me anytime I needed anything and ready to listen to me. Andrea was older than I am, ten years older.”

Lucas pecked Ria for the first time that day and she thanked him with a fake smile on her face. “He left promising that he would be back in two days time with more surprises. I found out the truth. Andrea said speedy lied that she was the one who advised me to seduce him. She was locked up in a dark room for weeks until she had confessed to Lucas truly that Speedy did tried to rape me. Andrea couldn’t confess that all those times because Speedy threatened to kill her family. Another worker’s confession made Lucas believe that we were innocent.”

“Were you in the den when the gang got arrested?” Ethan asked.

Ria nodded. “Lucas and his men went to rob a bank and it was an unsuccessful operation. The cops killed Lucas and his gang on the run. When we heard the news, Andrea helped me out of the den the next day. Every worker around left the den too because the cops would possibly come around to search the area. I stayed with Andrea’s family for a few days and cautious of Frederick so he won’t know I was still alive. A week later, I and Andrea took the cheapest flight out of Idaho to Chicago.” She explained.

All the bills were on Andrea, not that she was rich but she had used her savings to purchase the tickets to Chicago. Andrea was Ria’s angel sent from above. Andrea was God sent who Ria never saw till she passed away about three years ago. Andrea had died from tumor in her brain. Though she is dead but she still remain in Ria’s heart. And Ria only got to see Andrea’s face through the pictures they had taken together. Her dad, her mom and Andrea would remain in her heart and memory forever. Mr Nathan was a diligent and hardworking man. Mrs Madison was strong and a woman of faith. To Ria, they will never be forgotten.

“So that’s how I made it out of Lucas’s den.” Ria sighed.

“I am so sorry. I should be blamed… I shouldn’t have left town.” Ethan had a remorseful and sad look on his face.

“No, it wasn’t your fault, Ethan. It would have happened even though you were in town.”

“But -”

“It was Frederick not you.” Ria saw the tears at the corner of his eyes before he leaned forward and embraced her.

“Even though, once when I was in Lucas’s den I prayed for you to find me. And I never got mad at you because you didn’t find me. You were good to me, Ethan and I am so happy to see you again.” Ria admitted as she withdrew from the embrace.

“Ria, I am sorry.” Ethan apologized.

“It is all right.” Ria wiped his tears with her fingertips and he did the same to hers too.

Ethan drew in a deep breathe after they both calmed down. “Frederick must pay for his crimes.” He seethed his teeth.

“Yes Ethan. But how? It has been eight years now.”

“Listen Ria, at this point you don’t need to seek revenge but justice for your parents death.” He held her hand.

“How? How can I get justice?” Ria asked.

“Reinvestigation.” Ethan answered.

“Is that possible?” Ria furrowed her eyebrows.

“Yes, it is possible. We just have to hire a private investigator and possibly an attorney here in Chicago to reinvestigate the case because I don’t trust the legal system in Idaho anymore.” Ethan replied.

“But the case has been filed and closed in Idaho.” Ria countered.

“We can reopen the case.” Ethan reassured her.

“I met Frederick’s son weeks ago. His name is Drake Robert.” She informed him.

“I know him. I didn’t stop checking on Frederick’s profile.”

“And isn’t there another way to get back at him?” Ria had a stern look on her face.

“What are you thinking?” Ethan demanded.

Ria heaved a sigh. “Oh Ethan… I wanted to kill him… myself.”

“What?! That would cause problem for you. I mean taking law into your own hands. If you kill Frederick you will end up in jail too.” Ethan clarified.

Well Ria never thought of the consequences. If she ends up in jail what will happen to her kids, Ria Robert Couture and Ian? She may never get to see them again! What was she thinking? It was probably because the thought of revenge was foremost in her mind and it didn’t allow her to think straight.

“You are already successful, Ria. And you can’t just let his death bring you down.”

Ria shook her head in understanding. “Yeah. You are right.”

“Don’t worry the reinvestigation will work out.”

“But Frederick is so powerful in Idaho and I don’t see myself winning against him.”

“I will check if we can request for transfer of case from Idaho to Chicago. Ria, I promise you, Frederick won’t get away this time.” Ethan was so confident.

Ria nodded as he grazed his knuckles on her cheek. “And I am happy to see you again.” A small smile displayed on his lips.

“I am happy too, Ethan.” Ria smiled back at him. A half smile though.

“You still have to tell me the rest of the story. I want to know how you got to see again.” Ethan chuckled softly.

“It is a long story, Ethan.” She rubbed her palms together.

“I want to hear it.”

“It is late.” She giggled.

“Or someone is waiting at home?” Ethan asked.

Ian is waiting for her at Ria Robert Couture.

Ria nodded. “Yes, someone is waiting for me at the store.”

“Who?”

“Ian Bryant.”

“We should get going.” Ethan looked away and nodded. He started the car and it glided into motion.

“You can still tell me the story on the way. We’ll discuss the rest of it another day.” He said.

Ethan hit the highway and Ria recounted the rest of the story!