Iris POV
Luiza interrupted me with a laugh that sounded very mocking and made me feel a bit uneasy. She said “Oh she understands everything that is going on. The truth is she just doesn’t want to have a real job does she?”
The words that were spoken to me were filled with harmful intent and they hurt me even more than if someone had hit me physically. I felt completely trapped like I was stuck in a complicated situation full of misunderstandings and bad intentions.
I was just a small part of a complicated game that I didn’t even understand. As I began to comprehend what was happening my heart felt heavy with sadness because I knew that the struggle for my freedom had just started and it was going to be a long and difficult journey.
My hands were tightly clenched into fists and I could feel the anger rising inside me ready to explode at any moment. “I was only spending a few minutes with Sam! I never wanted to live this kind of life that I'm stuck in Luiza! And don't even think about acting like you genuinely care about any of this situation!”
My voice shook as I spoke filled with a combination of intense anger and deep sadness. It felt incredibly unfair what was happening to me. I felt like a bird stuck in a cage unable to escape from a situation that I never wanted to be in.
Luiza with her irritatingly confident smile and those cold sharp eyes that seemed like shards of glass looked like she was taking pleasure in my struggle. It felt as though she was feeding off my pain and suffering. She reminded me of a poisonous snake sneaking into my life and ruining everything around me.
Raf's voice broke the heavy silence that hung in the air and his words felt as piercing as a sharp knife turning painfully in my heart. He looked right at me and said “Iris I just can’t take your lies anymore. I thought you would be honest with me but instead, you are making me feel like a complete fool.”
My jaw tightened. “Raf! I didn't lie—”
“That is more than enough!” he shouted and his voice bounced off the walls of the big room making it clear that I should stop trying to explain myself. “I want you to go to your room right now. At this moment I just cannot handle you.”
“What?” I exclaimed my mind spinning as if the world around me was tipping over. I could feel anger rising inside me almost like a hot liquid flowing through my veins.
“You can't just send me away like this! This is so unfair! Luiza shouldn't even be in this situation! It's all her fault that things turned out this way!”
“Go” he firmly commanded and his tone left no room for doubt. It sent a cold shiver down my spine making me feel utterly frightened and uneasy.
Feeling a deep sense of unfairness and anger bubbling inside me I quickly turned around and marched out of the room. I couldn't help but quietly grumble and complain. My words were directed right at Luiza all bitterness and frustration.
As I left I slammed the door behind me and it made a loud jarring noise that echoed in the air. Once I was alone I leaned back against the door trying to catch my breath. My chest was rising and falling rapidly and my heart was beating so fast it felt like it was racing against my ribs.
I'm struggling to understand how everything went so badly. How did my life become so difficult and confusing? It almost feels like someone is playing a cruel joke on me as if there is a twisted game being set up by the people in my life.
I walked back and forth in my small room feeling restless and anxious. My thoughts were moving fast and I couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. I kept replaying the scene in my head over and over. Luiza's words were stuck in my mind ringing loudly in my ears. They were mean and hurtful – she said “Raf doesn't love you not in that way. He is just doing what he has to do for Don and to him you are nothing more than a pawn in his game.”
The idea of being just a pawn made me feel cold and terrified. The thought of being nothing more than an object something that could be used and manipulated by others scared me. I found myself feeling deep anger towards Luiza but I also hated the realization that their cruel plans came from a much darker and more wicked place. It was disturbing to think that their motives were so evil.
The hours passed very slowly and with each minute that went by I felt a growing sense of anger and an aching feeling of being let down. It was like time was crawling and I couldn't shake off the disappointment.
Just when I thought I couldn't take it anymore a knock on the door interrupted the heavy silence that filled the room. The door then opened and before I had a chance to say anything or even gather my thoughts Raf walked in. He was holding something in his hand and I was curious to see what it was.
“Please put this on,” he said his voice lacking any sense of warmth or kindness. As I looked at what he was talking about I noticed it was a gown that shimmered in the light. It was beautiful to look at but at the same time given the situation we were in it felt like it would be suffocating to wear.
“What is the purpose of this?” I inquired feeling a mix of confusion and irritation in my voice.
He replied in a tone that sounded bored as if this event didn't matter to him at all. He said, “There is going to be a dinner tomorrow night and Don Campani will be there.” He continued “You will be going with me to this dinner.”
My eyes got really big with surprise. “Why are you saying that? I didn’t do anything wrong, Raf! This whole situation is a complete disaster and it's all because of you and Sam!”
Just thinking about being treated like I’m some special object like a trophy that someone wants to show off to everyone made me feel uncomfortable. I could feel a cold shiver running down my back.
He sighed and rolled his eyes in frustration clearly showing that his patience was running out. “You know what? I don’t care about what you did or what happened before. This matter is not something we can talk about or debate right now.”
“I'm not going to do that.” I strongly insisted while I crossed my arms in front of me in a protective way.
Raf moved a little bit closer to the person he was talking to and his attitude became more serious and intense. “You don’t have any other options,” he stated firmly. “You will follow my instructions and do what I ask of you.”
With those words spoken, he turned around and walked away and I was left alone feeling a wave of panic wash over me. My heart raced wildly pounding hard against my ribs making me feel as if it was a frantic drumbeat echoing inside my chest.
I remained there by myself holding the gown loosely in my fingers and it felt heavy to me as it represented the difficult situation I found myself in.
The pressure of upcoming decisions that I had to make the need to appear a certain way in front of others and the expectations that were never voiced but were still there weighed heavily on me like a heavy burden.
I stood in front of the mirror looking closely at my reflection. In the soft dim light, the person I saw looked like a stranger to me. I could see shadows of uncertainty and fear dancing in her eyes.
I began to wonder—was this the path I had decided to take all by myself? Or had this path been chosen for me by someone else? A cold and frightening realization suddenly hit me. I felt as if I was trapped in a situation beyond my control and the way out felt very far away almost unreachable….