When Liliana heard the door click, her head snapped up as she felt her soul left her body. He locked her in.
"No, no, no, no." Liliana muttered as she ran to the door and tried to open it. She attempted to turn the handle, but it was as stiff as a log. She pulled and struggled against the door. It shook in the frame with every grunt she exhaled, but nevertheless, it kept her prisoner to her boss. Her boss... a man.
Liliana released frustrated grunts after frustrated grunts, until they turned into short sobs, and eventually, full on crying and sobbing. Liliana threw pillows, she punched pillows, she choked pillows, as she cried and raged. She was so over everything that has occurred over the last few days. Lili couldn't understand how she, a small-town girl, ended up being the victim of a rapist and murderer. And now she was being held captive by her boss, who she was sure, was not going to let her waltz out of the door.
Liliana now feared Mr. Cavalier with every cell in her body. How could she be sure that Mr. Cavalier wouldn't try the same thing that Carlos did? If not worse? And this time Lili had nowhere to go. She was stuck here, alone, with him, and heck, she didn't even know where "here" was. Liliana grabbed onto her hair as the mixture of sobs and difficulty breathing caused shudders to rumble through her body, and as result, Liliana's chest and throat were burdened with heavy unexpected hiccups that made her nauseous.
Liliana felt sick. She felt a bitter and foul saliva run into her mouth and sit right behind her tongue at the top of her throat. She felt like retching. Her nerves twisting and aching, as if trying to tear her body apart. Liliana felt as though her skin was now tainted after Carlos touched her. Liliana could still feel his hand groping her breast and butt. Feeling on the brink of insanity, Liliana ran to the shower, not caring that it was Mr. Cavalier's bathroom.
She had the water on the highest amount of heat her body could handle. Her fingernails rubbed her skin, scratching and brushing at her skin with his shampoo, hoping to heal her brain of the sick feeling she got every time she caught her reflection in the mirror. Liliana felt it when her body heaved, and she coughed before she hiccupped, and hunched her body above the drain as her body forced everything she had consumed for breakfast up her throat and out of her mouth, making her lose her breath, and her eyes teared up. Once the first round of vomit made its way out of her mouth, Liliana coughed, feeling lightheaded and dizzy, but it wasn't enough preparation, for the second round of vomit came straight after. Liliana coughed and retched, hitting her hand against the wall when she ran out of breath, the emesis still blocking her throat and airway.
Liliana sobbed, wanting a break, as her body tried to push everything out except her organs. Her body was literally trying to cleanse itself from the horrors she forced down her throat every time she faced Carlos.
"Frantz-" Liliana tried calling, her body swaying. She was going to lose consciousness and she didn't want to be alone. The last time she found it hard to breathe, Liliana remembered having Frantz's eyes to focus on. She needed that now. She needed something concrete to pull her through this.
"FRANTZ!" Liliana shouted, a last round of vomiting forcing her to see stars and possibly a glimpse of her life flashing before her eyes. Liliana gulped and cried, as the water rinsed the foul-smelling gunk away. Liliana whimpered and shivered and sniffled, the tears now silently flowing and mixing with the water droplets from her shower.
Liliana wrapped her arms around her chest, as she laid in the bathtub. She pulled her legs to her chest, and just allowed the water to rain down onto her skin. Liliana closed her eyes, the water now running cold, as she shook and shivered, her skin disturbed with visible goosebumps, her teeth chattering. Her nose burned red, her eyes pulsing with agony. Liliana felt so cold, and alone, and weak, and cold. She thought of her mother, and father, and Chamille and her twins. Lili closed her eyes and gulped with a hiccup. She thought of Carlos, then finally Mr. Cavalier. Liliana though of her shame, her nudity, and the fact that her body, the body she had grown to love and appreciate, was used to betray her sense of security.
Liliana loved everything about her body. Her not so big chest, and not so round hips. Her not so large butt, and her not so curvy edges. She dressed for herself, but never dressed to demand the attention of others. She lived for a pair of joggers and loose t-shirt. Yet now, all that was once used to bring her comfort, brought her nothing. She felt numb, and empty, except for the burning hole in her chest, where Carlos used her body as a knife and practically carved out her self-esteem, self-confidence, her self-worth, and her sense of security.
As she laid there, shivering on the floor, Liliana thought of the little girl she left behind with age the little girl who never had many friends, the little girl who whenever she felt alone, she would hum a soft slow tune that resonated the sound of her loneliness and self-pity. Liliana never imagined that at 24, she would resort back to that song which had no specific melody or ensemble. Liliana allowed the rushing sound of the water to be her back up singer and harmonize with the bitter tune that seem to be the only thing strong enough to numb the pain of her pulsing heart.
Liliana wanted to sleep. She wanted an escape. She just wanted to go.
Liliana felt lost, and she began waning and fading from reality. The bathtub floor which she laid on also faded from beneath her body, and the cold water was no longer cold. Lili felt as though she was floating. She felt nothing, just the waves of nausea that somehow soothed her body and began to lull her to sleep. She could sleep. Sleep was good.
"Liliana?" She heard Frantz's voice echo through her ears, somewhat snapping her awake, but she wasn't in her right mind to answer.
"Shit!" She heard him say out loud, but the sound echoed through her ears before the shower squeaked as the cold water ceased to bathe her now pale skin. Her fingertips had wrinkled up like prunes, and they felt as cold as they would on a harsh winter night.
Lili felt a warm towel cover her nudity, and the warmth was welcomed, then Frantz stepped into the tub, and picked her body off the floor.
He placed her to sit on the toilet, as he grabbed a large shirt of his, and got her into it, after he made sure to dry her upper body, while keeping his respect. Frantz avoided toughing her anywhere sensitive, because the last thing he wanted to do was scar her. Then he grabbed a pair of joggers with an adjustable waist, and also helped her into it. Frantz made sure his eyes did not wander, and he simply kept looking at her face, but her eyes were void of every emotion he knew Liliana for, and now, he yearned to see something, anything in her eyes. Lili moved slow and sluggish. Her eyes staring blankly ahead. It's like she was avoiding feeling. Frantz could imagine that she was scared, and most definitely confused. Men who victimized women, in Frantz's eyes, were the worst of the worst scum, and he was just sorry that Liliana had to be a victim.
Frantz wanted to fix it. He wanted to help her, but he wasn't sure how.
So instead, Frantz sighed, and dried her hair. After he did that, he used a brush and comb to try and take out any knots that could've formed after he dried her hair. After three years in a relationship with Christina, he picked up a few things about women, and knew that having knots in their hair was probably one of the main things they never wanted. As Frantz tried to focus, and as he saw to that task, Frantz didn't expect his heart to break as much as it did when Liliana spoke with a scratchy voice and accused "you left me alone."