Chapter 4 The pain of The Embrace

"Elizabeth went upstairs and put away the groceries, then came back downstairs with tears in her eyes. In the living room were Adam and Dave, along with their father.

"Choose!" the father said, almost shouting.

"Adam..." Elizabeth always preferred her younger brother for punishments. She knew he didn't like what he had to do, but at least he tried to go easy on her. Dave, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy hurting her, assaulting her mercilessly.

Every time Elizabeth said something to James or left a task undone, she was physically punished. Initially, her father himself would assault her, but he started noticing that the marks on her body wouldn't go away. He was too strong for his daughter, so he began asking his sons to administer the punishments. Elizabeth always chose Adam; the younger brother wasn't as strong and always tried to be gentler with her, taking care of her afterwards. Dave hit just as hard as their father. When she was 14, Dave had even broken her arm by pushing her down the stairs. After that, Elizabeth started descending willingly.

"No, Adam is too easy on you. Today it will be Dave..."the father said.

"Father..." Elizabeth tried to argue, but his gaze silenced her.

On Saturday, Elizabeth dressed up, wearing a blue dress and a simple necklace. She also had small earrings, and her hair was down; she rarely put anything in her hair. She wore a pink bracelet on her wrist; it didn't match the rest of her outfit, but it was the item she liked the most.

"I'm ready," she said as she descended the stairs.

"Turn around!" Natan ordered, and she obeyed. "Put something on your shoulders; the mark is still visible."

Despite not having a neckline and having long sleeves, you could still see the mark her brother had left on her back. Dave only used his hands to hit Elizabeth, but he pushed her this time, causing her to fall and hit her back on the stairs. Adam took care of her, but the mark was still deep.

She went back up and came back down wearing a wool sweater. Adam had taken it from the lost and found box at school so he wouldn't have to ask his uncle for everything. "You better not take off the sweater. I don't want to have to explain anything," Natan said.

They arrived at Alex's house, and the whole family was already gathered. Jhonatan's mother was young and elegant. Noah, James, and Jhonatan's grandfather also presented.

"Let's eat, and then the engaged couple will do their part," Marvin Larson said.

During dinner, Elizabeth remained quiet, not wanting to behave wrongly in front of the refined Larson family. She was eating when her future mother-in-law noticed her clothes.

"Does it have sentimental value?" Anne asked, pointing at Elizabeth's wrist with her fork.

"Sorry, I don't understand..."

"I asked about the bracelet. It's a child's model, I think, and it doesn't match your look. If you're still wearing it, there must be sentimental value attached."

"This was the first gift I received. I dare say it's the most valuable thing I have because it was given by the only person in this world who truly cares about me."Elizabeth looked discreetly at James, who was smiling.

After dinner, the guests gathered in the living room. There, Jhonatan and Elizabeth had a small engagement ceremony, officiated by Jhonatan's grandfather, the eldest member of the family. Jhonatan put the ring on Elizabeth's slender finger; she found the jewel beautiful, smiled, and thanked him.

Later, everyone was chatting. Noah and Adam got along well; the boy was now 11 years old, and Adam was 15. They were talking about sports. Elizabeth took the opportunity to go to the garden. It was a flower-filled area that seemed like an oasis amidst the city's concrete jungle. Jhonatan noticed her leaving and followed her. Elizabeth sat on a bench, looking at the ring and smiling.

"I chose it myself!" he said and sat beside her. "My uncle said you had simple tastes, so I picked this model."

"Well, you got it right. I liked it..."

"You know that from now on you can't go out with other men anymore. You belong only to me. I expect fidelity and loyalty from you."

"I wasn't one to go out much before, so it won't be much different." Elizabeth replied with a smile.

"I know you, Elizabeth. Don't lie to me. If you're going to lie, you stay better quiet."Jhonatan reprimanded her.

Elizabeth didn't like the comment. She wasn't lying; she had only gone out once, and Jhonatan knew when it was.

She stood up to go inside, and he grabbed her arm.

"Ouch!" Elizabeth made a pained expression.

"I didn't grip too tightly. Are you this sensitive?"

"Maybe a little." She said with a forced smile. She couldn't tell the truth; it could lead to another punishment.

Jhonatan wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. Elizabeth would be his wife, and if she was an experienced woman, this was nothing. She shifted to loosen his grip, wanting him to let go.

"Sorry!" She said and placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Take off your sweater..."

"Jhonatan, I don't think it's appropriate." Elizabeth said, her eyes wide.

"Either take it off yourself, or I'll take it off you."

Elizabeth removed her sweater, and Jhonatan turned her around, seeing something and lowering the part near her shoulder.

"What's this? Who hurt you?"

"Oh, I fell down the stairs... It was an accident."

"Damn it, Elizabeth! How many times do I have to say I hate lies?"

Elizabeth lowered her head; she didn't want to get in trouble again.

"Jhonatan, please don't do this to me!" Elizabeth said, crying.

"Eliz, I know you're a good girl. If your father hurts you, we need to know. He'll pay for it."

She looked at Jhonatan without knowing what to say; he wasn't listening to her pleas. Alex noticed her discomfort.

"Jhonatan, leave! Let me talk to your fiancée alone."

Jhonatan left, and Alex changed his tone of conversation. He knew his son was naturally rough and couldn't be like that in that moment.

"Now it's just us. I know your father is a pig; he should've died a long time ago. But my father intervened out of respect for the many years of friendship we have. If he's hurting you, you need to tell us. We'll deal with him."

"You don't understand, before anything can be done, I'll have already been punished."

"So, what my son saw was a punishment?"

"Jhonatan hugged me, and I felt pain. He hardly saw anything."

"What was the reason?"

"The dress... I wanted a dress for today, but he refused to buy one. I asked Uncle James, and he gave me the dress. I was punished for asking something from your brother. The last time I bought clothes for myself was on my 15th birthday, and Uncle James took me then too."

"Did Natan hit you for that? Did he hit you for receiving a gift from my brother?"

"Will I go back home with my father?"

"No, you'll come to live here, even before getting married."

"Can Adam come too? He's young, and if I'm in that house, it's because of him."

"He can, but I want the truth..."

Elizabeth recounted how her father would hit her and force her brothers to assault her as well. He had a strong hatred for Elizabeth, and she was tired of feeling pain.

"Your father is worse than I imagined. He broke part of our agreement; he will pay with his life."

"What do you mean he broke the agreement? I swear I've never been with any man. I haven't even kissed anyone before Jhonatan."

"My son kissed you? How audacious!" Alex said and laughed. "I've been paying your father for years. The exorbitant amount I send him is meant for you to be well taken care of, and you mustn't appear to injure."

Elizabeth wiped her tears; Alex put the coat back on her shoulders.

"You don't need to show me; your word is enough... We'll free you from this right now."

It was time for Natan to face the fury of the Larson family.