In My Dreams - Ch.32

This is one chapter from my book: In My Dreams

The sun was bright and yellow in the beautiful sapphire sky, with only a couple of feathery, sparkling white clouds scattered in the background.


A couple of soft rays peeked through the soft pink curtains and fell on Marelize. The soft light was just enough to prod her from her dreams where she was dancing with her blue-eyed prince on the tiled terrace of an ancient castle, and she awoke with a smile on her lips.


Today was her wedding day!


Her eyes opened just a sliver, and she saw the stunning, shimmering white wedding dress hanging from a hanger off her antique full-length mirror. She inherited the oak cheval standing floor mirror from her mother, who inherited it from her mother, who inherited it from her mother, who bought it on a whim from a neighbour whose husband gave it to her as a gift for her 30th birthday. He died in the second anglo-boer war, and she couldn't bear to look at it anymore.


But it was not the antique finely carved solid oak cheval mirror that Marelize was seeing. She saw the dress. It was not just pretty, or beautiful, or elegant... It was made for her. Matt insisted on sparing absolutely no expense, and the result was this A-line tulle dress, with hand stitched beaded alenn lace on the bodice and cap sleeves, and the skirt from imported silk brocade. The open back looks stunning with the whisper of the beaded alen lace, but it is the plunging neckline that really draws the attention to her best feature: her ample bosom.


She perched herself upright, and threw the soft pink and yellow flower covers off her. The blue shades on her inner thighs stole the smile off her lips for a moment, as she remembered how they got there.


They had decided to wait. Coming out of an abusive marriage, she was hesitant to commit. Her first husband called her a whore and a slut because she slept with him on their first date. She didn't want to leave the same impression and Matt was more than accommodating. He never even tried to kiss her until their third or fourth date and even when the kissing got really steamy and hands found ways around the clothing to probe unexplored, but eagerly awaiting, boundaries, he never crossed the line.


Even when she said they can change the rules, that they don't have to wait anymore. Matt didn't budge. He told her that even though she is not a virgin, to him she is, and he will respect her as that. She loved him even more for that and trusted him implicitly. He would not cross that line and she could relax and let her guard down and just enjoy their steamy, probing snogging sessions.


When they moved in together, she was worried that his desire would get the best of him, but he assured her that it won't. He was in a different room down the hall, and he even gave her a key so she could lock the door if she was scared he was going to violate her.


The thought of using it never crossed her mind.


But about a week or so ago, Matt slipped into her room very softly, so that she only became aware of his presence when his hand clasped around her mouth, stopping her from screaming. Her heart was pounding with an unknown fear, her eyes wide and tears immediately started to form.


"Shhhh, shhh", Matt soothed, "It's only me, it's only me." His familiar voice calmed her down, but anger took its place. She bit his hand that still covered her mouth and as he uttered a cuss he ripped his hand away and brought it straight back down across her cheek, striking her with such a force it was almost immediately blue.


Marelize turned to the antique cheval mirror and turned her cheek so she could see what it looked like. She had been applying every cream she could think of to lighten it, and it seems that something must have worked. It was a much lighter shade of blue. She would be able to cover it up with the special tattoo covering makeup she bought yesterday.


After the blow, Matt was distraught over his own actions. He fell on the bed next to her and started crying. She had never, ever seen a grown man cry. In the movies maybe, but in real life? Most definitely not. And here this man, whom she loved so dearly, was crying because he hurt her. Her heart melted. Just like she caught a fright, he must've too. He certainly didn't expect her to bite him, she has never shown any tendency to violence, not even that she was capable of it.


She turned around and wrapped her left arm around him as she nestled her head on his shoulder. She hooked her left leg over his legs, and pulled him close.


"I am so sorry, I must've startled you something awful," she whispered. "I just caught a fright, as I didn't hear you come in."


He rubbed his eyes with his right hand, wiping the tears away. "Why would you be frightened? Who else do you think it could be?"


"I thought it was a burglar." Her matter-of-fact tone angered Matt.


"So you don't think that I would be able to protect you from a burglar?" He suddenly sat upright, the move throwing her aside.
"No, of course I know you will," Marelize placated, as she turned again towards him. She tried to pull him close, but he sat frigid.


"Or maybe you knew it was me," he turned to face her, his usually bright blue eyes had darkened to a blustery blue, the tempest behind it scaring her. But she knew she couldn't show any fear, "and that the truth is that you actually just don't want to have sex with me, and playing the purity card was a way to do that."


Maternal instinct took over. His obvious hurt and sincere vulnerability awakened her overly empathetic, protective side and she immediately enveloped him with her full body.


She started to kiss him in his neck, then his chest and back up. He was trying to gently push her off, muttering something she couldn't quite hear, and chose to ignore anyway. Her lips found his and the kiss turned hard and intense within seconds.


It was as if he broke free from a self-imposed prison as he grabbed her and almost instantly switched them around so that he was on top of her. For a moment he paused, lifted himself up and looked into her eyes. She wasn't quite sure what just happened, but as she looked back into his eyes, it was as if he wasn't seeing her. His eyes were almost black now, and another, age old instinct that was burned into her DNA, took over... she didn't know how she knew, or why she knew, but she just knew that she dared not resist now.


He ravished her, like a hungry wolf would devour an innocent deer. Where his touch had always been gentle, it was brutal, and savage. Her body tried to protect itself by closing her legs, but he pried them open, the struggle resulting in the beaten blue shadows spread on the inside of her upper thighs.


Marelize closed her eyes and sighed. Afterwards, when his eyes turned that beautiful blue again, he held her close and whispered his deep and intense love for her. He explained that he loved her so much, he just couldn't stay away any more. His desire to make her his, was too much to bear and the strength of his devotion just got the better of him.


When they made love the second time that night, he was loving and gentle and kind. His touch was warm and caring, and like a true gentleman, he responded willingly to the coaxing of her body. She climaxed with an intense moan, and almost all memories of the violence only hours before, were shattered into dust.


As she sat on the bed, she remembered what it felt like to have him inside her and her body tingled with excitement and anticipation of what waited for her on their wedding night.


Deep within her heart, she felt another tingle, a tiny sliver of frozen fear. But she wrapped her arms around herself, and instead remembered the warmth of his embrace, pure love emanating from his body and swaddling hers in it.


She couldn't wait for their wedding night. She just knew it would be magical!


"The next time I wake up, I am going to be Mrs. Strohm," she giggled.




                                                 *******


Tears filled her eyes even before she opened them. Her mouth was dry and when she licked her cracked lips, she tasted blood. Her mouth felt swollen and as her tongue probed inside, she felt a molar was missing.


As she tried to prop herself upright, she groaned in pain. Her ribs were sore. Tears rolled down her cheeks, but she couldn't understand where they were coming from. She wasn't even crying. She lifted up her arm to wipe them away, and she saw it was blue around her wrist. Her other wrist was also blue.


"Wha...how...?" she did not have a single coherent thought. Then the headache struck her, piercing her skull as she let out a yell.


"You ok, there, MY Marelize?"


Matt was calling from down the hall, sounded like it came from the kitchen. She didn't answer, as she was still in a daze.


Her eyes caught the antique oak cheval mirror and the horror of the night before came flooding back. She picked up an empty glass that was standing on the bedside table, and threw it at the mirror, shattering it into a thousand pieces that clinked onto the floor.


She just couldn't bear to look at it anymore.