The Ones Who Failed Us

Chapter 36

Trigger warning for torture and mentions of rape. I'll put (⚠️⚠️⚠️) before and after the torture scene is over and (***) before and after the mention of rape.

Antonio's POV

I was awoken by cold water being thrown on me. My eyes snapped opened only to be met by Demetri standing in front of me with an empty bucket in his hands, water dripping from the edges. I moved as far back as I could, not wanting to deal with his wrath today.

"Rise and shine," he smirked. "I have a surprise for you. I've been waiting all week for this."

Burying my head in my hands, I shook my head violently. "Please, Demetri. No more videos," I said. "Just let me be."

***

Since I had been captured by Demetri, I had spent countless hours watching videos of my little girl being beaten and hurt in unimaginable ways. This form of psychological torture was worse than any physical pain Demetri could inflict upon me. I hated seeing my innocent daughter being beaten and raped, crying for help that would never come.

***

Thankfully, Ava and Teddy had finally been reunited with the rest of my children and couldn't be hurt by Demetri anymore. My babies were finally safe.

"What did I say about calling me by my name? You are beneath me and not worthy of saying it." he yelled. Demetri kicked my stomach, causing me to double over in pain. "And why would I leave you alone when I can have some fun?" Demetri circled my hunched over body, searching for any sign of fear. After six years of torture, I had nothing else to fear or lose, and he knew that.

"But because you asked so nicely, I will grant one of your wishes. No videos today." Demetri turned around to face the door of my cell and yelled, "Bring her in."

Her?

Two guards came in, throwing a young girl on the ground next to me. I helped her turn over on her side, my eyes widening as I recognized this sweet girl's face. "Lee Lee?"

I was wrong, so incredibly wrong. I had so much to be scared of now that he had my daughter in his hands.

"P-Papa?" she said barely above a whisper. "You're supposed to be dead."

And you're supposed to be with your brothers.

"I thought that this would be more fun than you watching some home videos," Demetri said, rubbing his hands together. "Now you'll have the wonderful opportunity to watch your daughter being hurt right in front of you rather than on a TV."

I pulled my daughter close to me, shielding her with my body. "She's just a child. Let her go. I'll do anything. Please."

Demetri clapped his hands together and said, "Sorry, but I don't think so. I'll give you two some time to catch up before we have fun. Enjoy." Taking his men with him, Demetri left the cell, slamming the door behind him, causing both Ava and I to jump slightly.

I pulled away from Ava, examining the array of cuts and bruises that covered her face and the rest of her body. Her clothes were torn, but at least they did enough to preserve some modesty. I noticed a long cut on her upper thigh, the pant leg that once covered the area slit open. My hand moved towards the laceration, but I was stopped by Ava grabbing my hand. Looking into her eyes, I asked, "What happened?"

"Demetri cut my leg with a knife," she whimpered.

"Is it okay if I give you a hug?" I asked.

When she nodded her head, I gently wrapped my arms around her, careful of any other injuries that weren't visible to me. Kissing her forehead, I said, "I'm going to clean that up. Demetri leaves some basic First Aid equipment because he doesn't want his prisoners to die. He says that lifelong torture is more satisfying than us succumbing to our injuries."