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CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN

Demi - Eight months later…

As the elevator went down, I felt a surge of energy and a rush coursing through my veins as I took a step out and my Christian Louboutin’s echoed against the black floor.

I was wearing my favorite, all-white lace dress with the hat I wore when I thought my new beginning was starting and put Layla in the same outfit. My lips were painted in my favorite shade of red, and I brushed my hand against the black brick wall.

Swiping my card against the keypad, I waited as it slid open and saw him. Declan Rothschild was sitting hunched over in a corner, sobbing.

I flicked my small flashlight on and smiled at him.

“An angel,” he cried out, seeing me standing out against the darkness he’d been accustomed to for months.

“Oh, you silly, little man…I’m not an angel. An angel is who greets those who make it to heaven. I’m the caged girl. The one who will stay here with you for the rest of eternity and make sure you never die until it’s meant to be. I want you to live through hell with me.” I smiled at him. “It smells so terrible, Declan. So very terrible.” I took a step back and rolled my shoulders as the chains he was bound by echoed.

Each cage was occupied now. Alister hadn’t been down here yet. He trusted me with the new renovations I was instilling in La Gabbia after he found out I swapped spots with Layla. At first, he beat me until I passed out. Then he raped me and threatened to kill me. And finally, he kept me in the dark cage for four months, where I didn’t see a sliver of light, I heard no voices, and I sat in my own piss, eating only darkened food that blended into the world around me. A girl would bring me beets, blackberries, and occasionally, strips of steak. I thought I’d die. I thought I’d kill myself by bashing my skull against the wall. But my dream was to be released and then make new developments. Give myself purpose to live.

Ultimately, Alister saw my little swap as a sign of dedication to him. He thought my love for him had me envious of his desire to switch me out for my sister. Now, I had a new set of clients coming in soon. Ladies who had all experienced a pain unlike any other. Therapy wasn’t helping them; medications weren’t soothing them. They felt rage and anger that never went away, and now, they could live out their wildest fantasies and desires.

If there has been anything that I have learned is that I do love being the favorite girl and being that to the most powerful man in the world has its perks. He may be the king, but I am the queen, and just like in a game of chess where everything is as simple as being white or black, Alister Ivory knows a queen protects the king. I will protect my king now that he’s allowing me to play my own game. Just for a few more rounds, until I have him where I need him. He thinks we are on the same team, but we aren’t, and there’s nothing more deadly than an opposing queen against a weakened king. I was light and he was dark. And something else that I’ve come to learn is that light always finds a way to seep into the darkness. A storm can only last so long before the sun fights its way in.

I headed to the entrance of our resort and stood by the girls all dressed in white holding beautiful peony bouquets for each of our new guests. A beautiful white limo arrived and there they were.

One by one, they exited with tired eyes and weakened souls. They weren’t all rich women, and they weren’t all powerful. They’ve been stripped of everything by a man they trusted. Rather than seeking revenge and being caught in their own countries, here they can come and release their inner anger and rage. They can rest and heal. Some of us need to taste revenge to heal, and now that my inventory is well-stocked, I know I can help these women. I can help former girls that the Ivorys sold and trafficked or caged. I can help the women who were abused and who wished they could hold the power to attack without repercussion. I know I have the caged men ready to have a taste of their own medicine. My inventory is packed to the brim with Alister’s former clients. I decided to lure them here with false pretenses of the Euphoria program, and instead cage them. Alister found it more amusing and lucrative than his former business. I convinced him by telling him that the more powerful and wealthy men we cage, the less there are competing with him. We take them from all over the world in order to keep it safe. We don’t want hundreds of shady CEOs, corrupt businessmen, or questionable celebrities going missing from the same place. Many are assumed to have died by overdose or running from white collar crimes. Many times a missing, rich white man isn’t as worrisome as I thought it’d be. Those in their lives were probably relieved an egomaniac was gone. I’ve strategized this with the help of all the women who once worked here as prisoners. It’s my own form of rehabilitation for my girls. They aren’t his precious little birds anymore; they are my soldiers.

“Welcome to La Gabbia, I’m Demi Ivory. My husband Alister started this exclusive resort years ago in hope he could rebuild marriages and expand families. But then when he married me, he realized he had it all wrong. The truth is, women are the focal point of our society, and if we hurt them, then everything will crash and burn. So now, we focus on your desires, fantasies, and healing. We focus on being set free from the gilded cage.”

The girls began handing out welcome drinks and peony bouquets. The guests were staring at me with fascination. Even Marcie had decided that she wanted in on my new business plan and helped obtain my inventory.

“I will make sure you leave La Gabbia feeling relieved and happy. I will make sure you have the means to start fresh. You will be given an entirely new identity when you leave here to protect yourselves against your abusers. We’ve anonymously notified the police in your areas about the men who have led you here in the first place—they will assume these men killed themselves or ran away in fear of the law. Now, our beautiful team that we lovingly call our doves will hand out binders of exactly what your options are. You can choose your customized treatment plan, which can involve immersive rage release therapy or talking things through verbal therapy. You’ll be given beautiful new clothes, along with all the perks: hair, nails, skin, etc. Our goal is for you to be a brand-new woman…one who recognizes her power.”

Suddenly, a warm arm wrapped around me. Looking down, I saw his tattooed arm. It had my face on it. Looking up at him, I smiled. I knew I’d have to kill him for what he’s done to me and the others, but right now, I may have some kind of affection toward him in some sick way. He was allowing me to create a new world something I couldn’t do without him. We both were broken shards of glass that somehow thrived together with our sick desire to hurt. I still needed him around so I could slowly funnel his money into my accounts. I needed his connections and to learn more from him.

Sometimes we justify the scars because the person with the knife was someone we finally let ourselves love and trust. And for now, I knew, I would have to let the person holding the knife keep carving into my flesh so I could save others from bleeding out.

He kissed me, and I turned back to my new guests. I had one empty cage waiting for him that I’d fill soon enough. I had even hired a new physician. Dr. Serena Indigo was beginning to perform penectomies and castrations on my captives. We’d give the choice to the ladies first, of course, if they’d like to do them. I already began filming some of her surgeries while the men were awake as part of our movie night selection. My husband once enjoyed collecting eyelashes in jars, and I had ordered the same crystal jars so I too, could store my new souvenirs.

Everyone was watching me as I spoke more about our program. Brushing my hands against my beautiful lace dress and slightly adjusting my hat, I smiled. Guiding them down to the darkness, I handed them each a whip, a knife, and a bag full of tools. Each cage was unlocked by the nightingales, who still preferred to stay down in the darkness. The cries of the men made me smile. The fear I could hear as they pleaded once my new guests entered filled my heart.

Deciding who I wanted to be meant deciding who I would never be again. I will forever live in an Ivory world; I’ll never be set free from these walls . The beauty of it all is sometimes the safest birds are the ones that are kept in the gilded cage.

Perhaps, this wasn’t a selfless heroic act, but rather one driven based on the notion that I am simply exhausted from being hunted, and now I just want to be safe. The truth is, there isn’t always a happily ever after. Sometimes there’s just a ‘I will survive. I can survive. I survived,’ and that has to be enough. Even when you know you deserved better. So much better. I want to make a difference. These men attacked, raped, abused, and tormented innocent women. They didn’t deserve to get away unscathed; they deserved to feel the pain they inflicted.

Clearing my throat, I waved the ladies inside the darkness. “Now, my precious little birds, off you go… It’s time I teach you how to fly and be free.”