ME AND MY THREE LOVERS

"Rose, you have to leave!" Mother Ursula's voice cut through the air, severing any hope of a dignified 18th birthday celebration. I stood there, my heart sinking as I faced the reality of being expelled from the orphanage for becoming too old. The "overage" label was like a curse. It stung with each syllable she uttered.

I mustered up the courage to plead with her, voice trembling with hurt and desperation. "Please, Mother Ursula, I have nowhere to go."

She seemed unmoved, her tone icy as she handed me a meager twenty-dollar bill and pointed to the door. "You're grown up now, Rose. Figure it out."

With a heavy heart, I found myself outside the familiar walls of the orphanage, the door slamming shut behind me. My old black backpack, filled with the few belongings I treasured, was thrown after me like an afterthought.

The world beyond those gates seemed vast and daunting, but I knew I had no choice but to face it head-on. The weight of eighteen years spent in the orphanage was now replaced with uncertainty about what lay ahead.

Walking felt like an eternity as I made my way toward the town. Memories of my weekly trips to the market to buy provisions for the orphanage seemed distant now, belonging to a different lifetime altogether.

My feet ached in the shoes given to me by a sponsor who had since forgotten me after Mrs. Ruiz's passing. The smaller kids were now the focus of attention, and I was left to fend for myself.

Thirst gripped me, and I recalled a church a few blocks away that offered free drinking water. I hurried there, seeking solace in the simple relief of water to ease my hunger.

The sound of water gushing from the faucet brought a sense of comfort. I drank eagerly, tried to quench my thirst, and soothe my weary soul. Amidst the exhaustion, William's name resided in my thoughts. He was my only refuge, and I knew I had to find him, for he might be the only one who still cared.

Having been in this part of the town before, I found solace in the birds' cheerful chirping, which momentarily transported me to a world of peaceful tranquility. I closed my eyes and prayed. I hope that my path will lead me to William's doorstep soon. The city was known for danger, especially for someone like me, given the ongoing gang disputes that plagued the streets. Darkness would soon descend, and I needed shelter for the night.

A surge of insecurity overwhelmed me. Being nobody and nothing but trash filled my mind. Yet, deep down, I knew that destiny had set me on this path, and I had to embrace it, no matter how uncertain it seemed. With closed eyes, I entrusted my hopes to God, praying that he would answer and provide me with a place to begin this new chapter of my life.

Amid a restless sleep, I saw myself wandering through a vast, eerie forest shrouded in darkness. The echoed sound of heavy footsteps rapidly approaching sent shivers down my spine. I turned, trying to discern the origin of the noise, but the dense fog obscured my vision, leaving me disoriented and unable to detect any intruders. The footsteps grew louder, and a feeling of impending doom engulfed me, sending a jolt of pain that wrenched me awake.

Startled and disoriented, I was being lifted from the bench, and the grip caused me to scream in agony. It was evident that something dreadful was about to unfold. A group of imposing men surrounded me, forcibly shoving me into a menacing black car against my desperate pleas for help.

"Who are you?" I screamed. "Let me go!"

I struggled in a futile attempt to escape their ominous clutches, but it was all in vain. The car door slammed shut, trapping me inside. As I attempted to open the door, another man restrained me, covering my nose with a handkerchief soaked in an ether-like smell liquid, rendering me unconscious again. This time, my dreams led me to a nightmarish drowning sensation in a pitch-black abyss.

Time lost its meaning, and upon regaining consciousness, I found myself in a dingy, foul-smelling room, lying on an old, threadbare mattress. It seemed like an abandoned space preferred by gangs for their nefarious activities. Fear gripped me as I glanced at the door, anticipating the arrival of my captors, who I believed would inflict unspeakable horrors upon me. My attempts to free my hands were thwarted, the restraints only tightening further as I struggled.

Crawling towards the door in an attempt to escape, the sudden opening of it caught me off guard. Two men entered and roughly pulled me to my feet. Despite my pleas for them to stop, my cries fell on deaf ears. They dragged me up a flight of stairs and pushed me into another room, leaving me bewildered and fearful.

"Who are you people? What do you want with me?" I cried out, but my questions fell on deaf ears as the men remained unresponsive. Soon, two beautiful women entered, one carrying a pink box.

"Untie her," commanded the woman in the black dress. Swiftly, the men obliged, releasing me from the restraints that bound my wrists. Hunger gnawed at my stomach as if they could read my thoughts. In response, a woman entered with a tray of food, and the sight of it made my mouth water in longing.

My hunger got the better of me, and without thinking, I grabbed the food and devoured it quickly, much to the surprise of the woman who brought it. Realizing my behavior was wild, I slowed down and tried to control my actions.

After eating, the women collected the empty plates and walked toward the door, which prompted me to chase after them with a barrage of questions.

"Why am I here? What do they want from me?" I bombarded them, but they merely responded by shutting the door in my face, leaving me locked in the room again. My mind raced to make sense of the situation, and the need for shelter compelled me to resist panic. I reassured myself that things would eventually be alright.

After a few minutes, my brain regained some sense of logical judgment. Suddenly, an irritable man's loud voice pierced the silence, "What game are you playing?” The door opened, and a handsome, grouchy man came in. His gaze was piercing.

He slammed and locked the door behind him, “Did you think you could make a fool out of me by leaving?" He swiftly approached and pulled me up roughly, treating me like a mere rag doll. His eyes blazed with anger, his words unfamiliar and foreign to me. I couldn't fathom why he was so furious with me.

Summoning the courage, I asked tremblingly, "Are you trying to kill me?" I was scared to death.

His grip tightened as he demanded, "Why are you doing this to me, Lily?" he shook me hard.

Trying to clarify, I yelled, "I'm sorry, but my name isn't..."

"You may be a good actress, but you can't fool me," he cut me off as he pushed me toward the bed. His blue-sharp eyes glared with fire of anger. And all I could do was shove him away.

I screamed in pain, "Please let me go!" With his tightening grasp, there’s no chance of escaping.

He was furious once more, saying, "Shut up! You've done a lot of harm to me, Lily," He stared at me sharply.

"I'm not Lily! Can’t you hear me?" I cried out, but he swiftly seized and pinned me against the wall. I was about to yell again when his lips covered mine, punishing mine. It was my first time tasting a man's lips, and it weakened my defense.

"You want to play a game with me, Lily." He hissed, panting savagely, and kissed me again.

I screamed between his kissing and stroking, "Let me go!" as he started pulling off my top, exposing my free-flowing bosom since I wasn't wearing a bra. He turned his attention to them and started tearing at my breasts. I struggled to resist him and screamed in agony, but he was strong and unstoppable. Then he stripped down his clothes and shoved me onto the bed, pinning me under his huge-naked body. I was too slow for him, and he was too fast for me. I was scared. He needed to be stopped, but his fury and bitterness had eaten him up.

After a short while, I find myself trembling beneath his muscular body. He moved and swayed over my body violently and mercilessly, and everything became hazy.

My heartbeat matched his as he toyed hard between my legs, making me sigh for more of his finger's touch. I don't want him to touch me, but I lack the strength to stop him.

He savagely kissed my breasts and ran his tongue down. "Is this what you're looking for, Lily?" He punished me for Lily's transgression as he entered my private domain. And I screamed in pain.

Even though it had caused me a great deal of pain, something within me explicitly erupted in climactic delight as he groaningly rolled on my side and whispered at the height of his confusion. "Who are you, and why are you still a virgin?"

I yelled, "I told you, I'm not Lily. I'm Rose!" I rolled at my side crying, closing my eyes, and wished to die.

He was deadly silent at my back.