Array Ashley - Murderville

“Hello, Liberty. Samad called me. He said you aren’t feeling well,” Dr. Kapoor said as she washed her hands and then put on a pair of latex gloves.

“I feel okay now… I… I’m here because I need your help,” Liberty stated as tears accumulated in her eyes. She began to hyperventilate as she leaned over and grabbed the examining table. She was besieged with stress, and this was too much for her to take. Abia hadn’t schooled her on this part of the game. She snatched the Muslim attire off. “I can’t breathe in this shit,” she whispered in disgust and impatience as she tossed it on the floor in frustration. She breathed in… breathed out… inhaled… exhaled as if she had been deprived of oxygen. Dr. Kapoor turned around and froze when she looked at Liberty. She could see the desperation in her eyes and as she looked at the young girl she could sense Liberty’s entrapment. She knew that Liberty was Samad’s paid-for-hostage, and she turned a blind eye to the situation because Samad paid her royally, but as Liberty stood before her, guilt began to eat away at the doctor. She remembered the oppression that she had come from, growing up in India. Liberty’s circumstance was much different but still all the same. Samad was oppressing her and when Liberty broke down in her examining room, Dr. Kapoor had to fight back her own emotions.

“I need your help… I know that he pays you, but you are the only person who can help me,” Liberty sobbed as she fell into the doctor’s arms. Uncomfortable and in an awkward position, Dr. Kapoor hugged Liberty reluctantly. She wanted to help but also did not want to lose the independence that she had earned by making connections with men like Samad. He had the power to shut down her entire practice if he ever found out that she had helped Liberty. Her conscience tugged at her heart because Liberty was so young. She had seen more than the average woman would see in her entire life. Liberty had lived through more struggles than the privileged children of America would ever be burdened with.

“What can I do?” Dr. Kapoor finally asked, deciding that as a woman she owed it to Liberty not to contribute to her downfall.

“He’s trying to get me pregnant. He controls everything I do… I don’t want to give him a baby. I never want to have a child for him. I don’t love him,” Liberty cried.

“If I do this and you get caught… you cannot tell him that I helped you with this,” Dr. Kapoor stated seriously.

Surprised that the doctor was even willing to help her, Liberty nodded her head repeatedly. “I won’t… I would never sell you out. I just need something… birth control… I’ll do anything to stop him from planting his seed in me,” Liberty whispered.

Dr. Kapoor sighed as she wondered how she had even become involved in this life, but she was too far in to turn back now. “Okay. I can’t give you a pill. He might find them, and my name will be on them as the prescribing doctor. I can plant a small rod called Implanon into your arm. It has hormones that will prevent you from becoming pregnant for up to five years,” Dr. Kapoor stated.

Liberty nodded her head eagerly and replied, “Will it hurt? Will he see it?”

“No. It doesn’t hurt. It’ll barely leave a mark, and he will not be able to detect it,” the doctor answered.

The doctor performed the quick procedure, and when she was done Liberty felt as if a huge burden was taken off her shoulders. Relief washed over her, and she looked at the doctor in appreciation.

“Thank you so much,” Liberty said. “You helped me more than you know.”

“You’re welcome,” she replied. The doctor knew that she had done a good thing, but she felt on edge as if she had just risked everything she had worked so hard for. “I’m glad that I could help you this time Liberty but do not come here again. I don’t want to be put in this position by you a second time. I will keep this between us, but let’s not make this a habit. This bridge has been crossed… now burn it.” Liberty nodded her head and walked out of the office. She wasn’t expecting the doctor to become her ally. If life had taught her anything it was that she could only depend on one person and that was herself.

Liberty soon realized that her new life was not all that it had been hyped up to be. Samad didn’t know how to love… all he did was control. His leash on Liberty was so tight that she could not breathe. What had started out as a fairy tale had quickly transformed into a nightmare. The clothing that he made her wear ate away at her self-esteem, making her feel invisible. No one spoke to her directly; instead Samad’s servants, chefs, and maids spoke to her through him. She felt like a child, stifled by a tyrannous parent. It was an extravagant existence indeed, but the loneliness she felt outweighed all of the glitz. Samad was an important man who kept his property secure, but the longer she was there the more she felt like a prisoner. The guarded estate, security cameras, and perimeter boundaries were not there to keep strangers out… Liberty felt as if they were set up to keep her in. She was stuck and although Samad treated her fairly, depriving her of nothing, she still felt out of place. He intimidated Liberty, and she hated the stern rule he watched over her with. He was a ruthless dictator, and she was too afraid to go against the grain for fear of what the repercussions might be. She had every material possession at her fingertips, but when it came to having money of her own she was penniless. He never put a dime in her hands, but instead sent one of his men with her if she needed to go shopping. He inspected her purchases, making sure they met his approval before she even came into his home. And just in case the thought ever crossed her mind, he took away her every opportunity to escape. Samad wasn’t new to this. He realized that Liberty had been Americanized for way too long and that it would take some time for her to become accustomed to his ways. So he kept a watchful eye over her to ensure she stayed in line.

He purged her body of the drugs she had been abusing, forcing her to go cold turkey for weeks until she no longer craved them. Those had been the hardest days of her life, but once the hazy cloud of addiction was lifted from above her head it was the one thing she did appreciate Samad for. He was overbearing and gave her no independence, but his intentions were good most days. Liberty knew she had nowhere else to go. With no family, no friends, and limited resources at her immediate disposal she was stuck. So she did what she had to do, which was assimilate to Samad’s lifestyle and cause no fuss to avoid confrontation. She had died on the inside a long time ago. Compared to some of her previous circumstances, life with Samad was simple and she wanted nothing more than to keep it that way. She had seen Samad’s temper when it came to his dealings with different associates and she never wanted to be on the receiving end of it. She complied with his house rules and made sure that she was seen but rarely heard. When it was just she and Samad, he was more relaxed. The pressure for her to behave just right was taken away when they were alone, but whenever there were others in the room Liberty felt a thick tension from him.

He had been working increasingly hard at getting her pregnant. He disguised his motives by calling her beautiful and setting the scene for romance, but he no longer had Liberty fooled. She couldn’t help but smirk at his frustration because if it was up to her she would never get pregnant by him. He was clueless to the measures she had taken to ensure that it didn’t happen, and as the days moved on he grew insecure from what he assumed to be his impotence. She could sense his apprehension, and it made her days a bit easier to know that she had a little bit of control back in her own hands. He was beginning to tire of her. It was as if he only wanted her to procreate… and if she didn’t fulfill that desire then she was worth nothing.