CHAPTER TWO: RAPED

James POV  

The night was suffocating, even out on the terrace where the air should have been cool and soothing. 

The city lights stretched out before me, blinking and alive, but none of it brought me peace

My grip on the cold metal railing tightened, the sharp edge pressing into my palms as though the pain could ground me. It didn’t.  

Anger bubbled inside me, threatening to explode, but I held it in, just barely. 

My entire life had been turned upside down, and there was no one to blame but my grandfather. He’d orchestrated everything like a grand chess game, moving pieces without care for the lives he ruined in the process.

I should have been with Sadie. Sadie, with her bright smile and warm laughter. She was my future, the woman I loved, the one I wanted to build a life with. But instead, I was trapped in this sham of a marriage with her sister, Avery.  

Avery. 

Just thinking about her name sent a wave of fury through me. She was manipulative, cunning, and spoiled. 

A woman who thrived on taking what didn’t belong to her. She had wormed her way into this arrangement, her smug satisfaction plain to see every time she looked at me. 

How could my grandfather not see through her facade? Or maybe he did and simply didn’t care.  

I exhaled sharply, trying to push the thoughts away, but they clung to me like a second skin.  

"James."  

The sound of her voice startled me. I turned to find Sadie standing at the entrance to the terrace, her figure illuminated by the soft glow of the house lights behind her. She looked beautiful.

“What are you doing out here?” I asked, my voice colder than I intended. 

She stepped closer, her heels clicking softly against the floor. “I needed to talk to you. Alone.”  

“There’s nothing to talk about, Sadie. Things are already spiralling out of control and go against all.”  

“No,” she said firmly, her voice trembling but strong. “They don’t have to be. James, this isn’t right. None of it is. We belong together, not—” She broke off, her hands gesturing helplessly. “Not you and Avery. We dreamed about this, James; you want me, not her.”  

I turned away, staring out at the city again. “What do you want me to say? Do I agree? That I wish everything were different? Because I do. But wishing doesn’t change anything. I’m married to Avery now.” 

Her hand touched my arm, warm and soft, and I froze. “James,” she whispered, her voice almost pleading. “We don’t have to let this ruin us; we can still be together. No one has to know.”  

Her words sent my heart racing, with longing and guilt. I turned to face her, my jaw tight. “And then what? We sneak around and lie to everyone? What kind of life is that, Sadie?”  

“It’s better than this,” she shot back, her voice breaking. “Better than watching you waste away in a marriage you don’t want. Better than watching you in the hands of another woman” 

“Avery isn't just another woman; she's your sister!" I yelled at her and immediately regretted it. 

Her eyes filled with tears, which immediately began to fall. I hated seeing her like this, hated that I was the cause of her pain. But there was nothing I could do to fix it. 

“Sadie, please,” I said softly, my voice cracking under the weight of my emotions. “Don’t make this harder.”  

She stared at me for a long moment, her tears flowing freely now. Then, without another word, she turned and walked away, her sobs echoing in the silence.

I stayed on the terrace long after she was gone, the guilt and frustration eating away at me. My life was no longer my own, and I hated every second of it. 

I hated myself for hurting her, for being a part of this mess

I needed an escape.

Something—anything—to drown out the chaos in my mind. Without thinking, I grabbed my keys and left the house, heading to one place I knew I could drown everything out. A bar.

________________________________________

The bar was dimly lit. I sat at the counter, a glass of whiskey in front of me. I poured another shot into my mouth, and I felt the sharp burn in my throat before it tickled down, but it wasn’t enough to drown out the storm in my head. 

I lost count of how many drinks I’d had, each one blurring the edges of my reality a little more. For a while, it worked. The pain dulled, and the weight on my chest lessened.

But it was only temporary.  

Eventually, I stumbled out of the bar and into the night, the world spinning around me. Somehow, I made it back home, with my unsteady steps as I pushed open the front door. 

Stepping into the bedroom, my eyes suddenly caught a figure on the bed. 

Avery. 

She was curled up on the bed, her dark hair spilling over the pillow, her breathing soft and steady. She looked... peaceful, almost innocent. She looked so beautiful.

I sat on the edge of the bed, the alcohol still clouding my judgment. My hand brushed against her arm, and she stirred, her eyes fluttering open.  

“James?” she murmured, her voice thick with sleep.  

I didn’t answer. Instead, I leaned in, drawn to her in a way I couldn’t explain. My hands slowly curled around her waist, pulling her close to me, and I could feel her breath hitch from the impact.

Slowly, I lifted her jaw and took in her lower lip; her lip was soft against mine, so soft that I slammed my lips on hers, kissing her roughly. For a fleeting moment, it felt right, like maybe this could be the start of something better.  

But then she pulled away, her eyes wide and fearful. “James, stop. Please.”  

Her words should have sobered me, but they didn’t. The only thing I felt was a great surge of anger and frustration.

The thought of my grandfather choosing her, my marriage, Sadie, and my thinking that she deserved a chance for a moment, all blurred together, pushing me forward when I should have stopped.  

“Please, James…you're drunk; don't take away my virginity like this.” Her pleas grew louder, but I ignored them, too far gone

to see the damage I was causing. I tore her clothes into shreds and, without any foreplay, had my way with her.