Chapter 0002

His hard hands circled around my frame, lifting me from the ground of the truck, after making sure that the men were properly dealt with. His eyes breezed my skin, trailing from my face down to my dress, then back to my face. His gaze was so intense it made my stomach twist. I swallowed, the tension hung thick between us.

This was the first time I'd seen him since that night.

The night I was sure he'd never forgive me for.

And now he's back and what made it worse was that he saved me.

At this point I would've been grateful if those scum bags took me away.

I'd expected him to say something, throw me to the ground, hit me, curse me at me. But he didn't. He just walked, silently— and the silence was killing me.

His chest heaved, muscles flexing beneath the strained white shirt. My blood painted his clothes but he didn't seem to mind as he continued his walk into the hall. Instinctively, I wrapped my hands around his neck, closing my eyes and letting his warmth wrapped around me.

I tried so hard to deny it but I missed his scent.

I missed him so much.

But I couldn't have him, he wasn't what father wanted. Harrison was. Harrison was perfect.

We reached inside the hall and gasps filtered through my thoughts as the people turned to us and for the first time in the entire night, father looked at me but it wasn't with the admiration that he did my brother. This time it was anger, mixed with disgust.

“ Cassian! What are you doing back here?” Enika asked, she was my mother-in-law and it was quite surprising that they weren't expecting their son to come for his brother's engagement party.

Cassian's grip only tightened around me, his stance protective as he spoke and everyone noticed. “ I'm sure it's not a crime to come for my brother's engagement party.” His lips curved and the light bounced off his hair, making him look dangerously seductive.

“ Get your hands off my wife.” Harrison demanded, stepping through the crowd with Cleo trailing behind him— their clothes askew and I didn't need to think twice to know what they were doing.

Even during our engagement party, he did it with no shame. What an amazing husband.

“ You weren't this sharp when men were planning on kidnapping her and doing sinful things to her.” Cassian replied, his voice icing as he muttered ‘sinful things’.

Harrison didn't listen, he came to me and snatched me from Cassian's hands, taking me roughly in his. His eyes flared as he turned to me then back to Cassian who now walked away with this unimpressed look in his eyes.

Harrison's burning gaze lingered for a minute then he carried me up the stairs, to our bedroom. Or let's say his cause we're not married yet. When we reached, he slammed the door and dropped me on the mattress, roughly, like I disgusted him. After which he wiped his shirt trying to get the stains off it.

The bedroom was a mess, the air reeked of sex and sin. The bed askew, pillows out of their cases, bedsheets glistening with sweat and many other signs which I didn't take note of because my vision blurred.

“ So whilst I was getting abducted and almost r—” I swallowed the rest of my words, the letters struggled past my throat. “ You were here having sex?”

“ Stop being so dramatic,” he rolled his eyes, taking off his shirt and grabbing another. “ It's not like you were that hurt.”

“ I am your wife Harry? When are you going to accept that! When are you going to take me seriously! When are you going to value me like you do Cleo! When! When! When!!” I yelled, banging my fists against the mattress, as though it could soothe my anger but it didn't, it barely calmed me.

His hands lifted and smacked my cheeks, the heat spread across my face, my teeth pressing against my tongue. My fists tightened around the mattress once more, so much that my nails dug into it, piercing my flesh. Red mixing with the white of the bedsheets.

“ The next time you dare raise your voice at your fiancé I'll make sure you're properly punished, do you understand?” His lips curled. “ Or do you wish I call off the engagement? I'm sure you know your father wouldn't be so happy about that would he?” He was enjoying this, enjoying the power he had over me, how weak I was whenever he mentioned my father.

My head fell, black strands covering my eyes. “ I'm sorry, it won't happen again.” I whispered, my fists trembling, rage bundling in my veins.

“ I'm sorry I didn't hear that?”

Disgusting bastard. I cursed inside but I didn't dare say it out loud. “ I'm sorry! It won't happen again!” I snapped and he leaned down, his grip like steal against my chin as he turned me to face him.

“ Good girl. Now get some rest, we have a shoot tomorrow.” He tossed my jaw to the side and walked out of the room. Leaving me in the cold and meaningless quiet.

For some reason, I wished Cassian could walk through that door and wrap his hands around me, just like he always did. But he wouldn't come, he despises me now, I would too if I was him.

Father didn't come.

Neither did my mother.

Nor did my brother.

And yet they were what I called family.

I guess I didn't know what family meant.

I pushed my hair out of my face and let my tears run down my cheeks in heavy volumes. My heart ached as though I'd been stabbed and blade got twisted in my chest, my body ached. Everything ached so much…

As I sobbed, my eyes closed, the tears still running down my cheeks as I slowly lay on the cold mattress. Letting the darkness overwhelm me.

Hours later, the door was pushed open and I picked myself from the mattress, wiping every trace of sleep from my eyes. My hazy gaze wandered to the door, meeting Harrison and Cleo whose hands were bound by Harrison's.

“ Good, you're up.” Harrison walked deeper into the room, pulling Cleo behind him. “ The party is over and everyone's gone, you can go to your room.” As usual, I didn't argue, I didn't fight— what was the point anyways? I'd always end up getting hurt so why bother?

My feet carried my pathetic self out of the room, the door kissed my back, the wind brushing against my skin. I walked down the stairs. The emptiness of the grand hall welcomed me— which had now been turned back to a living room. I walked to the kitchen and grabbed some snacks. I poured the chips into a bowl and turned when I crashed into something hard.

I looked up, my eyes landing on a pair of defined cheek bones and eyes. I take a nervous step back. “ You can't seem to stop yourself don't you?”

My brows knitted, “ What do you mean?”

“ You're engaged, my brother's fiance for fucks sake! Why are you finding new ways to tempt me?”

" I…I…I..”

He pulled me close, his hands bracing my shoulders, air fled from my lungs the distance between us so small, I could barely breathe, his eyes scanned my face. His eyes hardened like glaciers. “ Did someone hit you?”