Chapter 7

There was no mercy in his eyes, no warmth—only the cold satisfaction of a man reveling in his own success.

"Stop. I'll do it." The words left me like a jagged lump forced from my throat, scraping and cutting on their way out.

Was this what I wanted? To be his puppet, his stepping stone to greatness? No.

But what choice did I have?

I glanced at my sister—her fragile frame slumped in the chair, her wrists raw from the restraints, her skin sickly pale under the dim light. Even unconscious, she looked like she was in pain, her face twisted in a silent nightmare she couldn't escape. And maybe she never would.

If I didn't act now, the consequences would be irreversible.

Saving her cost me everything—my freedom, my peace, my happiness.

And yet, if given the choice again, would I do it?

Yes.

Because if I didn't, no one else would. Because the thought of a world without her—without her stubbornness, her laughter, her constant nagging—was unbearable. I'd rather suffer under my father’s thumb, chained to a fate I despised, than live knowing I had let her be swallowed by the darkness.

"What did you say?"

His voice was smooth, almost amused, but beneath it, I could hear the challenge. He wanted me to break again, to confirm that I was truly his now.

I clenched my teeth, my nails digging into my palms, anger pulsing through my veins as I met his gaze. That smug grin on his face—God, how I hated it. How I wished we weren’t bound by blood.

"I said let her go!" My voice cracked, but I didn't care. "I'll do whatever you want. Just let her go... don’t hurt her."

The room fell silent. My father tilted his head, his eyes glittering with a twisted satisfaction, like a man admiring his handiwork.

My voice broke. My heart cracked under the weight of this moment.

If someone had told me that the man who would destroy my life would be my own father, I would have sworn on my death it was a lie.

But here I was, standing before him, handing over the last shreds of my soul like a desperate beggar.

"Took you long enough."

His smile was the dagger that cut straight through my soul. He pulled out his phone, dialing a number with a lazy flick of his wrist, as if this was nothing more than business as usual.

A moment later, a phone rang across the room. The man poised to end my sister’s pregnancy picked it up.

"Cancel. The deal has been struck."

With that, he ended the call and walked out.

I stood frozen, my body stiff with the weight of what had just happened. The relief I expected never came. Instead, cold dread seeped into my bones, chilling me to the core. My life—whatever it had been—was over.

The door creaked open. I shoved past it, my legs moving on instinct, rushing to Evelyn's side. She was unconscious, her body limp, her arms covered in angry red scars—a brutal reminder of the drugs they had forced into her.

I pulled her into my arms, wrapping myself around her as if I could shield her from the monsters in this house. But the bitter truth settled deep inside me: I was just as helpless as she was.

The only difference? I could endure more.

And I had to.

Because if I fell, there would be no one left to fight.

---

Hours Later…

I had always thought life was frustrating. Unfair. Brutal. But nothing—absolutely nothing—could compare to the sheer, suffocating weight of this moment.

The empty streets stretched before me, silent and abandoned, mirroring the hollowness that had settled deep in my bones. Each step I had taken, each battle I had fought, had led me here. And for what? Victory had been nothing but a cruel mirage, slipping through my fingers before I could even taste it.

I should have walked away. I should have let it go. I should have never—never—dared to cross Adrian’s path.

But I did.

And now, the consequence of that choice loomed over me, a shadow I couldn’t outrun, pressing against my chest until breathing felt impossible.

Tomorrow, I would belong to the man I despised most in this world.

The thought sent a violent shudder through me.

This wasn’t just some twisted game of fate. This was a punishment—a brutal reminder that no matter how hard I fought, no matter how much I resisted, I would always lose.

I clenched my hands into fists, my nails digging into my palms, desperate to ground myself in something—anything—but the cold reality I now faced.

God, I wished this was all just a nightmare. That I could wake up and find myself in my bed, free of this unbearable weight.

But wishes were for fools. For children who still believed in fairy tales.

The sharp buzzing of my phone shattered the silence, dragging me back to a world I no longer wanted to be a part of.

Jordan.

His name flashed across the screen, over and over again, as if he knew—as if he could feel—that something was wrong.

I watched the call ring out. Then another. And another. But I couldn’t bring myself to answer. My hands were frozen at my sides, as if lifting them, as if acknowledging this reality, would make it even more real.

And then, the dam broke.

The tears came, hot and silent, slipping down my cheeks like rain against glass.

What was I supposed to say if I answered?

That I had failed? That I had lost? That I was about to marry the very man I had sworn to protect my sister from?

That I was a failure?

Because I was.

I just hadn’t admitted it until now.

A sharp vibration jolted me from my thoughts. My screen lit up again.

JORDAN: Don’t tell me you’re avoiding this conversation.

JORDAN: It’s been hours. I’m dying to hear the full story.

I swallowed hard, my throat aching from unshed sobs. Jordan always knew when something was wrong. He could always see through me. But this? This wasn’t something I could just explain over a phone call.

Another message popped up, and this time, dread curled around my stomach like a noose.

DAD: New clothes will be sent to you. Make sure you look beautiful for your engagement tomorrow.

A bitter laugh escaped my lips, the sound hollow and broken. Beautiful?

How could I look beautiful when I felt like I was walking toward my own execution?

Tomorrow.

Tomorrow, my life would no longer be my own.

I tilted my head back, staring at the vast, empty sky.

Where had I gone wrong? At what point had I taken the wrong step, made the wrong choice?

But the sky had no answers for me. It simply stretched on, dark and endless, as empty as the future waiting for me.

I exhaled shakily, my breath fogging up the cold air.

If there was any good left in this world, let me find it. Let me grasp onto whatever hope remains.

But if all that awaited me was my own destruction—

Then let me die before the sun rises.