My Step-brother, My Enemy

Chapter 3

I sit in my bedroom, pondering the events of the day.

Had Adrian not spoken up, would they have married me off? Was I only going to be a pawn in someone else’s game?

I force myself to lay down on the bed, but my mind is disturbed by it. At least when I was younger, I did not have to worry about anyone marrying me off to another family. But I guess because I am grown up now, that’s the first and foremost thing in anyone’s mind for me.

Even mother did not speak up for me.

Tears begin to drop from my eyes. I hate it.

I hate that I feel weak, that I need someone right now to depend on. That I have absolutely no one on my side. Even Adrian only spoke up because of some crazy obsession he probably has with controlling my life. I cry hot tears into my pillow and I don’t stop, I keep crying until I fall asleep.

I wake up in the middle of the night and it is as though something takes over my body. I decide to sneak out of the estate and run away, never to be seen again.

I don’t bother with my belongings, I wash up in the bathroom and after dressing up, I slip out of my suite and past my mother’s quarters as well. I slip quietly through the corridors and I can feel that I am approaching the main gate of the estate. Soon, I can see the main gate in my sights, I speed up my pace to get there and up close, I see that the gates are locked. But I also see that the walls are low.

In the past, whenever I had to sneak out to play as a child, I scaled fences and walls to leave our former estate. It had been a while since I had last scaled a wall, but I found my way with this one.

As soon as I land on the other side, a rough hand covers my mouth and pulls me into a dark corner, the person yanks me and pulls me into a dark alley before they let go of my face but the person still has an iron grip on my hands. I turn quickly to sneak a peek at the person responsible.

It’s Adrian.

“What the f**k is your problem?” I yell at him- a crazy move because, even I am scared and I can see the blues in his eyes burning with anger.

“Do you think you can just run away?” his voice is lethal.

I shove at his chest but he doesn’t move, his grip on my hands do not loosen either “let go” I whisper.

Instead of obliging me, he leans closer, taking up my personal space until he is all I can breathe. He backs me into the wall behind and brushes his lips on my ear “You belong to this world, whether you like it or not” his breath is hot on my ear.

I freeze and remain still until he leans away from my ear and gives me a glimpse of my space back. I swallow and glare at him with renewed fire as he places in hands in his pocket casually as he slowly scans me from head to toe.

“You certainly dressed for the occasion” he smiles at me, a genuine one and if not that I was upset that he ruined my plans, I might have actually smiled back.

“Whatever” I roll my eyes “So what are you going to do, take me back?”

He becomes unreadable again, his face dark “Yes, I think you know that already” he gives me a piercing gaze, like he’s just taking me in for the first time. Something passes between us for a moment, just for a moment. I can’t really comprehend what it is, but I know he feels it too because he abruptly looks away from me and pulls me back in the direction of the estate.

Adrian carries me bridal style into the estate, he is careful not the let any guard see him as he makes his way to my suite. He takes me to my lavish bedroom and places me gently on the bed- I don’t know why I expected him to drop me harshly on the bed. The moment he exits the room, I hear the click of the lock.

Did he just lock me in?

I rush towards the door and slam my fists on it, pounding hard on the door as anger fills my veins “open the goddamn door” I yell.

“You should probably stop yelling” I hear his voice in the hallway “You don’t make the rules here.”

“Just let me leave” I plead.

“Go to sleep. Tomorrow, you’ll understand exactly how this world works.”

I stop pounding on the door and scooch down to the ground, I curl myself up like a ball and bury my face in my hands. I don’t know when I fall asleep in this position.