CHAPTER 7
772 Words
It has been two and a half years since the unfortunate engagement I’m bound to.
And I won’t deny that I carry a constant resentment toward my parents… and my brother, for the way they’ve handled everything.
They’ve tried to keep me busy—busy enough to stop me from protesting.
They even allowed me to study fashion design and acting… as if that could make up for everything else.
Elijah has barely returned since he left.
The only communication between us happens through our parents.
We hardly speak.
And this time… neither of us is willing to change that.
Sometimes, he sends gifts—jewelry, stuffed animals, flower arrangements, chocolates—on my birthday or special occasions.
But they always arrive under Mr. Hall’s name.
Sometimes I don’t even know if he actually puts in the effort…
or if it’s his parents—or mine—trying to make me believe there’s at least a trace of interest on his part.
And even though I try to keep myself occupied…
there’s always that countdown in the back of my mind.
A constant reminder that I will soon go
from my parents’ cage…
to the Hall family’s.
Believe me, I try to be happy.
I really do.
But that suffocating feeling…
it never truly goes away.
One Friday afternoon, while I was studying in my room, my brother walked in without knocking.
—Hey.
—Mm… hi —I replied without much enthusiasm, not even lifting my eyes from my book.
—Why are you locked up in here on a Friday?
The audacity.
I didn’t answer.
But he kept pushing.
—Do you want to go to the movies with me? Maybe grab dinner after?
—No, thanks.
—Alright, Sophie. I can’t take this anymore. For the past few months, you’ve basically been camping out in your room. You don’t talk to us, you don’t even look at us… you avoid us every chance you get.
—How much longer are you going to keep punishing me for something that wasn’t my fault? I don’t make the decisions in this house, you know?
That was enough to break whatever little composure I had left.
—Don’t you dare, Michael…
—Don’t even try to play that card with me. I’ve spent every damn day in this house because I have no choice. The only places I’m allowed to go are school and back. I have no privacy. Not even the freedom to decide if I can go out for a coffee or see my friends.
My breath turned uneven.
—I’m so tired… and don’t expect me to pretend otherwise.
And then I cried.
I cried out of frustration, out of emotional exhaustion… out of everything I had been holding in for so long.
All the things I kept silent about because I knew no one cared how I felt.
And that truth… was even heavier to carry.
My brother stepped closer, shaken. I don’t know if he was moved, regretful… or if it was just pity.
Who knows.
He pulled me into a tight embrace.
—Hey… don’t cry, little sister. Please.
—Sophie… the only reason I haven’t helped you is because I don’t even own my own life. And I don’t want to give you false hope about something that will never happen.
He paused.
—Because when it’s my turn… there won’t be any excuses either.
His words shattered me even more.
—You need to understand… love and duty don’t mix in this family.
That was supposed to comfort me…
But it did the exact opposite.
I broke down even further.
In his desperation to calm me down, he made a proposal.
A proposal that would mark the beginning of a chain of bad decisions… ones that would eventually lead us to where we are now.
Michael would help me go out with my friends.
He would be my cover in front of our parents, making them believe I was always being supervised.
He only asked for one thing:
That I didn’t do anything stupid.
And that no matter what, he would always find a way to help me get out… to have fun.
A grave mistake.
It was obvious things would turn out the opposite way.
I was a girl in chains.
And the moment I tasted even a hint of freedom… I would want to devour the world in a single bite.
I think Michael should have been smarter.
Or maybe… he trusted me too much.
Either way, it doesn’t matter.
In the end, we would both share the blame for my mistakes.
- Writer
