Episode 2. Signed away
955 Words
I didn’t remember leaving the living room.
Everything after my stepmother’s threat felt blurry.
My legs moved on their own as I walked down the hallway toward the only place in that house that still felt safe.
Noah’s room.
I pushed the door open slowly.
He was awake.
Sitting on the bed quietly with his knees pulled to his chest.
The moment he saw my face, his expression changed.
“Elisa?”
His voice was small.
Careful.
Like he already knew something was wrong.
I forced a smile that didn’t feel real.
“Why are you still awake?”
He stared at me for a few seconds before asking softly,
“What did they do?”
That question alone nearly broke me.
Because Noah always knew.
Even when nobody said anything.
I sat beside him slowly, avoiding his eyes.
“Nothing you should worry about.”
“Elisa.”
This time his voice was firmer.
I finally looked at him.
And that was my mistake.
Because the moment he saw the tears in my eyes, panic crossed his face instantly.
“What happened?”
I shook my head quickly.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“They want me to marry someone.”
The room went silent.
Noah blinked slowly, confused.
“Marry…?”
I nodded weakly.
“To help the family.”
Even saying the words made me feel sick.
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
I looked at him in surprise.
“Noah—”
“No,” he repeated, climbing off the bed. “Don’t do it.”
“It’s not that simple.”
“Then we’ll leave!”
His eyes were already filling with tears.
“We’ll figure something out ourselves!”
A painful ache spread through my chest.
Because he sounded so desperate.
So scared.
“You don’t understand,” I whispered.
“They said they’ll stop paying for your school… your football dreams… everything.”
Noah wiped his face angrily.
“Then I’ll work!”
My heart shattered instantly.
“I’ll get a part-time job,” he continued quickly. “I’ll do anything. I can carry boxes or clean tables or—”
“You’re a child,” I said sharply.
“But I don’t care!”
His voice finally broke.
“I don’t want you marrying someone because of me!”
Tears rolled down his cheeks now.
Real tears.
And seeing him cry felt unbearable.
“You always protect me,” he whispered painfully. “Why does nobody protect you?”
I couldn’t answer.
Because nobody ever had.
I pulled him into my arms before he could see me cry again.
He held onto me tightly.
Like if he let go, he would lose me forever.
“I’m sorry,” he whispered against my shoulder.
I closed my eyes painfully.
“This isn’t your fault.”
But deep down…
It already felt like goodbye.
—
That night, rain poured heavily outside.
The sound filled the house with an eerie silence.
I sat alone in my room staring at the contract lying on my bed.
My name was printed neatly at the bottom.
Elisa Hart.
The future bride of Adrian Kane.
It still didn’t feel real.
I had heard stories about him for years.
A man powerful enough to ruin lives with a single decision.
People feared him.
Even powerful men feared him.
And somehow…
I was expected to become his wife.
A soft knock interrupted my thoughts.
Before I could answer, my father walked in.
I immediately looked away.
I couldn’t even bear to look at him anymore.
He stood awkwardly near the door.
“Elisa…”
His voice sounded tired.
I said nothing.
After a long silence, he finally spoke again.
“This marriage will help all of us.”
I laughed bitterly.
“All of us?”
He sighed.
“You’re being emotional.”
That hurt more than I expected.
“You’re giving me away to a stranger,” I whispered. “A man everyone fears.”
“He can provide for you.”
“I don’t need his money.”
“No,” my father said quietly. “But your brother does.”
And just like that—
He used Noah too.
I closed my eyes.
Because deep down…
I already knew I was losing this fight.
When he finally left the room, silence returned.
Heavy.
Unforgiving.
I stared at the contract for what felt like hours.
Then slowly…
I picked up the pen.
My hand trembled violently.
Every instinct inside me screamed not to do it.
But then I remembered Noah crying.
Begging me not to sacrifice myself.
And somehow…
That only made this harder.
A tear slid down my cheek as I signed my name.
The moment the pen left the paper, something inside me broke quietly.
Like I had just signed away more than a marriage.
Maybe I had signed away myself.
A knock sounded almost immediately.
My stepmother entered.
Her eyes dropped straight to the contract.
And for the first time in years—
She smiled at me.
Not warmly.
But victoriously.
“Good girl,” she said softly.
I had never hated those words more.
She picked up the papers carefully, like they were worth more than I was.
Then she turned toward the door.
“Oh,” she added casually, “Mr. Kane’s people will arrive tomorrow.”
My heartbeat stopped.
Tomorrow.
Everything was happening too fast.
Too fast to breathe.
Too fast to think.
Too fast to escape.
After she left, I sat alone while the rain continued pouring outside.
And for the first time in my life…
I truly understood what it felt like to belong to someone else.
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