Forced To Love You

Wrong

The ride back was short. I didn't remember much of it. At some point, it started raining. I'd heard it rained a lot in Washington and I wasn't looking forward to it.

The driver was quiet on the way back. He didn't say anything and kept his eyes on the road. Some concern about why I was so quiet would have been nice but I also appreciated the fact that he left me alone.

The rain rolled down the windows as we approached the mansion. Unlike the day I ran away, I found that most of the cars were parked in the garage under the mansion. There were more spots than I had anticipated and it seemed there were a lot of important people who drove to the mansion, probably for work. I remembered Madison saying that to me once. A lot of the cars were mostly the same type of town car save for a few larger vehicles. And they were all parked the same way: backed into each spot.

The fluorescent lights overhead were bright as we exited the car and I squinted my eyes. I followed the driver to an elevator that led us out of the garage and to the first floor, not far from the infirmary. Two guards were standing on either side of the elevator doors.

I didn't waste any time on small talk. I started up the steps and headed back to Christian's room. Through the few windows that lined the halls, I could see the rain coming down. It was falling a little harder than when we were in the car.

As I approached the door, one of the guards opened the door for me. "Christian asked that I tell you he stepped out for a while."

I nodded, a little disappointed that he wasn't there. Christian was the only person I could talk to. I hardly knew anyone. I knew I needed to get to know other people but I just wasn't ready for it.

Before I closed the door, I glanced at the guard who had spoken. "Can you ask one of the maids to bring up a bottle of wine?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Thank you." I shut the door behind me and went straight to the bedroom. I took off the jacket I was wearing and tossed it on the bed. I went into the closet and changed into a sweater and leggings. I needed something comfortable to wear.

I walked back to the living room and sat down on the couch. Christian's laptop was still on the coffee table where he left it that morning. He did say I could use it.

I opened it and the home screen loaded up. The wallpaper was a simple one that came with the computer. I wasn't sure why I expected it to be something else.

I opened the Google browser and typed in Netflix. When I logged in, I was grateful to see that I was still able to access my account. That was definitely something I wanted to talk to Christian about. I clicked on my favorite show and put a random episode on.

It was then that someone knocked on the door.

"Come in."

A maid walked in, one I had seen a few times before, with a bottle of wine in a bucket of ice. She had two glasses in her other hand. Maybe she assumed Christian would be here.

She set them down on the coffee table. "Would you like me to open the bottle for you?"

I nodded, knowing I wasn't going to be able to open the cork top myself.

She proceeded to open the bottle and poured half a glass for me. "Can I get you anything else, ma'am?"

I shook my head. "I'm ok. Thank you."

She nodded and left the room.

I sighed as I took the glass of wine. I knew the wine wasn't going to fix all of my problems. It wasn't going to do anything other than help me forget all of my problems for a while. But even that was a good release. One I needed.

I curled up on the couch and covered myself with the dark-colored throw that was usually draped over the back of the couch. I took a sip of my wine and tried my hardest to relax.

But that was the last thing my body wanted to do. I'd ruined things with Madison. She didn't want to be my friend anymore. She didn't even want to talk to me. It was clear that I hurt her and she was still upset. Maybe she just needed some time away from me. Maybe we both did.

But I needed to apologize to her and let her know that I was sorry. That much at least let her know that I was trying to right my wrongs. But it didn't feel enough.

Madison was a good person who was just trying to do the right thing. She helped her family out and took care of her dad. She took care of people, of me, when she worked at the mansion. She was always putting others first. Maybe now this was her time to put herself first.

The guilt of what I'd done was weighing heavily on me. It made my chest hurt. It made my eyes sting with tears. It made me wish I'd never met Christian in the first place.

How could meeting him be a good thing? How could all the pain and suffering everyone went through be a good thing? Everyone around us either got hurt or killed just because we met. Was that really what this Goddess person wanted to happen?

If she was God-like at all, she would have wanted the best for everyone under her watch. She would have allowed Christian and me to meet under better circumstances. Because everything that had happened after we met made me wish we hadn't.

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I hope you guys are prepared for what's to come! It's going to be good. Stay tuned.