𝙳𝚎𝚜𝚝𝚛𝚞𝚌𝚝 | 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟷

𝙲𝚑𝚊𝚙𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚂𝚎𝚟𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚎𝚎𝚗

𝚂𝚘𝚏𝚒𝚊

☆═━┈┈━═☆

If looks could kill, Steve would've been dead right now.

Parading his friends out of my house, taking away my right of choice when that's all I wanted. I wasn't letting him get away with this, if he wanted a forced wife, I was going to be his absolute worst nightmare. "Mickey," I snapped as they all breached my front door, Steve's shoulders squaring as all four of them turned to look at me, "a word." Mickey's eyes flickered between Steve and me, my eyes never leaving Steve's as I spoke, if a challenge is what he wanted, a challenge is what he would get. It dawned on me that Mickey was waiting for permission from Steve to be alone with me, he was in on this, they all were. "On second thought, never mind, tell your father that you were too slow, Steve put a ring on my finger before you could," Mickey's eyes blew wide, forgetting that he was waiting for permission from Steve, he barreled back into the house, on hand wrapping around my throat and slamming me into a wall.

"Shut your fucking mouth Sofia," Mickey growled, his face inches from mine, "I've played nice, I kept you safe," his fingers tightened around my throat, cutting air off, "the deals been signed already, I don't need your help anymore, you were always just going to be arm candy," his pinky ring was digging into my skin, a gasp leaving my lips as I tried to suck air in, "try me."

"You," I gasped, trying to get enough air to form words, Mickey's fingers loosening, "you were in on this?"

"Of course Sofia, if it's between you and the guys, I will always choose the guys."

That stung, tears forming in my eyes from the lack of oxygen, my hand slapping on his wrist for him to finally let go. When he pulled his arm away I dropped to the floor, palms pressing against cool tile while I gasped for air, "I'm only keeping your secret safe for Julianna," I whispered, coughing while tears blurred my vision, "she deserves better than to be tied to a sorry excuse of a man like you," pointing towards the front door, the ring felt heavy on my finger, "get out."

Once my front door slammed shut, I slumped against the wall, pushing my palms into my eyes to try and stop tears from forming. "Do you want me to call Elena?" My mothers voice appeared in the archway to the kitchen, my heart breaking when I realized she had seen everything that just transpired and did nothing to stop it. Not when I was forced into a marriage, not when I was held against the wall with my breath leaving my lungs, she said nothing. And saying nothing meant she was okay with everything.

"Yes," I sniffed out, shakily rising to my feet, "just send her up to my room, I want to be left alone by everyone else."

I didn't wait for her answer, I didn't turn to look at my father as I passed his office, I just ran up the stairs, tears rolling down my cheeks by the time I was in the security of my bedroom. I felt like a stranger in the home I grew up in, I knew I lived in a world where I had no choices in my life, marriages weren't made for love, they were business transactions. But I thought I had at least convinced my father to let me finish college before I was being handed off to be someone else's problem.

I didn't know when I made it to my bed, or how I slid under the covers, pulling the silk over my head to hide from the world. I barely registered my bedroom door opening, or the weight dipping my mattress down. I felt numb, tears kept coming, but I couldn't feel anything around me. Elena slipped under the sheets, pulling them over her head as well before she just wrapped me up in her arms, tears spilling down my cheeks faster than I could process thoughts. Her grip on me tightened, holding me to her as I shook in her arms, "I transferred to Sunbury State," she whispered, "I'm not leaving you alone. You won't deal with this alone."