*WARNING*

This chapter may have scenes that are too harsh to read.

"I said what is this, Adrian?"

The silence that followed my words was torturous. I hated it too much. It wasn't my plan to speak to him, but I had no other way of expressing my feelings. He was blinking his eyes and looking at the contract within my hands. A frown settled itself upon his face.

"How did you find that?" Adrian made a move to grab the contract but I stepped back before he had the chance. I shook my head and chuckled humorlessly. "Maybe next time don't keep any disgusting contracts like this on display." All of a sudden my eyes welled up and throat went dry. I needed to cry but at the same time keep my strong stance.

Adrian clenched his jaw and muttered something under his breath. "You weren't meant to see that." He stated coldly, his face began turning red. "Don't you know that sneaking through others' stuff is impolite?"

I turned myself away from him, unable to face his presence. "This involves me." I croaked, tears cascading down my cheeks. How did he even have the temerity to dodge my question.

"Why didn't anyone tell me about this deal?" I didn't receive any response so I turned my head slightly to my side. "Why?" I sobbed pathetically in front of a man that I wanted last to see me in this position.

I heard footsteps approaching from behind me, then I felt a pressure on my shoulder. "Listen to me Violet, my parents and your parents arranged this contract. I had nothing to do with it." Adrian whispered. I shrugged his hand off of my shoulder and wiped my tears away. "You did, you knew about it. You knew about the money."

"No... I only came to know about this contract before the day you signed the contract."

I spun around in my spot and yelled at him. "Why didn't you tell me then?" My body was shaking furiously. "That this contract was made for money. To give my parents money."

Adrian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, his hand was pulling at his hair. "My parents and your parents wanted us together in exchange for money, that's all."

"Why us Adrian? Everyone knew that we never got along well!" I exasperated, trying to get Adrian to tell me more information about the contract.

The sound of rain darting against the exterior walls of the house were heard filling in the intensity of our conversation. I looked up at Adrian to find a pained expression etched onto his face. "Why wasn't it Christy?"

Adrian turned his gaze toward me. "Christy?" I almost groaned in frustration, why was he acting so clueless about everything?

"Don't tell me you forgot the rounds of torture I endured because of you both! Both of you were inseparable."

"Violet, we were friends."

"Then why was it me and not her?"

"Its..."

"Can't find a good reason? A lie maybe?"

Adrian held his hand up and sighed. "Fine, I'll tell you why." He clasped me by my elbows and gestured me to sit down on one of the dining table's chairs, but I refused. "No." I shook his hands of my elbows and instead crossed my arms. "You'll tell me everything right now."

"Alright. When I was twelve and you were eight, my parents decided to make a contract. Your parents wanted money but my parents made this contract for a different reason." Adrian held eye contact with me whilst explaining.

"They saw what you went through Violet. They noticed how your family treated you and didn't want you to suffer anymore. My mom thought that if we got married, you'd be legally free from your parents. Mom and dad planned to get us married when I would've been twenty four.

But that never happened cause my parents and I relocated away from you because of..." Adrian gulped, he averted his gaze shamefully. "My parents never realized about how f*cked up our relationship was until that day. We moved away because they didn't want me near you. They were so close to getting rid of the contract, but they didn't. Maybe they thought that if I disappeared from your life for a while, then you would heal yourself.

Anyway, thirteen years later, my parents thought that it would be time for us to get married, and here we are."

By the time he finished speaking, I felt sick. I couldn't believe it. Mr and Mrs Hayes thought that if I got married to Adrian I would be free? They couldn't have been more wrong.

I gripped onto the contract very tightly as my eyesight grew blurry. The papers were crumpling within my palms and created a loud which Adrian heard. "What are you doing?"

"Did you give the money to my parents?"

"No, we didn't get married."

I smiled emotionlessly and held the contract on either side. "This contract doesn't matter anymore, does it?" I never gave him the chance to reply as I tore the contract into pieces and pieces. Whilst all of this was happening, Adrian stood silently and watched me with wide eyes as if he couldn't believe what I was doing. After I was done I threw the shredded paper on the ground and stepped back, satisfied of my work.

"You shouldn't have done that." Adrian spoke through gritted teeth and got on his knees and scooped up the paper in his hands. "I needed to store it in a file for any future decisions." He defeatedly let the paper fall from in between his fingers.

"Decisions? Are we still getting married?" I asked, dread taking over me. Adrian slumped his shoulders and sighed. "Depends. My parents still want us to be wed although, not right now." He stood up and walked toward the dustbin and collected a dustpan and brush. "I'm not marrying you Adrian." He ignored my comment and returned back to his previous spot. I was losing my patience as a result of his arrogance. "Adrian. Are you listening to m-"

"I don't care if you don't want to marry me, Violet. You just need to stay with me till your family are caught and I'll convince my parents to let you go." Adrian brushed the papers into the dustpan. "You can leave then." He muttered whilst walking back to the dustbin and emptying the trash in it.

I frowned at him, his statement seemed a little off the realistic view. "What if they aren't convinced?" A loud sound erupted from outside and I could tell it was thunder. It seemed as if the kitchen had got darker as the only light that was coming from the kitchen lights were dimmer than usual.

"I don't know." Adrian responded with a shrug and leaned against the dining table. "But I don't want to marry you. I'll never-" I was complaining but Adrian suddenly cut me off. "I get it, okay! Stop repeating it again!" He yelled and I was taken back by the tone of his voice.

My chin trembled as tears traveled down my cheeks. "How did your parents expect me to marry you after everything that happened between us?"

I cried as I spoke. "I c-couldn't even forget how you and Christy bullied me. You ruined my life alongside her. You almost killed me!"

———

Third person's POV

The doctor and nurses were shocked at the sight of the young girl who was being treated on a hospital bed. Bruises in numerous shades planted themselves into her skin.

Her left shoulder was dislocated and right leg fractured which had to be fit into casts. She was in a very critical position.

The girl's throat was stepped on, resulting in her windpipe being damaged. The surgery that was previously performed on her had luckily prevented any difficulty for her to breathe. She wouldn't be able to speak until her throat was fully recovered.

It had been thirteen hours since she was found by a woman walking her dog in the early morning. The woman supposedly walked down a narrow street that was located outside the gates of an estate and her dog caught a glimpse of something suspicious near a bush and began barking. Soon after approaching the bush, she realized a gruesome sight lurking behind the bush.

This girl was found bloody, beaten and unconscious. Her dress was torn and blotches of blood seeped through the delicate fabric. The woman called for help immediately.

A family of three stood dispersed around the patient's bed. Dark circles surrounded their eyes and the boy who stood at the bed's side opposite the two adults, anxiously clasped his hands together.

"You did this Adrian. How could you do this to Violet?" The man, Henry Hayes asked the boy whilst glowering at him. Adrian hung his head low. "I... I don't know dad." Henry Hayes grit his teeth and pointed at the patient. "Have a look at what you've caused to her."

Adrian had already seen everything that he caused to Violet. He felt scared and remorseful. He shouldn't have helped Christy with her filthy deed. He listened to the constant beeping of the monitors that notified the patient's heart rate. He couldn't even look at her face without feeling sick. He did this. This disgusting crime.

Dola stared at the patient with glossy eyes. How did this happen to Violet by her own son? "Why did you do this Adrian?" She asked brokenly and Adrian averted his attention to his mother.

Adrian confessed the crime to his parents that morning after a night full of his parents searching for Violet who was found to be in a hospital nearby their house. He couldn't sleep properly and his eyes were red.

"Christy made me do it mom. I was going to stop but..." Adrian's voice went dry toward the end of his sentence. "Going to stop? Huh? Did you do it?" Henry stormed over Adrian and grabbed his shirt, glaring his eyes into Adrian's unblinking ones.

"Stop it Henry!" Dola warned but Henry was too angry to respond. "YOU ARE SUCH A DISGRACE!" Henry yelled at his son and pushed him away with a force that had him stumbling. Dola gasped at her husband and dragged him away from Adrian and into a far corner of the room.

As they argued back and forth in whispers, Adrian moved closer to Violet. He kneeled down and placed his hands onto the bed's edge. "Violet." He whispered softly and closed his eyes when a tear escaped one.

"I'm sorry."

———

"After everything that happened between us you still agreed to this, didn't you?" I asked him whilst chocking up. "T-there has to be a reason why you agreed to marry me."

The usual silence followed my words. It was so frustrating to not receive an answer. I looked up and sighed. "Adrian?" My voice melted into his silent response. He didn't even try to respond. I felt betrayed and hurt.

I wiped my tears away with the back of my hand and stepped back as I spoke."That's it. I'm done talking to you if you're just ignoring me." I turned my back to him and rushed toward the kitchen door, eager to leave him. But it wasn't long after I placed my hand upon the door handle that I was pulled back.

"Let me go Adrian." I struggled against his tight grip that was pressed around my waist. "I'm sorry." He spoke quietly with a pained emotion lacing his words. I felt him unravel his hand from my waist and place it on my shoulder.

"I agreed to marry you cause my parents explained to me that this marriage could free you from your family. After that day Violet, I changed. I felt ashamed for everything that I did."

His breaths were heavy and they tickled the side of my face. "At first I disliked the idea of marrying you. I knew that you would never want to see me again since that day. But then I thought about this contract and I made up my mind that this would be the only way to save you."

"Didn't you think that it was too late to save me? You didn't try to before." I spoke dolefully as his hand tightened around my waist. "Violet, words cannot describe the regret I have for my actions. I should've prevented it but my foolish self didn't. I was immature and after I realized the horrible effect of my action on you I..."

Adrian trailed of before clearing his throat awkwardly. "You can hate me for it. It is a guilt that I will carry for eternity. But please forgive me." I was slowly turned around to face him. Our eyes connected almost immediately and I noted how his blue eyes were glossy.

"I need your forgiveness to help myself. I want to forget about the contract and start fresh with you. It's the only thing that'll bring me some peace, even though I don't deserve it." I watched him slide down to his knees and hold both of my palms in his own. A tear leaked from the corner of his right eye. "Please f-forgive me."

My mind was torn in between forgiving him or not. I could just leave him here and let him suffer with the guilt however, I would stay unhappy and constantly think about him since it was not my nature to keep someone in guilt.

I didn't want that. I wanted to forgive him and move on. Not forgetting about everything he caused but forgiving him was the best thing I could do at the moment.

It'll give me power over him and for once, I would feel completely safe around him. I lowered myself to the ground until our faces were practically centimeters apart.

Adrian's face was red and his eyes glimmered. He really looked miserable. "I forgive you." I said hesitantly. I witnessed the immediate change of mood within his eyes. "Thank you."

He moved his hands from mine and engulfed me into a hug, earning a gasp from me. "I'll make it up to you." He murmured determinedly.

Hopefully I did the right thing by forgiving him.