17, mid-June

When Tabitha left her grandmother's house, she didn't take anything with her, other than some money she saved outside the bank and necessaries for Issac. She left in the same outfit as before, with her graduation gown on and all. Her diploma was also with her. She didn't want to let it go just yet. She didn't know when Stephen was going to come, so she was quickly running off to Phillip's home first.

He was surprised to see her in such a frenzied state. "Everything alright?" She wanted to say something, but nothing was coming out.

She just pushed Issac to him, "Please, I know this is a humongous favor to ask of you, but would you be able to watch Issac for a few days?" Perplexed, Phillip just took the child in his arms, also taking the bag which Tabitha provided.

"Inside is a paper stating while I am not around, you have full parental rights over him. Whatever happens, Foley must not get him. I just need to get away right now, but I will be back in a few days. I'll call to let you know I'm alright."

He was quiet through all of this, just taking in everything that she said. "Tabitha, please explain to me what exactly is going on right now."

Realizing how little her boss knew, she closed her eyes and took a breath, "I-I just need to get away right now. Stephen Foley made me promise him months ago that the day I graduate, I would marry him. He told me if I didn't comply, he would make sure I would never graduate. I-I had to say yes, I didn't know what to do. After realizing what he did, changing my grades, now he would have full control of me if I give into what he wants."

"He wanted you to do what? Is that bastard out of his damn mind?!" Phillip was seething. Foley did it now. He swore if he saw that damn priest, he would strangle him to death without remorse.

Tabitha was worth taking that risk.

"I need to get out of here, I don't know where I'll go, but for now, I would just need to figure it out. When I'm safe, I'll call you. Please, protect Issac. You're the only one I can trust."

"Do you need money? For me to drop me anywhere?" She cracked a smile, hearing his concern. "No, you're doing more than enough right now. Thank you for being such a good friend to me, Phillip." She hugged him, forcing her tears to stay at bay.

She also held her boy in her arms for the last time in who knows how long. Tabitha gave her son a loving kiss on his forehead. "I love you, promise mom you'll be alright."

Giving him back to the elder of the two, she bid goodbye one last time before heading off to the bus station to figure out where she would go.

~~~

It was dark when Tabitha finally got off the bus, and it was also pouring. When she got on the bus at the station, she didn't know where she was heading. Although she lived in Ireland for about a year, she stayed in the parameters of Seahill, so that was all she knew.

She wished she had gone out more. Now, the bus was gone, and no one else was on the bus when she had gotten off by herself. She didn't have a lot of money on her, but hopefully enough to get something decent in her stomach. She didn't eat anything since that morning, and if things were different, she would've been with her grandmother eating the good ole delicacies of Trinidad she did not have in a while.

It was odd, seeing how lonely the road was, she decided to walk in the direction that the bus was going in before. Turning back would be of no use. Fear crept in her, not knowing what would happen to her if she didn't find anywhere to go.

By now, her hair wasn't up, more like a wet mop on her head. She held her graduation gown close to her, wanting some warmth to surround her body. Amid her rush to escape, she didn't even think about taking off the heels she wore, so her feet were probably blistered beyond belief. Tabitha was more than sure she looked like a haggard mess. The only thing probably left on her face right now was her lipstick.

Although it felt like an eternity (when in fact it was twenty torturous minutes), Tabitha finally found herself in front of a big building. It looked posh, like a club for the elite. Hedges of grass were flooded with the rain, and with thunder now taking a strike, she screamed to deaf ears and started to run towards the club.

She hated thunderstorms since she was a little girl, and being caught in one now, Tabitha knew there was no way for the night to get worse.

And yet there was.

When she reached inside the country club, she was in awe of the design. It was extravagant to say the least. This club was one of those places she always wanted to go to when she became a successful adult. She walked towards the Maître d'hôtel, who was giving her a condescending look. She didn't blame him. Tabitha was looking like a soaking cat from the rainfall.

"Can I help you?" Her lip frowned a little, hearing his tone, but beggars can't be choosers.

"H-Hi, I'm sorry, I just need to get out of the rain. I walked out here from a bus stop, and I don't know where I am. I-I have some money. Would it be alright if I can buy something to eat, or if not, can I use your facility's phone to make a call." She could already tell the answer would be no, but she needed to try her luck.

"I'm sorry, madam, this is an exclusive country club. I'm afraid I cannot allow you to come in without the accompaniment of a member. You may wait here if you'd like until the rain stop, but that's all I can do." Although she felt like crying for what felt like the hundredth time, she mustered up a grateful smile instead. "Thank you."

She stood there, watching outside, then all the people who were inside. They, in turn, were watching her also, murmuring about who she must be. Her shivering was getting out of control. Chapped lips started to tremble a little.

Then, a man came out to the area she was at, giving her an expectant look, "Are you the singer who was supposed to come for the bachelor party?"

"No."

The man cursed under his breath with a worried expression, "Well, can you sing?"

She thought about it for a moment, "I suppose so?" In reality, she never tried to sing before, only hum for Issac whenever he needed to go to sleep. She didn't know why this man was asking, but maybe it was a good thing.

"Nevermind, you'll have to do for now. Follow me." She gave a confused look but followed. The Maître d'hôtel didn't stop her, looking away from whoever the man was.

She was beckoned into a dressing room, "Fix yourself up. The rain did a number on you. Oh, you better know how to dance."

"W-what do you mean? I thought you needed a singer?" A smirk emerged from the man's face, "Yea, a 'singer'. Who needs that at a bachelor party?" He let a loud laugh out as he left her there by herself.

How could she be so dumb? The guy thought she was a stripper or escort. Horrified, she decided to try and fix herself up a little before telling the man that she was not a stripper but an underage girl who so happen to find herself at the club.

Tabitha fixed her hair a little. It was halfway dry now, so she combed it with her fingers a little to give it a bounce. She wiped the residue of the mascara off her eyes and some of the smudged lipstick off as well. It reminded her of how she looked when she was fifteen, fresh-faced. She fixed her gown, deciding that covering her body would be the better choice.

She then walked outside to the open doors across with several men in their twenties to mid-thirties all being boisterous made her quickly discover this was where she was supposed to be. She heard whistles from all corners as she walked in the room, heat flowing on her cheeks.

"Dan, what do you mean they didn't come?"

"Don't worry about it, man. I got us a replacement! She was right there in the front looking cold n' shit, and I thought, why not? Looks like a nice piece of ass too." She cleared her throat before the man, Dan, turned towards her with a lewd smile on his face.

"Hey girlie, ready?"

"I'm sorry, I think there was a misunderstanding. I-I'm not what you think I am."

"Yea, babe, you all say that." He bumped shoulders with his friend, who also looked at her.

"No, I'm serious. I just graduated today. I'm not a prostitute."

"What you mean graduate, like uni?" She shook her head. Understanding and horror shone on his face.

"Shit, I-I didn't realize." His other friend didn't seem convinced, though. "So there're girls younger than you do this. Come on. We'll pay you well." She shook her head, "No. I'm sorry about the misunderstanding, but I'll leave now." Tabitha tried to take her to leave, but he pulled her arm back.

"Look, I can't let my friends down, tonight's been a bit boring, and it seems like they all like you. How about this, you don't have to strip or dance in front of all of us. Just come to the front and trust me, won't ya?"

Before she could give her an answer, Tabitha was dragged to the front of the room. A pole and a small stage were facing her. The crowd of men looked towards her and the man. There were all types of men. The only thing they probably had in common was that they had the money to lavish off a place like this. She looked at everyone with wide eyes, scared now of what may happen to her.

"Alright, fellas, tonight's gonna get a little more interesting. You see, our good friend Dan failed to get us that one thing we all wanted, a girl who would dance around this pole for us as we all floozy around." There were boo's all around the room, but one man kept silent. For some reason, she took notice of him for that one second. He was on the corner of the room, drinking some wine with his eyes averted in another direction. He looked bored with being here.

"Instead, this little doe right here stumbles upon our humble abode, and out of the kindness of his heart, Dan invited her here to join us. I thought it would be kind if one of us can give her an experience; she says she's just graduated today to now she needs to enter the world as a woman, who's ready for that task?"

All the groans turned into excitement, some men flinging their belongings up as well as money.

"Alright, how about we start a bidding?" She looked at the man next to her with shocked eyes, bidding? She wasn't a piece of meat.

It was slow at first, with a couple of hundred pounds soon turning into thousands. "Take off that gown, let's see what we're buying" In that instant, the man pulled the zipper of her gown down to reveal her dress. The whistles from before came back. Her hands crossed over her chest, hoping to cover something. She regretted running away. Maybe she should've faced her fate and stayed back in Seahill.

Maybe Foley wasn't as bad as these men.

"6000"

The entire room of men looked back towards the man who sat in the back. There was a change in his eyes, he was interested. Tabitha wasn't sure of what to think. She was happy when he wasn't paying attention to her.

The man next to her smirked, or at least she felt he did when he said the next thing, "Well, lookie here, our good friend Tae wants a piece of her too. Looks like we were wrong about him. How about this, who wants to see our friend Tae get himself this girlie here tonight?" Whoops, and cheers came from all over the room.

It was settled. Tabitha was going to be with that man. With a rough pull, the man holding her pulled her to the corner of that room. Into the booth that the stranger was in. She fell on his lap, a blush emerging onto her face.

The stranger looked equally as flustered with his face paling with the close contact.

"Go on, you two! Have yourselves a good night, no wait, a great night!"

Cheers were still going around the room. She got up quickly, turning shy in front of the man, Tae, with who she was supposed to spend the night. She needed to tell him the truth, how she had gotten there, and how she needed help. He seemed to be understanding, right? He wouldn't do anything to a girl like her.

He also got up, his frame towering over everyone in the room. If Tabitha thought Foley was tall, then this guy was a giant. She could gauge he was over six feet since Foley was around 5'10". The man wasn't buff but lean. She refused to look at his face, not wanting to look at this man in the eye, to figure out what his intentions were. His hand overtook hers, murmuring something before pulling her along lightly out of the room.

Still in heels, she barely caught up with his pace, her eyes looking up to the back of his jet black hair. He wore a black leather overcoat, but there was a suit under it. It seems as though he didn't mean to stay at that place for a long time, so maybe he used her as an excuse?

The fact that she was trying to rationalize her situation scared her. Tonight could be her last night alive or even seen in the public eye. No one knew where she was, and there was no possible trace of finding her if anything happened. Her mind went straight to Issac's happy face. It was the only thing to calm her down.

Instead of walking out of the club, 'Tae' took her to a different area. It looked similar to a high-class restaurant. After speaking with the Maître d'hôtel who gave her trouble before, he gave the man a swift nod before leading them to a high, secluded place of the restaurant, like a V.I.P. area.

Before leaving the table, he gave Tabitha a look. This time it wasn't condescending, but wary. Now, she wasn't sure what she should think. She went through enough emotions for the day.

She took a seat across from the stranger, who was already looking at the menu. Should she feel happy that he wasn't paying attention to her or offended? Tabitha opened up the menu to look at what she wanted to eat, although she wasn't sure if she could even afford anything, maybe an appetizer.

The perfect thing was that there were no prices for the items listed.

Putting it back down, she played with her hands feeling awkward. Her gaze drifted to the man's hands, or rather, his left hand.

It was covered with a sleek black glove, a white line along the line of the thumb. It was peculiar, but Tabitha didn't think much of it.

He may have thought something else. Clearing his throat, Tabitha forced herself to look up at his face. A blush emerged, seeing how handsome he was.

For some reason, it was a distant memory of Mark, the guy she met years ago on the train that came to mind. It was possible because this guy was also Korean, and Mark was the only other Korean she had met. They didn't look similar, though. This guy was taller, and his skin tone was lighter. His hair was parted to his right and had a fringe, but it looked chic on him. His left eye had a scar on it, but it wasn't new.

His lips were thinner and pinker.

The memory of Mark came back to haunt her, and she instantly wishes it was him she had bumped into tonight. This man had a stoic look on his face, almost distant, possibly because he was drinking before.

He looked at his glove covered hand, then looked back at her, "Do you think something's wrong with this?"

"N-no, should there be something wrong?" She made sure that she didn't look scared, but her eyes did look a bit more lively than before.

He then pulled the glove off. Metal digits were in the show. "Yes, there should be something wrong. If you're wondering why everyone in that room was adamant for me to take you, it's because of this."

She looked at his prosthetic, then the back to his dark eyes. He looked sad. "They think I'm incapable because of this. Or that I just have no confidence." He put back on the glove, motioning for the waiter to come by.

"At least nothing worse has happened" He looked at her as if she was mad. No one ever told him that. He wasn't used to anyone feeling anything other than sympathy for him. Despite the face he was giving, it was refreshing to have someone not be affected.

"I have four aunts and uncles who can't walk or even move their arms. Hell, one of my aunts is paralyzed from the neck down. At least you still have your freedom." Tabitha could only wish she was lying. On her father's side, four of her aunts and uncles did suffer a rare form of MS. Her grandmother spent hundreds of thousands to find out what it was, but it was to no avail. They had only gotten it in their twenties, and Tabitha was scared deep down that since it was so prominent on her father's side that there was a possibility she would too.

'Tae' blinked, realizing immediately just how privileged he was, not with wealth but with health. She was right. At least he could walk and be allowed to move what was missing from his left arm. He was free to go as he pleased as she said. Maybe it was because of what his family and friends would say and do, he thought he was less than normal.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Oh, there's nothing to be sorry about; that's life. We need to take note of ourselves and make better choices, right?" Tabitha wrapped her arms around her again, feeling shivers crawl up her spine. He must've finally registered how cold she was, getting up to take off his coat and put it over her shoulders.

The waiter came around, and 'Tae' had ordered wine. From what he said, it sounded expensive. He also ordered the main course meal for both of them. Usually, she would have a fit at the direct show of dominance from a man, but being in this situation, she was merely thankful.

"You eat duck?" She nodded, "Yes, I can eat anything except shellfish, or else you'd see me on the floor like a flailing fish gasping for breath." Although it was meant to be funny, she wasn't sure he would get the joke. There was a small smile, though, so it's something.

"Um, also, I'm not a prostitute." Her eyes became big with innocence, feeling embarrassed and mortified. She wasn't sure if he'd be like the rest of his friends and laugh it off or listen to her.

He looked back straight in her eyes, narrowing the slightest. Suddenly he looked sinister in a matter of seconds, without even doing much. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to have even mentioned it.

"Don't worry, I know." He allowed her to see his straight white teeth as his eyes creased. Even then, his eyes looked sinister. It only made Tabitha wonder if he was being honest with her or planning something right in front of her face.

It was more than likely she was paranoid at this point, so she dismissed it.

His long fingers pointed to the black casing she had now to the side of her. He noticed she never once let it go when she was at the bachelor party. "Is that it, your diploma?" She nodded, deciding to show him her prized possession.