Iris:
"What video?" I asked, my lips trembling as my gaze shifted to my mother.
Her lips were pressed tightly together, forming a thin line, showing that I had truly angered her.
With Luca gone, she had no option left but to prove that she would not only threaten us, but ruin us if we did not obey.
"They are going to ruin ," she said. "I cannot live with that."
I imdiately shook my head.
"She is not going to leak your videos. Trust . I will do anything to stop her," I told her.
But Scarlett was badly shaken. Her eyes were swollen. She kept rubbing her face with her hands, then gripping her neck.
"I have younger siblings, Iris. I have to live in this community. When they see these pictures, they will not ask questions. They will make suffer, and my siblings too. I should have just ended my life," she said, her voice breaking.
She paused and lifted another phone to show what she ant. It was a picture of her, completely nude, posed suggestively.
Then she showed a short video clip of her moving into that pose, with no audio to suggest she was being ordered.
"They will not care if soone forced . They will only see the videos. After that, I am done," she said, her face going blank.
"I do not want people to see my body. I do not have any other option," she whispered, before ending the call.
"Mom, please call her. Please tell the Warriors to check on her. I will do whatever you want," I said, finally turning to my mother and gripping her hands as they shook.
"There is no use now. Luca has left," my mother replied, snatching the phone from and crossing her arms.
"Mom, please, you do not understand. She will do sothing reckless, and I cannot let that happen. She was trying to cover for so I would not get in trouble that night," I pleaded, crying in front of her, begging her the way she always wanted to.
"And whose fault is that? Yours. You always make the wrong decisions and drag others into them. Now look at Luca. He has no idea that he will be the reason soone ends her life," my mother said, shrugging carelessly.
"Mom, please stop her. I will go and stop Luca," I said, stepping away from her and giving her a confident look to show I would do whatever she wanted.
"Fine then. You go after him, and I will stop her from ending her life," my mother replied as she began dialing the fighters of our community.
I rushed out of the room, running down the hallway, searching for Luca like my life depended on it.
How had I ended up in a ss like this? Once again, there was only one person my mind kept returning to.
Kash.
If he had not betrayed that day, I would never have looked for shelter at my mother’s place.
I finally reached the end of the hallway and headed toward the mansion’s exit. There he was, crossing the open ground, moving away quickly.
"Luca, stop!" I scread at the top of my lungs.
The wind carried my voice to him because he stopped, turned around, and frowned at .
"Please, do not go!" I shouted again, taking slow steps toward him.
I started to approach him, and as the distance between us closed, he must have seen how shaken I looked because the worry on his face grew.
He dropped the bag and rushed toward just before I collapsed.
I did not know why, but my knees felt weak the mont I thought about what I was going to say.
"Did she say sothing? Did she do sothing else to you?" he asked roughly as he caught , his arms wrapping around my back.
I could barely keep my balance. I clutched his chest, gripping his shirt, while he steadied .
"Scarlett is going to end her life. Please, Luca, do not go," I begged, crying uncontrollably in front of him.
"She is not going to do anything like that. She is not foolish," Luca replied, clearly not understanding how serious it was.
"No, you do not get it. I spoke to her," I said, my voice breaking. "Please, just stay. Do not go. Please."
I began to cry harder, shaking him by his shirt.
"I do not understand. What do you want to do?" he asked finally, looking clueless but miserable.
I sniffled and forced myself upright, my hands still clenched in his shirt.
"Marry ."
The mont the words left my mouth, shock spread across both our faces.
"You are not ready for this," he warned, but I shook my head.
"No, Luca. Please. Please marry . Do not go," I begged again, crying against his chest.
As I repeated the words, my strength gave out. He held tightly and pulled into a firm embrace.
"Fine. I will stay. Do not worry," he told . "But what is happening to you?"
He eased my back slightly so he could cup my face in his hands, his fingers brushing my cheek.
"You need to stop crying. I am here, okay? I am not going anywhere," he assured again, trying to calm .
I rested my forehead against his chest. I was terrified. I was willing to do anything to stop my mother from hurting more people.
Then I heard a clap. Slowly, I lifted my head and turned to the side. Lara stood there, her hands still together, a smile on her lips.
But it was the person beside her who caught my attention. Kash was standing there, anger burning in his eyes.
"You are getting married? We are getting married? Is this a wedding season or what?" Lara exclaid, clapping again and jumping in place.
My eyes stayed on Kash. His expression twisted.
He seed as if he had been betrayed when he was also marrying the won he had spent the night with while I suffered alone.
User Comments
0 comments from readers