The Evil Pledge

The crackling sound of the fireplace was loud because of the quiet atmosphere of the room. Me-Irene Everly was having a hard time calming my heart's beating after seeing 'him' getting closer to me as he unbuttoned his shirt one by one and took it off, exposing his bare body.

"Didn't I say I'll never let you go? Were my words a joke to you?" His glare pierced through me by sending a shiver in my spine as I pushed myself backwards, knowing there was no escape from his grip.

This man in front of me is the CEO of Compass Mortgage and the man I got married to a few weeks ago against my will.

"C-can we not...? Let me go! Let's talk about this tomorrow." I tried to slip out by looking away but his large hands pinned me down to bed in a second.

"How do you expect me to listen to you when you haven't listened to me for 10 years? Irene, don't even think about running away again. I'm not that soft guy anymore. I might go berserk if I lose you again."

His lips touched my neck when I felt his hands going down, making me shiver from his touches. His body pressed against mine heatedly when his heavy breath touched my ears. I could taste our shared breath and feel the thud of our combined heartbeat when his lips connected to mine, giving me no chance to refuse it.

The night felt longer than ever as if I'm spending those 10 years in one night.

A vivid flashback of 12 years ago encircled my mind–The time when I was a mere high school student with strict parents. At that time, my house was in a tense atmosphere because my sister left home with a guy she loved, without my parents consent.

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I gazed at the mirror to check if my bow was set perfectly and noticed the yellow light reflecting on my black braids.

"Mom, I'm going to school." After catching the glimpse of her nod, I walked towards my school, which was 10 minutes away from there.

As soon as I reached my classroom, Adrian turned his head towards me with a warm smile and affectionate gaze to greet me.

The black bangs covering his forehead couldn't hide his sharp eyes.

"Adrian? What are you doing in front of my class?" My lips curled into a smile as I walked past him by giving his shoulder a nudge. He followed me inside,

"I was looking for you since Nataie isn't here yet. Want to play truth and dare in the evening?" Those velvety brown eyes were staring at me for an answer.

"I...Don't know. You're aware of my parents. But why truth and dare suddenly? We're not kids." I chuckled a bit and looked at him to see his satisfied smile. Something felt extra about it.

"Why're you worrying about that? Nat will manage your parents. As for the game, don't you think it's fun to be a child sometimes?" His hands touched my hair to remove the dry leaf, but I felt my face turning warm automatically. He raised his eyebrows twice at me, and his lips were pulled back as he walked backwards to leave the classroom when the teacher came. 

"Irene, what're you thinking? He's your junior and a friend." I rubbed my forehead to clear my mind, which felt affectionate towards Adrian.

Adrian was my one-year junior in high school, and that was my last year. He and Natalie were the only people who were close to me and knew every detail about me. Even though he was my junior, he was better than me in some decisions. If I said I didn't have any feelings towards him, that would be a lie.

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The slanting rays of the setting sun gave a warm orange tinge to the Sky as I looked at it while walking towards Natalie's house.