Chapter 2 BRUISES

Kassidy's POV:

My hands trembled uncontrollably as I stood before them. I was terrified of my family, but I was more terrified of the man that stood in front of me. I sat there on the ground, while he loomed over me like a dark, imposing figure. His eyes were as cold as ice and as hard as a rock, his lips were twisted into nothing but a cruel smirk. He stood there, like a villain, making me feel powerless, like a mouse in front of a cat...I was completely at his mercy. He looked like my enemy...an adversary and I had to accept that he was going to destroy me. He was scarier than he looked in the images. This man would kill me without blinking twice. I wanted to run...but there I was, frozen in place, like a fly caught in a spider's web. I watched as he advanced towards me...I tried to move but everything was like a dream. I couldn't.

I heard a soft giggle from Melody, who was enjoying seeing me in fear. He then crouched to my level, causing me to instinctively close my eyes out of fear. Then I felt as he placed his hand on my shoulder, his grip iron-like. His breath brushed against my ear, making me shudder. His breath was ragged and harsh. I simply didn't have a good feeling about him. He was savoring the moment, watching as my family humiliated me. I had lost, I was defeated and had nothing left. But I knew, I didn't want to marry him. He was my worst nightmare.

If he could kill someone without hesitation like he did some minutes ago, then he could do the same to me. I flinched when his fingers gripped my chin, forcing me to open my eyes and look at him. There was nothing but hunger in his gaze, with a mixture of distaste. I was on the verge of gasping when his eyebrows furrowed.

Then that smirk appeared again. My heart beating wildly in my chest as I panicked. I felt trapped, terrified, scared, and desperate... desperate to escape.

"Someone like you will certainly do as I please." His gaze narrowed. "There won't be a problem if you succumb to my will." I tried pulling away from him but he pulled me closer, displeased with the fact that I wanted to get rid of his touch.

"I won't..." I finally let it out. And the room went eerily silent.

"What did you just fucking say?" Bruno questioned with a queer look.

"I'm not marrying you," I said.

"Oh darling, but you have no choice," Melody said like the annoying little sister that she was. I trembled... but this time with anger and disbelief. The look on her father's face could send people to hell if it was possible.

"Whether or not you like it, your birthright belongs to me. Everything you have belongs to me now. Don't you see that we're doing you a favor by actually marrying you off to one of the richest men in the world? It's a compensation. Accept it and be grateful for once!" She yelled.

"Grateful, for getting married, but not on my terms? You want my birthright and yet that's not enough for you, you also want to marry me off to him, despite who he is? You never wanted anything good for me, you have always wanted my life to be miserable. It's not like you all don't know he can kill me. But you'd be happy if he did, right?!" That was the first time I would ever yell at someone in that house- I could no longer bottle up the anger I felt. Melody walked up to me and gave me a hot slap in the face. I touched my cheeks in disbelief as my head jerked to the side. My so-called husband-to-be cocked a brow at me when I looked at him.

"I would have done worse if she hadn't saved your ass." He growled as he rose.

"You're so dumb for acting as though you don't know the terms," Melody spoke. "You must marry Bruno or you'll lose everything!"

"I'm not losing anything to you, you hear me?!" I yelled and it was her father's turn to hit me in the face.

"You despicable fool. Your mother would have been better off without a daughter like you. You have a chance to uphold the dignity you have left and you're acting like an idiot!" He said and there I was, sobbing uncontrollably.

I glared at him, my fists clenched at my sides. "I will not marry him," I said, my voice shaking.

"You still don't understand, don't you? You have no fucking choice." Melody mentioned, her tone smug and superior. "Your opinion is useless. Either marry Bruno or lose everything. It's that simple." She said making me laugh humorlessly.

"Easy for you to say. You're the one asking for my birthright."

She looked at me with hatred in her eyes.

"Bruno, can't you see how she's speaking to me?" She said turning to him. It felt like everything was planned, they had probably had a meeting earlier on to agree on ways to make my life more miserable than they already have since I joined their family.

"I thought you wouldn't ask." He said to her and hit me on the side of my face. I fell to the other side with a sharp scream. I tasted a metallic liquid on the corner of my lips. Tears dropped from my eyes.

I knew Melody had always been jealous of me, trying to bring me down at all costs. I saw the glee in her eyes as she had her chance with me.

"I will not do it," I said, my voice trembling with tears.

My strength waned despite my resolve, and I couldn't help but tremble as her words echoed in my ears. I felt myself slipping away, crumbling, with each passing moment, my strength ebbing.

"It's the only way. You either take it or leave it. But know one thing, if you refuse, you'll be outside, living on the streets and begging for food. You'll be stripped of everything you have, even your clothes."

I yearned to lash out, to unleash a torrent of screams and rage, but an invisible force restrained me. I sensed myself shrinking, with their accusations looming over me. They were right. Bruno seemed to be my sole lifeline. Was this all part of a calculated scheme? With no family, no home, and no discernible future, I felt the weight of my predicament pressing down on me.

I had to make a quick decision. A decision I would regret for the rest of my life.

"Fine," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I will marry him."

My words seemed to echo in the silence of the room, and I felt as if I had just signed my death warrant. But I knew that I had no choice.

Now that I had surrendered, I had to confront the repercussions of my decision. A feeling of resignation washed over me, but I had embraced my destiny. Though a spark of defiance flickered briefly, I extinguished it before it could fully ignite. What was the point?

Melody stepped forward. "You're pathetic," she sneered with a twisted face. "Where's the once-strong Kassidy Jean? A disappointment to her entire family. You're nothing but a coward, weak, and too terrified to stand up for yourself. The company doesn't need a weak person like you; it would crumble within a week of you being in it." She demeaned.

"You've always been this way." Her stepfather continued without any emotion. His eyes were cold. "You've always been a disappointment. And now you've proven once again that you're not worthy of our name."

Their word profoundly stung.

I felt myself shrinking under their gaze, my courage deserting me. No matter how many times I tried to convince myself that I could stand up to them, the words always remained hollow. I had no strength left, no will to fight. I felt like a burden, even to myself. I was a broken shell of a person, alone and empty.

The pregnant silence stretched for what felt like hours as I continued writing under the scrutiny of my stepfather and stepsister. As if on cue, a man walked into the room, and I recognized him as my father's lawyer. While I thought this was going to be my salvation, he brought out a paper and gave it to Melody. My eyes widened.

"You..." I called. "They bribed you didn't they?" When my mother had warned my father not to give his will to this man, I wish he had listened. The man looked down in shame and backed away.

"I couldn't, they have too much authority." He said.

"More authority than the law?" I whispered.

Bruno smirked. "I am the law." I watched as Melody took an inkwell, walked over to me, and forced my thumb into the ink before pressing it against the paper. My eyes watered as I witnessed my birthright being ripped away from me unwillingly.

"When do you plan to get married to her Bruno?" Melody questioned.

"Tonight isn't too early, is it?" He questioned. But I only sat there, completely numb.

"It's perfect." And then, finally, they turned away, leaving me to my despair. I sank to the floor, the last of my strength draining away. Bruno suddenly paused.

"Go change before I get back. Your tears make me sick." He said and walked away.

I sat on the floor, my head in my hands, and I wept. I wept for the loss of everything I had ever known. I wept for the person I had been before they had taken everything from me. I wept for the future that I would never have. And then, finally, I wept for myself. For the first time, I allowed myself to feel the full weight of my loss, to grieve for what I had been and what I could have been. And in that moment, I felt something inside me break.

I realized that I had been lying to myself. I thought I was strong and capable of fighting back. But I was just fooling myself. I was weak and helpless, a shadow of the person I used to be. I couldn't even stand up to my stepfather and stepsister, how could I possibly hope to fight against the rest of the world? I was nothing, a nobody. And as I stood there, I felt my spirit shatter.

I rose from where I stood, my legs trembling, my head bowed in shame. As I ascended the stairs, my legs continued to tremble before I entered my room. I had no planned outfit to wear, assuming we were heading to court.

I changed into a simple white gown while styling my hair. As I looked at myself in the mirror, I didn't recognize the person staring back at me.

The bruises were evident, and the discoloration told a painful story.

My tears were silent as I surveyed my room, my father had specially built it for me on my 11th birthday.

I never wanted to change anything because I wanted to remember him always. But the same daughter he sacrificed everything for, was too much of a coward to sacrifice anything for him.

My sobs became a bit louder when someone barged into my room, causing me to jerk my head towards the direction. His hand gripped my neck, choking me, while I struggled against him.

"I'll never forget what you said earlier about me, you little slut. Telling them you don't want to get married to someone like me?" He let out a humorless chuckle. "How sick."

"Please, Bruno." I struggled to say.

"You don't matter to me, and you never will." He pushed me to the ground as I sobbed. "But here, my dear, you're meant to please me. If your stepfather had not come begging on his knees, I wouldn't be marrying you. So you better make this worth it or I'll have to kill you with my bare hands." He said, causing me to tremble out of fright as he moved towards me.

No... not this night, I wasn't ready to lose my virginity. I fled out of the room but he was quick to catch me. He slammed me to the wall and my head hit hard against it. I wasn't strong enough to take the pain that came with it...my head felt light, and the next thing I knew was that I was consumed by darkness.