SOPHIA CASTILLO

I wanted to tell him that I didn't want the dress of a female I do not know.

I was never a fan of sharing clothes and I never shared clothes with my sister even though we had the same body stature.

I didn't want to wear the pajamas of another woman and because I couldn't tell him, I began to cry.

"What is wrong with you?" I heard Adrian speak harshly and I flinched from his tone.

"You are unbelievable. Do you think I'd be moved by these crocodile tears? Why are you crying and what did I do to you?" He shook his head in disbelief and I sniffled a little.

"I knew you were a hypocrite but I never expected it to be this bad. I gave you something to wear and you are crying? What? What do you want from me?" He asked.

I bit my bottom lips and quickly wiped my tears. "I..." I wanted to speak but I struggled to form words in my head.

"You what? You think that because we are not married, will we be a real couple?" He sneered.

Adrian leaned closer to me and I gulped in shock. He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and I forgot how to breathe.

It's the closest we have been and it made my heart beat faster. He was staring at me warmly at first and before I knew it, those code gaze of his returned.

"What we have between us isn't real Sophia. We got married because my grandfather wanted me to and your parents needed help and so he saw it as the perfect opportunity to get me married. Also, you weren't the first choice. Your sister was the one I met at first, but you came in a week later and I want to know why. Where is she and why didn't she come to our wedding? Did your parents realize she wouldn't be able to get the job done and decided to send you instead? Tell me?" He demanded, slowly whispering to me

All the while he spoke, he caressed my ear and I felt. I parted my lips slightly as I stared at him.

"Tell me, Sophia. What are your parents' plans? Tell me truthfully and I might forgive them and help them out."

I furrowed my brows. I did not understand what he meant and what he was referring to. "Plans?" I asked rhetorically.

"What plans?" I managed to ask.

"You know very well what their plans are. You want to take over my company, don't you? You married me, so you could tempt me and make me give all my property to you and your family, isn't that? Come on, tell me. I mean that could be one of the main reasons your sister was taken back. She couldn't do it, could she?"

Adrian trailed his index finger on my face and it landed on his lips. "I mean, take a look at you, you are beautiful and your eyes..." He brushed his thumb against my lips.

"They saw that you were the perfect one for the job and decided to marry you off instead, but guess what?" He leaned towards my ear and I felt goosebumps rising on my skin.

I was very nervous and my heart wasn't helping as it raced faster than normal and I could feel the beat in my head like someone was drumming on it.

"You will never be able to tempt me. You won't be able to get close to me. You won't even see care and support from me. Nothing will happen between us and that's a promise. If you think that I would touch you or be tempted, then you are wrong. You should know that won't happen and don't ever get your hopes up," he expatiates.

He stood back on his feet. "I will unravel your secret soon and when I finally find out, you and your family will suffer the consequences and that's not all. I will make sure you suffer more than the consequences and I will never make empty threats.

"Change into those and don't even think about crying. I know women like you. This trick of yours might have worked on another man, but it definitely won't work on me, not at all."

"Also, you won't be sleeping on the same bed as me. I find you unclean and unworthy of sleeping on the same bed as me. Thirdly, you will mind your business. Do not try to get close to me and never invade my privacy. You might be my wife, but that's just it. You are my wife and nothing more. Do not attempt to touch my things or by mistake touch my things because I won't tolerate them."

"We have no choice but to be cordial with one another when we are outside, but do not overdo your part of trying to be very friendly with me. I won't accept it, not at all. Do not overstep your boundaries and try to be the loving wife in public because I hate fake women the most."

"Last but not the least, you are not allowed to call me by my name and when you do refer to me, use 'sir' and so do not speak to me unless you are asked to, is that understood?" He asked.

"Yes...sir," I replied almost immediately.

I was going to follow all of his rules, after all, it was favoring me. I don't want to get close to him or be in the same space as him. After all, I wouldn't be able to tolerate him, or maybe I would because I have never been the type to speak back at others.

"Good. You may go and sleep on the couch or the floor, wherever it is comfortable for you. Now get up," he demanded and I did as told.

He got on the bed, switched off the lights, and went to sleep and I stood in darkness, thinking of where and how to sleep.

SOPHIA CASTILLO

I groaned silently as I woke up. I felt pain in my left arm and I knew it was because I slept on it. I set my foot on the tiled floor and yawned.

"I see you are awake."

I froze when I heard Adrian's voice. I looked towards the direction his voice came from to see him all dressed up with his hands in his pants pocket.

"Good morning...sir," I greeted him, avoiding eye contact with him.

"Good morning? What is good about the morning? The fact that I have to wake up and see your face every day or the fact that we share the same room? Which is it, Sophia?" He asked.

He was speaking calmly as always, yet it made me nervous.

"Do you know what time it is?" He questioned and I looked around the room to find a wall clock or an alarm clock.

He began to walk toward me and my body stiffened.

"I will tell you the time," he raised his hand to look at his wristwatch.

"It's fifteen minutes to ten," he said and I gasped.

I couldn't believe I slept that long, but I guessed it was because of the stress I went through yesterday.

"You must feel so comfortable sleeping on that couch, don't you?" He chided and I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat.

Every step Adrian took toward me made my heart race faster than normal. I was nervous.

I didn't want him close to me. I felt my eyes blur from tears that formed in them.

My eyes locked with Adrian for the shortest seconds before I quickly looked away from fear.

"There she goes again, crying as always. Don't you get tired? Why do you keep doing this? It only makes me disgusted if you do not know that. It only makes me angry. I mean if you didn't want to marry me, you could have said so. I guess your sister has a better conscience than you do because I mean, you are so good at the game," he snarled.

"That's not true," I said in a whisper.

"What did you say?" he asked me. He was now squatting in front of me.

"That's not true," I repeated myself.

"Then what's the truth? I mean your father's company was at the edge of bankruptcy and to save his company, he came to my grandfather and, in return, my grandfather offered to help him if one of his daughters got married to me. Now here is what I am saying. I am asking what father would marry his daughter off without a reason? I mean I wouldn't do that to save my company. It's like selling my daughter in exchange for my company's growth, and for his daughter to agree, she also has a part to play," he expatiates.

I clenched my fist. I had not noticed I was crying until a bead of tears touched my skin

"You know nothing," I told him.

"Really? I know nothing? I mean why are you married to me? How old are you again? I mean if you didn't have a part in any of this, you wouldn't get married at this age. Your..."

"You don't know anything!" I exclaimed in anger, cutting him off from saying any more words.

I realized what I had just done as my little action had taken him by surprise. I ran into the bathroom, not wanting the same space as him.

I began to cry out there.

I was tired of holding it, I was tired of acting strong when I am not. I was tired of being accused. From the moment he set his eyes on me, all he did was accuse me and call me names that I am not.

After crying my heart out in the bathroom, I went back to the room to see that Adrian was gone and it made me feel at ease as I did not know how to face him, not after raising my voice at him.

I walked out of the room and down the stairs to go find something to eat. I didn't know anywhere in the mansion and so I didn't know where to go when I came down the stairs, but luckily for me, a maid walks by.

"Good morning madam," she said to me and I smiled back at her.

"Good morning," I replied politely.

"Please where is the kitchen?" I asked.

"I will show you where the kitchen is, kindly follow me, but first what do you need? I could get it for you," he suggested.

"Do not worry. I will get what I want by myself. You do not have to worry, and thank you," I said to her.

She nodded her head. "Okay, ma'am. Kindly follow me," she said and I followed behind her.

Just as I reached the entrance of the kitchen, I heard whispers, but what caught my attention was my name.

"That's her name?" One of the maids said.

I couldn't see their faces as they were backing me.

"Yes. Sophia. You should have seen the way Sir Adrian kept a distance between them. He wasn't happy at all," another maid said.

"What's worse is, I was passing by their room this morning and I heard voices. I wonder what could be going on," the maid sighs.

"I just feel for her. When I asked if I should call her for breakfast this morning, he said not to bother. He didn't seem to care. I mean he has always been cold to everyone, but at least he should show mercy to the poor girl," the first maid who spoke said.

The maid that directed me to the kitchen cleared her throat, getting their attention. They all turned to look at her and I did not miss the surprised expression on their faces the moment they saw me.

They quickly bowed their heads and greeted me. "Good morning Madam," they said simultaneously.

SOPHIA CASTILLO

I suddenly lost my appetite to eat. It wasn't that they said anything bad about me, but I hated looking pitiful.

I smiled weakly at them before turning on my heels to leave.

"Ma'am," I heard the voice of the maid that brought me to the kitchen and I halted on my track.

I tilted my head to look at her. "Yes," I answered.

"Aren't you here to get something? I mean if you changed your mind, I could bring something for you to eat in your room," she said to me.

I smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks but I'm fine. I will let you know when I am hungry," I told her and continued on track.

"What's your name?" I asked the maid, halting on my track once again.

She smiled at me. "Sarah," she said and I nodded my head.

Hearing her name reminded me of my older sister.

I walked away quietly into the room. I haven't been able to do anything since morning because of Adrian.

I went to the bathroom, brushed my teeth, and took my bath before coming out to wear the same clothes Adrian gave me to wear yesterday.

I was yet to get my clothes from my parents' mansion and I didn't have anyone to drive me there and no money to go to my parents' place.

I sat down on the floor and hugged my knees while crying in silence

**

TWO WEEKS AGO

I knocked on the door of my sister's room. It was time for breakfast and she was yet to come down.

"Sarah, are you in there?" I asked before knocking on the door again when I got no reply.

"Sarah!" I called again.

When I didn't get a reply for the third time, I opened her door and went in.

"Sarah," I called as I stepped my feet into her room. It was unlike her to not be down for breakfast by this time.

She is the one who wakes me up all the time.

I sighed when I removed the duvet and saw that she wasn't the one sleeping but on pillows. I furrowed my brows in confusion as I wondered why she would put pillows under her duvet.

I wasn't hearing the shower run but still, I went to the bathroom to see if she was there and she wasn't. Panicking gripped me when I didn't see her on her balcony or any other place. This was unlike her.

I ran out of the room to go inform my parents.

"Mom, Dad," I called for their attention.

They both tilted their heads to stare at me.

"Yes?" They answered simultaneously with a questioning look on their face.

"What is it?" My mother asked.

"Sarah is not in her room," I informed them.

"What do you mean by she is not in her room?" My father asked.

"Sarah is not in her room. I checked her bathroom and balcony but she isn't in her room," I said.

My mother got up from where she was alongside my father and we all went back to her room to search for her.

We couldn't find her. My mother went around the mansion to check for her but she wasn't there.

"I can't find her, I...I saw her sleeping last night before I went to bed," my mother said frantically.

"She wasn't the one sleeping. She put pillows under her duvet to make it seem like she was the one,"  I told them.

My mother gasped. "Sarah...no... No. It's not possible," my mother shook her head vigorously.

My eyes darted to the pillow and I saw a letter under it. I furrowed my brows before attempting to take the paper.

After taking the paper, I gasped when I saw the heading.

                              Dear Mom, Dad, Sophia,

I am sorry to have left this way without informing any of you. I am sorry, but I can't do it anymore.

I can't get married to Adrian.

He is not a human being.  He is a beast and a heartless person and I can't continue to act like I am alright when I am not.

I can not marry him also because there is another in my heart and I look forward to a happy future with him.

Please do not look for me because I will be alright.

I'm sorry once again and I love you all.

****

Tears streamed down my cheek as I recalled how it all started and why I had to marry Adrian instead of my sister.

My father refused to marry Adrian as he feared I might run away like Sarah if I did, but I was adamant.

Not only was he going to go to jail if he wasn't able to give back the investors their money, but we were also going to be rendered homeless and I couldn't bear that and so I persisted that they let me marry him.

I begged my father for days before he agreed.

From the day I met Adrian till the very moment, all I felt was pain and I understood why my sister had to leave.

I wipe the tears from my eyes quickly when I hear the sound of the door opening.

I raised my head to see that it was Adrian and now he was standing in front of me with a blank expression on his face.

"Are you seriously going to cry all the time? Why are you doing this? Do you think I will pity you if I see you cry?" He asked before squatting down to my height level.

My eyes locked with him and I shuddered a little.

"Do you know the kind of people I hate the most?" He asked rhetorically.

"I hate people who cry the most and people who always want to play the victim and you know why?"

"It's is because those people are very dangerous and you won't even see it coming when they want to stab you because they know how to manipulate others very well," he said, making emphasis on his eyes words while staring deep into my eyes.