After he finished the sentence, he let me go. I rushed out of the dining room and ran into my room, ending up lying on my bed. I cried. My parents put me in a trap that I had no way out of.
I told everybody around me I would leave to study as I had got a perfect opportunity and I did not want to miss it.
They did not understand me at all. They said I should not worry about my future. As a talented figure skater, my coach trained me for the next Olympic games. My trainer suggested becoming a trainer after winning famous sports events could prevent financial problems when I was too old to compete.
I told him I could be a trainer indeed, but I said I was not sure how I would feel about young skaters who would take my place. It was not true, of course, and it sounded selfish, but I needed a good reason to make him understand my decision.
I told him I should study in a good university, to make sure sport would not be the only thing that I could rely on. Eventually, it seemed like he understood me.
Hours passed before I calmed down. I lifted my head suddenly when someone knocked on my door. My mum stepped into my room.
"Alice, have you finished packing?"
I sat up, then I shook my head. She walked closer and hugged me.
"I'm so sorry, dear."
She sobbed. I could not blame her at all. She made two mistakes in her life, but those two mistakes led her to an early end.
The first one was, that she let my father seduce her and make her pregnant, when she was only eighteen, like me now. The other one was Charles. She should have left him straight after she got a clue about his past, and straight after the first slap that landed on her face. But now it was too late for that. He would not have let her go, and he would have found her in any place on Earth.
She let me go after a long time passed and looked at me.
"I will help you pack."
I nodded. I knew she was not clear mentally anymore. Her mistakes slowly killed her.
I got my luggage; I put it on my bed, and I opened it up. There were a few belongings that I needed to take. They said they were going to buy everything for me, and they also asked Charles to hand me a letter about my future husband.
He did not seem fussy. The only request he made about my style was that it had to be restrained.
He wrote he would not tell me what to wear, but he straightforwardly prohibited me from wearing whorish dresses or clothes.
Being a virgin was a must. They were going to take me to a doctor, who was going to prove my virginity officially.
They also reminded me, if I ever cheat on my husband, I have to take the consequences, and they referred to this as some physical punishment.
He forbade me to color my hair and wear makeup. These things I did not mind. I liked my brown hair color, and I never wore strong makeup unless I was in a competition.
I had to learn about manners and etiquette, and I had to maintain my body. That was not a problem for me either. As a figure skater, I trained a lot.
After I officially became a Sullivan, I got to behave. As they said, the family's reputation could not be ruined.
There were many other rules on the list that they expected me to keep, some of which I did not even remember.
There was only one thing I knew. If I was going to live and stay healthy for a long time, I have got to keep these rules.
About my future husband, the only thing that I knew was his age. He was twenty-eight years old. That made me laugh again. That meant he was ten years older than me.
We packed my things slowly; I took my favorite clothes only. There was a picture of my team and a few of Lucas. I put them in my suitcase.
I could not describe how much I missed him already. I packed my necklace as well, even if I was sure they would not let me wear it.
The evening came quickly. My plane departed in the early morning. I lay down, and I tried to sleep, but I could not.
After the long and sleepless night, my alarm made me jump. I showered and dressed up; I took my luggage, and I said bye to my room. My parents looked at me as I strolled down the stairs. My mum held my hand, and she led me to the car. Charles did not say a word. We reached the airport in half an hour and after a brief farewell; I found myself in the terminal. The tiredness and my overwhelmed nerves tortured me, and I hoped I could get some sleep during the flight.
In about an hour, they opened the gate, and I boarded the plane. They chose a comfortable place for me at least.
My tears ran down my cheeks when we departed. I put my forehead to the window, and I tried to calm myself down. Later, I fell asleep.
My heart pounded faster when we landed. Some kind of fear went through my body. From now on, they could do anything to me. They can use me, sell me, kill me... it was their choice.
I collected my luggage and when I walked out, I could see a man in a suit instantly, keeping a sign, Sullivan. I walked to the man. He looked at me.
"Alice Lessard?"
"Yes."
"Follow me."
He said. He took my luggage from me, and we walked to a car. The car had black windows. No one could see inside it. He opened the back door for me, and after I sat in, he put my luggage in the car boot. He sat in too and started the engine.
The way was not too long, and I looked out of the window when we arrived at the house. It was a huge Mediterranean house. It looked beautiful.
The man opened the car door, and he led me to the main entrance.
A woman around her fifties awaited us. She had long blonde hair and blue eyes. Her eyes looked unnaturally blue. Probably she had contact lenses. She wore a nice light dress; she was elegant, and apparently, she had some plastic surgeries done. Her look was weird, but she smiled at me.
"Welcome Alice, I hope you had an enjoyable trip and you aren't too tired. My name is Elaine Sullivan, your mother-in-law."