Chapter 78 Chapter 78
"You finding out about my biological parents doesn't change a thing!" He spat "He never considered me as his son and I don't care about him. I just care about myself because no one has ever cared about me!"
He didn't seem to mind that he was dragging me by my hair. He was taking such big steps that I had to run with him.
"Let go, Adrian!" I shouted "You are hurting me"
"And what about you hurting me, Cynthia!" He snapped.
He stopped and turned his head to me.
"What about me? Why am I always the second choice of everyone?" He asked in a broken voice "I was the firstborn, still my father refused to accept me because my mother was not from a wealthy family. I sheltered you, raised the daughter of the man I hate the most still all I am getting is reluctance"
I swallowed hard.
"What your father did was not your mistake but what you are doing to me is a punishable crime."
His jaw twitched as he clenched it tightly.
"And I don't care" he spat "all I care about is that I want you to be mine in every way possible"
"Please Adrian, stoppp!" I shouted "This is madness. You want me just to take revenge on Lucien. Please don't ruin everyone's life"
"You don't get to question my love"
"Ahhh...." I yelped in pain when he painfully twisted my hair around his fist.
"The fact is that you crave this!"
My eyes widened at what he said.
"You still want the man who kicked you out of his life when you were carrying his child and refusing a man who sheltered you. Right?"
My eyes flicked between his, trying to find the man I knew for the last five years but it seemed like he was never there.
"Let me be the devil you want."
He once again started pulling me to the garden where he had placed the setup for marriage.
"Let me go!" I thrashed in his hold "I hate you!" I screamed, the words tearing from my throat as my heels skidded against the ground "I will never be yours!"
But he didn't stop. It seems like he was possessed by some dark energy.
(Trigger Warning)
The moment we reached the garden, the guests stood and started whispering among themselves. Their eyes went wide the way Adrian was holding me. Adrian didn't care about the optics anymore.
"Out! All of you, get out!" Adrian roared at the crowd, his free hand gesturing wildly.
The guests didn't need to be told twice. They walked out of the house within minutes.
"Mumma!" I heard Aurora's cry.
My heart stopped when I saw her.
She was held back by one of Adrian's guards. She was struggling in his grip, her tiny face red and soaked with tears as she watched me being manhandled. "Mumma! Mumma!" she wailed.
She wasn't very far away from me. I tried to get to her but Adrian didn't let me.
"After marriage!" He whispered in my ear, in the same way I have told him multiple times in the past few days.
A hot thick tear passed my eyes. Sob choked my throat.
I never wanted my baby girl to witness this.
"Please Adrian" I requested him "Not in front of her. You were always a superhero to her."
"I never wanted, Cynthia" he spat back "you have forced my hand"
I had nothing to say. My eyes once again went back to my daughter. She was safe but not sound.
"Come on, let's get married so both of us can get what we want"
He chuckled and forced me up to the aisle before releasing my hair. He shoved me slightly towards the priest which made me stumble. I fell on my knees, but I quickly scrambled to my feet and turned to run towards my daughter.
I could take only two steps before Adrian's arm wrapped around my waist as he pulled me back from where I started.
"Don't act foolish!" He roared, his hot breath fanned my ear.
"Please, Adrian. Let me console Aurora. Please" I begged hysterically, I didn't care about the tears that were now flowing like a river "She is so scared"
"Marry me and I will let you hug her. It's that simple"
My heart broke into thousands of pieces. I didn't want to marry him. I never wanted to marry him. Since, Aurora has come into my life I have done everything for her, just for her. Every decision of my life revolved around her but I never thought of marrying someone for her.
I don't want to...
"Adrian leave my mommmyyyyyy!" Aurora shouted.
It was the first time she had taken his full name and it was filled with pure hatred.
"Never babygirl" Adrian chuckled.
He then looked at the priest, who was trembling so violently that the book in his hands was shaking. The man’s face was ashen, his eyes darting toward the guard holding Aurora and then back to the manic glint in Adrian’s eyes as he held me.
"Start the vows," Adrian commanded and my heart dropped in my stomach.
"I... I can't," the priest stammered, "...This is not a holy union. You are forcing her..."
Adrian stepped closer to the old man with a lethal expression on his face.
"Do you want to live to see tomorrow's sunrise, or do you want to find out how deep the cliff is in this garden?" Adrian asked, in a low voice, but the threat was sharper than any blade.
The priest gasped in shock.
"Recite the vows. Now."
The priest looked at me with a silent apology in his eyes, before he opened the book with shaking hands. "We are gathered here today..."
I looked back at Aurora with blurry vision. She was looking at me without blinking. She was equally concerned for me and wanted to fight the devils holding us but she was too tiny for that.
"Do you, Adrian Vaughn, accept Cynthia Vale as your wife?" The priest asked in a shaky voice.
Adrian held my face with his palms as he looked down into my eyes as if nothing else mattered.
"I do" Adrian came back almost instantly, with a wide smile spread on his lips.
"Do you Cynthia Vale, accept Adrian Vaughn as your husband?"
A shaky sigh passed my lips as tears dribbled down my face.
"Cynthia you know, I can't see tears in your eyes. Right?" He whispered against my lips.
"Please, Adrian. I am begging you." I tried my luck one more time "You were always there against the world for me. Now, you are standing against me. Please. I can't bear that. Don't make me hate you so much."
I looked in between his eyes while holding my breath, foolishly hoping that this would change his stone heart.
"I don't care, Cynthia." He came back "I don't care if you hate me or what. As I have already said, I love you and that's enough."
My eyes closed and more tears dribbled down the corner of my eyes which he rubbed with the pad of his thumb.
"But I am already Lucien's..." Slowly I opened my eyes "He is your br..."
"He is nothing to me." He snapped almost instantly, cutting me off in the middle "Do not take his name and make me lose the little sanity I have."
My lower lip trembled so badly that I had to bite it. His eyes flicked down for a second as he pulled it out of my teeth's grasp and stroked it with my thumb.
All I felt was disgust but I didn't have the energy to fight anymore. My body was already shutting down.
"When will you understand my love. Hmm?" He probed and I swallowed "I am doing this for you, Cynthia. I could have easily caged you and claimed you as mine years ago. All this marriage drama is just for you"
I shook my head
"You are doing this to legally bind me with yourself so Lucien can't take me away."
The mention of Lucien's name again, made him lose his patience. His hands moved down to my shoulder as he squeezed them tightly.
"Say, 'I do'" he ordered in a voice that left no room for argument.
But I just couldn't part my lips to say the same.
Suddenly he pulled out the gun from his pocket and pulled the trigger in the air, making all of us flinch.
"Say it Cynthia, or I will kill her"