Chapter 4 4.

Sunk into the wall behind me and wrapped my arms around my knees, this could not be happening. He had barely said 2 sentences to me, but I knew he was cruel and sinister. I heard the elevator grumble and quickly got up and ran to my room to dry my tears and avoid my parents. I picked up my phone to see countless texts from worried Anna. I clicked on her name and called her.

"Sophie, are you okay? That guard just took you. I'm so sorry, I didn't know what to do!" Her voice full of guilt and worry.

"I'm fine, but I want to get out of here. Let's go to that new club, and I'll explain everything on the way," I responded.

She told me to meet her outside my building, and I waited for my parents to come back up and scatter throughout my apartment before I jumped in the elevator and left. As I walked out, I glared at Kent, who gave me a light smile filled with sorrow and guilt, and met Anna, who started questioning me about Andrew immediately.

I explained the entire interaction, and she looked just as scared and shocked as I was.

"We can get you out of this. Let's go down to our houses in Connecticut or The Hamptons?" She pleaded while I just shook my head.

"I can't. They'll find me and just be even angrier. Plus, I don't even know when the wedding is." We both cringed at the word "wedding" as we arrived at the new club, Light Fix.

We cut the entire line and waved sweetly to the two bouncers who quickly opened the doors for us as Anna handed them each $100 bills. To my surprise, we entered to meet some of my friends who had been here last night: Logan and a few of his teammates.

I looked at them with surprise and excitement and back at Anna. "What, I thought you needed some cheering up!" She screamed as the music blasted around us. We danced for hours, drinking hard seltzers and cosmos.

Photographers were taking pictures of us and the rest of the crowd throughout the night, hoping to get the perfect photo for the tabloids. Logan wrapped his arm around my shoulder, and I leaned in close to smile and then looked up at him as he planted a kiss on my lips. The photographer looked at his camera with pride and left soon after.

Later that night, Logan dropped me off at my apartment, and I headed straight to bed. It was Thursday, and I had school tomorrow! As per my usual routine, I stepped into the elevator and pulled my phone out to check the notifications. I scrolled through them quickly, catching a glimpse of the texts my friends had sent me about some photo. The elevator doors opened before I could read too much, and I walked out to find my parents waiting for me. My father's expression was one of anger and disappointment, but my mother's was softer and sadder.

"How could you embarrass us like that this afternoon, sneaking out and getting caught!" My father's voice shifted toward desperation, and I quickly apologized and asked to be excused for bed. My parents nodded, and I walked away toward my bedroom.

"One last thing, your wedding will be held next week. It's already all planned out and set in motion. You just have to pick out a dress!" My mom said with a bright smile on her face, expecting me to be happy.

"Next week! Next week! That's too soon. It's only March, and I haven't even finished my senior year," I pleaded, hoping she would just call off the entire wedding.

"You will marry him and stop attending Castlewood Prep unless he permits you to finish," my father stated bluntly. I felt a tear escape my eyes and ran to my room before slamming the door.

I lay in my bed until my eyes burned from the tears and my head stung. I walked to the bathroom and gently washed my swollen face before slipping out of my dress and putting on another matching silk pajama set. I lay in bed and picked up my phone for the first time since the elevator and started reading the texts. I missed a bunch of calls from my friends and even one from Mark. My head pulsed with pain, and I just sent him a quick text: "Hey, sorry I missed your call. I got home safe and was just talking to my parents. Talk to you tomorrow at school." I knew I needed to tell Mark about the arrangement, but I just didn't know how.

As I switched my attention to my friends' group chat texts, I was shocked when I saw screenshots of the photos of me and Mark smiling and kissing in the tabloids. "Sophia poses for a series of photos with her boyfriend at the new club, Light Fix." While my name was in the tabloids nearly every week, I felt a shiver of fear release through me at the thought of andrew seeing this. I shut my phone off and lay back, attempting to fall asleep.

The next morning, I woke earlier than normal due to my inability to sleep. I got dressed and headed out, happy that I could avoid seeing my parents. I stepped into the elevator and was so close... "Wait!" My mother cried out as she stuck her hand through the elevator door to open it. "Meet me at Kleinfeld's after school today. We're picking out your wedding dress!" She squealed with fake excitement, and I agreed and left. I picked up some coffee from my and Anna's favorite shop and bought a few extras for my friends before arriving at school and handing them out. Anna sat with me on the steps, and we discussed how I should tell Mark. I thought maybe I should just break up with him and not tell him about the marriage, but Anna was convinced I needed to tell him everything for it to be fair. I knew she was right, but I just didn't know how to do it. I had been dating Logan for almost a year, and I really did love him.

I was about to walk into school when I watched a black limousine drive up and heard the driver call my name. I walked over suspiciously, wondering who was in the limousine. When the window rolled open, it revealed Andrew in another navy suit.

His stare was harsh and angry as he handed me a small stack of photos. I flipped through them, realizing they were tabloid photos of me and Mark, including the ones from the night before. "I took care of it," he stated in an emotionless and intimidating tone. I nodded due to the fact that I couldn't even open my mouth to say a word.

"This cannot happen again," this time his voice was deeper and harsher, sending shivers down my spine.

I nodded again and slowly turned around and walked up the steps. Before the limousine had driven away, Mark ran up to me and wrapped his arm around my body and planted a kiss on my cheek. I knew Andrew had seen this, but I didn't dare turn around. A tear rolled down my cheek as I thought of my nearing future with the cruel man who had just spoken to me and quickly wiped it away before anyone could notice.