Eden's Point of View

"I believe I asked you a question." His voice was cold and cutting, and I felt my entire body was covered in goosebumps, I could even feel my teeth clatter together. Not only because this hulk of a man was staring down at me like he was about to eat me alive, but because he was fully naked while being in front of me.

"Can you please put on some clothes?" I asked unable to tear my gaze from his intimidating ones, and he smirked.

The type that makes one's skin crawl.

"And what does that change?" He queried before he walked away from me, only then was I able to breathe. Hopefully, he would put on some clothes and I can explain all of this with a clear mind.

He reached the sides of his bed and then opened the drawer next to it.

My eyes widened when I noticed a sleek black handgun with a silver finish, his hands wrapped it as he brough it out of the drawer, and that was when I began hyperventilating; what was I expecting?

A man who was bold enough to own a cabin in the middle of nowhere, he is definitely going to own a gun for protection.

"Putting on clothes doesn't change the fact that you are on my property, uninvited." He pulled on the slides, and my eyes widened, suddenly I was words ran out of my mouth as he neared me once again, pressing the gun to my forehead. "Do I have to ask you again before I shoot?"

"Please don't shoot..." I felt tears welling in my eyes. "I-I was brought here by Thorne."

His eyes narrowed, and then he chuckled.

"You are one of Thorne's whores?" He questioned and for some reason the fear left my body and I became offended. "So, I went to an important conference he decided to turn my cabin home into a motel."

"I am not a whore!" I snapped, feeling tears well in my eyes. "I am his girlfriend."

He chuckled darkly, the kind of laugh that made me sick to the stomach, I bit down on my trembling lips.

"Girlfriend? The CCTV footage would prove otherwise, I have watched quite a few interesting videos before I decided to go for a bath." He claimed, and I felt my heart sank because he just broke it to me that Thorne had been cheating on me. Seeing the surprise in my eyes, he muttered. "Guess you didn't know you are not the only girl he has brought here."

With a cruel smile, he pointed towards the sides of the bed, and my eyes followed the movement, stopping on the red lacy panties that laid on the rumpled bed.

"I was waiting for him to explain to me what this is...Or is this yours?"

My chest tightened and my lungs refused to work, the panties didn't belong to me, but there could be another explanation for it...

"Thorne will never cheat on me." I mumbled piteously and thinking back at it, I felt so stupid for being so vulnerable and dumb.

"Aww... sorry to have heard that from me." He brought the gun away from my sight, and only then was I distracted by the heavy blocks of muscles that held his shoulders, and my eyes coincidentally slid down through the rock-hard muscles of his chest and abdomen to the tantalizing v-line that led to his groin.

I swallowed hard, daring myself not to look there...

My eyes flickered away from his naked body, and now I was struggling to catch my breath because he looks so fucking sexy.

Are men built to be so overpoweringly provocative?

"I am off limits, princess." He noticed I was ogling at him now, so he turned back to the wardrobe, his back was even more chiseled with stone-like muscles I shut my eyes in response to my perverted brain. "You can't claim to be my brother's girlfriend and look at me so sinfully."

"I am sorry," The words slipped out of my mouth. "I didn't know you would be here, I heard the tap rushing, and I only came here to turn it off. I was looking only because I was startled."

He began dressing up, and I looked away from him the whole time, even though I know he was still holding the gun in his hands, not that he would need to waste his bullets to kill me; he was a big man, tall and muscular, he could kill me with a single punch to the gut.

"Are you certain he is cheating on me?" My voice trembles as I asked, tears welled in my eyes as I waited for his response, hoping and praying he was only teasing me.

"I have videos from my CCTV on my laptop." His deep voice came again, he had worn a black pant probably part of the suit piece, because he was now buttoning his shirt. "You can go see for yourself."

The certainty in his voice caused my tears to spill, and so I turned on my heels, and left the room, I need to be on my way now, I don't think I have the heart to wait for Thorne to come back.

I could just murder him, I felt the tears spilled on my cheeks, I wiped them biting on my trembling lips struggling to keep the sob in, I can't cry in front of Thorne's older brother.

I felt my legs knocked on a rock, and the force threw my body, my eyes widened as I realized I wasn't about to fall upon the wooden patio, I was about to fall into the pool.

I screamed loudly as I crashed into the water.

My legs wouldn't reach the pool floor, and that was when I realized that I was doomed, I struggled, trying to get my head up, maybe if I called for help, Thorne's brother would come and save me.

But to my despair he was now on the balcony watching me struggle with the water, and with my life, but he made no attempts to come and save me.

He just stood there watching.

  Just when I felt like I would lose consciousness, I felt a pair of hands grabbed me by the waist and dragged me out of the pool, I felt air... harsh and cold rushing into my lungs and I coughed, the water running out from both my mouth and nose.

My eyes cleared to see the angel who had just saved me, and I felt betrayal tightened my throat once more.

"Are you okay?" Thorne asked with worry clouding his face, and it made me think if he fawned over his other mistresses like this. "What are you doing in the pool? I told you to go inside."

His eyes trailed up and seems like he noticed his brother on the balcony, because his face twisted in shock.

"Fuck." He cursed.

"You should have just left me there to die." I snapped, shoving him away from me. "I mean why the fake concern."

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"What are you talking about?"

"When were you going to tell me that you have been cheating on me?" I queried and his eyes face blanched, confirming my suspicion and he didn't even try to shamelessly deny it. "You brought other girls here, and there is even a strange pantie on the bed."

"What do you expect me to do? You wouldn't have sex with me, so I got it elsewhere." He yelled back at me. "It's bad enough that I have a girlfriend who doesn't fit the norms, what did I even see in someone as dull, boring and ugly as you!"

My eyes popped, almost rolling out of my sockets, I knew he would get mad for confronting him, but I never expected something so... cruel.

"The only reason I remained with you is because you are a virgin, and the only reason I brought you here is to take that away-" before he could finish, I threw a slap in his face, cutting short the rest of the words.

"You fucking piece of shit!" I yelled, my lips trembling as I got up from the floor. "I am glad, I can see you for what a rotten piece of garbage that you truly are."

"It's a long walk from here, you won't a cab, let me drop you off." He suggested but I refused walking away. I threw a glance back at him, and then my eyes flickered back to the balcony where his older brother stood... smirking in satisfaction.

"Bunch of fucking psychos." I muttered underneath my breath as I left through the gate.

Well, I left in anger with the thought that Thorne would realize just how bad he messed up and then come begging for forgiveness, but then I was so wrong, because he didn't care. I realized he didn't lie when he said he never loved me, and the only reason we were still together was because he wanted to fuck me.

Eden's Point of View

"I am telling you it isn't going to work." I argued with father just immediately after dinner and the Adler's has gone, he seemed cheerful all through, and then I realized things is looking all good for him at the expense of my life.

"And why not?" He asked desperately, his entire body was trembling as he grabbed my arms shaking me slightly. "Everything seems to be working fine. Just a few more dates or something, and you both will get married."  

"There is something wrong with Dr. Adler, and I don't think I am cut out for it." I answered my voice trembling as well, after that encounter with him in the garden, my hands haven't stopped trembling.

     I don't have the heart to face Thorne again after what he did to me... And apart from the fact that I believe I might still have some unresolved feelings for him, it just makes no sense to be the sister-in-law of my ex-boyfriend.

And there is Theron, the one who is even a psychopath, being with him might be life threatening, someone who would readily watch another person drown all because he didn't feel like making his new clothes wet.

How the hell did such a person become a doctor?

"No." came my voice again, cutting off whatever father was saying. "I cannot marry that man."

"Why won't you just tell me the reason for your sudden refusal? Everything was going well, you even agreed" Father's desperation was almost physical. "Dr. Theron seems to like you too. His parents confirmed traits they have never seen in him before and it's only because of you; this might not turn out as bad as you think it will."

"That is the problem, father!" I snapped, not that I expected him to care about me or anything. "He is a psychopath, one who is usually cold and controlled- A functioning psychopath, who suddenly develops an interest in something that they don't usually like, things are not looking good for me here father. And you should know characteristics of a psychopath, you are a doctor, father."

He sighed, sitting down on one of the leather sofas; his head buried in his hands.

"If it makes I any better, I will find Evangeline before the end of tomorrow, and then you can marry her off like you planned." I straightened my back. "But I am not getting married to Theron Adler."

"What do you mean? That you would allow your little sister be sent into the tiger's den?" Iris asked, nearing me, and I rolled my eyes. "You are her big sister, and she is basically a child."

"Now I am her big sister? Do you make convenient excuses when you need it?" I snapped I am not allowing someone who never really cared about me and how I have lived my life blackmail me. "When have you ever considered me a big sister to your daughter or even considered me a child to care for?"

"How do you explain everything I have done for you until this point?" She had the nerve to mention that.

"Please do list the things you do for me." I yelled. "All you ever do is judge me, and rub it in my face how difficult it is to grow up without a mother."

"And whose fault is that?" Father snapped getting up from his chair, and my eyes widened, biting down on my lips as I realized I had brought my mother up in the heat of the discussion.

"Father..."

"Answer me." He insisted, his eyes red, and Iris stepped away from us. "Whose fault is it that you have no mother?"

"It is certainly not my fault." My lips quivered, this was the first time I was standing against father in a conversation like this. "Mother had complications during birth, and it is not my fault. Even though you have done this all your life, but as a doctor, it is never right to blame the child for a mishap."

"What?" He growled.

"That is right, I am innocent of whatever you think I am guilty of." I gritted out through clenched teeth. "I am not going to live my life under the shadows of what could have been. I'm done feeling regretful for something that isn't even my-"  

The words barely left my mouth when the sound came,

Sharp, stinging and it echoed.

I heard it before I felt the sharp pain that followed the slap.

The force strong enough to make me stagger, especially since I hadn't eaten anything today, I barely even touched my dinner.

I tasted blood from the ends of my mouth, he had injured me again.

"How dare you..." He clenched both of his fists towering over me with rage burning in his eyes. "How dare you ridicule the sacrifice your mother made for you to be here today. If you were never born; I would have my wife right here with me. If only I had agreed to the abortion, none of this would never have happened."

I picked myself up, wiping the blood from the stinging wound in the corner of my mouth.

"I let you live under my roof, I took you to school, I made you into everything you are today, and you think you have a right to choose for yourself?" I scoffed but said nothing, nothing I say will change anything anyways, he won't even listen to me. "I don't care how miserable your life is with Theron, there is nothing you can do about it, Eden. You have to stick up to whatever he does; you have to endure it for the sake of the hospital. Only then, will you be deserving of the spot for director."

I clenched my fists, ignoring the pain that suddenly filled my chest, I couldn't breathe anymore, almost as though my lungs were filled with water.

My eyes glanced at Iris, who hugged herself, smirking in satisfaction, and my glossy eyes returned to my father who didn't feel even a tiny bit of remorse for what he had just done.

Arguing with them is pointless, wordlessly, I climbed up to my room, slamming the door, and jumping on the bed.

My mouth hurts, I think I injured my tongue as well, I was in the middle of speaking when he suddenly slapped me, I bit my tongue from the impact. My teary eyes darted to my bed side table.

I wasn't teary because I was sad, it was because of the slap, he had never laid a finger on Evangeline no matter what she does, but why does he keep slapping me this way.

I let out a stiff sigh.... It hurts so much as well.

I sniffed wiping the tears from the edge of my eyes, as I grabbed the portrait of my mother on the bedside table; not because I felt any closeness towards her in particular.

In fact if I am being honest, the only thing I feel towards my mother is resentment.

Why would she choose to save me over her own life when all father does is hate me for it?

She never should have gotten pregnant with me in the first place, she never should have kept me, and so I curse the day I was born.

But at the same time, I couldn't hate my mother, just because my father hates me.

And like every other child, I craved the relationship that existed between a mother and a child. I see it every day, I see Evangeline being pampered by Lily, and I get jealous of that relationship most of the time.

And apart from that, I am the splitting image of my mother, I had her hair, her eyes, and her smile.

I used to smile a lot when I was younger, he asked if I was trying to be my mother now, and then forbade me from smiling at him, because it was creepy, and I was scaring him.

I set down the portrait, faced down, I just don't want to see her face tonight, because I am being resentful again.

I really don't want anything to do with that family, they are just too perfect, and the mother doesn't look like she likes me. I would hate to have an insufferable mother-in-law.

I still have unresolved trauma associated with the abrupt end of my relationship with Thorne, I never really got revenge on him for lying to me, and cheating on me.

And not just that, now, I am supposed to marry his brother and be his sister-in-law?

I paused.

Everything sinking into me.

 Now that I'm thinking about it, maybe getting married to his brother might not be a bad idea.

I could get my revenge by showing him what he is missing, the only problem was that he never really found me attractive to begin with.

"Fuck." I cursed in defeat as I curled up in my bed.