Elijah's POV
He heard Christian's voice, but he was still dizzy from the amount of alcohol he drank last night. He didn't even know where he had slept or entered the room. His body swayed slightly when someone pulled him upright. When he opened his eyes, it was Christian with a furious look; he still hadn't recovered from standing up to him, so he couldn't figure out why."Tell me, what were you thinking when you did that to Charlotte?!"While closing his eyes, he didn't know what Christian was saying to him. "What are you saying? I'm sleeping, and then you'll wake me up and ask what I did to your sister."The answer he got from Christian was a punch in the face. His head turned, and while his hand was holding his jaw, he was stunned by Christian's sister's condition. It cries while the body is wrapped in a blanket. There, he woke up and looked at himself; he had no covering on his body down to the bottom. He was still confused and looked at Christian, whose eyes were already glazed over."You have been my best friend since elementary school. But why did you do this to my own sister, Elijah?!”He sat down and remembered what happened last night, but he didn't remember anything except that he was on the sofa and fell asleep there, but when he entered Charlotte's room, he didn't remember anything."I cannot remember anything.""Don't even try to fool me, Elijah!"He frowned. "I'll tell you if I remember anything, but I don't, Christian!""Fix yourself; we'll talk with Charlotte in the living room. By doing this, your freedom will be cut off.”Christian stood his sister up and helped her out of the room. He could clearly see how she was gasping for breath from crying so much. When they finally got out, he stood up to get his clothes and put them back on. Then he left the room. He will meet Christian, who still has a hard face, who just passed him and continues to enter Charlotte's room, looking like he is going to get his sister's clothes.He continued to walk towards the living room, but he was surprised that his other friends weren't there. What time is it, and everyone is drunk on wine? How else can they get home?“If you are wondering why they are not there, I woke them up to move rooms here so we could have a place to talk. Sit there; I'll just take Charlotte back to my room for a while."Christian left again, and he was left in the living room. He sat on the long sofa and waited for the two siblings to return, but his mind was still confused by what was happening. Did he make a mistake because of the drunkenness that just happened, or did he lose his mind when he woke up earlier?He looked at the siblings who stopped next to the single seat. Charlotte was bent over, but she was no longer crying. Christian made Charlotte sit on the sofa where he was sitting, but just slightly away from her, Christian also sat in the same chair before he spoke."We need to talk about what happened to the two of you when our parents were here. They should have been surprised when they came home tonight, but it looks like they will be surprised because of what you did, Elijah."He bowed down and thought about how Christian's parents would react to what happened. Uncle Ted and Aunt Mia are like his parents, whenever he is at Christian's house and having fun or drinking. He was overcome with intense nervousness just from their reaction. He turned to Charlotte; she was stunned, and he could clearly see her still-wet eyelashes. He suspected that she was shocked and had done something that made Charlotte look traumatized.He heard the sound of a car outside the house. His hands were clenched because they were shaking slightly, and he was trying to prepare himself for what they were going to say.The door opened, and the first to enter was Aunt Mia as she smiled. He couldn't look at her smile because it would surely disappear too."We're back!"No one greeted Charlotte and Christian, so their mother was surprised."Char and Chris, won't you at least give me a kiss? It's been a while since we were on vacation together with your dad."He looked at Christian, but he was already looking at him. He looked away, but Aunt Mia's eyes met his now.She smiled at him. "You're here, Elijah. Sorry I didn't notice you right away, but nice seeing you again."He didn't know if he should smile, but he nodded slightly and gave a small smile. His attention shifted to Christian and Charlotte as Aunt Mia approached them.“Do you two have a problem? You are quiet.""Yes, we have a problem, Mom," said Christian."What is it?""It's better if dad is already here to discuss the problem."Aunt Mia looked at his daughter Charlotte. “Charlotte, you. Are you okay?"It didn't answer, and Charlotte just remained dumbfounded.Uncle Ted entered with bags to welcome Charlotte. Yes, he knew it was Charlotte's because, by the time he had been here, he had mastered everything, even what Charlotte wanted."Baby daddy is here! We have something for you." He was smiling as he happily walked towards them, but he also stopped when Charlotte did not respond to him. He looked at his wife. "Is she sick? That's why she didn't greet me.""Sit down first, Mom and Dad," Christian said.Aunt Mia sat between the two of them and Charlotte, while Uncle Ted also sat opposite Christian on the single sofa."We have a big problem, Mom and Dad.""What?" Uncle Ted frowned when he asked.Christian sighed. "It was only a few hours before the problem happened before you arrived, and—" Christian looked at him. "I don't know what your reaction will be to what happened to your unica ija.""What's that?""I know it's my fault, but I also didn't know that it would happen like that." Christian stopped for a moment. "Your only daughter will get married before your eldest son.""What do you mean, Christian? Does Charlotte have a boyfriend? Why don't your dad and I know?""Elijah did a sin to Charlotte.""What's that?"Christian's jaw dropped. "Elijah... raped, Charlotte!""What?! What?!" the couple shouted at the same time.Uncle Ted turned to him, but he couldn't see any emotion. That made him even more nervous."Is what Christian said true, Elijah?""Uncle, I'll explain...""No! My question is for you to answer. Is what Christian said true?”He clenched his fist, but his eyes watered. “I'm sorry, Uncle.”He bent down and clenched his fist, but he received a furious punch from Uncle Ted. He winced when he touched the side of his lips, but it still didn't stop, and Uncle didn't intend to because it was his fault."Ted, that's enough!!"But Uncle still continued to punch him, but with one punch, he really weakened, right in his eye, so he couldn't lick it off."I said enough!!" Aunt Mia's voice was trembling.He sat on the floor while trying to open one of his eyes."That's not enough, Elijah! I treated you like a son and let you live in our house, but this is what you do to our only daughter!!”He fell to his knees and faced the punishment he would inflict. "I don't know what happened, but I will face more consequences for my sin.""Marry my daughter."He didn't answer right away because marriage was sacred and nothing was lost when he entered it."What, Elijah? You will sin against Charlotte, or I will lock you up, and you will die there in the cell.”"Dad, I don't want to!"He frowned when he heard Charlotte's voice.Uncle Ted looked at Charlotte. "Char, this is the best way we can do it. I don't want to laugh at you and be the target of hurtful words because of what happened.""My... studies, dad," tears welled up in Charlotte's eyes again.Uncle can also see in his eyes that he feels sorry for his daughter, but he just doesn't want to show it to Charlotte."You will still continue your studies. You won't stop."Charlotte shook her head. "Dad, please. I don't want to get married.""That's the right thing to do, Charlotte. After one week, the marriage of the two of you will take place, whether you like it or not," Christian said firmly."But brother...""That's our final decision, but if you want, choose between marrying Elijah or filing a case for what he does to you.”He secretly looked at Charlotte; even he was waiting for her answer, but Charlotte just bowed and did not buy what Christian said. He was relieved there, but if she chose to imprison him, he would not do anything to prevent her from being imprisoned.Christian looked at him seriously. "You're still lucky, Elijah, because my sister is kind, but someone like you just took advantage of her."A drop of tears fell down his cheek. It would take a long time before Christian would forgive him.Charlotte's POVAfter one week...She was facing the mirror now, lost in thought. Today is her wedding day with Elijah. It's not a grand affair—no wedding gown, not in a church, no venue for the wedding reception, and most importantly, no guests except for their respective families.She requested that her parents not let her and Elijah get married in a church; she preferred to get married just at the judge's office and without anyone knowing that they were getting married. It's because it's unavoidable for people not to pry into why she and Elijah were getting married, and in people's minds, it's like they're making up their own story about why they're getting married, so it's better to just keep quiet. After all, the reason they're getting married is because of a mistake, but she couldn't help but cry before this day because she never thought that her brother's friend would do such a thing to her, but she couldn't do anything about it now because everything had already happened and n
Charlotte sat at the table, leaving two seats between her and the guests. Being the only one on her side, she indulged freely in the food she took, while Elijah sat next to her."Eat properly, Charlotte."She paused, glancing at her plate. Everything was neatly arranged, but she had a small appetite and wasn't particularly hungry."I'm eating fine, Elijah."He pointed to a drop of sauce on the tablecloth. "Is that fine? No, Charlotte. If you're going to eat, do it properly."Raising an eyebrow, she looked at the small stain on the fabric. His attention to detail was impressive; despite her plate being covered, he still noticed.She pulled her plate closer, ensuring no food fell, and continued eating."We both agreed that no one would know we're married, right?" She nodded, still chewing. "That night was before our wedding."She stopped eating. "This is the first time we've talked alone. I'm sorry for that night, Charlotte. I don't know what came over me."She could never forget what h
Elijah’s POVAs he sat quietly, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in the side of his stomach. He looked over at Charlotte, who was staring blankly at his abdomen."What are you doing, and why are you moving around so much?" he asked.Charlotte held up the money she was trying to count."I told you to focus on that later. Why are you so restless?""I have nothing else to do, so I started counting the money, and I've finished eating.""Aren't you ashamed of what you're doing? You look like you're counting money."Charlotte stopped what she was doing and turned to face him, wearing a serious expression on her face. "I'm starting this now because I have classes tomorrow," she explained."But you had time the other day," he pointed out."I have somewhere to go that day," Charlotte replied.He raised an eyebrow. "Where are you going?""Just to see a friend," Charlotte reassured him."Are you sure?" he asked skeptically."Yes," Charlotte replied, ignoring his doubts and continuing to separate th
Elijah's POVAfter staring at what he was reading for a long time, he blinked multiple times. He glanced at the clock, which was already eleven at night, but he didn't hear anyone trying to open the door. He put down the papers he was holding, as well as his eyeglasses, and stepped out of the room. It was obvious to him that his household staff were already asleep in the house, and the downstairs appeared clean when he peeked.He went to the adjacent room, slowly opening it and peeking inside, but Charlotte wasn't there, nor was she in the third room.Where could she have gone again?He descended the stairs and checked the entire house, but Charlotte was nowhere to be found. He was about to go to the servants' quarters to see if she was there, but he refrained, not wanting to disturb them. Now he stood in the middle of the living room, contemplating, but when his gaze drifted to the row of car keys, one was missing.He approached and looked at the keys. Would Charlotte be capable of d
Charlotte's POVShe stayed in Elijah's room after he left. She had a terrifying dream where Elijah's actions replayed in her room. It felt like she was back in her room while Elijah was doing something. She was even more scared when she woke up in the position he had left her in earlier while trying to wake her up. Perhaps it was because she was lying next to Elijah and she didn't realize that he had already carried her into the house and placed her inside the car. She glanced at the clock, it was already six in the morning.She stood up and looked at what she was wearing. She hadn't changed clothes, so she wondered why she was still lying in Elijah's bed, especially since he didn't like dirt or changing clothes.Surely, the bedsheet, blanket, and pillowcases would be changed later.She went to the bathroom to look for an unused toothbrush. She opened the cabinet above and found one. She took it out of the plastic wrapping brushed her teeth and washed her face. Then she went out with
Charlotte's POVShe went upstairs to ask Elijah about clothes. She just opened the door without knocking. She didn't see Elijah inside, he seemed to be in the bathroom, so she went to the closet to see if there was anything that would fit her, she would figure out the styling later.She opened two cabinets, but none of them had anything suitable for her. Only the last cabinet was left unopened, maybe there would be something, so she opened it but frowned because all the clothes hanging and folded at the bottom were women's clothes.Why are there women's clothes here?The bathroom door opened, so she looked. She looked away from Elijah because he was only wearing a towel around his lower body."Why are you poking around in that cabinet?""I just wanted to see if any of your clothes would fit me, but in this last cabinet of yours, why are there only women's clothes?"Elijah approached her, so she slightly moved away from the cabinet."These belong to my sister, whenever she stays here."
Charlotte's POVShe stepped out of the room and walked out of the house. Elijah was already inside the car, waiting for her to get in."Where are you meeting your friends?""At my friend's house."She noticed Elijah's eyes squint slightly. Maybe his vision is getting blurry."Which friend?""Mary."He nodded and started the car. She wondered why, with so many cars, Elijah only used one when going to their house. There were a lot of cars parked inside the yard, why weren't they used?"Do you know how to drive a car?" Elijah asked."No.""But you know how to start it?""I've seen my dad and brother do it.""Did you know what you did last night while you were asleep in the car is dangerous? Even if the car is running, there's a tendency to run out of gas. What if it runs out? The engine will die, and there won't be any air inside. Don't do it again, Charlotte."She didn'
Elijah's POVHe was standing in front of his house, waiting for Charlotte, it was already five o'clock, and she still hadn't arrived. On the first day of their agreement, it seemed like she was already breaking it.When six o'clock struck, he decided to go and pick her up. He knew where Charlotte's friend's house was because he had followed the tricycle she rode earlier before finally leaving the area.He stood outside, arms crossed, as he watched the gate. Suddenly, a woman who seemed intoxicated stumbled into his yard.He quickly walked over to Charlotte. "Good thing you didn't break our agreement right from the start." She didn't respond, just kept her head down, but her stance was unsteady."Charlotte.""Hmmp.."Something was off about her. He lifted her chin to meet her gaze. Her eyes were glassy as she looked at him."Are you drunk?"Charlotte furrowed her brow. "N-No..."He brought his n