Sentenced to Marriage

Chapter 48

Facing the enemy

Callan stood in front of me, his eyes looking at me with an odd sadness and pain. He had no jacket on. His shirt was half–unbuttoned, and its sleeves were rolled up. The sleekly combed hair he had before was now ruffled. As he stepped toward me, I could smell alcohol in his breath.

“Why are you with him, Cora?” he asked softly.

“W–what?” His painful tone caught me off–guard more than his words. “Is it because I have never told you that I’m a Winton?” He stepped closer, his eyes tightly locked on mine.

“What are you talking about?!” I stepped back, desperately trying to keep my distance.

He sighed heavily and sat on the bed. “It was my Grandfather‘s idea. He forced me to use my Mother‘s name, scared that I would somehow dishonor the Winton name by involving myself in scandals while away from home. Only the professors knew that my name wasn‘t Garrod.”

“Why are you telling me this? Why now?” I took another step back and found myself leaning against the wall.

“I should have told you who I am...” he mumbled. “Would it change anything? You dumped me, remember?” I huffed. He pulled himself back up to his heels and lurched to grab me by my arms. “I had to! Grandpa would have disinherited me if I wanted to marry someone who… who...”

“Someone like me?” I scoffed. “Someone without money or connections?” Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

He lowered his head, stroking down my arms‘ length with his fingers, making me flinch.

“Callan, you need to leave,” I said, his touch nauseating me more by the second.

“Come back to me, Cora,” he whispered. “My family has already met you... We could get married…”

I pushed him away, disgust painting my face. “You‘re delusional! You cannot possibly think that I would come back to you?!” How could he talk about getting back together, let alone marrying?! There were days when I wished he had proposed, but it was long before I realized how abusive this person might be; before he crushed my confidence, making me weak and vulnerable to his venom. He puffed angrily, combing his hair with his fingers. “My brother doesn‘t know you like I do! How long have you known each other anyway?!”

“It‘s not your business. You need to leave,” I squeezed through my teeth.

My heart pounded hectically. I was more than aware of what Callan was capable of. He had always been unpredictable and cruel, and I could only imagine what could come to his sick head at the moment he was drunk, frustrated, and angry. I was in his territory, in his family house… I wished that he would just go away, but I also knew that the chances for that to

happen were weaker by the second

He chuckled coldly, his eyes scanning my body wrapped in a silk nightgown. “Does he know what you like? Does he know how to satisfy you.”

I shook my head, defensively folding my arms and rubbing them to get rid of the shivering” Don‘t go there, Callan, please...” “Admit it, you loved the way I fucked you. It did feel good, didn‘t it?” He stepped closer, his lustful gaze examining my every curve. “I don‘t want to remember anything about you!” I screamed, my fists clenched,

A second later, hiswarms grabbed me, pulling me into a tight embrace as he tried to kiss me,” I‘ll make you remember how good it felt.”

“No!” I screamed, tilting my head away and trying to slap him, but he grabbed my arms.

“You like to play rough as always.” His icy laugh brought back the worst memories I had of

him.

I groaned, trying to release myself, but his grip only tightened. A moment later, I found myself withering and helplessly fighting against his strength. “Let go, you psychopath!” “Cora?!” I heard Aren‘s voice coming from behind the door.

My heart started to pound even more frantically. The hope that voice gave me woke up every ounce of remaining strength within me. “Aren!” I shouted before Callan clamped my mouth with his hand to silence me. I used a moment of his distraction and stomped on his foot. As he loosened his grip on me, I bit his hand. “Aren! Help!” Aren rattled the door handle violently, but it was locked. Callan smirked mischievously, his cold, predatory eyes locked on me. “You bastard!” I used all of my strength to push him away and rushed to the door to open it. He was faster. He stopped me and violently pushed me onto the bed.

“Let me go!” I yelled as he threw himself at me, pinning me down.

As I fought against Callan, I heard Aren trying to force the door. The door hinges bounced as he rammed it again and again. I screamed and cursed at Callan, but he didn‘t stop. I tried to kick him, but he restrained me. My weak body couldn‘t match his strength and the body weight of an over–six–foot–tall man. His sleazy hands went underneath the silk of my gown, touching my thighs and trying to slide between them. Suddenly, the door broke, and Aren barged into the room, his eyes blazing in fury. Callen jumped away from the bed, a wicked grin curving his lips. “She let me in herself. She was the one who seduced me,” he said, pointing at me while I lay on the bed trembling.. Aren glanced at me, his jaw clenched. His icy stare at me sent shivers down my spine. He wouldn‘t believe Callan‘s words, would he? I shook my head, tears flowing from my eyes. “No... he is lying...” I mumbled.

Faring the party

A second later, Aren lunged at Callan, his fist meeting Callan‘s jaw. The strength of Aren‘s hit knocked Callan down to the ground. Callan jumped back to his feet with an enraged growl as he lurched at Aren,

trying to rain him down. Aren punched his ribs, and a split second later, threw Callan over his shoulder. I gasped, barely registering his movements. Once Callan hit the floor, Aren started punching him again and again, turning his face into a bloody pulp. As I observed his rage–soaked movements, a stabbing pain pierced my chest. My pain wasn‘t for Callan, but for Aren–I didn‘t want him to dirty his hands because of me. “Stop! You‘re going to kill him!” I cried out. “Please, don‘t do this!”

Aren looked at me, the murderous glare fading as his eyes met mine. He stood up, leaving a weakly panting Callan lying on the floor. I crawled to the edge of the bed, sitting up and cautiously watching Aren as he walked toward me. His knuckles were all covered in blood. I rose up to my knees and grabbed his hand, gently caressing it and making him loosen his clenched fists.

He exhaled in a rush and grabbed the back of my head, pressing it to his chest. “I‘m sorry... I shouldn‘t have left you alone.”

I wrapped my arms around his waist. “You couldn‘t have known.. I don‘t even know how he got into this bedroom. The door was closed, and I would never–”

“I know, Cora. I know.” He stroked my head, trying to calm me down. “That fucker probably had a universal key. He could get anywhere in the mansion. I should have predicted it.” He drew me in closer, melting me in his body heat.

Suddenly, Vanessa and James stormed into the bedroom, and two servants followed her. First, their eyes focused on Aren standing by the bed and embracing me, and then their eyes shifted to Callan, murmuring incomprehensible words in pain, lying in the corner of the room. As Vanessa saw her son on the floor, covered in blood, she started to scream, “Callan!”

“Aren, what did you do?!” James Winton roared.

“What did you do to my son, you monster?!” Vanessa‘s high–pitched voice instantly alerted the entire mansion.

Aren glared at her. “He should thank Cora. If it wasn‘t for her, he would have been dead by now.” “Thank Cora?!” she yelled. “Why should I thank that peasant whore for anything?!”

Aren exhaled through clenched teeth. “Apologize to her at once.” His words carried a threat no one would dare ignore.

“Or what?” she scoffed daringly.

Aren turned toward her, his eyes darkening dangerously. “She said too much, but you need to explain yourself.” James stepped in front of his wife, protecting her from Aren‘s rising fury. “What‘s going on in here?!” Augustus marched into our already crowded bedroom, his eyes narrowing in anger.