"Leroy," I gasp and try to blink the tears away that are blocking my vision.

Just as I'm about to reach for his arm with my other hand too, he just gently swats it away and blows out the thick smoke. I start coughing and turn my head away as I scan the wall to see if there's anything I can grab onto.

I trust him to drop me because this height wouldn't kill me, it would just break all my bones.

Whimpering, I dig my fingernails into his skin, because if he really lets go of my forearm, I will fall. Leroy grits his teeth but says nothing.

"So, I understand your words now, that you will most likely just say no at the altar, am I right?" he asks me, looking down at me with interest. Wide-eyed, I stare at the burning stalk in front of me, which is damn close to my arm, and a dark foreboding creeps over me. No, he doesn't want to do that, does he?

"Leroy... What are you up to?", I croak, not taking my eyes off the cigarette. Leroy smirks and takes another deep drag, causing the cigarette to burn further. If this keeps up, the ash is going to fall on my arm or face and it's going to fucking hurt.

"To be honest, I don't want to hurt you, chica. You're confused, hurt, and just plain exhausted and that's why I'm not going to play rough with you," he begins, looking down at me with a sigh. I tear my eyes open in amazement. If this isn't the hard way, then what is it?

"And I'm pretty tired somewhere too," he adds, pressing his lips together before taking another drag. I grit my teeth and feel myself only getting angrier at his words.

"You're such a...-," I'm about to start and want to hurl a nasty insult at him, when he lets go of my arm a few inches, making me cry out in shock.

"Ah, ah, ah. You'd better stop that, we're wasting time."

"I won't marry you," I bring out between clenched teeth and try to hold onto him again with my other hand, but he pushes it away one more time, at which I can only growl. "Leroy, I'm going to fall! This isn't funny anymore!"

"I never joke around." He returns my gaze seriously and once again takes a drag on the cigarette, where the burning stub is about to fall. I bite my lower lip straining, feeling sweat roll down my forehead and tickle me.

"You're going to burn me. You say you don't want to hurt me, but you do."

"Oh please, that's hardly painful, just a little beauty mark," he smirks, seeming genuinely amused. My features slip at his words.

The guy is sick.

He's just sick.

"Leroy," I try again, but he interrupts me.

"The longer you drag it out, the greater the possibility that you'll be marked with burns... and have all your bones broken," he replies impassively, glancing at the ground before smiling thinly. "Pretty high, but it won't kill you."

"Leroy, you can't force me!"

"Oh, can't I? But you've noticed the situation you're in right now, haven't you?" Amused, he deliberately brings the cigarette slowly to his lips as my features slip yet again. Why is this so important to him? What possible reason is there to marry someone you don't love? That is the only reason! And he certainly doesn't love me.

"That's bullshit. I can promise now and still deny it at the altar. Do you really think I think about morality in a situation like this?", I launch into another attempt.

Raspy and deep he suddenly starts laughing and for a moment I'm completely perplexed that he can do it at all. And he even looks great doing it, hard to believe!

The tip of his tongue touches his front teeth as he laughs and his eyes narrow a little, so he looks really cute for a moment.

But then his smile fades and the far too hard features return, making me swallow and avert my gaze. "Sometimes I don't understand if you're playing dumb, or if you're really that stupid." He sighs and closes his eyes for a moment, the cigarette coming dangerously close to my arm. "I don't want you to promise me, I want you to swear to me. Swear to me that you won't give me any trouble at the altar."

Irritated, I frown.

Swear?

I would break that too! But he doesn't need to know that. I guess he thinks it's because I have such a soft heart that I even keep promises! Normally I do, but in a case like this? Why should I do that?

"All right. I swear to you that I won't cause you any problems at the altar," I buckle and look him in the eyes as hard as I can. Leroy looks down at me from half-closed eyes, his mouth remaining a tiny bit open. He distrusts me for agreeing too quickly.

"I swear as well..." he begins suddenly, without taking his eyes off me.

A dark veil now settles on his striking features, as if he has smelled that I am pulling his leg. Swallowing, I furrow my brow questioningly, whereupon he merely raises a brow and looks down at me, waiting.

He wants me to repeat after him.

"I swear as well...", I croak, waiting for his next words.

"That I am aware..."

I repeat his words haltingly, unsure of where this is going.

It doesn't matter at all, you're not keeping your promise!

True. I'm not going to stick to it anyway, so I can swear all I want.

"That it will all end in a bloodbath if I choose not to and accidentally forget my oath. The first blood that will be spilled is the blood of my parents."

I look up at him, frozen, unable to believe what he has just said. So if I don't play along, he will kill everything and everyone?

My heart skips a beat before it slams full force against my ribcage. I tense up, clawing at his arm because my hands are starting to sweat and I'm afraid I'm going to slip. He can't do this! He can't just kill innocent people, he...

I cry out loud as the burning stalk suddenly breaks and falls on my arm. The ash spreads and eats into my skin, burning it, which hurts like hell. I can't suppress the next scream either, as I feel Leroy blowing the ash away, partly brushing it away with his finger.

"Right on time," he murmurs contentedly and looks down from my arm into my tear-stained face. If I didn't know better, I would have claimed that he was freezing, but why should that be? Because not a bit of ash has fallen on my face?

Inwardly I snort as he averts his eyes a blink later. Angrily, I grit my teeth. It's my fault because I got myself into all this. If only I had chosen death back then, then all this would never have happened...

Inwardly moaning, I clench my hand into a fist as his grip slowly begins to hurt. My arm must have fallen asleep. Why is he so damn patient? And why the hell can't I just say those fucking words! I have no choice.

That oath he quoted, it's not there for me to repeat. Leroy himself has no morals, no manners, he doesn't believe in oaths! He just wants to show me what will happen if I don't comply and say no at the altar.

Of course, his games are as sick as he is.

"Let's hope the second stalk won't disfigure your beautiful face while you take so much time to think about everything," he suddenly murmurs, snapping me out of my thoughts. I wince and snort softly before inwardly sighing and slumping my shoulders.

"I swear I won't cause you any problems at the altar. I swear equally that I am aware that it will all end in a bloodbath if I choose not to and inadvertently forget my oath. The first Blood to be spilled is... my parents'," I bring out shakily through my lips and immediately bite down on it as my lower lip begins to quiver, heralding the next tears.

I can't believe he really put me in such a situation. Before I can say anything else, I see the smoked-out cigarette flutter to the ground beside me, and barely a second later, I feel his hand on my waist before I am quickly pulled back inside.

Breathless, I unconsciously hold on to him, staring blankly at his chest until he lowers his head a little and his cool breath brushes my cheek.

Satisfied, he blinks at me and I only now realize how close we actually are. Danny's little hand might still fit between us. The realization makes me sick to my stomach and I want to move away, but I just can't budge.

"It was a great game, wasn't it?"

At these words, I merely grimace and finally tear myself away. Relieved that I have found control over my body, I run into the bathroom to cool my arm with cold water. Sobbing quietly, I stand at the sink and look down at the burns. There are about five small strips, but fortunately, they are only superficial.

Well, at least there won't be any scars...

I hiss as the cold water touches my tingling arm for the first moment and grit my teeth. God, I can't decide if it's good for me or not. Part of it burns and part of it does a damn sight better. Sighing, I close my eyes as the pain subsides completely for a moment, but wince hard when I hear someone come into the bathroom.

Why the hell is he still here?

A few seconds later, I feel something heavy on my shoulders and when I open my eyes, I am actually staring into the face of Leroy, who has placed his hands on my shoulders. I want to scream, it makes me so mad, but I refrain. If I'm quiet, maybe he'll leave.

"I think I'm starting to like you," he reveals with a smirk.

I form my eyes into slits indignantly, just unable to take my eyes off his wicked smile. "Because you enjoy hurting me?", I whisper.

Only the rushing water can be heard, so silent it remains between us as I await his answer. A small dimple appears under his eye as he answers this time.

"You have no idea how much," he confesses.

I avert my gaze and look back down at my arm, saying nothing in reply, and just wait silently for him to leave, which he finally does after a while.

And when I finally lie tired in bed, after still smearing my arm with the ointment and wrapping it with a bandage that the asshole has placed on my bed, I can only think of one thing that panics me.

If he really finds pleasure in playing with me, then I am screwed.

☼ ❅

The next morning, I hardly open my eyes to look at the faces of strangers. Perplexed, I blink at all the women standing in front of my bed.

"What's going on here?" I murmur sleepily and carefully straighten up, only to be embraced by Yang. From which corner did she pop out now?

"Oh, sweetheart! I'm so happy for you!" she exclaims and hugs me tightly.

Confused, however, I continue to look at the five women who have strange suitcases standing next to them. Why are they standing around with suitcases? Who are they anyway?

"What's going on here, Yang?", I ask her, raising my head in irritation when she finally lets go of me. A questioning expression flits across her features for a moment before she shakes her head, smiling.

"You're getting married today! Mr. Kingston fronted the wedding, did he not even tell you or did you forget?" Yang giggles and the women do the same, thinking more likely I've forgotten.

I freeze at first, feeling the heat of the blazing flame raging in my heart slowly creep up my whole body until I can feel the red marks forming on my neck, I am so indignant.

"How on earth could you keep from me that Mr. Kingston and you ... That you love each other and are getting married?" she asks excitedly, looking into mine from glittering eyes, while I can only close my eyes in exhaustion and shake my head.

"I totally forgot. I'm sorry," I breathe.

"All forgiven! I'm so happy for you, I can't stop smiling," she sighs delightedly, clapping her hands far too euphorically. "Who would have thought that the Senor would ever fall in love? Hach, I'm so happy!"

I grit my teeth furiously. Who would have thought Leroy would be more likely to top himself and become an even bigger asshole?

At least I didn't.

And then the horror really starts. The bath has already been filled and I can smell the fragrant oils all the way here, but before that, I have to be depilated. Before I can even think about how fucking creepy it is that they've already been walking around here while I was asleep, I'm passed on to a woman called Eva, with whom I spend the worst minutes of my life.

Why does it hurt so much to be depilated?!

Then I take a bath, and although I would have liked to stay in it a little longer, it can only be for fifteen minutes. Exactly.

"Señora!", I suddenly hear the voices of the women whose names I simply cannot remember, while I delay the minutes a little longer and refuse to get out of the tub.

However, they suddenly come into the bathroom with various wedding dresses in their hands, whereupon an "Oops!", escapes me. The women look at me reprovingly. "There's nothing that we don't have," says the small and relatively round woman.

My cheeks begin to burn as, despite her words, I dive a little and try to cover everything in the foam. They, however, do not address it.

"Which one?" they then ask, grinning, in chorus. I grimace slightly and shrug my shoulders before turning away again and playing with the foam.

"I don't care, let Yang choose it for me," I reply relatively impassively. In response, they all draw in their breath sharply. Again in chorus. I refrain from rolling my eyes and take a deep breath.

"You can't do that! You're the bride, Belleza!" they say.

But I only hear this one word.

Belleza.

It means beautiful.

Belleza del Silencio...

Of course, these words pop straight into my head and I can't help but just roll my eyes again because of it. These words are just as confusing as the one who uttered them back then!

Nevertheless, I am still interested in what he was referring to...

Maybe someday I will get the chance to ask him. I'm sure of it. After all, I'm going to be his wife today and that means I'll be with him. Forever.

"Hóla! Here's where the music plays," the voices snatch me from the thoughts that threatened to swallow me up for a moment. I flinch and look up. Sighing, I point my index finger at a random dress. The main thing is that they finally leave...

"A very good choice, Senora!" they shout again simultaneously and finally leave the bathroom. Hissing, I dive under.

☼ ❅