Moisty eyes? It doesn't effect anyone, not even a single person. -Me

SCARLET'S P.O.V:

It felt as if birds were chirping in my ear and the sun was inches away from my face, I winced and my eyes fluttered opened, the view was an opened window showing me the clear awoken sky having little clouds. The warmth of sun was too much, july was being so hot. I sat up on the couch and closed the curtains, I turned around to see Caleb sleeping in his bed just the way I lay him down last night, as I put my feet off the couch and put them on floor and tried to give a good look, I felt the severe pain in my neck.

Obviously, I slept on couch with no pillow!

I walked to bathroom while groaning in pain, the pain seemed to vanish when I looked at myself in the mirror; my puffy eyes, my dried skin and lips, my messed up hair they all seemed like usual but when I realized that usually my puffy eyes always held a kind of enthusiasm in the morning and my dried skin always used to glow though too, I felt a sick pain in my heart. It hurt to know that it was all gone then.

That moment, I wasn't staring at myself, I was staring at toyed version of Scarlet. The girl who had nothing to lost except her dream of finding love in a cruel world, and she lost that dream, she gave up that dream due to that stupid contract marriage. Tears came running down to my cheeks and I didn't have any choice but to continue to live according to the rythm of life.

I didn't have anyone who could hug me and comfort me. Like always, I was alone, suffering.

I realized it was not worth it, crying over something you have no control was never worth my time. I went to take a bath, the warm drops of water was relaxing and helped me to clear my head. I got out of bath, wrapped in a towel. My wet, drenched hair were pooled over my shoulders and by tip toeing, I opened the door and got outside of bathroom and headed to closet, my eyes fell on a sleepy Caleb who was snoring but not loud. It was hardly audible, he seemed relaxed while sleeping.

I didn't stop in front of him to examine, I just searched my wardrobe while wishing that he'd not wake up and see me in towel. I grabbed a purple off the shoulder blouse with white printed skirt. I turned around and found him gripping his head so tightly and groaning.

I bit my lip and wondered about his reaction to all of that, last night he was barely himself.

He looked around and his blue darkened eyes caught mine and widened, his jaw clenched so did his fists and his brows furrowed at me, I gulped. His lips parted but I immediately tore the gaze and continued to ignore him and went to bathroom to put on clothes but he, he popped in front me and stood like a mountain.

"What--what did you do last night? I don't remember anything." What did I do? What kind of question was that? what was he thinking that I'd molest him? Freak! I rolled my eyes at him and tried to pass by him but he grasped my arm and pulled me to him, the clothes that I held were tossed on floor and I could feel his intense, strong and annoyed gaze on me while my face was an inch away from him, I tried my best to not meet his eyes.

"I have already a bad headache, don't you dare to -- make things worse for me." He spat, his grip on my arm tightened, I had to pull my gaze to meet his.

I, with my deep and empty voice, finally spoke up, "You were drunk and a girl was wrapped on you and you two were making out on this bed, and I had to throw her out!!" My voice raised and I squirmed in his grip.

His grip loosened and I took steps back, "And you dared to do that? You're not my desired wife, do you get it? Don't rule and act like one? I don't give a damn what you like and what you don't so just get the hell--" The burning sensations again erupted in my chest, it pained me a lot.

My heart felt heavy, it was sinking, I was hurting. His words, his strong annoyed eyes and his stiffened body language, it all blamed me, it all hated me. And I hated that. It was getting hard for me to live like that, I was adjusted in my life, with my family's ignorance but that life, with Caleb, it was not working out.

My blood boiled at how everytime I was the one to suffer, how everytime everyone blamed me. dad did so did mum, and then Caleb did too.

I, in anger pushed him and his words died in his mouth, I yelled at him, "What do you think? that I'm desperate to be your wife? I am not, and you have clearly admitted the torment of having me in your life last night so shut the fuck up now and I can stay the hell away from you and I will. I am not the one too who gives any fuck about what you like and what you don't. I only threw your slut out of this room because if she hadn't been stopped, in today's news article the hot topic would have been you and your scandalous affair on your wedding night. Your this one little mistake could have ruined Anderson's and Pierce's name. Do you get it? I am not interested in you, or your room, or your home or this freaking six month marriage. I was never."

I stopped, realizing my wet face, I wiped my face that was smeared with tears. My emotions were heightened, my eyes showed the impair gleam, my body was shuddering. I was giving up on that, I don't know but why all of sudden I was able to get hurt.

In my entire life, no one loved me and hated me, but I never cared. I stayed the way I was and the way I liked, I never took anything to my heart except my father's ignorance but Caleb was having his impact on me. The way his ocean like eyes blamed me as if I destroyed him, the way his eyes carried hatred for me as if because of me Irene backed out from the promise, it all caused affliction. To me.

His eyes were lowered and his head slightly shook, he looked up to me and I was ashamed of being appeared so broken, so weak, so vulnerable and so miserable in front of him. I never liked expressing what I feel, showing my fears and weakness. I hated it, but in front of him, I was a broken doll.

Who was too hard to be repaired.

He took steps towards me and then rougly he grabbed my both arms and shook me while yelling, "Then why did you marry me? I wasn't supposed to like Irene but I liked her, she was good to me, I was ready to marry her but she backed out, I understood her reason but why did you step in? Couldn't you back out too? Why??"

I wished I could tell him that why did I marry him? I wished I could tell him that my father was the devil in disguise who threatened me, beaten me up for that. I wished but I didn't tell. I again put my shaking hands on his chest and pushed him away, I knelt down to grab my clothes laying in the floor and without anymore conversation, I headed to bathroom with my eyes constantly pouring rain. I turned on the tap.

I was hicupping while crying, I slipped off my towel and stripped in my clothes, I placed my hands on sink slab and continued to peer at my face. The regrets, the contrite, the despaire; they were all vibrant on my empty face. My lips were frowned and my eyes were getting squeezed and opened, squeezed and opened, I tried my best to gather courage, to gather some strength to not give up. But I gave up!

I was sick of seeing people hating me for no reason. I washed my face and then twirled the tap knob, I patted my face with towel and went out, a servant was serving a glass of milk to Caleb, who was standing in front of his closet and not responding that poor man.

The servant saw me and I slightly nodded and gestured toward the bedside table, he lowered his gaze and put the glass there and went. Caleb turned around and saw me, I shuddered on my spot and I was silent, my hands were squeezed together, my eyes refused to wander on him and I sat on the corner of bed with my eyes motioned downwards and closed.

After few seconds, I could feel a figure towering over me, I looked up to him, Caleb was folding his hands and staring at me with his questioning eyes. That time, he asked a bit deeply and politely, "I asked you something, I don't speak too much Scarlet but when I do, I want response. For me, marriage wasn't just a deal when I actually realized I liked Irene, when she told me that she wasn't ready the night before our wedding, I was hurt but I considered that she had right to not be played like a toy in a deal made by your father. I let her go, thinking that you'd refuse too and I'd better be alone, but then you were ready and I had no choice but to obey my parents. I wanted Irene, Scarlet. I can't like you the way I liked her--"

"No one is asking you to like me, this contract is for six months right? So, can't you just spend the six months with me like a stranger, I am not asking anything for you, not your love specially but what I want is what you can't give. I don't want your hatred. I didn't do anything to deserve that though." My eyes met his and he sat on bed beside me, I responded and then finished with drifting my eyes off him.

"You did marry me, you could have step back from this contract like Irene did. You say that you're not interested so why did you--" I cut him off, my voice was loud enough to indicate my suffering, my heaviness of heart and my emptiness of soul,

"Because no one asked me If I wanted to do this or not, no one cared if I was being played like a toy in this deal or not, no one ever wanted me so they were happy sending me away from them. No one considered that like Irene, I also had an opinion. No one considered what I liked, what I didn't. No one means No one, Caleb. I had no choice, I had an order in front of me that I had to obey. You obeyed your parents because you respect them, I obeyed mine to save my respect. So, stop blaming and hating me for everything. I didn't do it."

My head rested on the back, I was quivering, I closed my eyes. I knew that he wasn't going to understand anything. He actually thought that I had an easy life just like Irene, he didn't know my struggle to live a life. When he and I first met in that dinner, his words were enough to tell me that he thought I was a spoilt rich girl.

"What do you mean about no one asking you--" He was speaking gravelly but then he fell silent, my eyes were closed holding clouds of tears so I didn't catch what was he peeking at, the silence was freaking me out. It was disturbing until I felt that.

Until I felt a soft, silk like touch of his hand on my cheek, his slight brush was enough to freak me out. It was enough to kill the tears inside my eyes, it was enough to dissipate the burning pain in my heart. It was enough to quell the haunting sensations that were crawling on my body and making me quiver.

My eyes shot opened and I saw his eyes deepening with some unknown glints in them. His hand was still rested on my cheek, I chewed my lip and continued to peer at him, questioningly. His glance was strong but not filled with hatred that moment, his brows were crunched together but not with annoyance from me, his lips were pursed holding so much inside them but that moment, not the words to blame me. His body language seemed uneasy but that moment it was not because of my presence, it was all because of something else and I guess I knew what was it.

Concern.

Yeah, his eyes were deepened with sparks of concern, his brow were met in concern to figure out something. He was uneasy because he was not able to figure out what he wanted. His lips parted, his deep and low voice dissolved in my ears, his every word carried an intensity in them, "Did I--uh hit you last night--wh-when I was--uh drunk?"

I realized he referred to my reddened cheek, I panicked, my mind was befuddled. I wasn't going to tell him that my father slapped me and grasped my hair so tightly then threw me on floor so that I was threatened enough to accept the contract. I hastened out of bed, while licking my lip I was thinking about what to do and I, leaving him unanswered was walking towards the door. But he followed me and grabbed my wrist.

He twirled me and pulled me into him, my hands rested on his shoulder and his on my waist. I, in shame didn't meet his eyes and kept them lowered but I could feel him peering downwards at me, in need of an answer. "I might not be happy about this but I would never lay my hand on any girl, Scarlet. Specially you, whatever the circumstances are, the reality is that you're my wife whether it is for six months or six years or forever, I can never think about beating you or any other girl. Tell me If I touched you last night, I-I--"

I cut him off after sensing the guilt in his voice, his eyes were not able to stay on me as glimmer of culpabitly were there, making him wince on himself. That moment, his eyes were blaming himself not me. And to my surprise, I had an urge to clear his misunderstanding and make him feel that he wasn't the one to be blamed.

The pain suddenly abated, I knew it was temporarily gone but It receded so quickly just the way It went moments ago too when his hand was brushed against my cheek. I shook my head and immediately spoke up, "You didn't lay your hand on me, Caleb. You were drunk and angry but not disrespectful in any way. Be assured." He heaved a sigh of relief.

"Please leave my waist, Caleb." I requested as the close proximity was not something I enjoyed, instead it agitated me. Knowing that he wasn't so interested, it made me feel uneasy under his embrace even more. It didn't mean that I wanted him interested in me, it just felt a bit too awkward.

His swift grip on my waist tightened, pulling me closer to him, my hands that were on his shoulder were around his neck then, I was tip toed and my face was an inch away from his, "Look at me, Scarlet." He commanded me huskily, but I ignored.

I continued to peek everything except him, "Look at me, Scarlet. I told you when I speak, I want response." I growled as his grip continued to tightened and my body was finally pressed on his, the warmth of his body combined with mine and a sudden flare of passion erupted, making me do as he said; looking into his eyes.

Those eyes that picked my interest on the very first meeting. The mysterious eyes of him consumed mine and he spoke up, "Who did slap you if it was not me? Tell me!?" The heaviness of my heart slightly deflated when I felt the concern, the anger in his voice.

"No one has right to touch you, you know.So tell me or I'd rather find that person by myself and break his hands." His loud, howling and gritted voice startled me.

"Please, Lea-leave me, Caleb." I squealed and squirmed under his grip which was impossible for me to leave, his jaw clenched, he said with his gritted teeth, "No way, tell me."

"My personal life is not your concern, Pierce. Just stay away." I snapped, I was really agitated with his sedulous attitude. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Yes! It is not my concern but no one has been given right to slap my wife. And it is my right to know who the hell did." He snapped at me too, making me let out a snort.

'His wife', yeah I got it. His wife; the girl who he hated more than a lot. I hated him that moment but I liked the way he was concerned and a bit possessive, that feeling was new and rare to me. I never had anyone in my life who was concerned for me.

Me and my poor heart.

I was juggling with my thoughts, but I managed to speak up and tell him, "My father--did this to--me." I faltered, tears clouded inside my eyes again, my numb heart raced faster and I was sure that he could feel my heart pounding in my chest as our chest were pressed against each other. I started breathing heavily, the haunting and unforgettable moment played in front of my eyes again, making my heart break into few more pieces.

Beyond repair.

I remembered how I was all chirpy when mom told me that dad wanted to talk to me, I was dying with happiness but it all were quelled when I heard his words that indicated how he wanted me to act like a filler. After all those years of ignorance, he called me to act like a toy in his deal and be played and used and then thrown off. I remembered how his strong grip shook my head while gripping fistful of my hair and then he threw me on the ground as if I wasn't his daughter.

Obviously, for him, I wasn't.

He remarked me as his mistake. He referred my mother a slut and bitch even though he was the one also who cheated on his wife with my mother.

Like always, I ended up crying my eyes out and I felt Caleb hands were drifting away from my waist, loosening its grip. As I was tip toeing due to his grip, my feet finally landed. His eyes glinted at me, a spark of concern turned into loops of concern with intensity, he was staring at me, startled.

"You don't believe, right? You thought that---I, I had a --perfect--life just like Irene, but let me tell you. I hadn't. He forced me to marry you -- by beating and threatening me, he hates me. He ignored me since I was born because I was a result of his one night mistake with a common woman because of whom his relationship with his wife is shaken. He never talked to me but yesterday's morning, he finally decided to talk--to me. And you don't know, you can't feel how my hopes and dreams were crushed when he threw me on the floor and yelled at me. I thought he was g-going to talk to me after all those years, I carried hopes but my fate was cruel to me again. Now you--know why did I-I marry you? I am not Irene, Caleb. I have not a lifestyle like her even though we live in the same mansion, I am always treated like a shit--," Those tears were streaming down to my cheeks, I was explaining to an emotionless Caleb in front of me, I stuttered as I was hicupping, my tears were unstoppable.

I was letting all the pain out, but it was still not departing. The affliction was still captivating me, hurting me, provoking me, making me go crazy. I grabbed the collar of Caleb's shirt and shook him, asking huskily, "Tell me, now what would you say after knowing that I wasn't given any choice that if I wanted to do this or not like Irene? That I was dying to marry you and ruin your life? Now would you blame me for coming into your life in place of Irene? Now would you give me your hatred for no reason? Would--you--" His deep whisper cut me off, silenced me and made me put my head on his chest.

"Scarlet--," As I put my head on chest, I heard the little rythm of his heart beats, they were calm, quiet quiet like him. My hands snaked around his neck, I don't know till when I stayed with him like that but soon I felt his hands hesitatingly wrapped around my waist.

I mumbled, "Forgive me, I am not here to ruin your life, Caleb. I am here to save mine. I don't want to face my father's wrath. And I don't want to replace Irene in your heart, just six months I promise, I won't ever interfere and then after time span I will go and ---"

"Ssshhhh--" He whispered again, his lips were near my ear and I fell silent immediately. My eyes closed and I scooted near him, I don't know till when but when the tears were streaming down to my cheeks and I was silently crying while hugging him, darkness swallowed me as I passed out.

Darkness and Silence, I experienced them again like always.

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