Chapter 6

• The work station in Sia’s house was almost similar to
• her office. A table and a chair were placed in one corner near the windows, which
• allow natural light in. Numerous materials lined the shelves in a cupboard with
• a glass door, a few mannequins with partly styled clothes hung on them and
• numerous fashion magazines were strewn all over the room. The only odd ones out
• were the two bean bags in front of the lit fireplace and a huge bookshelf with a
• hundred or so novels piled in it.
• Sia sat in one of the beanbags in front of the
• fireplace, a glass of red wine in hand, and looked unblinking at the fire. It
• wasn’t winter yet, so the fire was only there more as a source of light rather
• than warmth, but it had rained earlier in the evening so the weather was a bit
• chilly. The fire gave enough warmth to beat off the chill.
• “You wanted to say something?” Julian asked, not wanting
• to interrupt Sia but also curious as to what she had to say.
• Sia didn’t turn to look at him and just stared at the
• fire. She was wearing a dark green t-shirt and blue jeans, her hair wet from a
• shower she’d taken right after reaching home. The glow of the fire cast a
• golden hue on her profile, making her look angelic. Julian could hardly blink.
• His heart seemed to be on overdrive.
• He thought Sia hadn’t heard him when she didn’t reply.
• He was about to ask again when Sia finally looked up at him. She looked
• troubled. Her eyes were glossed over, and her lips trembled slightly. Julian
• wanted desperately to comfort her, to run his fingers through her wet hair, and
• to kiss those luscious pink lips. He balled his hands into fists at his side to
• control himself from doing something that could get him fired. But he needed to
• be near her.
• “Do you want some beer?” she asked in a small voice.
• Julian shook his head, and some of his dark locks fell
• onto his forehead. Sia’s eye followed their movement. She looked away quickly
• before she got carried away and motioned for him to sit next to her. Sia’s
• action didn’t escape Julian, however, but he controlled his expression and came
• to sit next to her.
• “Julian, the things that I’m about to say . . . are . .
• . personal.” Sia began as soon as he had sat himself comfortably. “I don’t
• really want to do this, but for Leo . . . I have to. Just know that I can’t . .
• . repeat anything I say, ever again. I . . . just . . .”
• Julian was instantly alert. He knew something was wrong.
• He knew that whatever he would hear today would change everything he knew about
• Sia, which wasn’t much, he thought to himself. He sat on the edge of his bean
• bag, their knees touching, and he wished that Sia didn’t have to go through
• this.
• “Go on,” was all he could say. Sia nodded and drank the
• rest of her wine in one go before she narrated her tale.
• “I was sixteen when I got married.”
• Julian sucked in a harsh breath. Sia continued, now
• glancing at the fire.
• “I was homeschooled. I never got to know what school
• life was about, what it was like having friends. I never even had a crush in my
• entire life, and I had never dated. My father was a businessman; he inherited Grandpa’s
• company. But he was nothing like my grandfather. . . and soon, his prodigal spending
• brought the company to bankruptcy. It was then that he decided to use me as
• bait. He always wanted a son, and I was his biggest failure. Mom couldn’t have
• any more children; she was too weak. So, he decided to put me to good use.”
• Sia felt Julian’s hand giving a light squeeze to her
• knee. She turned to look at him and realized that she had started crying. She
• lifted her hand to wipe the tears away, but Julian beat her to it. He wiped her
• cheeks with tender fingers, his other hand still on her knee. After he was
• done, he nodded encouragingly at her, and Sia looked back at the fire once
• again.
• “His name was Arthur Stone. He bought father’s company—for
• how much I have no idea—but it was enough that they can live their entire life
• luxuriously. Arthur wanted to marry me as soon as he laid eyes on me. I would
• be his trophy bride. I was given no choice. The fact that Arthur was twelve
• years older than me didn’t matter to my parents.” Julian’s grip tightened on
• Sia’s leg.
• “He was . . . he . . . did . . . didn’t . . .” Sia broke
• down, and Julian immediately wrapped her in his arms.
• “Shhh . . . It’s okay. It’s over. Shhh . . .” Julian
• repeated over and over in her ears as Sia’s little frame shook with the force
• of her sobs.
• He was at a loss. He seriously wanted to kill the
• bastard who had hurt a sixteen-year-old girl. He knew he was going against his
• work ethics, but he couldn’t let Sia go. She had suffered so much. Julian felt
• her shivering and pulled her even closer. He didn’t want Sia to remember all
• these but knew that she had to get it out.
• “I-I gave birth to Leo . . . wh-when I was eighteen.
• After that, I made it my sole purpose to only look after my son. This made
• Arthur angry, and he got violent. He . . . he would force himself on me . . .
• hit me . . . he . . .” Sia closed her eyes and buried her face in Julian’s
• chest. She didn’t care what consequences her actions might have. Right now,
• this felt like the right thing to do. With Julian, she felt safe.
• “My parents wouldn’t believe me. They didn’t care, so I
• went to my grandparents. They believed me. They were the ones who took me to
• court and got me a divorce. Arthur was sent to jail for domestic violence and
• torture and also for marrying a minor. It’s where he has been for the last
• eleven years. I came to stay with my grandparents after the divorce was settled,
• then completed my college and started my own company. I haven’t spoken to my
• parents ever since.”
• Julian stroked her hair lightly. His mind filled with
• everything Sia had just said. He was stunned. He had never thought that she had
• faced such hardships in her life. His respect for her increased a thousand fold
• in the past hour. He was right about what he had thought at the beginning:
• tonight was going to completely change how he viewed Sia.
• But now, he had a bigger concern to deal with. And if
• his gut feeling was right, he was dealing with someone who wasn’t just out to
• get Sia but also wanted to make sure she paid for what she had done to him. He
• couldn’t tell Sia his concerns yet, not when she was in this state. But he knew
• he had to be a hundred percent sure about his assumption before he told her.
• But he never got a chance to investigate further that night.
• Still wrapped in each other’s arms, they both fell
• asleep before the fireplace, unaware of what the future held for them.