BRUISES

-SAGE-

[ Parts In Brackets Are Flashbacks]

[ The sun didn't wake me up today like most of the mornings back at home. Instead, it was the creaking sound of the car and an unfamiliar man moaning on top of me.

As sleep slowly began draining from my system, pain began seeping in.

I sucked in a harsh breath, slowly opening my heavy eyes. The man groaned, harshly twisting my blossoms.

A muffled wince escaped my dried lips as my legs shook with pain. A grin appeared on his face as he looked down at me.

" Beauty is finally awake, huh. You're so sweet." He whispers, slowly planting a kiss on my lips as if he is making love to me. As if.

" Hurts." I could feel the word, scratching the dry walls of my throat as it came out.

He ignored me, going faster as I felt him stab my insides. I couldn't do anything to stop him and that alone, killed my self-esteem.

" Please." Another pathetic attempt to stop him. It hurt. It fucking hurt so bad that even death seemed a better option right now.

" Shhh, it's going to be okay." He whispers.

I closed my eyes, tears seeping from them helpless as I threw my head back on the seat, waiting for this to be over.

What was my fault?

What did I do to deserve this?

I didn't slap Sean. I didn't beat Sean up. I was just at home, playing with Elliot and now, I don't even know if I'll ever be able to go home again.

" MY BROTHER IS INNOCENT."

" YOU'RE A LIAR."

" I WILL GET HIM OUT OF THE PRISON."

" WE DON'T HAVE A FUCKING BOND, YOU'RE JUST A PROJECT TO GET MY BROTHER FREE."

" No. NO. STOP. PLEASE STOP." ]

I gasped, opening my eyes trying to kick the man on top of me. He groaned, trying to hold my hands.

" Mrs.Romano, please calm down." Someone whispered.

I sobbed, crawling away from the man in front of me. He looked at me with pity before kneeling near me. His green eyes looked down at me, they were filled with sympathy. I looked down at myself, relief flooding me when I saw a big white shirt on me.

" Calm down, Mrs.Romano. I'm not going to hurt you." He mumbles

I wasn't in that scary room with those disgusting creatures, instead I was sitting on the floor of a bright room, a dusty, empty bright room to be exact. Something about this told me that this is going to be worse than the last room. Please God, don't do this to me.

" Who are you?" I whispered.

" I'm Lawrence, the head of Hades Romano's detective team." He says proudly.

Detective team? Oh my god. The people who dig information. Did they find out about me? Did they find out what Sean did to me?

" Did you find out that I'm innocent? Please show it to Hades. Tell him that I'm innocent, please." I could feel tears pooled in my eyes, as I gripped Lawrence's hand, pleading him.

" Unfortunately, I didn't find anything to prove you innocent but these eyes have quite an experience and you, little princess don't seem like the one this world describes you." He says, looking at me sadly.

" I didn't do anything." I whisper, shifting away from him.

" We don't have any proofs to say you're innocent." he shrugs, sitting on the floor beside me.

" Why can't anyone trust me? I've said it a thousand times and yet everyone asks for proofs! Does no one care how I feel? Dad says to act as if it didn't happen, Sabrina makes sure I remember it happened, my brother makes me believe that it wasn't my fault and Hades makes me believe that everything is my fault, but what about me? Who should I believe? Who should I trust, Lawrence?" I sob, hiding my face with my hands.

" Why don't you trust yourself, little one?" he mumbles.

" I can't. I'm-they've killed me. They've killed Sage." I sob, biting my lips to be quiet.

Lawrence nods to himself before he takes his handkerchief, wiping my nose. I flinch back, earning a chuckle from him.

" Your nose is running." he mutters.

" But, it's still on my face." I touch my nose, glaring back at him.

" Hilarious." he mutters with a straight face before standing up.

" Mr. Romano will be here in a minute or so. Just give him what he wants, Sage. It won't be easy to stand against him." Lawrence mumbles, taking a deep breathe.

I rub my eyes, looking away from him. Hades is never going to get what he wants. Love was never in my fate, I know but I won't let injustice be too. I will bring justice to myself.

Lawrence leans against the wall, his eyes trained on me the entire time. I pull my knees up to my chest, feeling his heated gaze on me.

" You remind me of someone." He mutters under his breath.

" Did I ruin someone's life from your family too?" I look up at him.

" Maybe." He shrugs playfully.

I gasp, nearly jumping out of my soul when the door slams open. Men dressed in black coats walk in like robots. I crawl to the corner of the room, curling up myself when Hades walks in with a smile on his face.

" Hi, sweetcheeks." His voice booms in the room earning a muffled wince from me.

A man places a chair in front of me, Hades sits down, smirking at me.

" Ooh, the rats didn’t do a good job, I see." He frowns looking down at my unharmed legs.

" Hades. I didn't do anything." I sob, trying to push myself into the concrete wall.

" We'll find that out later. Look what I brought for you." He smirks, gesturing towards two men.

They pull down the cloth from the tray, revealing iron rods. Is he going to beat me with these!? No. Oh no, please.

" Hades, please. Please." I stutter, my hands and legs began numbing in fear when he pulled my hands in his.

" I'm not that cold-hearted, sweetcheeks. Come on, take it." He says, holding a phone in his hand.

I look up at him and then at the phone. What is he upto?

" Call anyone in your family and ask them about the rape incident. If they say something in your favor, I'll let you go, I promise. You only get one call, one fucking chance." He smirks as I snatch the phone from him by the time he completed talking.

" Remember, only your family members. I don't want any Princeton here." He growls.

I nod, quickly dialing in Shawn's number. Shawn is the only one I trust, he will definitely save me. Even if Hades doesn't let me go after this, at least Shawn will know that I'm not safe here.

Hades leans in, putting the phone on speaker, and earning a flinch from me. He chuckles, leaning back on his chair, watching me.

Each ring of the call knitted a thread of anxiety in me. I gripped the phone tightly, my heart hammering in my chest.

" Hello."

Sabrina.

" Oopsies." Hades chuckles.

That bastard.

" Sabrina." I sob, holding the phone tightly.

" You! What do you want?" She screams.

" Sabrina, I'm in trouble. Hades doesn't love me, Sabby. He is Se-Sean's brother. He beat me up the other day, he hurt me a lot Sabby. He hurt me a lot, please save me. Tell him the truth, tell him the truth about Sean. Please sister, for mother's sake, help me." I cried.

" Sage. Oh my god. Are you fine now? What does he want to know?" She gasps.

" Please tell me the truth about the rape, Sabby. He doesn't believe me, he thinks that Sean is innocent. Please. . . Please tell him." I sob, handing Hades the phone.

My sister is with me. I knew she loves me, she is like a mother to me. No! She is my mother, she has raised me and I know, she will save me too.

" Hades, all I want to say is that. . . You're absolutely right. We've all done very wrong to Sean but we had no option, Sage was a part of our family. But I truly hope you will bring justice to him. He is innocent and it was my sister who ruined his life." Sabrina says, earning a smile from Hades.

I blinked my eyes, tears running down my cheeks, a beeping sound breaking into my ears as my brain denied to accept what I've just heard.

Was I such a terrible sister that you didn't even save me from death, Sabrina?

" Sabrina." I scream, snatching the phone from Hades.

" You fucking bitch! I hate you so much. This man wanted to skin me alive, he nearly killed me and you can't even get two words of truth out of your throat. You were a mother to me, Sabrina. Every cell of my body is defeated by your betrayal. I hope you never find happiness, Sabrina." I scream, earning gasps from her.

" I curse you with every drop of tear and blood I will shed by this lie of yours. You'll never find happiness or love, you'll die alone, regretting this lie till your last breathe." I scream when Hades snatches the phone from my hand.

" Thank you for being honest, Sabrina. I really appreciate it." Hades says before throwing the phone on the floor, looking down at me.

" You fucking slut." He growls, gripping my hair.

" Why were you cursing your sister, huh? Just because she spoke the truth and decided to choose justice instead of family?" He growls, twisting my hair.

" Y-you know how much she hates me, Hades. She's lying." I stutter, trying to take his hands of my hair.

" You bitch. She hates you because you're such a manipulative lying whore." He screams, slapping me across my face.

He grips my hair, slamming my head on the floor. I gasp, clutching my throbbing head. Hades stands up, walking away from me. I roll on the floor, screaming in pain feeling warm blood ooze into my hands.

Lawrence looks down at me with pity, his eyes filled with tears before he looks away. Two men beside him were also crying. At least someone feels sad for me!

" Keep her static, Law." Hades' voice comes.

I groan, feeling hands clump down of my arms and legs. I scream trying to thrash out of their hold but they only grew tight until it began hurting.

" Now, a little gift of this little hoe."

Opening my blurry eyes, my entire soul trembles with fear to see a red hot branding iron in his hand.

HADES

The branding iron said. No! He can't put his name on me! No! I'll die of pain.

" Please. Please. Please, Hades. I'll die, please. I'm innocent. Someone please trust me. He raped me. I didn't want it. Please."

Hades kneels down near me, his fingers brushing off the strands of hair from my face.

" I had three options. Tattoo, carving or this. But I realized that tattooing and carving this on your skin might take some time. Let's keep this short and simple." He winks.

" Don't do this to me. I will not be able to forgive you after this." I whisper, feeling my voice crack.

" Too bad, I won't be the one asking for it." He shrugs, slamming the iron on my abdomen.

I scream, throwing my head back as if there was no tomorrow. My skin burnt and crumbled under the searing heat of the iron, each muscle in my body dropped down, defeated as Hades took his time, didn't pulling it out.

" See, it wasn't that difficult." I heard his blurred voice before feeling my skin getting ripped from my flesh.

I wailed my lungs out, my head spinning, the beeping sound back into my ears with an agonizing pain in my head. It felt like the nerves in my head were frozen suddenly.