SINNERS PLAY AS SAINTS

-HADES-

" SAGE."

Panic oozed into my veins as I ran into a bloodied room with no trace of my wife.

What could have possibly happened?

Why didn't the guards outside hear her?

Did she hurt herself ?

Oh fuck. Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fucking fuck. Ducking fuck. Sucking fuck. FUCK!

" Sage." I screamed, kicking up the door of the bathroom.

My racing heart, halted the moment I saw her in the bathtub. It felt like a bucket of cold water was poured over my steaming heart.

She's here. She's here, Hades. She's breathing. She's blinking. She's fucking alive!

" Sage," I managed to get out a choked whisper as I kneeled down on the floor near the tub.

She flinched away from me, pulling her knees to her chest as she weeped uncontrollably.

" Sage, what's wrong love?" I felt a lump in my throat, looking at the crimson water in the tub.

" N-nothing. I'm fine." She sobs, hiding her face from me.

" Sage, did you hurt yourself?" I pulled my tone down, being more gentle with her but she continued to cry.

" I'm ffi-ne." She sobs.

Blowing out a loud sigh, I pick her in my arms, walking out of the bathroom. She trembles like a dried leaf, coiling up against me as I place her on the bed.

" I-m fine." She whispers again, pulling the covers on herself.

" Sage, tell me what's wrong baby." I whisper, caressing her cheeks.

" I'm fine." She mumbles.

" Hey, I won't get angry. Come on, tell me what's wrong because all this blood didn't come out of nowhere. Tell me what's wrong, baby." I shift close to her, cupping her cheeks when she breaks down crying more loudly.

" It's alright. I won't ask, just don't cry." I sigh, pulling her into my arms.

Sage trembled as I ran my fingers through the wet hair. The cool air in the room gave me chills, just by looking the blood on the floor.

I pressed my fingers in her palm, pulling it to my lips and planting a soft kiss on her knuckles. To my surprise, there wasn't any razor bruise on her wrist.

" I love y-you, Had-hades." Her shaky, weak voice gave comfort to my heart. A comfort, I didn't know existed and it made me scared.

" What happened here, Sage?" She flinched back again, fear vivid in her eyes.

Sage trembled like a dried leaf in a storm as she slowly opened her legs. I felt a punch in my gut as my eyes fell on her blistered inner thighs. Her skin was bruised horrendously, leaving back a bright crimson color. My jaw clenched tighter as my eyes followed the brutal scratches on her waist and breasts.

" Who did this to you?" I felt the beast in me roar as Sage crawled away from me.

" Tell me, love." I cupped her cheeks gently this time, looking into her eyes.

" I l-lobbe you, Hades. Don't le-eave me." She weeps.

" Give. Me. A. Name." I growled, as she shook in fear.

" Sean."

It felt like someone had punctured a hole in my chest.

I couldn't breathe.

I couldn't think.

I couldn't feel.

I could just hear the name repeating in my mind like a broken tape.

Sean. Sean. Sean.

Was I angry?

YES.

Was I sad?

YES.

Do I want to cry for her?

YES.

Do I want to kill him?

FUCK YES.

" LAWRENCE." I roared, handing Sage my blazer.

" Lawrence." I screamed. He poked his head in the room a minute later, looking at me with wide eyes.

" I brought the hot chocolate . . . Marshmallows," He chuckled, nervously.

" Get Sean here right now. Call Angie too." I felt anger overflowing inside me as I gritted the words out.

" Sean? But he is busy in the party."

" Will you do it or do I have to do it myself?" I growled.

" I'll get him, sir." He placed the tray on the coffee table and ran out immediately.

I blew a harsh sigh, looking back at Sage. She peeked at me with fearful eyes before looking down at her lap. Clenching my fist in a tight grip, I sat down beside her.

" I'm s-sorry." She stutters.

" Hey, listen to me." I mumble, sitting on the bed near her. She flinched as I cupped her cheeks, caressing them with the pad of my thumb.

" You don't have to be sorry, love. I'm sorry, I'm sorry that I failed to protect you. I'm sorry that I couldn't see the pain in your eyes, I'm sorry that I turned out to be an asshole." Pulling her close, I dug my face in the crook of her neck, feeling pain take over me.

" I'm sc-scared." she sobs, placing her head on my shoulder.

" Hey, look into my eyes and listen to me carefully. A man never had and never will have the power to break a woman. He can touch you, he can tear your skin, tear your flesh but he will never have the power to tear down your strength. You're not weak, Sage. You are not weak and I can scream this truth a thousand times. You don't have to look outside to see who is by you and who isn't, you just have to glance inside and know that your own self is ready for a battle." I could feel her warm tears sliding on my fingers as she held my gaze in a strong bond.

She gasped, gripping onto me tightly when the door was slammed open. Sean and Lawrence marched in, anger written on Sean's face. I clenched my fists into a tight grip upon the sight of Sean.

" How dare you drag me out of there like that, you bloody lowlife? I want him fired right now, brother." Sean's voice boomed in the room causing Sage to hyperventilate.

" Brother? Are you listening to me?" Sean screamed, looking at me in rage.

"Who is she, Sean?" I questioned, adjusting on the covers on my trembling baby before looking back at him.

" Your wife, brother." he chuckles.

" What is her name?" I asked.

" Why are you asking me this?" he screamed, irritation vivid on his face.

" ANSWER ME." I screamed.

" Sage Hades Romano." he muttered, rolling his eyes.

" Yes, she is Sage Hades Romano. My wife, my pride and my strength. How dare you hurt my pride?" I screamed, planting a punch on his face.

Sean stumbled back, looking at me with wide eyes as blood oozed from his nose.

" W-what are you doing, brother? I'm bleeding." he cried, looking at the little amount of blood on his fingers.

" And what about the blood my wife has shed? Open your motherfucking eyes and see." I growl, pulling his hair, turning him towards pool of blood on the floor.

" You hurt her Sean. You . . . raped my Sage." I felt a lump in my throat as I uttered those words. I never imagined that Sean would stoop this low even after everything we've seen in our childhood but today, he fucking proved that he has my father's dirty blood flowing in his veins.

" I didn't brother. She's lying." he cried when I kicked him down onto the floor.

" Don't you dare lie to me, I'm fucking going to kill you." I screamed, kicking his face.

" Hades." I clenched my eyes shut trying to calm down as mother and Sofia ran into the room.

Leo and Gianna followed them, looking at me with wide eyes.

" What are you doing, Hades? How can you beat your brother like this?" mother screamed at me.

" He forced himself on Sage, mother. I'm going to kill him." I growled, pointing at Sage. Sage nervously looked at all of us staring at her, before she hid under the blanket, with only her sobs sounding in the room.

" Please don't tell me you believe her, Hades. She has trapped Sean in those dirty lies before and now, she's doing it again." mother screamed, yanking off the blanket from Sage.

" Tell me, you bloody whore. Why are you doing this to my sons?" she screamed, pulling Sage out of the bed by her hair.

" I didn-didn't" Sage sobbed, trying to pull her hair out of mom's grip.

" Mother, please. Sage isn't at fault, she is hurt." I pulled Sage out of mom's grip, wrapping my arms around her trembling frame.

" Sage didn't do anything wrong. There are scratches on her body and blisters on her inner thighs, Sean has forced himself on her. She isn't lying this time." I said, earning a slap from mother.

My cheek stung in pain as I clenched my eyes shut at the disrespect. I could feel Sage tremble more into my arms as her shaky hand touched my cheek.

" Hades." she whispered, caressing my cheek.

" I did not expect this from you, Hades. Not only you believed this disgusting slut but you beat your brother like an animal. How could you?" mother screamed, pulling my collar harshly.

" Because she is my wife and I love her. I-I love . . . her." I whispered the last part, as if I was realizing it more instead of telling it to them.

" She is trapping you, Hades. Open your eyes and look at her." mother screamed, pulling Sage away from me.

" Tell me! Tell me, you hoe. How did you seduce my son?" mother growled, slapping Sage.

" Enough, mother. Sage is not wrong, Sean is, he forced himself on Sage. Sage did not do anything." I roar, pulling Sage away from her.

" Yes, now Sage is a saint. She never does anything wrong, just like she didn't fool the entire town with her stupid lies and send two innocent people to jail. Am I right, brother?" Sofia screamed, glaring at me.

" Everyone has a past, Sofia. She was young and immature back then, and she might have had a reason to do whatever she did but that does not justify what Sean has done today." I say, rubbing Sage's back as she sobbed.

" How can you be so sure that Sean has done this? It might have been someone else or maybe this girl done all this by herself." Mother says.

" Why would Sage do that?" Leo interrupts her.

" Why wouldn't she? She has done this before." Sofia growls at him.

" Can we leave the past where it fucking belongs?" I scream, feeling suffocated in this room with all these insults of my wife.

" I did not force myself on her, brother. Please trust me. Why are you doing this, Sage?" Sean cried, joining his hands.

" Stop lying, Sean. I trusted you the most but you gave me nothing except betrayal." I growled, hugging Sage tightly.

" Sir, the guards outside are saying that no one entered this room after madam Sage." Lawrence says, his eyes full of pity.

" See! This bitch is lying again." Mother screams, pointing at Sage as Sage sobs, digging herself deeper into me.

" Wait a minute, Sean wasn't in the party when Sage came back to her room and when he came back after a few hours, he was wearing different clothes, brother." Leo said with wide eyes.

" Yes, because a girl spilled wine on my shirt. I came upstairs to change," Sean screams.

" You think we trust that? You don't stop for a fucking shirt when you party, Sean." I scream, trying to punch him when Sofia steps between us.

" Fine, let us all trust your wife for a minute. Sage, can you tell me which color shirt Sean was wearing when he came in?" Sofia says, looking down at Sage.

Sage looked at Sean with red, teary eyes and then up at me.

" Come on, I'm sure you must have noticed the color of his shirt. Tell us." Sofia presses.

" Tell me, baby. Do you remember the color of his shirt?" I whisper, rubbing her back.

She looks up at Sean and then closes her eyes. Sage's face turns red as she clutches her head, her body shaking more rapidly.

" Okay, that's enough. Don't force yourself." I shake her, as she opens her eyes crying loudly. I didn't want her to pass out or hurt herself by putting pressure on her mind.

" I-I don't-" Sage stutters.

" So she doesn't remember the shirt of her rapist. Wow! Brilliant. This girl is such a liar!" Mother says, clapping her hands.

" Deciding this entire thing just by the color of the shirt is stupid. What about the cameras, brother?" Leo says as I groan in frustration.

"There was an electrical issue with the wires yesterday so I told them to repair this entire thing up. All the cameras of this hall weren't working today and I don't keep a camera in my room." I sigh, feeling troubled.

" So, it proves that Sean hasn't done anything." Sofia mumbles.

" Not yet." I growl, looking down at my watch.

" Sir, Angie is here." Lawrence says, stepping into the room. Perfect timing, Lawrence!

" Who is Angie?" Mother frowned at me as I smiled at them.

" Angie is a doctor," I smile.

" Why do we need a doctor?" Sean stutters, wiping the sweat on his forehead.

" To know the truth," I growl at him, looking back at Sage.

" The doctor will see you, okay. Don't be afraid, she won't hurt you. I'll wait outside." I mumble, cupping Sage's face as she pouts.

" Dd-don't leave me." she sobs, gripping my shirt tightly.

" I'll be right near the door, you don't need to be scared." I whisper, kissing her forehead before placing her on the bed.

" Outside, everyone." I scream, as everyone stumbles outside.

Angie walks in with a bag, she frowns looking at the blood on the floor and then up at me.

" Be gentle with her, Angie. She's scared." I mutter lowly, glancing at Sage.

" Don't worry, Hades. I'll be soft with her." she nods as I step outside the room, closing the door behind me.

Sean and mother were sitting beside each other in the hall, holding each other's hands. I felt another wave of rage wash over me as soon as I saw Sean's face.

I'll kill him as soon as Angie confirms something. I won't let him breathe even a second more if I know he's the one who has hurt my Sage.