It was a pitch-black and stormy night and as the destructive winds wrecked havoc outside, savagely uprooting a few trees and destroying the lives of some stray animal, so also inside the darkened room, Sophia's life was being brutally torn apart.

"Ah, babe your scent…it…it's so irresistible and you're so…so tight…..so..sweet "

The mysterious brute's husky and deep baritone voice penetrated Sophia's sensitive ears as he continued to plunge deeper and deeper into her…

Sophia wanted to scream at the top of her lungs,to protest being raped by the brute just - like the stray dogs outside were howling in protest to the savage winds, but unlike them she wasn't afforded that freedom. She had been bound and gagged by the mysterious brute before he started assaulting her.

And so, Sophia could do nothing but curl herself up into a ball, tighten her already blindfolded eyes shut, and ball her bound hands into fists - as she endured his painful thrusts from behind her luscious, curvy hips. Helplessly giving up as the unknown brute stole not just her innocence but her peace of mind as well.

"Attagirl! Now keep being a good girl and let's change to an even better position, okay?"

*******

With a gasp, Sophia abruptly sat up on the bed, hyperventilating. With her eyes groggy from sleep, she surveyed her surroundings only to fall back on the bed upon realising it was just one of the nightmares she occasionally had.

Facepalming herself, she groaned frustrated into the empty room. Why oh why does she have to keep suffering, even still? It had been more than five years, for God's sake, and so why is she still forced to relive that horrible experience through dreams after such a long time? When will this agony be finally over?

Resigned, she inhaled a deep breath before getting up and heading to the bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face a few times, which refreshed her only a bit and made her thirsty all of a sudden.

Back in her bedroom, she realized that the jug on her bedside table was empty. She took the cup and headed downstairs, only to be stopped dead in her tracks by the words she heard coming out of her sister's mouth.

"Hell no! That's not possible at all. I don't want to do it and I will not! There's no way in hell that I'd marry that ugly beast!"

"It's not a hidden secret, everyone knows that the third son of the Clyde family is scarred and very ugly! No sane woman in the whole of New York would be foolish enough to marry that man!"

"He was involved in a fire incident five years ago which not only ruined his face but changed his personality for the worse. He's completely a monster in and out! Rumours have it that he tortured his previous girlfriends so much such that they were seen running for their dear lives. So you see, you can't just marry me off to that monster, no matter the circumstances."

Elena paused a little to breathe some much needed air before continuing her rant.

"Besides, I shouldn't even be the one considered for this marriage. Sophia is the rightful person to do it. She hasn’t just lost her virginity, but has also given birth before! So of course she's a lot more experienced in this field compared to me. In fact, she should feel honoured to be given the privilege of marrying into that family!"

"Elena!"

Elena's father, David Bentley scolded her in a stern voice.

"Sophia is your sister!"

Gritting her teeth, Elena replied in a beseeching tone.

"Dad, I’m the one who’s your real daughter, not Sophia. She's just a nobody, a random girl you mistook as your biological daughter when we were born and ended up raising in my stead. Just because of her, I had to endure so many hardships for eighteen years! Now just when I've finally gotten my bearings, reunited with my family and built my own career from scratch, you can't just ruin everything by forcing me to marry that man!"

"She's right, you know."

Samantha Bentley who had hitherto been quietly watching her daughter and husband arguing, finally voiced her opinion.

"Elena has established herself and made quite a name for herself in the business industry. She's our source of pride and joy, so how can we just sacrifice her? Besides, we've raised Sophia as our own for the past twenty-three years. I think it's high time she repaid our kindness."

Sophia's involuntary gasp was what alerted the Bentleys to her presence.Three pairs of eyes looked up at a dismayed Sophia, standing at the head of the stairs.

She tightened her grip on the cup so much such that her fists turned white, while standing there letting everything sink in.

Whether she wanted to believe it or not, everything was crystal clear now.

The Bentleys, the only family she knew as hers, wanted to establish a good rapport wih the reputable Clyde family, and for that, they need a sacrificial lamb. Who fits that title the best if not the girl who owed them for her life? Their biological daughter was just too precious to be used in such a way.

Heaving a deep sigh of resignation, Sophia started walking down the stairs in fast strides. It’s time to be the sacrificial lamb!

She marched straight to where David Bentley was standing, and extended her free hand towards him before saying.

“Where’s the contract? Let’s discuss the terms and conditions before we sign.”

Frowning his face in confusion, David asked, “What contract? What are you talking about?”

“Well, since I’m going to do this I feel it’s only fair if we have a written agreement stating that once I’ve married whosoever you wish, all the debts I owe you would then be considered paid and cleared off. If I don’t do this, what’s going to stop you from using the same excuse to force me into fulfilling another wish of yours in the future? So yeah,we need to put it down in black and white.”

To say David Bentley was shocked was the greatest understatement. Even Samantha and Elena were left dumbfounded upon hearing the words that came out of Sophia’s mouth.

Sophia? The same obedient,well-mannered and docile Sophia that they’ve known all these years? Unbelievable!

“You don’t want to do it? Fine!”

With that, Sophia quickly got a pen and paper then scribbled down a few lines before signing her name.

“There, it’s done. I agree to marry into the Clyde family - and one more thing, please cut the act. You don’t need to pretend as if I’m really part of your family, as from now henceforth. Everything is out in the open and crystal clear to me now.”

Leaving them dumbstruck once again, Sophia headed straight to the kitchen where she filled her cup with water, gulped it down in one go before walking back towards the stairs.

An excited Elena dashed to the coffee table where Sophia left the contract, picked it up and read out loud.

“I Sophia, hereby declare that I’ll marry into the Clyde family thereby clearing off all the debts I owe to the Bentley family for raising me for twenty-three years. Any further claim for such debt after the marriage would be considered null and void."

The Bentleys couldn't believe it. Sophia had given them all that they wanted on a silver platter. It was much easier than they thought! How amazing!

Elena couldn't contain her excitement as she watched Sophia slowly walking up the stairs.

"O M G!! I can't believe this. She agreed, she actually agreed! But Mum, has Sophia lost her marbles? Was she really in her senses when she signed that? Does that mean she's willing to give up on her long-term boyfriend by making this agreement? Willingly dump her handsome celebrity boyfriend for that ugly beast? Unbelievable!"

In an alarmed state, Samantha quickly covered her daughter's mouth before apprehensively looking up at the stairs only to find it empty.

Phew! That was close! Elena and her big mouth. What if Sophia had overheard and begun to have second thoughts or even worse, completely change her mind? Indeed that was a close call!

Unbeknownst to her, Sophia had heard everything but contrary to Samantha's expectations, all she did was shake her head and smile humorlessly.

Boyfriend? Hmm,well up until two days ago, she did have a boyfriend. An amazing, loving and caring one who would sacrifice everything for her.

But all that was in the past. Right now, she was as single as a pringle due to what happened a couple of days earlier. Just like that, within the blink of an eye, her once rock solid, six-year old relationship crumbled and shattered into pieces right in front of her eyes, while she stood there helplessly…

So yeah, the Bentleys have nothing to worry about. With their recent betrayal, her life was now completely bleak with no one to call hers, no boyfriend and no family whatsoever. Therefore, it didn't really matter whoever she married as it would not make any difference to her already bleak life. The only difference would be a change of environment and as far as she was concerned, that was a welcomed change because she wanted to stay as far away from the Bentleys as possible.