Little did she know

"ANGEL"

She nearly lost her consciousness as he tightly gripped her neck, depriving her of oxygen. But, her tear-filled eyes opened when she heard the sound of a door opening and the soft, frightened voice of a baby.

Following the source of the voice, she saw a little boy clutching onto the legs of a motherly figure with fear.

Observing the little boy seeking comfort from the head sister, she shifted her teary gaze towards the person choking her with an overwhelmingly strong grip.

He appeared as if he would end her life at any moment, resembling a monstrous being hungering for her demise.

Attempting to swallow, she pleaded with her breathless voice, "Pl..please release m.e, my br..brother.. is watching. He will be terrified. Please, l..let me go," she managed to say while clutching his hand in an attempt to remove it from her neck. A single tear escaped from her eyes.

He sensed a presence in the room, and upon seeing her struggle to breathe, he directed his face towards her while tightening his grip on her neck.

In a low growl, he whispered in her ear, "I will make you pay for slapping me after our wedding."

With a forceful movement, he released his hold on her neck, causing her to cough loudly as she gasped for much-needed oxygen.

As he exited the room, his gaze fell upon the woman who stood at the entrance with a young boy. Her eyes quickly averted from him, displaying her unease, and he proceeded to leave.

Upon witnessing the distressing scene, both her baby brother and the head sister rushed over to her.

The sister provided comforting pats on her back as she continued to cough profusely. She felt a deep sense of remorse as she was the one who manipulated the inocent soul to marry that monster. Seeing her in such a condition only intensified her guilt.

The head sister embraced her and continued to soothingly pat her back, asking, "Dear, are you alright?"

Hearing the sister's words, she nodded her assuringly, attempting to catch her breath.

Suddenly, they both heard the voice of a crying little boy, causing her to release the hug and witness her brother's tears as he saw her in this state.

Without hesitation, she swiftly knelt in front of him, gently cradling his cheek while trying to regain her composure and assure him,

"My baby, why are you crying? Look, your angel is perfectly fine."

Hearing her comforting words, the young boy shook his head and, between hiccups, expressed, "No, the bad uncle is hurting my angel."

His statement intensified his cries, causing her to panic at his increasing distress.

Trying to soothe him, she instinctively embraced him tightly, tenderly patting his back and attempting to calm him by saying, "Baby, he is not hurting your angel. He is simply..."

Here, she paused, unsure of what to tell him, and continued, "He is just playing with me."

Hearing her words, he lifted his head from her neck and gazed at her with his big, watery eyes resembling those of a doe.

He inquired, "Is he playing with you, Angel?"

Hearing this, she immediately nodded and replied, "Yes, my baby, we both were playing."

Upon hearing her response, he embraced her once more and expressed, "Angel, I thought he is hurting you."

In response, she held onto him tightly and reassured him, saying, "No, my love, he is not."

They both embraced each other affectionately, cherishing their bond as siblings, while the woman who had orchestrated this marriage watched, her eyes filled with tears as she felt remorse for her actions.

"Angel, if that uncle hurts you, you tell me. I will beat him," he said as he pulled away from the hug.

He gently cupped her cheek, and she stared at him with teary eyes, overwhelmed by the love and protectiveness he showed her.

She knew she couldn't let anything happen to him - he was her only family, and she would do whatever it took to keep him safe. Even if it meant marrying the man who had just moments ago tried to take her life.

She agreed him with a smile and told him, "Alright, my baby brother, your sister will tell you, if he hurt me."

Hearing her words, he responded with a wide smile and a proud nod, which caused her to chuckle once again.

She picked him up and stood on the ground, facing her sister who was deeply concerned for her well-being.

She attempted to reassure her by nodding her head, but deep inside, she too felt uncertain about what awaited her when she would marry that man.

__________

Carrying a bouquet of flowers, she entered the wedding hall and walked down the aisle with her eyes focused on the ground. She sensed all eyes on her and felt extremely nervous in this situation, as she had no one by her side and was walking alone towards the wedding stage.

While walking, she experienced the gaze of everyone in the hall upon her, but there was one particular gaze that made her feel even more anxious and frightened.

She couldn't comprehend the reason behind it, but she could sense the intensity of someone's profound gaze fixated on her.

Meanwhile, he remained seated in his chair, observing her every move intently.

He clenched his fists tightly, desperately trying to restrain himself. His anger reached its pinnacle as he witnessed her adorned in a wedding gown, approaching the bastard standing on the stage.

He watched as she halted near the steps leading to the stage, noticing that her soon-to-be husband extended his hand towards her.

However, to his surprise, she proceeded to step onto the step without taking hold of his palm, standing beside him instead.

The rejection of his hand was palpable in the fucker's eyes, fueling his anger.

Nevertheless, here he felt a sense of slight peace washed over him as he observed her actions.

The wedding ceremony commenced with the priest announcing the union of the bride and groom, followed by the request for the groom to kiss his bride.

He experienced a surge of anger, causing his entire body to tremble as he tightly clenched his jaw and with intense fury in his eyes, he observed the bastard making his way towards her and impulsively grabbing her waist, pulling her closer to him.

But he felt a slight sense of satisfaction when he noticed her subtly turning her head, resulting in the mother fucker kissing her cheek instead of her lips. But his mood quickly shifted when he witnessed her wince in pain from the bastard's tight grip.

Maybe the rejection made the fucker feel humiliated and deeply bothered by her behavior.

Strangely enough, amidst all this chaos, he felt a strange sense of serenity, although he couldn't quite comprehend why.

She suddenly turned her gaze towards him, her eyes directly landing on him.

He observed her eyes widen, which caused him to smirk in response. As he maintained his smirk, he noticed her initial shock transform into a frown upon seeing his devilish darkened eyes and wide smirk on his face. Subsequently, she averted her gaze from him.

Amused by her reaction, he chuckled and eagerly awaited the opportunity to make her his.

He viewed it as a chance to seek revenge against her father through her, and he was determined not to let her escape his grasp under any circumstances.

Although, if he had his way, he would have never allowed this marriage to occur in the first place.

However, for now, he intended to play with his 'little baby girl' before eventually taking her with him to his territory.

As he waited, he simply smiled in anticipation.

She suddenly experienced overwhelming apprehension. She was uncertain about how he would treat her after this wedding.

She was aware that her actions had caused him to become angry. Firstly, she had rejected his hand, and then she had turned her face away when he attempted to kiss her on the lips.

However, she questioned whether she should even allow him to touch her, considering his monstrous behavior.

Initially, she had contemplated giving this marriage a chance, mainly because it was the only way to secure funding for her brother's surgery.

However, after witnessing his recent actions, she vowed to never allow him to have any kind of physical contact with her. She had married solely for the sake of her brother, not out of any affection or desire for him.

Moreover, she was determined to inquire about her father. It was perplexing to her that he knew her father, especially since it was her father who had insisted that she marry him. She was thoroughly confused, as she had no knowledge of her parents' existence, but if they truly existed, why hadn't they attempted to meet her?

When she noticed a gentle tug on her dress, she redirected her attention and lowered her gaze, only to find her younger brother with a disheartened expression.

Witnessing his adorable pouting face, she couldn't help but smile and gracefully lowered herself to his level, tenderly caressing his face.

"Why the long face, little one?" she inquired, her concern evident when he wrapped his arms around her and she returned the embrace.

The mother instinct within her seemed to awaken, as she regarded him as more than just a sibling. She was prepared to do whatever it took to ensure his happiness.

"Angel, I don't want to be away from you?"

Upon hearing his words, she pulled back slightly, planting a gentle kiss on his cheek.

"My baby, your sister may be away for some time, but rest assured, I will run back to you as soon as possible."

At her words, he gleefully giggled and retorted, "But, angel, you don't know how to run!"

His lighthearted comment elicited an even wider grin from her, as she began to respond, but the harsh voice of her husband abruptly interrupted her.

"We are getting late."

She let out a sigh before tenderly kissing his forehead, then she stood up and embraced the head sister, who had always been a motherly figure to her.

They held each other tightly, and the sister kissed her forehead while saying, "God bless you, my dear."

She smiled and said, "Please take care of yourself and Andrew, mother."

Hearing her words, the head sister nodded and responded, "You also take care of yourself, angel."

She nodded again and began to walk towards the car, where her husband was already seated in the driver's seat.

Once she was inside the car, she noticed her little brother in the head sister's arms, crying softly. Unable to restrain herself, she too began to cry as she waved goodbye to them.

As the car started to move, she leaned back, resting her head against the seat and closing her eyes, feeling a heaviness in her heart.

Little did she know what awaited her, and how it would cruelly shatter her.