The Arranged Bride

Chapter - 32

Sophia's POV

" Okay, it's fixed then. ." Char said.

" Yeah , be ready by 5. Bye , Char." Just as I put my phone down, Caleb came in.

" Where to ?" He put a hand around my shoulder.

" Movie." I got up from the sofa to make two cups of coffee. He always prefers the coffee I make , every time he comes.

" Is it today?" He trailed behind me.

" Yup." He was silent for some seconds before asking his next question.

" And Char's coming?" I smiled to myself. How I saw this coming!

" Yup." I said popping the ‘p’.

He was again quiet for a very long time before speaking again.

" Mind if I crash ?" He scratched the back of his neck. I suggestively wiggled my eyebrows to which he blushed.

" Is little Caleb blushing?" I teased while handing him the coffee mug.

" Shut up." He looked embarassed.

" Aww , you look so cute ." I made a baby face at him .

" Cute ? You're calling me cute ?" He was sounding offended. I nodded at him and he huffed.

" Forget it. I'm not going anywhere with you." He crossed his arms against his chest, causing me to chuckle at his behavior.

" You know what , Ethan acts more mature than you. Anyway , feel free to crash our movie date. I am sure Char will like it." I winked at him .

" 5 it is then. " I nodded .

..........

" Water , please." I asked the bartender.

" Water !? You don't drink ?" Caleb looked genuinely curious.

" I do , sometimes. " I responded to which he nodded in understanding.

" Let's dance ." Char grabbed our hands and pulled us to the dance floor.

We pushed past sweaty bodies and made our way to the centre. After sometime, I saw Char and Caleb dancing together. They looked so lost into each other . I excused myself from there and made my way back to the seat.

" A Vodka Martini , please."

" Right away." The bartender smiled at me.

As I sipped on my drink, I saw Caleb and Char dancing together. The whole day , they were flirting and smiling. They were focused more on each other than on the movie. Though Char shows a bit of disinterest but I know that this was fake. She was just as interested as Caleb was. So after the movie we went for dinner at a restaurant and finally ended up in the club on Char's request.

" Let me pay this lovely lady a drink." I saw a tall, well built man sitting beside me with a creepy smile on his face. A comparatively shorter man was sitting on my other side mirroring the same creepy expression.

" No, thanks." I tried being polite.

" I insist." The shorter man placed a hand on my thigh.

" And I refuse. " I pushed his hand away from my thigh and got up to search for Char.

I had merely taken two steps when all of a sudden, my arm was gripped by a strong hand. A strong hand was covering my mouth and I was pulled to a room . The shorter man closed the door behind him and took menacing steps towards me while the taller one was holding me back.

" Leave me right now. Let me go!" I yelled, glaring at them hard while my heart thumped against my chest.

" We tried being polite but you prefer the hard way." The tall man was kissing my neck while I tried getting away. The urge to vomit was getting stronger by each passing second.

" Let me go you bastard ." I thrashed around in his hold. The shorter one slapped me across the face and I landed on the floor. My cheeks were stinging from the burning sensation and tears gathering in my eyes.

" Shut up bitch. Don't act hard to get." Both of them laughed maniacally at this. To say I was scared was an understatement.

They backed me up against a wall and started kissing every portion of my body. I was feeling so disgusted but couldn't move a bit . They had me in a tight grip and all I could do was squirm.

As one of them was tugging at my shirt , I started squirming a lot . The tall one backhanded me. I could feel a metallic taste from my lips.

" Stop resisting ! Else we will make it more difficult for you." He spat and ripped away the shirt from my body. Hands were groping my breasts. I clenched my eyes shut at the shame I was facing. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I was hoping for someone to rescue me but that seemed impossible.

I was waiting for this to be over and suddenly the hands were not there on my body anymore. I opened my eyes to see them being beaten by Caleb and ..... Nick !?

..................

Nick's POV

I was in my office when I received Caleb's message.

"Just for your information. We are heading to the Star Club ."

Club !? Sophia told me about movie and restaurant. I wanted to come with her but I had some work. I was relaxed at the thought that Caleb was with him. But club... Ughh! I couldn't imagine her alone in the club amongst those horny men. Fine , she wasn't alone but I still wasn't comfortable with the idea . So I decided to go there.

I parked the car in the parking lot of the club and got in. Taking a glance around , I couldn't find them, so I called Caleb.

" Hello " He picked up at the second ring.

" Caleb , man where are you ?" I looked around to find him.

" Oh , I can see you. I'm coming there ." Saying this he hung up. I saw him and Charlotte making their way towards me. I looked behind them to search for Sophia but she wasn't there.

" Hey man!" Caleb patted my back.

" Where's Sophia?" He looked at the bar and his smile faded from his face.

" She was at the bar. She told that she was tired and couldn't dance anymore, so she excused herself to get a drink." Caleb explained and the fear started creeping into my heart.

I ran to the bar and she wasn't there. In an instant I was panicking from the scenarios going on in my head. I shook head in attempt to shake away those thoughts.

" Maybe , she's in the washroom." Caleb suggested.

" Or not. This is Sophia's bag." Charlotte showed us a silver bag . Her eyes were filled with dread and concern. This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.

We instantly took off and started checking every room. When I pushed open the door to a room in a secluded corner, what I saw had my blood boiling.

Two men had backed Sophia up against a wall. Her shirt was ripped open while the men were touching her body. Tears were streaming down her face.

I pulled one of them up holding his shirt while Caleb did the same with the other one. I started throwing punches repeatedly. Even after breaking his nose, I was seeing red. To vent out the anger , I stood up and delivered kicks to his side.

" How. Bloody. Dare. You?" I yelled each word with one kick to his side.

" Nick leave him." I heard Caleb but I couldn't bring myself to stop beating the man. I was feeling this intense urge to kill him.

" You will hardly breathe when I am done with you." I gritted at the man.

" Nick." I heard a quivering voice and my leg stopped midway. I turned to look at Sophia who was staring at me. She had her legs pulled up closed to her body. Charlotte was sitting beside her rubbing her back. It was as if all my anger had melted into concern. I immediately ran to her and crouched down infront of her. I cupped her cheek and looked at her face. Her cheeks were bruised and her lips were bursted . At this sight , my desire to kill those men was becoming more strong.

" Nick." She breathed out while hugging me like her life depended on it. She was sobbing in my chest and trembling.

" Sshh baby , it's okay. I am here now. Ssh, everything is fine now ." I stroked her hair in an attempt to calm her down.

" Sophia we need to get out of here. Let's go home." I spoke in a soft voice to get no answer from her. Taking my blazer off, I put it around her and buttoned it up. I looked back at Caleb who nodded his head , assuring that he would take care of those men.

I carried her out of the club in bridal style . She pushed her face in my chest. to avoid looking at anyone. Coming outside, I placed her in the passenger seat and put her seatbelt on. I quickly settled in the driver's seat and drove off to our house. On the way back home, she was continuously sobbing while looking down at her lap.

Seeing her like that was paining me a lot. I wanted to take away the horrible encounter, the feeling of those men's touches , the agony of her but I couldn't. I was feeling so helpless. This could have been avoided if I would have been there. If I would have taken some time out to accompany her. It's all my fault dammit. I cursed under my breath and drove faster to reach home.