Contracted For Marriage

Awakening before the first rays of dawn tinted the sky, Paige Emberly-Ashton pushed aside the cover twisted around her body. Stretching out arms in the hopes of loosening the tension muscles of her shoulders, she eased to the edge of the mattress and climbed out of bed. All the while careful not to make too much noise. Or any at all. Having no desire to create a commotion that would awake the other members of the house, hours before the others were used to awakening. Especially when it came to the adorable twin boys who were still fast asleep in the crib on the far side of the room.

Her baby brothers.

Six months ago, her step-father had decided that since the boys were a year old it was time for them to move out of their marital bedroom. Sierrah--her mother--had of course fought the thought of putting the boys in another bedroom as her husband suggested. The guest bedroom, the only other room in the house, was on the first floor and was terrified of having them so far away. Anything could happen. Her mama was frightened of what could've befallen their sons in the darkness of night, when their parents weren't around.

Her stepfather Eric had quickly assured her he had different plans when it came to the boys' move, having thought it all out. Instead, having planned on putting them in the bedroom with Paige. That way if the boys awoke in the middle of the night she'd be right there to fare for their every need and still be close enough to their mother. Not to mention this would enable her to have company in her bedroom, all aware that Paige had never done well sleeping in a room by herself.

After all, it'd been her aversion to loneliness that had caused quite a few complications in the years since their marriage. Too many times to count Paige had awoken in the middle of the night, needing comfort she'd snuck into her parents' bedroom. Into their bed. Eric hadn't been thrilled to have the young girl come between him and his wife, while her mother had focused on soothing her. She'd been fourteen when he'd finally put his foot down. Informing both of them that at this age she was far too old to be sleeping in bed with her parents, that it was highly inappropriate. Her mother had ultimately agreed to the decision her husband had made, accepting some people wouldn't understand her need.

It hadn't been too much longer after that when their bedroom door was locked at night, denying to even peek inside the room. Paige wasn't ignorant of the culprit behind the locked door, aware that her stepfather had ensured they couldn't be disturbed. So on those lonely nights, she'd found her way into the living room, watching television until she was too exhausted to stay awake. Though there were a handful of times when her mother had sensed the disruption, having come in search of her daughter.

Heading out for her morning run before the other members of the house awoke for the day, Paige gnashed her teeth at the thought of the man. It was safe to say that the relationship between her and her stepfather had been petty tense in recent months. Ha! Tense was putting it mildly. The relationship between them was so much more than merely being tense.

In the very beginning, when he'd first married her mother, things between them were great. Amazing actually. Eric had happily doted on his young stepdaughter, as did his entire family. She'd been daddy's little princess, constantly spoiled by the man, adored by his family and whatever Paige wanted she got. For the first time in her life, Paige finally had a family of her very own, with two loving parents who catered to her every whim. It'd only made it so much better to have a slew of family members who absolutely adored the little girl, pampering and coddling her.

Over time that had changed. The moment that the boys were born Paige started noticing the difference in how Eric treated her. The man always seemed to be angry, lashing out at her for every little thing she did. Almost like she couldn't do anything right. It'd only been subtle at first, little reactions that would've otherwise gone unnoticed, that even her mother had failed to see.

She had tried to be understanding of his mood swings, assuring herself that he didn't mean to treat her this way. As it was difficult with newborn twins and of course he was bound to love his boys more than her. They were his children after all. She was merely the adopted daughter of his wife, so there would definitely be a difference in the love he felt for them. That's all it was, she'd told herself. Nothing that she needed to concern herself with. Confident that given time Eric would settle into his newfound role of fatherhood and things would go back to normal.

She'd been wrong. So very wrong. Throughout the course of those first few months following bringing them home she'd noticed his treatment becoming worse and worse. The angry looks he'd shot towards her had become more frequent, than the angry words that'd been dragged from his lips. As Eric's treatment of her worsened, his actions made it apparent that he didn't want her around anymore. He'd even made a point of telling her that it was in her best interest to marry fast, as he had no plans on supporting a mooching daughter. Especially not his own.

Paige tried to put on a brave face for her mother's sake, pasting on a fake smile and happiness she simply didn't feel. The mother who sacrificed so much over the years to have her, all the difficulties she'd endured to ensure her own happiness. Sierrah had given away her own youth, denying the childhood and life that should've been her own, to raise another's child. So every day she kept up the happy façade, brushing off all the cruelty she suffered, but Paige knew she wasn't blind to what was happening.

How could she not? In recent months the living conditions of their home had gotten so much worse for her. Eric constantly snapped and yelled at everything that she did, never seeming to do anything right where he was concerned. Either he reprimanded her when she didn't cook a meal, then when she did he yelled that it was burnt and her mother should've done it. Then he complained that Paige was at the house too much and when she was gone he complained of her running loose in the city.

Eric had even gotten to the point where he'd become physically violent with her. A year ago he'd smacked her across the face when she'd tripped on an unsmooth rug, accidentally spilling a drink on him. Afterward, Eric had seemed to be just as shocked as she was, having helped her back to her feet and promised to never do it again. Of course, he'd been lying. It'd been nothing more than abuser's guilt allowing him to speak lies from his mouth. That'd only been the first time he'd put his hands on her. Over the next months, Paige had noticed his physical abuse becoming more noticeable, until it was practically every day. Now anytime Sierrah left the house with the twins, if Eric was home he often took great pleasure in abusing his step-daughter. Telling her how unloved and unwanted she was.

Paige did her best to hide the countless marks and bruises that marred her delicate flesh, not wanting her mother to know the truth. Aware of how much it'd hurt Sierrah if she were aware of what was going on, the callous and abusive monster her husband was. As much as it hurt Paige, no matter the pain that each strike brought into her life, she would bear it all if only to save her mom from enduring the same pain. The mom that had given up everything for her, had sacrificed her youth and freedom, becoming a teenage mother before her time. Sierrah had given up her own life, having completely started out a new life, hiding her away where no one could find her. Yes, for her, she'd endure anything.

Realizing she'd been running around the neighborhood longer than she'd meant to, Paige hurriedly raced back to the house. Preferably before anyone had the chance to realize she'd been gone from the house, knowing she'd be in serious trouble. It failed to matter that she wasn't a child anymore. Twenty years old or not, she was still an unmarried young woman, and respected her mother too much to leave the house.

Entering the house through the front door, she grimaced at hearing the whimpering cries that came from the upstairs floor. Proof that she hadn't been quick enough to get back to the house, her brothers had awoken while she'd been gone and alerted others of their complaints. Rushing forward at the thought of the punishment she'd receive, only to breathe a sigh of relief at hearing her mom in the nursery. No need for her to be worried. She was safe. Or so she thought.

Paige was in the kitchen working on preparing the family breakfast, not wanting to give her step-father to have reason to complain. Only the very man she'd been thinking about came around the corner of the wall, his expression forewarned her of his displeasure. Springing forward before the girl could think to react, fingers latched around the slender throat and slammed her against the wall. "Where were you?"

She gulped.

His grip on her throat grew tighter, heightening the pain. "Do you care to explain why I was woken by the cries of my sons, rather than getting sleep? The speed that I need in order to go to work and take care of this family."

"I went for a run," she squeaked out. Freely giving him the explanation of what she'd been up to this morning, though she knew it wouldn't save her. The fact remained was Paige hadn't been at the house taking care of his precious little prince, requiring her mother to do it.

His large hand struck her across the face, the force causing her to fall back against the sink counter. Eric advanced on the girl, fingers gripped her chin painfully and teeth bared at her in a snarl. "How dare you leave this house for such frivolous reasons? While my sons were left alone and defenseless. I have a mind to kill you if anything happens to them."

"I'm sorry," she rasped thickly.

He painfully latched a hand around her hair and slammed her head into the door, that left her shaken by the collision. "If I were you I'd make fast work at finding a husband. I have no time for a worthless layabout. You're nothing more than a burden on me and your mother."

Immediately releasing her as he heard his wife come downstairs, Paige hurriedly raced into the downstairs bathroom, checking her reflection. Adding some makeup to hide the mark across her face, she did her best to conceal the rest of the bruises, unable to allow her mom to know the truth. Sierrah would go completely bonkers if she knew that her husband was beating her daughter, especially at the knowledge of how long it'd gone on.

Pasting on a fake smile to hide the pain she endured, Paige went out to finish cooking breakfast for the family and set the table for everyone. Taking over care of the twins to enable her mom to eat, she handled the feeding of Liam and Bastian, their presence brightening up her day. It was only after her mother had finished eating her meal when she handed the twins back over to her, "I really need to head to work or I'm going to be late."

"Are you okay, Paige?" Sierrah asked.

Ignoring the withering look she received from her stepfather, silently forewarning her if she attempted to tell her mom the truth. Don't worry, she had no intention of telling her the truth. Expressing the same smile she'd worn all morning, Paige reached for her bag. "I'm good, Mom, honest. I just really need to get to the shop."

"Okay," she mumbled, unconvinced.

Sierrah still sat at the table watching her daughter practically race out of the house, confusion making her normally classical features. Despite Paige's assurances that she simply needed to get to work on time, she knew that something else was going on with the girl. In the last couple of years, she'd begun to notice the difference in the girl anytime she was at home, though it'd gotten worse in the last six months.

In the beginning of their marriage Paige had loved spending the days at home with her parents, it had actually been the highlight of her life. Either hanging out on the couch as the three of them watched whatever movies suited the girl's moods for the day or playing in the backyard. In the last year, Paige often found reasons to be gone from the house, it either being her need to rush off to work or hanging out with her friends.

"Eric," she mused thoughtfully, desperate to understand what could be going on with the girl and sincerely hoping that he could give her the answers. "Did Paige say anything was amiss?"

He arched a brow. "Why would she?"

"You're her father," she pointed out to him.

He sneered, but tried to hide it.

His reaction wasn't lost on her. Sierrah wasn't the complete fool that he seemed to take her for being. Aware that outside of the presence of his wife Eric didn't acknowledge that the young woman was his own child. He simply put up with the girl for the sake of his wife, to maintain the peace between them in their marriage. Ever since she'd gotten pregnant she'd begun to notice the difference in which he treated her daughter, which was getting worse by the day. It was quickly becoming a well-known fact that Eric resented raising another man's child, treating her more coldly with each passing day. The only time he wasn't complaining about the girl was when she was cooking and cleaning the house or tending to the boys, though even then he found ways to criticize her.

Sierrah suspected that it was his mistreatment towards her that compelled her daughter to stay longer and longer away from the house. Intent on avoiding the house for as long as absolutely possible, to keep from angering her stepfather. Forever being the peacekeeper, Paige was trying to keep things pleasant in the household. Sierrah promised herself that as soon as she found the time she'd make a point of talking to her daughter, to make sure everything was okay.

Sierrah watched her husband from across the distance, he better hope that bitching, complaining and yelling was all he had done with the girl. Because if she ever found out that he had laid one hand on her daughter, there wouldn't be a force in this world strong enough to keep her from killing him. Not even the knowledge that he was the twins' father would save him from her wrath.

Pasting on a fake smile to keep her husband from being aware of the thoughts inside of her mind, as they were hers alone to contemplate. Having calmed down the uncertainty building up inside of her, Sierrah finally spoke, "Will you be home for dinner tonight?"

"No," he replied in a flat tone, showing no emotion in his answer. "I have a business meeting in the city tonight that can't be rescheduled. I probably won't be home until sometime after midnight."

This came as no surprise to her. Over the course of the last couple of years, Sierrah had noticed her husband's presence at the house had been less prominent, worsening over time. Every time she turned around Eric was always begging off of family engagements, having either a business engagement or a trip to fill his time.

It was rare when the man actually was home. Eric was normally only home two, maybe three nights out of the week. Normally after his business engagements, he stayed at the hotel in the city, claiming that he was too drunk to make the drive back home. And no less than one week out of the month Eric left on a business trip out of town, to where she didn't have the faintest of clues. Her husband had stopped giving her information about his work life around the same time she'd gotten pregnant with the twins. As if he no longer felt obligated.

Half an hour later Sierrah was left alone in the silence of the house, easily able to hear Eric as he climbed into the car and headed to work. While left alone in the solitude of the house with only the twins to bear witness a single tear slipped past her resolve, trickling down her face. Sitting there as she had a silent cry, she became heartbroken at what her life had become. Three years ago Sierrah was blissfully happy with an adoring daughter and pampered by her loving husband. Happier than she'd ever imagined to be possible.

That had all changed the moment that she'd given birth to the twins. As if the boys' very existence alone somehow made it okay for her life to fall apart.

These days Sierrah spent her days all alone in the family townhome with only the boys to keep her company, Eric busy at work and the same for Paige. It wouldn't be until the wee hours of the night or even sometimes the early morning before either of them made it back to the house as if purposely trying to avoid it. On the rare occasion when the two of them were actually home at the same time for dinner it never failed, Eric always found a reason to complain about Paige.

Though it was a hundred times worse when her in-laws came into town to visit, complaining about every little thing that Paige did, reprimanding her. Her mother-in-law constantly reminded Eric that when she married off it would be worth it for everything he did for her. She gnashed her teeth, the bride price was all they cared about. It was the only reason that her husband continued to accept the step-daughter he'd grown to hate, the knowledge when she married as tradition her future husband would offer a bride price.

Don't worry, Paige, mama won't let them use you like that, she sent out to her daughter. The girl might biologically be her little sister, but Sierrah had adopted her twelve years ago and the girl had truly become her daughter. No way in hell she was allowing anyone to ride the curtails of her little girl.