Page 157 of Downfall

Sofia.

She stares back from where she’s obviously being forced to sit in Otto’s lap. Her dress is just as revealing as mine. No, it’s worse. It’s semi-see through. And we can all see she’s got nothing on underneath.

Her lip is busted, her cheekbone bears the evidence of where someone has obviously hit her hard her.

But it’s her eyes. She’s staring at me, no doubt looking just as petrified as I feel.

A hand pulls me from my chair. I let out a yelp as Darius all but deposits me in his lap. A few of his men look on but most are too drunk right now to care.

“Did you think we’d let the little slut off?” Darius murmurs. “Did you think Sofia could simply string my cousin along like a cat?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” I say quickly.

“No?” He teases. “Little Sofia Montague dangling her virginity like a trophy. Only she wasn’t a virgin was she?”

I gulp, my eyes darting to Sofia’s, whose are shut now.

Otto lets out a laugh. It’s cruel. And it sets the hairs on the back of my neck on end. “My little Montague whore.” He mutters as his hand grabs a part of her he has no right to touch.

“She’s not part of this.” I say turning to face Darius.

He tuts shaking his head. “You think I’m that stupid? You think we all are? You think we didn’t know she was playing a game from the start? Only you know what they say, you mess with fire you have to be prepared to be burnt.”

“Sofia’s learning that lesson right now.” Otto growls as he raises her arm, showing where all the circular cigarette burns are. He’s been fucking torturing her.

I snarl, moving to react and Darius pulls me back as his hand wraps around my throat. “We had a deal remember.” He mutters.

“Let her go.” I hiss.

“No. She’s as big a part of this as you are.”

“She has nothing to do with this.”

He rolls his eyes like he’s bored and then he leans around me, tapping his wine glass with a spoon, making the whole room fall silent.

“I’ve invited you all here this evening to make a few very special announcements.” Darius says. “Firstly, it grieves me to inform you all that Roman Montague is no longer with us.”

A cheer rings out. Half the room raises it’s glasses and it takes all my effort not to react, not to launch myself at them and gut them as they celebrate.

“…Secondly, I’d like to inform you all of Sofia Montague’s engagement to my cousin Otto. She is of course beside herself with happiness, as you all can see.”

I don’t look at her. Not in that moment. But I know the tears are falling down her face despite her best efforts not to cry while Otto is laughing, like the pig he is.

“And finally, we come to my own happy news.”

I tense as he speaks. I know what’s coming and yet my body still reacts, I still feel all the anger, and the fear, and everything in between as he says the words out loud.

“…Rose Capulet, my beautiful Rose, has agreed to become my wife.”

I hang my head as the cheers ring out. They all know what this is. They must do. It’s obvious isn’t it, that Sofia is being forced to marry Otto just as I am being forced to be with Darius. Yet none of them seem to care. None of them clearly give a shit. They’re all just as fucked up as Darius is, as my father is.

Roman is gone. Roman is dead.

My heart lurches for a moment as I realise this is the environment Lara will grow up in if I don’t do something. She’ll become a pawn for them, just as I am. They’ll use her, sell her, inflict god knows what sort of emotional and physical abuse and I’ll be helpless to stop it, just as I was helpless to stop them doing it to me.

I glance at the knife in front of me. It’s a butter knife. Blunt as hell. And in this situation it might as well be a rubber chicken for all the good it will do.

“Rose.”

---