Thunderbird - B. Bridgerton

9

„Get out of my house, now!", the young man shouts at the crying girl, who just desperately tries to put on her white dress - the dress he had gifted her just a few hours ago - on again.
„Selim, please-", she tries to talk to him, but the young man is too furious to listen.
„I said GET OUT!"
Sofia has finally put on her dress and approaches to the man she loves so much.. the man who told her that he was loving her as well.
„You have to listen to me", she says, begs, tears falling down her cheeks.
„What are you going to tell me, Thunderbird?", he literally hisses the words, „are you going to tell me how you betrayed me? How you fooled my while playing with me?"
„I.. I never betrayed you. I love you.", she answers.
„Oh really? Is that why you couldn't wait for me?", he responds. She is not only one who cries. Sofia opens her mouth, but he is again the first to speak: „I loved you since I was ten, ten! I loved you so much, that I didn't even talk to you in public, in order to keep your dignity, your virtue intact. No one should gossip about you not being a proper lady."
She sobs loudly, but he ignores that once again. „For what, huh? To find out that you did not have the patience to wait for me? To find out that you, indeed, are not a noble lady?"
„Listen to me first, please", she once again begs. This time, he remains silent and waits for her to speak, to say anything that could wash away that pain. „I did not loose my virtue by choice", she finally says, breathing heavily, looking at the floor, „it was.. Karan did that to me, he forced me.. raped me."
For two seconds the room is completely silent. Then Selim begins laughing. „Karan? The boy who lived with you since you were a baby? The man who is going to inherit your father's dukedom? Did you really fall that deeply that you're accusing an innocent man for such a crime? A man who is almost your brother?"
„That bastard is not my brother!", she shouts in tears, „my father trusted a liar for years!"
„You really thought you could get away with this, didn't you?", he says with disappointment in his voice, „of course you did. Who am I, right? A dumb, uneducated farmer's boy! A nobody! Of course you had already lost the opportunity to marry a noble man someday so you thought you'd better be tricking me, right?"
„Selim...", she begs one last time, but he has already opened the door and is dragging her out.
„I came here to seek safety in your arms, I.. came here because I wanted you to heal my wounds."
„Go away. And never ever step a foot in my village again!" with this words he closes the door, only to fall on his knees afterwards. He cries, more than Sofia would ever expect, more than a man should ever cry.
„Selim, please.. It's me Sofia, your Sofia! You know me better than anyone else. How could you believe that I could do that to you? Please open the door, let me explain.. Selim... Selim please?" She talks to him for a few minutes, but eventually stands up and leaves him as she realizes that the door won't open again.
Thunderbird jumped off that cliff that night, but she miraculously found life again. But Selim? The farmer's boy buried his soul deep deep inside of him on that night. No one even dared to ask him what had happened. For the next five years, Selim was never seen smiling, not even a single time.