"Rose & Life"

Dark Life

A Tragic Tale: Rose’s Engagement

Rose is only 13 years old. She loves running under the sun, laughing with her school friends, and dreaming about the future. But today, her life takes a different turn—one she has no control over. Today, she is being forced into marriage with a man nearly twice her age.

This is not a choice she made. It is not a love story. It is a decision made for her by those who believe they know best. No one asks if she wants this. No one wonders if she is ready. Because in this world, her voice is insignificant.

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Morning Breaks

The sun rises, filling the sky with golden light, but for Rose, there is no warmth in this day. Her room feels smaller than ever, the walls closing in as if trapping her in a destiny she cannot escape.

She wakes up to find her mother sitting silently in the corner, her expression unreadable. Is she sad? Is she relieved? Rose cannot tell. The only thing she knows is that today is not like any other day.

Her mother stands up and walks toward her, holding a white dress in her hands. She gently brushes Rose’s hair, tying it into neat braids, then helps her into the dress. The fabric feels heavy on Rose’s small frame. It is not the weight of the material that burdens her—it is the meaning behind it.

“This is your fate,” her mother whispers, almost as if trying to convince herself rather than her daughter.

Rose wants to scream. She wants to tell her mother that this cannot be her fate, that she is still a child, that she should be in school learning about the world, not being given away to a man she barely knows. But the words stay trapped in her throat.

She looks in the mirror. A young girl stares back at her, dressed like a bride but feeling like a prisoner.

---

The Engagement Ceremony

The house is filled with people—relatives, neighbors, and strangers who have come to celebrate. They talk, they laugh, they eat, but none of them see her pain. Or perhaps they do, and they choose to ignore it.

In the center of it all stands Daniel, her 24-year-old fiancé. He is not an old man, nor is he cruel, but he is still a stranger to her. He does not know her favorite books, her dreams of becoming a doctor, or the way she loves to run barefoot in the grass after the rain. He does not ask about her fears, nor does he try to ease them. To him, this is simply an arrangement—one he, too, might not have had a choice in.

Rose’s father takes her hand and places it into Daniel’s. His grip is firm, his hands much larger than hers. The guests clap and smile, calling them a "beautiful couple," but Rose feels anything but beautiful.

She stands there, silent and frozen. She wonders if she is the only one who realizes how wrong this is. She wonders if any of these people ever felt the same fear she feels now. Or have they all simply accepted this as normal?

She wants to run. She wants to disappear. But she knows there is nowhere to go.

---

The Sun Sets

As the last guests leave and the house falls into silence, Rose is left alone in her new reality. The white dress is still on her, the flowers in her hair now slightly wilted. She stands by the window, staring at the night sky.

Her childhood should have lasted longer. She should have had more time to dream, to grow, to choose. Instead, those choices have been made for her.

A single tear falls down her cheek. She wipes it away quickly.

She knows crying won’t change anything.

And so, the darkest night of her life begins…