Devil's Bride Contract

TITLE: THE CONTRACT OF RUINI

CHAPTER THREE

For three hours, I stared at the marriage contract.

Three. Full. Hours.

It sat there on my bed table, as deadly as a loaded gun.

Simple.

Elegant.

Deady.

Each and every word written on the contract felt like another nail being hammered into my coffin.

The marriage between Elena Rossi and Roman Volkov.

The length of the union would be five years.

The union would be both public and private, with complete discretion.

Absolute loyalty was mandatory; betrayal was not allowed, escape was forbidden, and divorce without his permission would be impossible.

I re-read that last bit again and again.

And again.

No divorce without his permission.

I let out a dry, rasping laugh, my throat parched like the earth after a drought. It would have been better even to be in prison; there at least would have been visiting hours.

There was a quiet tap on my door, and I flinched. Sophia stepped in with heavy eyes, a forgotten smile painted upon her face. She wore an oversized jumper that hung from her shoulders, making her look as if she was unable to care for herself anymore. "It's a joke, right?" I asked. She didn't seem so sure anymore. She noticed the contract and her face contorted. "Absolutely not. You're lying," I watched her take it and skim over the papers, and then throw it back onto my bed. "It's the only way," I reasoned, trying to steady my voice. "There is another way! There always is!" she shrieked, "There is not!" "You know I have to do this for Dad. He is going to be sentenced to twenty years in prison!" Silence. "Tell me this isn't happening," she pleaded softly.

The smell of metal and regret permeated the prison. My father, usually a powerhouse in boardrooms, looked small and human in the sterile visitor's room. He picked up the phone first. "Elena." I pick up my phone. "Did you do it?" His silence answered me first, then, "Yes." My heart felt like it was being crushed within my chest. "Why?" "To protect this family." "No, Dad, don't do that. That's a lie." "I did what I had to do!" he yelled back. "You sold our information to Roman Volkov! You exposed us!" "I made a deal! I made us powerful!" "You made us vulnerable!" I choked out, my voice filled with the tears I was holding back. "Was it worth it?" He looked me in the eye. "No." The only thing I really needed him to say, but the answer broke me.

"There's a way to get you out," I finally confessed to him. He looked hopeful. "What way?" I hate that he still wants to be saved; I hate that I still want to save him. "Roman offered me a deal." His expression instantly fell, and a wave of revulsion washed over him. "No! Absolutely not! You will not marry that man!" I let out a broken laugh, "Finally, you're acting like a father." "Elena, listen to me. You cannot sacrifice yourself for me." "It's too late for that." I look him in the eyes, "You should have thought about me before you sold us out for greed." He called my name repeatedly, but I couldn't turn back. I would not bury my father while he was still alive, yet somehow it felt like I had already done so.

That night I sat staring at the contract that lay on my desk with the pen in hand. My soul was exhausted. Outside, the city glowed, unaware of the destruction that had taken place. I signed my name, Elena Rossi. And just like that, I sold my future to the devil. My phone immediately buzzed. An unknown number. I knew. I answered. "Good," his voice was low and steady; it was as if he knew all along that I would do this. "When?" I asked. "Tomorrow." "What for?" I whispered. "Our wedding, wife." And then, the line went dead. I sat there, lost in the silence, and realized I would no longer belong to myself after tomorrow.