Chapter 5
839 Words
The drive home felt endless.
Celeste sat by the window of the taxi, staring at the city lights rushing past.
Zayden's words echoed relentlessly inside her head.
Then your family's debt becomes due immediately.
He had not raised his voice.
He had not threatened her directly.
Yet somehow it felt worse.
Because he had simply stated a fact.
A reality.
A consequence.
And consequences were harder to fight than threats.
By the time she reached home, exhaustion had settled deep into her bones.
The house was brightly lit.
Her parents were waiting.
Of course they were.
The moment she stepped inside, her mother stood.
"How did it go?"
Celeste almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it wasn't.
It was tragic.
"You're asking the wrong question."
Her mother frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"It means you should be asking how your daughter feels."
Silence followed.
Her father looked uncomfortable.
Her mother looked annoyed.
Neither reaction surprised her.
"Did you meet him?" her father asked quietly.
"Yes."
"And?"
Celeste set her purse down.
"He's exactly what everyone says he is."
A shadow crossed her father's face.
"What happened?"
She looked at both of them.
Really looked.
For the first time, she noticed how tired they seemed.
How desperate.
How broken.
Yet despite that, she couldn't find it in herself to forgive them.
Not yet.
Maybe not ever.
"He gave me the contract."
The room immediately tensed.
Her mother's eyes widened.
"The contract?"
Celeste nodded.
"A one-month marriage."
Relief visibly washed over her parents.
Relief.
Again.
As though the details didn't matter.
As long as the money came.
Her chest tightened painfully.
Her father finally spoke.
"What are you going to do?"
The question hung between them.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Nobody breathed.
Celeste thought about her future.
About freedom.
About dignity.
About the life she wanted.
Then she thought about debt collectors.
Foreclosures.
Bankruptcy.
The fear she had seen in her father's eyes.
The sleepless nights.
The collapse of everything her family had built.
She hated them for putting her in this position.
But she couldn't pretend she didn't care what happened to them.
That was the cruelest part.
Even after everything, they were still her family.
Tears threatened.
She swallowed them back.
"I don't know."
Her voice sounded smaller than she intended.
For the first time, her father approached her.
His expression was filled with regret.
"I never wanted this for you."
The words hurt.
Because she believed him.
Not her mother.
But him.
She believed he regretted every second of it.
The problem was that regret changed nothing.
The damage had already been done.
"Then why didn't you stop it?"
He lowered his head.
No answer came.
Because there wasn't one.
Her mother stepped forward.
"This marriage isn't forever."
Celeste turned sharply toward her.
"You don't get to comfort me."
The words landed harder than she expected.
Pain flashed across her mother's face.
Briefly.
Then disappeared.
Celeste walked upstairs before anyone could say another word.
She locked herself inside her bedroom.
For several minutes, she simply stood there.
Alone.
Silent.
Lost.
Then she opened the folder.
The contract stared back at her.
Every page felt colder than the last.
Dates.
Terms.
Conditions.
Expectations.
Everything carefully arranged.
Like a business merger.
Not a marriage.
Not a relationship.
Not a life.
Her gaze landed on the final page.
The signature line.
Waiting.
Empty.
A space reserved for her name.
A space waiting for surrender.
She stared at it for a long time.
Minutes passed.
Maybe longer.
Eventually her phone rang.
The unfamiliar number made her stomach tighten.
After a moment's hesitation, she answered.
"Hello?"
A deep voice responded immediately.
"I assume you've reviewed the contract."
Celeste froze.
She recognized the voice instantly.
Zayden.
Her pulse quickened.
"What if I haven't?"
Silence.
Then a quiet response.
"You will."
The confidence irritated her.
"You're very sure of yourself."
"Because I understand reality."
His voice remained calm.
Steady.
Controlled.
"I know this isn't what you want."
The unexpected statement caught her off guard.
For the first time, he sounded almost human.
Almost.
"Then why are you doing it?"
Several seconds passed.
Long enough for her to think he wouldn't answer.
When he finally spoke, his voice sounded colder than ever.
"Because I need this marriage."
Need.
Not want.
Need.
The distinction unsettled her.
Before she could ask another question, he continued.
"Have the contract ready by tomorrow."
Her grip tightened around the phone.
"And if I don't sign it?"
Silence filled the line.
A dangerous silence.
Then came his answer.
Quiet.
Certain.
Unavoidable.
"You will."
The call ended.
Celeste slowly lowered the phone.
Her heart pounded against her ribs.
The room suddenly felt too small.
Too quiet.
Too heavy.
Her eyes drifted back to the contract lying open on her desk.
The blank signature line waited patiently.
Like fate itself.
Outside, thunder rolled across the dark sky.
Inside, Celeste picked up a pen.
And after staring at her name for what felt like forever, she lowered the tip toward the paper.
- Writer
