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chapter 1 The first time my mother mentioned Cosmas, it didn’t feel like a conversation. It felt like a conclusion. The afternoon was quiet, the kind of silence that usually meant peace. I sat in the living room with a book open in my hands, though I hadn’t read a single word in the past ten minutes. My mind had been drifting—thinking about school, about my future, about a life that, until that moment, still felt like it belonged to me. “Isabel.” Her voice cut through the silence. I looked up slowly. My mother stood by the doorway, watching me with that familiar expression—calm, controlled, unreadable. It was the same look she wore whenever she had already decided something and was simply waiting for me to accept it. “Yes, Mum?” She walked in and sat across from me, smoothing her dress as she settled down. Small movements, precise. Everything about her was always deliberate. “You’re not a child anymore,” she began. Something in my chest tightened. I had heard that sentence before. It never meant anything good. I closed my book gently, placing it beside me. “What do you mean?” “There’s someone I want you to meet.” There it was. Simple. Direct. No room for questions. “Who?” I asked, though part of me already didn’t want to know. “His name is Cosmas.” The way she said it—steady, certain—made it clear this wasn’t just a name. It was a plan. “I’m not interested,” I said quietly. The words came out before I could stop them, but I didn’t take them back. Her expression didn’t change immediately. It never did. My mother wasn’t the type to react quickly. She absorbed, processed… and then controlled. “You don’t know him,” she replied. “I don’t need to,” I said, my voice firmer now. “I’m not ready for that.” A pause. Then she leaned slightly forward, her eyes locking onto mine. “This is not about what you want.” The room seemed to shrink. “I know what’s best for you, Isabel.” Those words again. They had followed me my entire life—deciding my friendships, my movements, even my thoughts. But this time, they felt heavier. Final. “This is my life,” I said, my voice shaking just slightly. “Shouldn’t I have a say?” Her gaze hardened. “You’re too young to understand certain things,” she said. “One day, you will thank me.” Thank her? For what? For choosing a man for me like I was something to be given away? I felt anger rise in my chest, hot and unfamiliar. But underneath it was something deeper. Fear. Because I knew my mother. And when she spoke like this— It meant she wasn’t asking. She stood up, ending the conversation as if nothing more needed to be said. “Be ready tomorrow,” she added. “We are going to see him.” And just like that, it was decided. Not by me. Never by me. I sat there long after she left the room, staring at nothing, my thoughts spinning. For years, I had lived within the boundaries she set, convincing myself it was normal. That it was love. But now, something didn’t feel right. Something inside me was resisting. And for the first time in my life— I wasn’t sure I was going to obey. chapter 2 I barely slept that night. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw a future I didn’t recognize—a life shaped by someone else’s decisions, someone else’s control. By morning, the feeling hadn’t gone away. If anything, it had grown stronger. “Get ready,” my mother said from the doorway. “We’re leaving soon.” Her tone was normal. Too normal. Like this was just another day. Like she wasn’t about to change my life. I dressed slowly, deliberately, hoping—foolishly—that time itself might somehow delay what was coming. But time, like my mother, didn’t wait. The car ride was quiet. I watched the streets pass by through the window, memorizing everything as if it mattered. As if I were already leaving something behind. “Stop worrying,” she said suddenly. I turned slightly. “I’m not.” “You are,” she replied. “And it’s unnecessary.” Unnecessary. That word made something twist inside me. We drove for a few more minutes before the car finally stopped. “This is it,” she said. I looked up. The house stood quietly behind a gate—ordinary at first glance, but something about it made me uneasy. Maybe it was the stillness. Maybe it was the feeling that I didn’t belong there. Or maybe it was the fact that I had no choice in being there at all. My mother stepped out. I didn’t move. “Isabel.” I swallowed. “Mum… I don’t want to do this.” She turned to face me fully now, her patience thinning. “You don’t have a choice,” she said. The words landed heavily. Final. I stepped out of the car. Each step toward the house felt forced, like my body was moving without my permission. My heart pounded in my chest, loud enough that I was sure she could hear it. Before we even reached the door, it opened. And there he was. Cosmas. He smiled the moment he saw us, his expression warm, welcoming. Too perfect. “Ah, you must be Isabel,” he said. His voice was smooth, practiced. I nodded slightly, unable to find my voice. He stepped aside to let us in, his eyes lingering on me just a second too long. I felt it. That discomfort. That quiet warning in my chest. We sat down, and the conversation began almost immediately—but not with me. My mother spoke. About me. For me. “She’s respectful,” she said. “Quiet. She listens.” I sat there, my hands resting in my lap, feeling invisible in my own life. Cosmas nodded slowly, watching me with interest. “And what do you think, Isabel?” he asked. The question caught me off guard. For a moment, I hesitated. Then I spoke. “I think… I barely know you.” A small silence followed. My mother shifted slightly beside me. Cosmas smiled again—but this time, it didn’t feel the same. “That’s why we are here,” he said. “To change that.” Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten. Not curiosity. Not kindness. Control. I forced a polite smile, but inside, everything felt wrong. This wasn’t how things were supposed to happen. This wasn’t how my life was supposed to begin. And as I sat there, listening to plans being discussed as if I had already agreed— One thought became clear. If I didn’t do something… I was going to lose myself completely. chapter 3 Cosmas was the kind of man who made everything sound reasonable. That was what made him dangerous. We sat in his living room, my mother beside me, speaking comfortably as if she had known him for years. Maybe she had. The thought unsettled me. Cosmas leaned back in his chair, his eyes resting on me in a way that made me feel observed rather than seen. “You’re very quiet,” he said. “I speak when I have something to say,” I replied. A small smile formed on his lips. “That’s good. It means you think before you speak.” “It means I don’t like being spoken for,” I said. The room shifted. My mother inhaled sharply beside me, but I didn’t look at her. For once, I refused to shrink under her expectations. Cosmas didn’t react immediately. Instead, he studied me more closely now, as if trying to understand something that didn’t fit his plan. “I like honesty,” he said finally. “But in life, Isabel, we must also understand roles.” “Roles?” I repeated. “Yes,” he said smoothly. “Everyone has a place. Order is important.” Something about the way he said it made my chest tighten. Order. Place. Control. “I don’t believe in being placed,” I said quietly. “I believe in choosing.” Another silence. This one heavier. My mother shifted again, her discomfort growing, but Cosmas simply nodded slowly. “You’re strong,” he said. “That can be a good thing… if guided properly.” There it was again. Guided. Directed. Controlled. I felt something inside me harden. “I’m not something to guide,” I said, meeting his eyes fully now. For a brief second—just a second—his expression changed. The warmth disappeared. What replaced it was something colder. Something calculating. But just as quickly, the smile returned. “Of course,” he said lightly. “We’re just having a conversation.” But I had already seen it. The mask. And what was underneath it. As we stood to leave, I felt his gaze follow me. Not curious. Not kind. Possessive. Like something had already been decided. When we got back into the car, my mother didn’t speak immediately. The silence stretched until it became unbearable. “Why did you behave like that?” she finally asked. I turned to her. “Like what?” “Disrespectful,” she snapped. “Challenging him like that.” “I was being honest.” “You embarrassed me,” she said. Something in me snapped. “No,” I replied, my voice shaking with restrained emotion. “You’re trying to force me into something I don’t want. That’s what’s embarrassing.” She turned sharply to face me. “You don’t understand what I’m doing for you.” “Then explain it,” I said. “Because right now, it feels like you’re giving my life away.” Her expression hardened, closing off completely. “One day,” she said coldly, “you will understand.” I looked away, staring out the window as the car moved. But deep inside, I knew something she didn’t. I wasn’t going to wait for that day. I wasn’t going to accept this. And whatever it took— I was going to stop it. Chapter 4 That night, the house felt different. Quieter. Heavier. Like something had shifted, even if no one had said it out loud. My mother stayed in her room longer than usual. I could hear her moving around, restless. Maybe she was thinking. Maybe she was planning. I didn’t trust either option. I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying everything that had happened. Cosmas’s words. My mother’s silence. The way both of them spoke as if my future had already been decided. My chest tightened. I needed air. I got up and walked to the window, pushing the curtain aside slightly. That’s when I saw him. Cosmas. At first, I thought I was imagining it. But no—he was standing just outside the neighbor’s gate, looking around cautiously. My heart began to race. What was he doing here? He had already dropped us off hours ago. There was no reason for him to be anywhere near our house. Unless— The gate opened. Our neighbor stepped out. She looked around quickly before letting him in. I froze. The way she moved, the way he stepped closer to her—it wasn’t unfamiliar. It wasn’t accidental. It was practiced. This had happened before. A strange calm settled over me, replacing the shock. Everything became clear in a way that felt almost unreal. This was the man my mother trusted. The man she was trying to force me to accept. A man who lied. A man who hid things. A man who thought no one would notice. I stepped back from the window slowly, my mind already moving. This changed everything. This wasn’t just about control anymore. This was about truth. And for the first time since all of this began— I had something they didn’t expect. Leverage. I sat down on my bed, my hands no longer shaking. Instead, they felt steady. Focused. If they thought I would just accept this… If they thought I would stay silent… Then they didn’t know me at all. I reached for my phone. If I was going to fight this— I needed proof. And I was going to get it.