Forced Wife. The Price of Silence

Background music: Heavy, building bass, the sound of shattering glass, and accelerated breathing) The white tulle of my wedding dress soaked up the rain, growing as heavy as lead. Exactly like my heart. I stood on the edge of the curb, ignoring the cars speeding past and the headlights blinding me in the Warsaw downpour. In my hand, I still clutched the bouquet of white roses. Just a few minutes ago, I had hurled it straight into the face of the man I used to consider the love of my life. "Elena! Stop, damn it!" a furious male voice pierced through the roar of the rain. I didn't even turn around. I knew exactly who was pursuing me. My brand-new husband. Or rather... my treacherous partner, who just an hour ago had sworn his love and fidelity to me at the altar, only to be caught fifteen minutes later in the back room of the wedding venue, groping my half-sister. "It means nothing, Elena! You know the wedding was only necessary for our fathers' contract!" — his words still echoed in my ears, louder than the thunder rolling over the city. Suddenly, a black luxury SUV emerged from around the corner. It was driving far too fast. The tires screeched against the wet asphalt, and the car swerved right toward me. I closed my eyes, bracing for the worst. The screech of brakes. A loud thud. And then, a sudden, terrifying silence, broken only by the patter of raindrops hitting the car body. I opened my eyes. The vehicle had stopped mere centimeters from my knees. The tinted window on the driver's side slowly rolled down. Staring out at me from inside the luxury car were eyes I hadn't seen in years. Cold, calculating, and completely mesmerizing. Alexander Sterling. My father's fiercest rival and the man I had been warned about since childhood. "You look like a drowned rat, Elena," a low, velvety voice murmured, devoid of even a shred of sympathy. Instead, something else lurked there. Satisfaction. "Get in. Before that joke you call a life destroys you completely." I glanced back at my unfaithful husband running toward me. Then, I looked at Alexander. I knew that by stepping into this car, I was signing a pact with the devil. But at least this devil didn't pretend to be a saint. I yanked the handle open and got in.