Time had shifted, though not in any way I wanted. My life wasn’t the one I used to live; it was one I feared I might never survive. Every day felt like staring death in the face through his eyes. He wasn’t calm. He was fiercer than I could have ever imagined.
Twenty days had passed since our marriage, and not a single one had brought me a genuine smile. My life had shrunk into the walls of his mansion, the rooms echoing with his commands, his silence, and the weight of his expectations.
The freedom I once knew was gone. I used to laugh freely, but now that part of me felt completely lost.
During those twenty days, the two-day functions were the only times I got to see my family. On the second day of one of those events, I finally spent a few precious moments with my mother in the hall,
