I married him to save my family

If someone had told me that a day would come where my parents would agree to arrange a marriage for me, I would have laughed in their face and called them a joker. But here I was, in the room I grew up in, Lucy and Mike by my side, their young eyes wondering what was going on. A little back story, papa was in debt and his debtor wanted me to marry his son. You would think something like this didn’t happen in the twenty-first century anymore. Maybe all of these could have been avoided if I had just gotten married to someone I could tolerate earlier or maybe if I ran away but I now, couldn't do any of that. The Canon family was the most powerful in the city. I feared for what was going to happen to my family if I decided to run away. “Are you going to leave us, sister?” Lucy asked with teary eyes. My thirteen year old sister was too young to understand what was going on and it hurt that I couldn’t do anything to comfort her, I was only protecting her. I had heard so many bad things about the Canon family, I was scared for my life but if marrying into the family was what it was going to take to protect my people then I was going to do it. “I’d be back very soon,” my voice faltered and I almost choked on my tears. “It’s just temporary,” I wasn’t sure I was going to be back. Who knows, maybe I’d never get to see my family again. The things I had heard about the Canon family, especially my husband, were enough to make me believe I was going to die. Lincoln Canon who was the youngest of the Canon boys and my soon to be husband. Most people described him as an ugly monster whose heart was darker than midnight. He was always involved in one conflict or the other. Damien Canon, the elder one was the opposite of his brother, according to reports, he was pleasant. How could mama and papa do this to me? Why would they give me away to the ugly and dangerous one? I blinked back my tears and mustered a smile for Lucy and Mike. Lincoln and his family were now in the sitting room, discussing with mama and papa. I tried to eavesdrop but I couldn’t hear anything because they spoke in hushed tones. I bit my lip nervously as I waited for them to call me. I spent the morning in the kitchen with mama, cooking my husband’s favorite meal. When we were done, she gave me a lace dress to wear. It was the same dress she wore the first time papa and his family came to her house. She helped me with my makeup and hair. She kept on reassuring me that everything was going to be okay even though her eyes glinted with fear. My belongings were packed in two boxes. The room I lived in all my life now looked bare and empty. The clattering of forks against plates signified the start of lunch. My stomach twisted. “You should serve them the lemon cake,” I said to Darla, who had been our live-in maid since I was a baby. She nodded dutifully and headed to the kitchen. The cake looked harmless, perfect even. Mama said it was Lincoln’s favorite desert and surprising him with it would make him nice to me and maybe even love me. I had spent extra time smoothing the cream. While mama was distracted with the stew she was making, I used a fork to hollow out a small space in the center of the cake and I placed a small air tight pouch in it. I covered it up with cake and frosting. I saw the trick online and it was just enough to tell Lincoln that I was going to hate him forever. I took in a deep breath and pulled Mike to my chest. It was going to happen any minute from now. “Can I come visit?” Mike asked innocently. Could he? I wouldn’t want him in the house of that monster. “We’ll make plans,” I smiled nervously. Then, a sharp sound echoed from the sitting room. It was sudden and followed by silence. My heart jumped to my throat. My little trick worked. “What’s the meaning of this?” Papa's voice boomed. Papá never raised his voice but ever since his business went south with the Canon family, he was always angry and sad and it made me hate them more. “What kind of nonsense is this?” The voice belonged to Lincoln’s dad I assume. Before I could move, the door swung open. Darla stood there, her eyes wet with tears. “What have you done?” She cried. “They’re calling you,” Of course they were calling me. I stood up and smoothed my dress, holding my head up high. “Don’t go,” Lucy begged, teary eyed. I gently pulled away. “I’ll be fine,” My head remained bowed as I walked into the sitting room. I could feel everyone’s eyes on me. No, I didn’t feel any guilt or remorse for what I had just done. If anything, Lincoln deserved worse. “What did you put in this cake?” Baba demanded harshly. I looked at him from the corner of my eyes. He looked like he had aged ten years in just a few minutes. Mama stood by his side, her face drained of color. “Nothing,” I answered quietly, my head bowed. “It’s just a cake,” “Now’s not the time for nonsense,” his frown deepened. “Apologize to your husband immediately!” I muttered an apology reluctantly. This was more than humiliation. Baba was never the type to kiss ass or make his children do it. Seeing how much his financial situation affected him, seeing a strong man act like this shattered my heart.