Aria sat on the cold stone floor of her small, dimly lit room, her fingers gripping the edge of her tattered dress. Her heart pounded in her chest, an eerie sense of dread crawling up her spine.
The door burst open.
Liana stood in the doorway, her presence suffocating the air in the room. Her expensive perfume mixed with the damp scent of Aria's confinement, creating a sickening contrast.
A smirk played on Liana's lips. A smile filled with venom.
"In a few days, you'll be married," she declared, her voice dripping with satisfaction. "So be prepared."
Aria's breath hitched. Married?
She felt as if the walls had just collapsed around her.
"W-what?" her voice trembled. "Married? To who?"
Liana rolled her eyes, stepping inside and towering over her like a vulture over dying prey. "Does it matter?" she sneered. "A man willing to take you off my hands is more than enough."
Aria's throat tightened. She struggled to process the words, the reality crushing her like an iron weight.
"B-but—"
SLAP!
Liana's hand struck Aria's face with sharp force, making her fall to the side.
"No 'buts,'" she snapped. "You should be grateful someone even wants you. After tomorrow, the contract will be signed, and you'll be done. Out of my sight. Out of my house."
Aria's cheek burned, tears brimming in her eyes, but she refused to let them fall.
Liana turned away, smoothing the fabric of her dress as if she hadn't just struck someone. "Now, get up. You need to be cleaned up."
Aria swallowed hard.
"Cleaned up?"
Liana smirked. "Yes. Go get a bath. Do your hair. Put on some makeup. You need to look… presentable."
Her stomach twisted. The way Liana spoke, as if she were an object being polished before a sale, made her skin crawl.
"B-but I—"
Liana's expression turned dark, her patience snapping like a brittle thread. "GET OUT!" she roared.
Aria flinched, scrambling to her feet as Liana stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Her hands trembled.
Her mind screamed.
Marriage?
She had been given no choice. No name. No face.
Just a fate sealed by ink on paper.
And tomorrow… her freedom would end.
After two day's
The grand chandelier above cast a golden glow over the long mahogany table. Papers were neatly stacked in front of Aria, the crisp scent of fresh ink filling the air. The air in the room was suffocating, thick with tension and unspoken threats.
Liana sat across from her, a sinister smirk playing on her lips. She held a glass of red wine in one hand, swirling it slowly, her nails tapping against the crystal.
Aria's eyes dropped to the contract. Her name was already printed at the bottom.
This was it.
A signature away from being sold.
Her fingers trembled, her body frozen.
Liana sighed, leaning forward, her voice as sweet as poison.
"If you don't sign this," she whispered, tilting her head, "I'll sell you to the club instead."
Aria's breath hitched.
The club.
Everyone knew what happened to girls sent there. No one came back the same. Some never came back at all.
"You think I'm joking?" Liana chuckled, her perfectly lined lips curving in amusement. "There are men already waiting. Wealthy, powerful, dangerous. I could get double the money if I send you there."
Aria's stomach twisted in knots.
Her fingers curled into fists in her lap. No. This can't be happening.
Liana took a slow sip of wine before setting the glass down. She tapped the papers with a manicured nail.
"Sign it," she ordered.
Aria swallowed hard. Her heartbeat pounded so loud she could hear it in her ears.
She had no one. No one to save her. No one to fight for her.
And now… she had no choice.
Her fingers wrapped around the pen. The weight of it felt heavier than chains.
She closed her eyes.
Then, with a deep breath—
She signed her name.
A single stroke sealed her fate.