She had been the first to speak to me, the first to show interest in my clumsy sketches, the first to make me feel seen.

I never fully understood why she was drawn to me, but her family accepted it with suspicious speed.

Not a single obstacle, not a single question. Just a prenuptial agreement, signed with a smile.

When I slipped the dress off her shoulders, she closed her eyes.
Her body was beautiful, yes, but it was when my hands moved lower that I noticed something that chilled me to the bone.
A long, jagged scar ran across her abdomen to her belly.
I stepped back without thinking. Clara opened her eyes, and fear filled them.

“Clara… what is this?”

She hesitated before answering. She pulled the sheet over her head, breathing heavily.

“You promised not to ask questions,” she said softly.

“I don’t understand anything!” I cried, my heart racing. “Why did your family…? Why did they give me all this?”

She looked at me as if she knew that this moment would change everything. Continue reading…