Forced Marriage

I had huddled in my room, staring at the walls. The sound of silence within me was more deafening than any shout. What had happened to my life? My husband had passed away four months and twenty days ago, and tonight, I had just become engaged to my brother-in-law exactly thirty minutes ago.

This marriage was neither my choice nor Farhad's. Both of us were trapped in a deal that neither of us wanted. I knew that this engagement was just a formality for us, but the fact that they wouldn't let me leave and forced me to remain in this family gripped my heart.

The terrible sound of the door crashing against the wall jolted me and pulled me out of my thoughts. I lifted my head and looked at Farhad, my new husband and the eldest son of Faramerz Khan, with wide, terrified eyes. His angry and bloodshot gaze swept the room until it caught me; I had huddled near the window.

His smirk multiplied my pain a thousand-fold.

He reached the door and slammed it shut with a forceful bang. His steps were slow yet reminiscent of a tiger nearing its prey as he approached me. The sound of his heavy, hot breaths filled the room, injecting more fear into my being. The buttons of his white shirt were undone, revealing his chest hair. His chest rose and fell with quick breaths.

When he reached me, he grabbed my hair from beneath the large scarf on my head and roughly wrapped his hands around it. He forced me to stand.

Unintentionally, my hand landed on his, trying to free my poor hair from his grip. However, he paid no attention to my struggles and dragged me toward the bed. He angrily unbuttoned the remaining buttons of his shirt; one by one, they popped off and fell to the floor.

At that moment, a thunder crackled outside, as if nature itself was embroiled in endless fury. The room's light flickered, and shadows on the walls formed haunting shapes. I raised my hand defensively in front of my body. But Farhad uttered a sentence that sent shivers through my soul:

"You will pay for this engagement tonight."

He freed me from my clothes, and the only thing left on my body was the same top I had worn out of fear of Farhad. Then, with the scissors next to the bed, he cut my top, leaving only a red bra and panties on me. After seeing my large and sexy breasts, the young man made a move. But as I was still a virgin and had no relationship with my ex-husband, he kissed me so passionately that I lost my breath. He separated me from himself and tore off my veil of chastity. The whole bed was soaked in blood.

A moment of silence weighed heavily between us. His eyes were filled with rage and old wounds were buried deep within him. But I was also not a woman to surrender so easily. The fear that had initially crept into me gave way to something else; something akin to a bitter and unyielding resolve.

"Farhad, this life isn’t even yours. Why should we both become victims of something we didn’t choose?" My voice trembled, but I tried to maintain my composure.

He moved closer to me with that same angry gaze, but this time he slammed his hand against the wall beside my head and stared at me. "Because there is no choice. This world doesn't allow people like you and me to make decisions; this world has its own rules."

His words were bitter, like poison. For a moment, I felt that behind this hard, stony wall, a wounded and helpless man was hiding. But this feeling couldn’t diminish my fear. He remained a threat that I didn’t know how to deal with.

"Farhad, I just want to have my own life. Is that too much to ask?" This time, I tried to sound firmer.

He paused for a moment as if my words had penetrated a part of him. But he quickly shook his head and smirked. "Life? Do you think life in this family, in this damned house, is something you can control? You don’t even know what you’re dealing with."

His words confused me even more. I wanted to ask what he meant, but without further explanation, he stepped away from me and walked toward the window. He placed his hands on the ledge and stared outside for a moment. The rain had started to fall, and the sound of the droplets on the glass gave an odd sensation to the atmosphere.

"Farhad..." I wanted to say something, but he raised his hand and cut me off. "I don’t want to hear anything. We're finishing this tonight."

His words struck me like a hammer to the head. But this time, I didn’t want to surrender anymore. The pain I felt in my heart was more than just fear. This pain was a result of the suppressed desires and dreams that once burned brightly within me. If something was to end tonight, it should be in my favor.

"No, Farhad. I won’t play this game by your rules." My voice grew louder, and I surprised myself with my audacity.

He turned back and looked at me in surprise. This time, his eyes no longer contained just anger; something resembling astonishment, and perhaps even admiration, flickered in his gaze. But this look lasted only a moment before it was replaced with the usual coldness.

"Very well, stubborn lady. Let’s see how long you can survive in this game." He said this and left the room, slamming the door loudly behind him.

I took a deep breath and sat on the bed. I didn’t know what awaited me, but I knew one thing: this war had only just begun.