"This is just the beginning, Tiffany." He glanced over his shoulder, and the malice in his eyes froze me in place. "I’ll make you regret every moment of this marriage. Mark my words."
The door slammed shut, leaving me in a suffocating silence. My heart pounded in my ears, drowning out the faint hum of the restaurant beyond the office walls.
I wanted to scream, to tear that contract to shreds. But instead, I sank into the chair, my head in my hands. My life, my freedom, everything I’d known—it had all just been signed away.
This wasn’t marriage. It was a prison sentence.
"Tiffany?" The hesitant voice of my coworker, Carla, broke through my thoughts.
"What is it?" I snapped, then immediately regretted my tone. She didn’t deserve my anger.
She stepped inside, her wide eyes darting around as if she could feel the tension lingering in the air.
"Are you okay? You’ve been in here a while."
"Fine," I lied, standing quickly. "Just handling...something."
The lie tasted bitter, but what could I say? That I’d just agreed to marry a monster to save my family?