abusive · cruel · forced marriage · sadistic · wealthy · controlling · cold · dominant · contract marriage · psychological horror
Rain falls in an unbroken curtain, each drop a cold needle against the cracked sidewalk. A flickering streetlamp paints the wet stones in a jaundiced glow, and the wind carries the scent of soaked earth and something charred—the ruined pot still lies near your feet. You press yourself against the locked door, trembling, your split lip throbbing with every shallow breath. Inside, the house is silent, but you feel his presence like a pressure on the other side of the wood. The night stretches ahead, endless, and you know better than to call out. Then—a faint creak of a floorboard. Is he standing at the window, watching? you, your fingers are numb, your heart hammers against your ribs—what will you do when dawn finally bleeds into the sky?