Trapped In Contract Marriage

"Say? What’s your final answer?" his words cut through the air, demanding a response. His voice alone conveyed the magnitude of his strength. The phone trembled in my grasp. I gazed at the contract once again, wanting to read it a few times more, but unfortunately, I had no time left. "Shall I consider you denied?" He asked again. In the gloomy room, his voice reverberated like claps of thunder. His words were sharp and commanding, bouncing off the stale coloured wall that could dampen even the cheeriest spirit. The darkness in the room enveloped me, and the only source of light was a flickering bulb hanging above. It emitted a constant buzz, threatening to fuse out at any moment. "I need some time. Can I have it?" I stammered. I was unsure if I could ask for more time, considering my fragile state. "Do you even have a f*****g time?" His voice was as rough as gravel, causing the phone to shudder with the weight of his words. Who the hell was this guy? Why was he trying to help me? As the world turned against me, he stood by my side. He wasn't a family member, a friend, or anyone I knew. I was in a situation where I cannot trust my own shadow. Then suddenly this person appeared out of nowhere. Not appeared exactly, I had not seen him yet. "I can't say yes without thinking it through. This is a decision about my f*****g life," I responded, and a burst of laughter erupted from the other side of the phone. “Your f*****g life is already f****d up. Next meeting must be the last meeting between you and Lawyer Chambers.” He hung up the phone, leaving the beeping sound behind. Lawyer Nathan took the phone back from my hand. “Miss Crystal, have you decided?” Lawyer Chambers asked me. I pressed my lips. "Visiting time's up," a shout came from behind, and the door swung open. "You've had twenty minutes." The custodian of my cell loomed, and I had to push myself up from the cold, metal chair. My ankles bore the marks of shackles, my feet having gone numb from sitting for so long. My life had taken a miserable turn, one I never could have foreseen. Not long ago, I considered myself the luckiest girl. I had been accepted into Frankfurt's most prestigious pilot training institute. Sweating three years of hard work and spending my mother's savings on water, I earned my pilot's license at the age of twenty-three. I had dreams of making big bucks and traveling the world, visiting New York and Greece. Now, I can't even move freely within my cell. My dreams had been crushed, my license revoked. "f**k her up! Teach her a lesson!" The furious voices filled the air with hatred as they blamed me for their relative’s death. Being taken from the jail to court, I stepped out of the police car. It was the fourth trial since I was locked up in prison. Nothing was in my favour, the world stood against me. I was unaware of a drastic thing that was going to happen to me. The mob surged forward, eager to take their anger out on me. The cops, probably scared of f*****g crowd, let go of my arm in haste. ‘Don’t beat me! You motherfucker! Don’t dare to touch me.” I shouted. The unruly crowd unleashed hell upon me, with some guys groping me shamelessly. Some get a cheap thrill by pinching and fondling, and a couple of women even throw punches at my ass. Someone was touching me between my legs, and some even grabbed my throat. The brutality was relentless, and I found myself trapped in a nightmare of their desire to hurt me. Just as another punch landed on my eye, I stumbled into a solid, powerful chest. The rich scent of Dior perfume assailed my senses as strong arms enveloped me protectively. Despite the darkness, I felt a strange comfort. As if I had found refuge in the arms of someone who cared, even if I couldn't see his face. “Who are you?” I rubbed my eyes, and tried to get a clear view of his face. ‘Please save me from them.” I begged him. Even though I wasn't able to see him, I could sense a sense of security in his embrace. I held him tightly. “No one dares to touch you, but hope you won’t regret my help.” He said, I shook my head. ‘Never!” My trial went better hell. I should not say better because nothing went against me, but not in my favour either, and now this contract is in my hands. With heavy steps, I returned to my cell. Splashing water on my face at the corner basin, I looked at my shattered reflection in the broken mirror. My face, once radiant, now seemed worn and tired, marred by scars that refused to fade. Every time a pimple appeared on my face, I'd rush to treat it. I couldn't bear the thought of facing the world with blemishes. Maybe that's why the mirrors here were shattered; no one wanted to confront their own wretched state. "Crystal, your meal is ready," Natasha called out to me. Natasha, my cellmate and my friend. For the past twenty days, she has been my friend. She came here after her attempt to kill her uncle, who had raped her. Her uncle is out there, roaming free, but she was suffering here inside the prison. I went and sat beside her. In front of me lay food – a stale piece of bread emitting a foul odour, accompanied by a pitiful smudge of ketchup. I recalled the words of George, my life is really f****d up. I picked up the bread, forcing it into my mouth. Gagging, I vomited uncontrollably; even animals deserved better than this. I didn't want to eat it, but I was starving. Tears streamed down my face, falling onto the plate. "I can't eat this s**t, I guess any s**t will be better than this." I pushed the plate away. "You Asshole! Starve if you want. Your act will only last a few more days anyway.” Custodian taunted me, and went to Natasha, “Your trial ended. You got a lifetime imprisonment.” He gave us the news and just left. I looked towards Natasha, her demeanour unchanged, as if she already knew this was going to happen. She quietly finished her meal and got up from there. I stared at the other half of the bread, not wanting to have it. Suddenly, the sound of glass shattering echoed, and Natasha was lying on the floor below. Her hands were bleeding. She had cut her wrist with the broken mirror. Two custodians entered and checked Natasha's pulse. She was gone. This was the third suicide case this week. What if the next one is… me! "Hahaha... Haahahaa..." I burst into laughter, startling the other inmates, who eyed me with apprehension. "This crazy b***h has gone insane!" they muttered, but my laughter dissolved into sobs, my tears mingling with the remnants of the food. I used to fly high as a commercial pilot, achieving the dream my mom had sacrificed for. But two months ago, something happened that I never could have imagined. Even now, recalling those events makes my body tremble. It was 11 September, Thursday, 9:45 in the morning. The time my flight from France to Germany was scheduled to take off. Everything was set, and I was looking forward to spending the upcoming holiday at a resort in Frankfurt. The flight took off on time, but suddenly, we encountered severe weather. All communication with the ground ceased, and strong gusts of wind made the plane quiver. "Captain Yousuf, can you hear me?" My co-pilot attempted to contact the control tower, but the transmission was met with silence. "Should we make an emergency landing? The wind is too strong; it could set the plane ablaze." I checked the map and saw a possible landing spot in the water. “We could, but we need to get there first," the co-pilot indicated a location on the map, where the turbulence was extreme. ‘Sir, I don’t think the plane would fly up to it.” I showed him the smoke coming out of the main engine. Even if we shut it off and stayed on a complimentary one, the smoke could turn into fire. “Don’t forget you are just a beginner here. I am a senior and have been flying planes for more than twenty years. Do what I said.” He commanded and I had to follow his instructions. But as I did it, the engine caught fire and one wing of the plane started burning. "Sir... Sir..." The plane's engine had failed and the fire was spreading rapidly. The plane was tilted and descending with greater speed. ‘What should I do sir?” I was checking for any miracle, any button to save this plane. But before we could do anything, it crashed to the ground with a deafening roar. A big blast flashed in front of my eyes, followed by a violent explosion. My co-pilot couldn’t make it and I was left injured, covered in blood. I remained in a coma for nearly two months. When I woke up to an even more harrowing reality waiting for me.