On The Border - Marry Him or Die

14

Jenny’s POV

My own shot at happiness just got replaced by a life time of more suffering and pain.

It was nothing new really. The only thing that will be new is the man who will take over from my father and uncle, and become the new master of my misery.

Alex Snow.

That man will make my life a living hell. Especially after my father’s betrayal and his hand in getting Isaac Snow killed.

He will take out all his anger and rage on me.

My death wish will probably be granted sooner rather than later.

I collapse on the floor and break into hard long sobs.

My mom goes to my bathroom, takes a clean towel, and kneels down next to me to stop the bleeding from the deep knife cut on my collarbone.

As she presses lightly, I sob louder, my pain mixing with my torment.

She cries along with me but doesn’t say anything to calm me down.

She lets me cry for a long time as she works on my wound.

At some point she even stitches it up but I was completely numb, I didn’t feel a damn thing, despite being positive that she didn’t apply anything to numb the area.

I was just so numb and hollow. And I relished in that feeling, wishing it would never go away.

But, like all good things that happen in my life, they are always short lived. My numbness doesn’t last very long.

The crack of dawn starts to seep through my window as my mom finishes packing the last of my stuff.

I was laying in bed the whole time, not able to move one muscle but completely very much aware of every bruise and whip mark that was left on my body. I was in a great deal of pain but my voice was too hoarse from screaming, my tears were the only indication of my agony, both the physical and emotional.

I tried not to think about anything. Especially the fact that I was going to live with the people who my father hurt so deeply, who despise me with every fiber of their beings. I tried not to think of my impending doom and the amount of suffering that was still awaiting me there.

My mom sits carefully on the edge of my bed and speaks softly “Jenny, it’s almost time, you need to shower, you can’t go out like this honey. You’re a mess”

I turn to look at her slowly and bite back a wince.

“You want me to freshen up for Alex f*****g Snow?“ I said coldly.

She winces at my response and looks at me with sympathy, which only makes me angrier.

I sit up, and my eyes land on the foot of my bed, where a white below the knee wool dress lays.

I look at her sharply and say “You want me to wear this? It’s not a marriage mom, it’s a funeral”

She looks at me seriously and says firmly “Jenny, listen to me. It’s not about the dress. It’s about keeping your head down and acting like someone who will not cause any problems. don’t piss Alex off please. Don’t give him, or any one of them any reasons to hurt you and you will be fine. They’re not as bad as you think, his mother is a kind and l***l…”

I cut her off, I didn’t want to hear her trying to convince me to accept this forced fate and cower in the corner like a coward so that they wouldn’t hurt me. I would probably end up doing exactly that and it’s probably why I was snapping at her now, because I didn’t want to accept nor hear how much powerless and helpless I really am.

“Get out, leave me alone”

“Jenny…”

“Get out! Get out of my room!” I scream at her hysterically.

I was taking it out on her and deep down, I knew I was going to regret it immensely later, but I couldn’t control myself in that moment.

I shoved her out of my room and locked the door with the key.

I picked up the dress and started tearing through it with my bare hands as I screamed out in hopelessness.

The alarm on my clock went off then.

I looked at it and saw my blood sugar level high at 145 mg/dl indicating hyperglycemia.

I’m surprised it didn’t go off earlier actually, it was bound to happen after the emotional turmoil I was going through.

I got up painfully, looked at my night stand, and saw all my medical stuff packed in a small bag.

I unzipped it, took out my insulin pen, and gave myself an injection.

I returned the pen back in its place, and went to the bathroom to take a shower like my mom wanted. If it was left to me, I’d go out like this and I wouldn’t give two shits about my appearance.

But considering how much pain I was already in, I decided to play the nice little girl role in front of the Snows; not that I actually believed it would make any difference. But I had to give it my best shot. At least, until I get mom out of town.

I stripped out of my clothes and stood naked as I looked at my body in the opposite mirror.

It was a horror show.

I looked…. Like a zombie.

Almost every inch of me was covered in red bruises; slowly turning to blue, of different sizes. Mostly my back, arms, and thighs.

My chest and stomach survived most of the vicious attack because I was hugging myself the entire time my uncle was hitting me.

There were also the whip marks. My back and arms bared the worst of it, I could almost see some cut skin in some places.

I remove the white bandage covering my collarbone and inspect it too. I don’t know how my mom knows how to stitch, but it looked pretty neat to me, almost professional. I counted about twenty or so stitches.

The man is a vile, disgusting monster.

I get into the shower and relish in the numbness that sweeps over me.

When I finish, I blow dry my hair, and put a brand new bandage on my cut, then exit the bathroom.

I open up one of my packed suitcases and pick out a medium-length, black, body-fitted, long sleeved wool dress. It had a high neck to cover up my bandage.

That’s more like it, I thought to myself.

I wore it, and put on black leather boots.

I looked myself in the tall mirror, as I adjusted my black square framed glasses. They tend to always slide down my nose, and it’s getting rather annoying to keep pushing them up all the time.

I was surprised they actually survived after my uncle’s slap in the living room. They flew right across it. I had found them laying on my dresser, after my mother left them for me.

A loud knock on my door, makes me flinch in fear.

“It’s time” my uncle hollers from the other side of the door.

I take my small black purse, stuff my phone and headphones in it, then open the door.

My uncle gives me a once over, but doesn’t comment on my chosen outfit.

He grumbles harshly “Go wait in the car while I take your stuff and put them in my trunk”

As my hand opened the front door, I heard my mom saying behind me “You’re not going to speak to me?” she asks sadly.

I close my eyes briefly, but make no move to turn around to face her.

I was exploding with unending rage for being forced into this. And what’s worse, she was the only reason I agreed to this death trap of a marriage. Or I would have gladly chosen death without batting an eye.

“Not right now” I said dryly.

I stepped out of the house heading straight into my new hell.

We ride to the church in silence. It doesn’t take longer than two minutes to arrive.

When we stop the car, I feel like my heart is about to explode out of my chest from the fear of my unknown future with that man.

I spot a black SUV parked in front of us. He was already here.

My uncle speaks to me harshly “Don’t go pulling any crafty moves at the last minute, I’m warning you. If I hear something other than the words ‘I do’, I will take it out on your mother. So think twice before doing anything reckless”

He doesn’t wait for me to respond, he simply gets out of the car and starts heading into the church.

I heave a sigh and follow him inside.

I keep my head down until I reach the front of the aisle.

I look up, and immediately spot Alex Snow a few feet to my right, standing with the priest.

Just as I suspected, he wasn’t the man who killed my father that night.

We stare at each other with the same stern expression as we check out one another.

He was huge and tall, the exact opposite of me. He had black wild hair, and black medium length beard that made him look much older than twenty eight. It made him look extra manly and masculine especially since it was supported by broad shoulders, hard rippled arm muscles, and no doubt a well shaped six pack underneath his black, button down, long sleeve shirt. The shirt was untucked, and the sleeves were rolled up to just below his elbows. He was wearing a black skinny jeans underneath.

I looked like a freaking kid in front of him, with my short height and slim body. I could barely reach his lower chest. His extra manhood look added to the age gap between us and made it seem like we had fifteen years of difference instead of ten.

If I didn’t despise him so much, if I wasn’t forced into this, I’d go ahead and call him sexy and beautiful.

But that’s not what I saw and thought about when I laid eyes on him for the first time.

He looked deadly to me and he didn’t even move or speak yet.

I was so… screwed.

We didn’t say anything to each other, and after a while, I could no longer stare at his piercing light grey eyes, so I averted my gaze to the priest.

He gestured for us to stand in our positions as he initiated the marriage speech.

I didn’t listen to a word, my mind kept overthinking about what this man will be capable of doing to me once we’re alone.

Will he rape me?

Beat me?

Abuse me?

Lock me up in a room with no food or water?

I had no clue, but it was all possible and pretty much expected.

My mind snaps into focus as the priest asks Alex.

“Do you, Alex Snow, take Jennifer Walker, to be your lawfully wedded wife? From this day forward, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?” the priest asked.

My soon to be; in a couple of seconds, husband looks at me with the eyes of a beast, ready to rip me apart at any second as he says tightly “I do”

Although he just vowed to take me as his wife, to hold, love and cherish, his ‘I do’ vowed something else entirely.

It was an oath to make me suffer horribly at his hands.

All my previous fears just got confirmed with this simple sentence he just spoke.

“Do you, Jennifer Walker, take Alex Snow, to be your lawfully wedded husband? From this day forward, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do you part?”

I look at him defiantly with my head held high, piercing him with my hatred and loath, telling him that I don’t fear him, as I answer without an ounce of hesitation “I do”

As soon as the words left my mouth I was certain, I just sealed my own fate by marrying Alex Snow.

Fate had a merciless, screwed up sense of humor when it set me up with this monster, and made me marry him in a last minute forced marriage, or more like imprisonment.

And my fate was crystal clear, death is coming for me…sooner rather than later.

How f*****g ironic is it, that I extremely pitied that Melanie girl for getting involved with Alex and marrying him without realizing that she was killing herself?

How f*****g ironic is it, that it was me who ended up marrying him instead?

Oh irony, I f*****g hate you right now.