The Wedding

I woke up to chaos.

There was no gentle morning. No moment of peace to process the betrayal from the night before. Just the sound of my mother’s voice and the rustling of fabric as hands pulled me into the bridal suite.

"Jessica, We don’t have time" a she kept saying.

My body moved, but my mind felt disconnected, as if I was floating through someone else’s life. I hadn’t slept. How could I, after everything I overheard.

A contract. A marriage arranged before I was even born.

I felt sick.

I wanted to scream.

But there was no room for my emotions.

I was practically shoved into a chair as someone I'd never seen before started working on my hair. Another started my makeup. My mother stood over me with her eyes scanning every little detail. She was ensuring that everything was perfect.

"Why are you just sitting there like a doll?" she snapped when I didn’t react.

Because that’s what I was. A doll. A pawn. A bride without a choice.