The phone rings, Its shrill tone cutting through the silence of our apartment. I glance at the clock. It’s late, but the call isn’t unexpected. The moment I press accept, my father’s volce comes through, strained, far more panicked than usual.
“Lella, we need to talk. It’s urgent.”
I sit up straighter, the weight of his words pressing down on my chest, “What is it, Dad?”
There’s a pause on the other end like he’s gathering his courage before speaking.
“The financial situation… It’s worse than I thought. The debts have piled up even more than we anticipated. I don’t know how long, we can keep this up.
My stomach churns, and I rub my temples, trying to steady myself. “But we were supposed to have more time… We were managing, everything slowly, little by little.”
“I thought so too,” my father says, his voice light, “but things have escalated. We might lose everything, Leila.”
I close my eyes, feeling the weight of his words sink in. The pressure in my chest feels suffocating. I glance at Alexander, who stands near the window, his back to me. His posture is tense, figure outlined by the city lights behind him.
“Dad, I… I’ll figure something out,” I say, trying to keep the panic out of my volce. “We’ll find a way.”
I can almost hear him shaking his head. “I don’t know if there is one, sweetheart. I don’t want to burden you, but…” His voice cracks slightly. “You need to speak to Alexander. Your marriage… it might be our only hope.”
The words hang in the air, and I feel as if the floor beneath me is crumbling. I swallow hard, trying to push down the wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm me.
“Dad…” I whisper, the reality of what he’s saying sinking In. “Are you telling me… that I have to rely on Alexander to save us?”
There’s another pause, longer this time, before my father speaks again. “Lella, I don’t want you to feel like this is your responsibility, but… he has the power, the resources. If he can help, it might be our only way out.
I close my eyes tightly, my throat tightening with a mixture of frustration and helplessness, I never wanted to be in this position. Never wanted to rely on a man–on a marriage that was built on conditions, on duty rather than love.
But here I am, tangled in a web I can’t escape, a web that I didn’t weave but am now hopelessly ensnared in.
I open my eyes and glance over at Alexander again. His face is unreadable as he watches the city below, seemingly lost in thought. Does he know the truth of what’s at stake? Does he know how much this could cost ine, or how little control I have over my fate?
“I’ll talk to him,” I say quietly, though the words feel like they’re stuck in my throat. “I’ll do what I can.”
When the call ends, I don’t know what to feel. A part of me wants to scream, to tell my father I shouldn’t be the one to carry this burden. Another part of me is consumed with guilt guilt for my family, guilt for relying on Alexander, guilt for not having a choice.
I get up and walk over to where Alexander stands. He doesn’t turn around as I approach and doesn’t even acknowledge my presence until I stand directly
beside him.
“Alejandro…” I say softly, using the name I’ve only ever used in moments of intimacy.
He doesn’t flinch, but his jaw tightens, and I see a flicker of something pass across his face–something unreadable. I take a deep breath, gathering the courage to speak.
“I need to talk to you.”
He finally turns, his eyes narrowing, slightly as if he’s unsure whether to engage or brush me off. His face softens just a fraction before he speaks.
“What’s on your mind?”
His voice is calm, almost too calin like he’s bracing for whatever I’m about to say. The cool detachment in his eyes frustrates me. I want him to be real with me, just once. I need to see him as something more than a man who holds all the power in this marriage.
I just spoke with my father,” I begin, my voice faltering for a moment. “The financial situation is worse than we thought. He… he says we might lose everything, Alexander.”
He stiffens at the mention of my family’s troubles, but his expression doesn’t change.
“That’s unfortunate,” he says, his voice flat. “But I’m sure we’ll find a way to deal with it.”
I feel my pulse quicken as frustration builds Inside me. “You don’t understand. He said… he said I might have to rely on you.”
His gaze hardens, and he crosses his arms. “Rely on me? What does that mean?”
Chokserit
+25 Bonus
I take a step closer, my breath shallow. “It means my family’s survival may depend on our marriage. On you. And you’ve kept me in the dark about everything. I don’t even know where we stand–where I stand in all of this.”
There’s a tense silence as we stare at each other. I can see the tension building in his jaw, his hands clenched by his sides. For a moment, I think he might say something, but he doesn’t.
Instead, he turns back to the window. “You know the situation, Leila. I’ve been doing what I can. I’ve made decisions to ensure we have enough to weather this. It’s not just about you, or your family–it’s about protecting everything that’s at stake.”
“Everything you think is at stake,” I reply sharply, my voice rising. “You think you’re the only one carrying this weight. But I am, too. I have no choice in this, Alexander. I have no say in anything, and I’m not just some piece in your chess game to move around.”
He finally looks back at me, his eyes cold and distant. “I never asked you to be anything but my wife. That’s what this is, isn’t it?”
I feel the sting of his words, the truth of them cutting through me. But I don’t want to show weakness. Not now. Not when everything seems to be falling apart.
“I want more than that,” I say, my voice barely above a whisper. “I want to be seen as more than just a pawn in your game.”
The silence between us is thick and heavy with unspoken words. And for the first time in a long time, I wonder if I’ll ever get through to him. If this marriage, this arrangement, will ever be something more than what it is.
As I turn to walk away, I feel a hand grip my arm, stopping me. I look up into his eyes, but this time, there’s something different in them–something that might, just might, be the first hint of vulnerability.
“Leila…” he starts, his voice softer than usual, but the doorbell interrupts him, cutting through the moment.
I freeze.
The timing couldn’t be worse.
The doorbell rings, pulling us out of the moment and cutting off whatever it was that Alexander was about to say. What comes next? Will we get answers, or will the world outside our fragile bubble break in before we can resolve anything?
