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Chapter 4 Do not speak

It was only a few seconds. It felt uncomfortable, not painful. It was humiliating. That was the first moment I felt a real hatred towards my future mother-in-law.

“We are done, Mrs. Sullivan. She can dress up.”

She nodded with a smile. Somehow, I got used to the fact they were treating me like I was invisible. The doctor did not even look at me.

We had to wait, which did not make Mrs. Sullivan delighted again, but the doctor called us soon.

He smiled and handed the documents to her.

After she read it, she held my hand, ignoring the doctor as well, and led me out happily and satisfied. When we sat in the car, she turned to me.

“So, do you want to see your wedding dress today?”

What could I say to that?

I nodded.

“Right, Alice, you can try it on. I’m sure that beautiful dress will fit you well.”

She started the engine. While we were on the way, I was thinking about them. They had some mental issues, for sure. I could not believe that they seriously thought that what they did was normal.

We stopped at another building. We went in and everyone greeted her, forgetting about me, of course.

It took a long time for them to call me in, and I had to try on the dress. It was gorgeous. I agreed with that, but that was it. They did not ask me if I liked it; it was my wedding dress.

After we finished there, she said we can go home. She said we were going to try the wedding cakes tomorrow, and I could choose one of them as a reward for behaving well today. Apparently, this wedding was the most exciting thing on Earth for her. And she wanted it to be perfect, like … perfect.

Finally, I found myself alone in my room. I wished I could talk to Lucas, but even if they would have allowed me to call him, I thought there was no point in contacting him. He knew me the most, and I knew he could comfort me even if he was far away, but I could not be that selfish. From Saturday I shall belong here, wearing a name that I did not want. I could not damage his feelings. He must forget me.

I sat on the bed, and I felt I must do something. I hoped the rules were not that strict, so I could leave my room. After opening the door, I walked down the corridor. I arrived in another room soon. That was like a dining room and a living room together.

I looked around, and I noticed some pictures on the wall. I walked closer. There were two unfamiliar men. I recognized the Sullivan couple. There was a beautiful girl and two handsome guys. They were probably their children, and probably one of them was the guy who I was going to marry on Saturday.

I jumped when I heard some noise behind me. That was Lilly, the servant. She smiled at me. I smiled back.

“Lilly, can I ask you something?”

She nodded with a smile.

“Which one is Gideon?”

She smiled wider and pointed at the one with her index finger. I felt surprised. Both of them were handsome, but Gideon… He was a beautiful man. I watched him for a while, then I turned back to Lilly..

“Lilly, what kind of guy is he?”

Her smile disappeared instantly. She lowered her gaze to the ground and shook her head. When she looked at me again, she put her index finger to her lips. She motioned me to zip mine. I had a terrible feeling, but not just because of what she wanted to tell me.

“Why are you not talking? Are you mute?”

She moved her gaze back to the ground. I held her hand. I had to know.

“I just want to get to know you better.”

First, she stayed motionless, but then she looked at me for a few seconds. She motioned to me. She held her jaw, and with her other hand she made some movement that reminded me of cutting.

I frowned. I ‌tried to understand what she wanted to tell me, and I had a thought, but that was so horrible, I pushed that thought out of my mind.

We sighed at the same time. I could not understand her, and she struggled to make me understand what she wanted to tell me. She looked around, seeking a paper and pan, I guessed, but nothing was around.

Eventually, she held my hand, making me look at her, and she opened her mouth.

A horrible feeling went through my body when I saw that her tongue was missing.

“What happened to you?” I asked her, but I could not control the shaking of my voice.

She held my hand and had a grip on it. She asked me something, desperate to make me understand, and when I finally did, I felt a kind of fear that I never felt before. My first thought was right.

She wanted to ask me to nod and agree with everything, but never speak without asking. She motioned more after she made sure no one saw us.

What happened to her, probably, she did not want me to know, but I could imagine what her sin was. She told someone about something that was not allowed, and they cut her tongue out.

I felt the actual weight of being in here just in that moment, but from then, the only thing that I wanted was to escape. I knew I had to be strong mentally, and while I obeyed every insane member of the family, I must plan my runaway.

At the moment, there was no way out. For now, the only thing left for me was praying. Whatever the family or my future husband planned to do to me, I hoped that was not urgent.