'A heart bound by duty is heavy with sorrow.'

Zerina's POV

I burst into my room after dinner, slamming the door shut behind me. Tears streamed down my face as I collapsed onto the bed, my body wracked with sobs. I cried out to the universe, my voice shaking with desperation. "Why was I even created if my life is supposed to be this miserable? What did I do to make life suck this much?"

I lay there, my small frame trembling with each ragged breath. My fists were clenched into the bedding, and the room was silent except for my anguished cries and the soft rustle of the bed sheet.

Still in tears, I reached out blindly for my phone. My fingers trembled as I typed very fast into the keyboard. Lysander Slade.

I was shaking so much when the search results loaded. I just pray it wasn't the same man.

'Three wives married by a man, all die after the wedding night.'

‘For the past five years, he is rumored to have married three wives with each of them passing away after their marriage night. Their deaths are still a mystery to all.’

I kept reading and the headlines kept saying the same thing over and over, and the worst part is that they don't mention his name, although it's clear that it's him.

Are they scared of him? Or is he such a dangerous mystery that no one's curiosity is too great to check him out?

I continued reading, the more I read the more scared I became. The headlines mocked me, a constant reminder of the fate that awaits me.

As I scrolled through the search results, my heart sank with each click. The stories were eerily similar, the circumstances surrounding each wife's death shrouded in mystery. I felt a chill run down my spine as I wondered if I was staring into the face of my own destiny.

My eyes welled up with tears as the reality of my situation hit me like a ton of bricks.

I needed someone to talk to before I am driven insane. My fingers still trembling dialed a familiar number. The phone rang several times before a warm, gentle voice answered.

"Hey, girl. We've talked twice today. Are you missing me already?" Shea laughed softly while I tried to hide my whimpering, weak pathetic cries but she heard it. She always does.

"Hey, hey. Take it easy. What's wrong?" She asked, concern etched in her tone.

That's when I burst into tears. I cried for a full five minutes. She didn't say anything and let me finish. Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm myself down before speaking. "It's them," I began, my voice cracking. "They.. they're forcing me into a marriage. I don't know what to do, Shea. I feel like maybe I.. I should just take my life and end it all."

"Don't say or do that. If you do that I will never forgive you." Shea's voice was laced with that caring annoyance I hated and loved at the same time. She inhaled. "Tell me more. What's going on?"

I hesitated, unsure of where to start. "Father said the marriage had been arranged since we were little. That Bianca was supposed to marry him, but now Bianca can't because she is already engaged with Dave."

"She's what?!!" Shea sounded mad over the phone. "When and how did this happen? What has really been going on? Last I checked you were the one dating Dave, right?”

I nodded, getting tired of wiping my tears. I just let it flow down my cheeks.

“First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to bring my ass back to City A. All work will have to be postponed or I will ask my boss to..."

"No, Shea. Please don't bother coming back. We all know your boss and I don't want you getting fired or something. I will try and handle the situation here. "

"Handle? How will you handle marrying someone you barely know? This family you are getting married to, do they know what your father did?"

"No, I don't think they do. "I sniffled.

"I'm still very confused, Zerina." Shea continued, “Let me know the full story so I can see how I can help you"

I shook my head, trying to pull back the tears that were threatening to fall off my eyes. "I am confused too but none of them tried to enlighten me more. I don't even know him, Shea. I've never met him before and.. and I'm scared."

"I'm so mad at you girl, all these have been going on and you didn't inform me? Especially about the matter with Dave. " She signed heavily. "I know you're strong, and you'll get through this. Just take it one step at a time, okay?"

I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "So you are saying I should go ahead and marry him? I.. I feel so trapped. I really don't know how to do this. "

Shea for the first time was silent. Her breathing was the only thing I heard. "In my own opinion, I feel that you should go ahead and marry him."

I was so shocked at what she said that I had to pull my phone out of my ear and check if I really dialed the right number.

"How could you suggest something like that?"

"Look, I don't want to be a bitch, but look at it in a positive way. You might actually get married to him and notice that his family is far better than yours. You might have another family there that will truly love you and not one that sees you as trash. Just think about it."

That's if I would live to see the next morning after my marriage. I thought, shivering from my head to my toes. Shea didn't know who I was going to marry and I didn't want to tell her because the Shea I know would stop at nothing to come back to City A and I didn't want that for her.

"You're not alone, okay?" Her voice was calm and soothing. "I'm here for you. Do me a favour and take your medication. It will help calm you down."

That reminds me. I haven't taken my meds for the past three days. I nodded again before saying goodbye. I've already used much of her time and I didn't want to be a burden on her.

Reaching for the pills on my nightstand, my hands were shaking slightly. I looked at the green bitter pills. Thankfully, I was already used to the bitterness having taken it all my life. Just as I was about to swallow it, I heard a strange voice.

"Zerina" it called

Puzzled, I looked around hoping to see who it was but no one was there. My room was empty and silent, only the sound of the soft ticking of the wall clock was what I heard.

"Zerina" It called again but this time around I ignored the voice and plumped the medicine into my mouth. I already have enough problems in my life and I wasn't about to lose the only thing I tried to hold onto which is my sanity.

My eyelids grew heavy, and I laid down on the bed. The bed was what I needed now having laid on the cold , hard floor for two days straight.

I drifted off to sleep. My chest rose and fell with each gentle breath, my face still etched with the lines of my tears.