The tall figure approached her slowly, not caring for the guns firing in the background. The air was muggy from the bloodshed, and so dusty that she couldn’t see the man’s face.

She couldn’t see her aunt or Sabitha either, and her first thought was to run.

She gathered her energy, preparing to escape, but she was stuck inside a car that was locked from the outside.

The man was getting closer. She could see his crisp white long shirt smeared with blood.  She knew it was the blood of the people he must have brutally killed with no conscience.

She didn’t want to be anywhere close to him. She had to escape now!

She moved her legs but they seemed paralyzed.

She was stuck as the monster drew even closer.

 

Anika woke up with a gasp.

She was lying on a bed, sweating and shaking. Her heart was pounding in her chest, threatening to burst out. She shook her head, hoping to wipe out the nightmare that still left fear and anxiety in her mind. It wasn't just a nightmare, it was real—her reality.

Still trembling, she slowly sat up on the bed, noticing she was all alone in the same room she had been in the previous morning.

Had it only been twenty-four hours since she got here? It felt like an eternity. She had seen and experienced so much within a day—it threatened to drive her into a state of shock. She didn’t react to the clock ticking somewhere in the room, taking her closer to D-day.

It was the day before her reckoning.

In one more day, she was to be offered as a sacrificial lamb to a man who was more of a beast. And she had no choice or say in it.

She was now resigned to the fact that she was trapped inside a fortress, both physically and mentally, with no escape. Even if she could somehow find a way out of the house, it would be at the cost of her family.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she recalled her loved ones. She missed them. She wanted to hug them, until she knew they were going to be safe and free from any threats.

Stifling the urge to break into hysterical sobs, she got out of bed and walked towards the large window. The outside was bustling with activity. People scrambled around, filling the courtyard with flowers and other decorations.

The entire area was being decorated as far as the eye could see. The long road leading to the house from the main street was lined with banana tree trunks, connected by endless rows of flowers. The harsh concrete walls that were surely splashed with blood at some point, gleamed with new life making her feel even deader on the inside.

Like everyone her age, she had thought about her wedding day before, but never in a million years did she imagine it to be the way it was—out of her control. It wasn’t just her marriage, she had no control over her life, and that infuriated her. She was being reduced to a pawn on the chessboard that was being manipulated and sacrificed for the sake of the ruthless players.

How can I simply resign myself?

What else can you do?

With that defeated reply, it felt like she was not the same person she had been before. Most of her life, she had thrived on challenges and overcoming obstacles, but right then, she couldn’t come up with a way to get out of the mess.

She walked away from the window, and opened the door that led to a small balcony overlooking the back of the house. She took in the wide expanse of the barren brown land. Her fingers gripped the balcony rails as she recalled that the people believed the drought was due to a curse and not the effect of a climate change.

“That won’t kill you.” Neelambari’s voice cut through her haze.

Anika didn’t turn around, and kept her eyes focused on a faraway spot.

“If you were considering ending your life by jumping off the balcony, you’ll only break a leg, and look horrible in your wedding pictures.”

Anika refused to react to the taunt because she knew she had no fight left in her—not at that moment.

“Prajapati women have the blood of the royals in them. They would never consider self-harm. But if you were indeed considering it, then it’s probably evident that your mom must have strayed.”

Anika’s blood boiled at the slur on her mother. She swung towards the woman who was her father’s sister. “Stop it!” she hissed.

“Oh… I’m sorry if I hurt you. I shouldn’t have said that about your mother. I don’t know what happens to me sometimes.”

The sudden shift in her aunt’s tone scared Anika more than anything. Her aunt was like a chameleon, changing her behavior at will, never really showing her true colors.

Striding over to the small patio sofa, her aunt patted the seat next to her. “Come, please sit here.”

Anika ignored the request.

Her aunt sighed as though she was dealing with a stubborn child. “This may all seem bad to you, Anika, but soon you’ll realize you are only embracing your destiny and helping with the greater good.”

“Don’t. I don’t want to listen to any of that again.” She still couldn't wrap that insane reason—of curses and droughts leading to her marriage—around her head.

Her aunt gave her a shrewd look. “Well, I will leave you to enjoy your solitude. But remember, no trying to escape or think that you have a way out of this marriage. You will get married tomorrow, or you will regret it for the rest of your life.”

“I already regret everything that has to do with coming here.”

“Not as much as you would, if you try to oppose any of the plans I’ve made. One phone call to the men watching your sister and parents, and you’ll not have a family living in the U.S. anymore.” Her aunt’s voice held a raw menace.

Anika clenched her fists in anger, not saying anything.

There was a chilling smile. “You know, maybe all this reluctance is also because your heart might have been otherwise occupied by a different man.” Neelambari tapped a finger on her cheek as though lost in thought. “Nathan… is it? One of my men informed me of a white boy that follows behind you like a love-sick puppy.”

Anika then realized why the tattoo on the man’s neck who picked her up from the airport, looked familiar. She had seen it from a distance on the man Nathan had warned her about. The man who had been following them in San Francisco.

“Don’t hurt him,” Anika whispered as fear and worry took over. “Nathan’s innocent in all this. Please. I’ll do as you say.”

“Oh, that you will, my dear. And even when I’m not saying anything, you will cooperate with me. I not only have men following your family and close friends, but I also have their phones tapped and emails hacked. So if you think all you need is a phone access to get out of this, you are wrong. Dead wrong." Neelambari smiled at the pun. "One wrong word from your mouth, complaining to your husband—or anyone to that matter—about your family being held hostage, it will be equivalent to their death warrant. There is no way out. Even if you die by your own hand or by someone else’s, I won’t spare any of your loved ones.”

Anika sat in shock, listening to the threats.

Neelambari got up with a satisfied smile on her face. “I think you are smart enough to understand what is at stake here. I’ll see you tomorrow, then.” Just before Neelambari opened the bedroom door to leave, she turned to look at Anika with an affectionate smile.

“Enjoy your last day as Anika Prajapati, my love. Because tomorrow, you’ll be Anika Singham.”