1. A Sacrifice

“You’re going to take your sister’s place and marry Mr. Gian.”

The words fell from her father’s mouth with a coldness that sliced straight through her bones. As if he were asking her to run to the corner store for salt, not telling her to hand over her entire life to a man she’d never even met.

Aurelia had just stepped off the last stair when the sentence hit her. Her heart dropped. She stared at her parents sitting in the living room, their faces paler than the walls behind them. On the table, wedding invitations were scattered everywhere like the remnants of a battlefield. Her sister’s name and her would-be groom were clearly printed on each one.

“What... what do you mean, Dad?” Her voice was barely audible, no more than a whisper inside a nightmare she couldn’t wake up from.

Her mother, who looked ten years older overnight, dabbed at her tears with a crumpled tissue. She couldn’t even look Aurelia in the eye.

“Your sister called from Japan,” she said shakily. “She said she can’t get married.”

Aurelia stepped forward, disbelief tightening her chest.

“Devina said that? Why?”

Her father nodded, his jaw clenched. “I don’t know. And we don’t have time to force her. So you’re taking her place.”

“Why me? I don’t even know the man,” Aurelia whispered, her body beginning to tremble.

Her father’s gaze sharpened cold, judging.

“Because you’re the only one left. We don’t have time, Lia. Mr. Gian’s family is furious. They’re demanding double compensation for every wedding expense. If we don’t act fast… everything is finished.”

“Our savings, this house, your father’s shop… all gone,” her mother added weakly. “And our family’s reputation will be destroyed. So the only way is for you to replace Devina.”

Aurelia let out a bitter laugh. Not because anything was funny, but because the world she lived in felt so absurd.

“So one person runs away, and another has to be sacrificed? Why is it always me? Why am I always the one thrown under the bus?”

“Aurelia, stop being dramatic. This isn’t about you or Devina. This is about the family,” her father snapped.

“Dramatic?” Aurelia’s voice rose. “You’re telling me to marry a stranger, and I’M dramatic?”

Her mother squeezed her hands tightly.

“You’re a good girl, Lia. We know you can handle this. Besides… Mr. Gian didn’t object. That means he’s willing to accept you.”

“But I’m not willing to accept him!” Aurelia cried, tears spilling freely. “I’m not a bargaining chip! I’m not a sacrifice!”

Her father stood, his posture rigid.

“Enough. The decision is made. You’re getting married next week.”

There was no room for discussion. No one cared about what she wanted.

Aurelia felt like a pawn on a giant chessboard, destined to be sacrificed so the king and queen could win. Nothing more than a number on her family’s balance sheet.

That night, Aurelia lay curled on her side, facing away from the slightly open window. A soft night breeze slipped inside, swaying the thin curtains like the breath of a ghost. Her eyes stared blankly at her silent phone. No replies, no missed calls.

Her last messages to Devina were still open:

Sis, please answer. I’m begging you. Don’t leave this to me. I don’t know why you ran away, but this is crazy… Dad wants me to take your place and marry a man I don’t even know.

Aurelia shut her eyes.

Suddenly, her phone vibrated.

Her sister was calling.

With trembling hands, Aurelia swiped the screen.

“Hello?”

“Lia…” Devina’s voice was thin and hoarse, like someone holding back tears for too long.

“Why? Why did you leave? Why did you dump everything on me?”

Aurelia’s voice cracked instantly.

“I’m sorry…” Devina whispered. “I know you must be angry. I know I’m a coward…”

“You don’t know anything!” Aurelia snapped. “Dad wants me to get married next week! No questions, no choices. I’m not you, Devina. I can’t..”

“Lia…” Devina cut in, her voice trembling. “I’m really sorry. I didn’t know what else to do. I… I couldn’t go through with it.”

“Why?” Aurelia pushed. “Is it really that bad? You could’ve at least explained something! Instead you ran away and let them offer me up like some kind of sacrifice! How is that fair?!”

Silence.

Only Devina’s uneven breathing filled the line—like she was wrestling with something heavy.

After a long moment, Aurelia pleaded softly yet painfully,

“Sis… please. Just this once, stop making me the one who pays for everything.”

“I’m sorry, Lia… but this time, I really can’t. Please, Lia. This is for our family.” Devina’s voice cracked.

Aurelia let out a bitter, humorless laugh.

“No family forces one of its members to give up their life for the others.”

Devina fell silent.

“He’s rich, Lia. You could be happy with him,” she said finally.

“Then why don’t you marry him?” Aurelia snapped. “You know him. You’ve met him. You know what he’s like, so why did you run?”

Aurelia felt too overwhelmed to even cry. Her emotions were tangled, spilled everywhere, too messy to sort through. Her life had been taken from her over and over—forced sacrifices, forced compromises—while everyone else received exceptions.

“I can’t marry Mr. Gian,” Devina whispered, her voice shaking.

“Oh yeah? Why not? What’s the reason?” Aurelia shouted, unable to hold back anymore.

“Because Mr. Gian is a terrifying man, cold, harsh, ruthless… and most importantly… he’s impotent.”

Click.

The call ended abruptly.

Aurelia stared at the dark screen, her fingers still clenched tightly around the phone.

Her sister’s final words echoed in her mind, twisting everything inside her.

She felt her world tilt into madness.

Forced to marry a stranger and now she learns the man is cruel?

And impotent?

This was insane. Completely insane.