Iván Serguéyevich, a man of advanced age with a refined air and piercing gray eyes, held Anna’s hand delicately.
Everything about him—from his tailored suit to his composed, self-assured manner—reflected someone accustomed to getting exactly what he desired.
Anna’s parents, dressed in their finest, smiled with pride and satisfaction. Seeing their daughter beside such a wealthy man was like a dream come true; the financial security they had always longed for now seemed within reach. As the wedding ceremony concluded and the lavish celebration began, their excitement only grew.
Amid the clinking of glasses and polite laughter, Anna sat still, barely managing a smile. Her expression was hollow, her joy absent. Each polite gesture she made was a carefully rehearsed act, masking the turmoil brewing within her.
Every glance she cast was heavy with despair—a quiet but unmistakable cry for help. To her, the day symbolized not love or union, but betrayal. She was nothing more than a token, handed over in an arrangement designed by her parents and sealed by a man she barely knew.
“You look stunning,” Iván said softly, noticing the distant look in her eyes. “I hope we can learn to get along.”
Anna didn’t respond.
Her eyes were fixed on some distant point, far removed from the glittering hall or the man by her side.
She thought about all the hopes and dreams she once had—how none of them had been considered. Her future had been dictated by the pursuit of wealth and status, and her desires had been ignored entirely.
Later that night, after the final guest had departed and the house had quieted down, Anna found herself alone in the vast estate with her new husband. The silence inside the grand villa was suffocating. When they entered the bedroom, Iván looked at her with unsettling intensity. Then he spoke, his voice low and deliberate:
“I want you to call me ‘Daddy.'”
Anna stood frozen, stunned by the request. The words struck her like a blow to the chest, leaving her breathless. She stared at him, speechless. He continued:
“It’s not some twisted fantasy. I’ve always seen you this way. I knew your parents for years… I’ve watched you grow up. I always knew one day, you’d be mine. I helped your family when they needed it. I made sure everything led to this moment. Now, you’re mine.”
A chill ran through Anna’s body as she realized the depth of his obsession.
This wasn’t just an arranged marriage—it was the final step in a carefully crafted plan he had orchestrated long ago. She wasn’t simply his wife—she was the result of manipulation and control.
A tear slipped down her cheek as the weight of her reality settled in. She understood now that she hadn’t only lost her freedom—she had lost her very sense of self.
But that night, something shifted inside Anna. A quiet determination rose up through the fear. She couldn’t stay. She wouldn’t allow herself to be trapped in a life built on coercion.
As dawn broke, Anna slipped out through the mansion gates, her heart pounding but her steps steady. She didn’t have a plan. She didn’t know what waited beyond the estate’s high walls. But for the first time, her future was her own.
And with that, Anna began her journey—not just to escape, but to rediscover who she truly was.
