Dreams Shattered

She entered her small apartment and put down her heavy school bag." Ugh, I don't understand why we have to carry so many books every day", she said while stretching her shoulders." I can finally take a bath. It's so hot these days, I feel like sitting in a bucket cold water for hours", she thought as she entered the bathroom.

The bathroom was a small room with a toilet, a tap, a bucket and mug. There wasn't even enough space to turn around. But she had to make do with what she got. A bathroom was a rarity in their neighborhood, and they were lucky to even have a toilet in the house.

After taking a bath, she took the leftover rice kept for her out of the oven and the little curry her brother refused to eat. " Seems like today is my lucky day, I finally get to eat something else with rice ", she thought cheerfully.

Just when she was about I finish eating, her mother came into the room.

" Rhea, when did you come home? I had been looking for you."

" I had been a few minutes, why did you something to say to me?", she asked as she ate the last grain of rice.

" Yes I did. It is quite serious in fact", she said in quite a serious tone.

Rhea felt that something was off and asked her mother what the matter was about as she washed her hands and sat next to her.

" I... I am really sorry. You have wanted to be a doctor since you were little , and I am practically ruining all your hopes and dreams right now.....but", she stopped mid-sentence. He was hesitant to tell Rhea the rest of it and it almost sounded like she was feeling sad.

"What is the matter mother. You know you can tell me.", said Rhea as she placed her hand on her mother's back.

"Sir Lobenheart came today and..... Said that he wanted to marry you. If you do not marry him he said that he will ruin our family. But I don't want to give you up to such a man, but I am just a woman I have no right to object to something decided between you and your father", said her mother in a cracked voice. It seemed as if she was on the verge of tears, all the while Rhea tried to process what had been told to her. A marriage to that man was practically being sold to him to act as one of his many toys. She didn't want to spend the rest of her life obeying someone who was, most importantly of all, a disgusting old man infamous for killing all his previous wives.

That night as she laid in bed, she thought of everything she did to study — the quarrels with her father, staying up late studying, missing out on the fun usually had by girls her age. Did she do all that just to bury in the ground to get married to a disgusting man?

No, no she didn't. She did that for all other young women and girls who have been victims of the cruel society.

"Enough is enough'', she thought, " I am leaving this place once and for all".

As she escaped out of that wretched prison of a house, she didn't look back and disappeared into the woods.

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