**Diary Entry**
The night of my wedding should have been the happiest of my life. I sat at the dressing table, my lipstick still untouched, listening as the distant hum of celebration outside slowly quietened. My husbands family had retired for the evening, leaving the grand bedroom bathed in warm lamplight, delicate silk ribbons draped elegantly around the room. Yet, despite the beauty, an unease settled in my chesta whisper of dread I couldnt shake.
Then came the quietest knock at the door. My breath hitched. Who would visit at this hour? Cautiously, I cracked it open to find the anxious eyes of our longtime housekeeper, Margaret. Her voice, barely a whisper, trembled as she spoke:
*”If you want to live, change your clothes and go out the back door now. Dont waititll be too late.”*
My heart hammered violently. Before I could even react, her grip tightened, her expression deadly serious. Fear, raw and instinctive, seized me as I heard my new husbands footsteps down the hall.
I had seconds to decidestay or run.
I threw on a plain jumper and trousers, shoved my wedding dress beneath the bed, and slipped into the cold night. The narrow alley behind the house chilled me to the bone. Margaret nudged open a creaking gate, urging me forward. *”Keep walking straightdont look back. Someones waiting.”*
I ran until my lungs burned. Beneath a flickering streetlamp, a motorcycle idled. A strangerolder, his face lined with worryhauled me onto the seat, and we sped away into the dark. I clung to him, tears streaming down my face, my mind a whirl of terror and confusion.
An hour of winding country roads later, we stopped at a small cottage on the outskirts of town. The manI learned his name was Robertguided me inside. *”Youre safe here,”* he murmured. I collapsed onto a chair, my body numb, my thoughts racing. Why had Margaret saved me? What was really happening? Who *was* the man Id just married?
Sleep was impossible. Every rustle of leaves, every distant car engine made me flinch. Robert sat silently on the porch, the glow of his cigarette casting shadows over his weary face. His eyes held something between pity and cautionI didnt dare ask why.
At dawn, Margaret arrived. I dropped to my knees, sobbing my thanks. But she pulled me up roughly, her voice strained.
*”You need to know the truththen youll understand.”*
And so, the truth came out. My husbands family werent just wealthythey were dangerous. Their fortune was built on illegal dealings, and my marriage? A transaction to settle their debts.
Margaret revealed my husband had a temper, a history of violence, and an addiction that had already destroyed lives. Two years earlier, a young woman had died in that househis doingbut his family buried it. Everyone under that roof lived in fear. Had I stayed that night, I might not have seen morning.
Each word cut deeper. I remembered his grip on my arm at the reception, the way his smile never reached his eyes. What I’d mistaken for nerves had been something far darker.
RobertMargarets nephewspoke up. *”You can’t go back. Theyll come for you.”*
But where could I go? No money, no passportmy phone had been taken after the ceremony *”to avoid distractions.”* I had nothing.
Margaret pressed a small pouch into my hands: a few crisp banknotes, an old mobile, and my ID, which shed stolen back. I wept, overwhelmed. Id escaped a nightmare, but what came next?
I rang my mum. Hearing her voice, I nearly broke down. But Margaret signalledsay nothing of where I was. If his family traced the call, theyd find me. Mum sobbed, begging me to stay safe, promising wed find a way.
Days passed in that cottage, every shadow a threat. Robert brought food; Margaret returned to the main house by day, playing her part to avoid suspicion. I lived in limbo, wondering*Why me? Could I ever truly be free?*
Then, one evening, Margaret returned pale-faced. *”Theyre suspicious. You need to leave soon.”*
My pulse spiked. The fight wasnt over.
That night, she delivered worse newsmy time was running out. Hiding wasnt enough. If I wanted to live, I had to strike back.
I looked at them both. *”I cant run forever. Im going to the police.”*
Robert frowned. *”Without proof, theyll silence you. His familys got moneytheyll bury it.”*
His words crushed me. But Margaret leaned in. *”Ive kept thingsrecords the master hid. Enough to ruin them.”*
We hatched a plan. The next night, Margaret would sneak the documents out. Robert and I waited outside the estate, hearts in our throats.
At first, it workeduntil my husband appeared, snarling. *”What the hell are you doing?”*
I froze. But Margaret stepped between us, shaking but defiant. *”Enough! How many lives will you destroy?”*
Robert grabbed the papers, yanking me away. Behind us, shouts and scuffles echoed. *”Run!”* he barked. *”Now!”*
We raced to the nearest police station. The evidence was damningloan sharks, bribes, even photos of shady meetings in that very house.
In the days that followed, his family was raided. Arrests were made, my husband among them. The papers covered it, though my name was kept secret.
Margaret, bruised but alive, met me one last time. I fell to my knees, gripping her hands. *”You saved my life. Ill never forget it.”*
She smiled softly. *”Just live well. Thats enough.”*
Months later, I moved to a new city, starting over. Its not easy, but Im free.
Some nights, the memories still shake me. But Im gratefulto Margaret, to my own courage.
Because for some women, a wedding is the start of love. For others, its a fight for survival.
I was lucky enough to escapeand live to tell the tale.
