The bride,his business – Final Episode
I ran until I could no longer breathe, but I didn't stop. How I managed to gain the strength and speed to outrun those able-bodied men, I still don't know.
I just kept running, crashing through bushes, thorns tearing at my skin, sharp stones piercing my bare feet. But I never stopped.
When I looked back, I saw they were getting closer, almost grabbing me. That was when I lost my balance and tumbled down a steep slope. I rolled and rolled, helplessly, while the two men chased after me, leaping down to catch me. But by some miracle, I landed on a road... a highway.
A car was approaching in the distance, but thank God, it was still far away otherwise I would have been crushed. I felt heavy pains on my head from the fall, but I stood up yet again, determined to escape.
Right beside the road was a broken-down bus, passengers scattered all around. The bus had broken down moments before, and its passengers were just loitering nearby.
I ran straight to them and collapsed in their midst. When I looked back, the men had stopped chasing me because I was now in the midst of people.
"What happened?"
"Are you okay?"
"Why do you look like this?"
I couldn't answer. I was gasping for air, my chest rising and falling so fast I thought my heart would explode. I couldn't believe I managed to escape these people.
I just sat there, trembling, trying to catch my breath. Someone gave me water. Another person started fanning me. For the next thirty minutes, I stayed there, trying to calm down, surrounded by strangers who treated me like one of their own.
I was dirty, bruised, and bleeding. The bruises on my face and body would probably remain forever. I reeked from hiding in a waste bin for hours. I could see people covering their noses, but no one pushed me away.
Eventually, I told them everything. They listened in horror. Some cursed the men who had done this to me. Some cried with me. All of them comforted me. They kept saying, "Your God is alive," and "You are lucky to be alive." They gave me food, too. Real food. I hadn't eaten in days.
When the bus was fixed, they took me with them and dropped me off at the nearest police station. I made a statement. The police listened carefully. Then I was taken home to my family.
I broke down in my mother's arms. I cried like a baby. I had stared death in the face... and survived. My mother cried and consoled me, begging me to forgive her for making me marry the man.
The next day, the investigation began properly. I gave them the name and location of the club I had been taken to. The police went there under my direction. The girls were rescued. All the evil men were arrested, except one. My fake husband. The real perpetrator. He escaped.
And then came the part that shattered my heart.
The girl I had tried to escape with... died. She didn't survive the punishment they gave her after my escape. I cried for her. I blamed myself. But I will always honour and respect her. She gave her life for mine. I am only alive today because of her. It's always painful when I remember she couldn't make it out alive.
The rest of the girls—some of them pregnant, many of them already mothers of children they were forced to bear for these criminals—were taken back to their families. Some had been missing for years. The children were being sold to rich families with no records to trace them. It was a nightmare.
But the club was shut down. The syndicate was broken. And a full manhunt was launched for my fake husband. His pictures were everywhere online—the fastest way to find them. The public was urged to report him on sight.
After about a week, he was found hiding in another state. The police acted swiftly and professionally. He was arrested and brought to justice.
Finally, it was over.
Though I survived, it came at a heavy cost. The scars on my body may fade, but the scars in my heart... those are forever. The girl that died... will always be in my heart
Today, I live as a testimony and a warning.
To every woman out there: before you rush into marriage, ask yourself: Who are you marrying? Do you know what he does for a living? Do you know the life he truly lives?
Don't get married simply because others are getting married. Don't be pressured by society. Know what you're stepping into.
Let me draw the curtain here.
The End.
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