I slowly stepped backward in fear.
“Gabriel… open the door,” I whispered shakily.
But he didn’t move.
Instead, he walked closer and said softly:
“Please, Sarah… don’t make me lose everything.”
I exploded in anger.
“And what about me?! What about your wife?! You want to hand me over to your father?!”
He lowered his head for a moment before replying coldly:
“He won’t hurt you… just do what he asks, and everything will be over.”
At that moment, I realized the man I married was gone.
I rushed toward the window, trying to open it, but Gabriel grabbed my arm tightly for the first time in our marriage.
But his grip only tightened.
Then suddenly—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Someone knocked heavily on the bedroom door.
Gabriel froze instantly.
His father’s voice came from outside.
“Open the door, son.”
Gabriel glanced at me nervously before unlocking it.
The old man walked in calmly, carrying a cup of tea as if nothing had happened the night before.
He smiled at me.
“Good morning, my daughter.”
I said nothing.
He sat down on the chair inside the room and slowly lit a cigarette.
“I know you’re afraid,” he said casually. “Every new wife is afraid at first.”
“This is not tradition!” I shouted. “This is sickness!”
But the old man didn’t get angry.
He simply smiled.
Then he pulled out his phone and placed it in front of me.
The moment I looked at the screen, my blood ran cold.
There were photos of many women.
Some were crying.
Some looked terrified.
Others forced fake smiles inside the exact same bedroom.
The old man whispered:
“All my sons’ wives went through this test.”
I turned to Gabriel in complete shock.
He stood silently like a servant before his father.
“How could you allow this?” I cried.
Gabriel answered weakly:
“I couldn’t refuse him…”
The old man leaned closer toward me.
Then he pointed at a beautiful woman in one of the photos.
“Do you know who she is?”
I shook my head slowly.
“That was my eldest son’s wife.”
Fear gripped my chest.
“Where is she now?” I asked carefully.
Silence filled the room.
Then the old man smiled faintly.
“She disappeared.”
My entire body trembled.
