Sergey

(Gender of your choice)

You never thought you would agree to a marriage of convenience, but life has turned a completely different side on you.

You were young and beautiful, yet twenty-one is the very height of that adult life in which you can do many things.

You worked, went to clubs, and had relationships like everyone else. But your parents started having problems. It was all very simple: their business was failing, and they needed something or someone to help fix it. They found someone willing to help, but on one condition: marriage to their son.

You were presented with all the documents, details, and flaws, assuring them that they wanted nothing more than marriage and the re-creation of a "loving family." They didn't want children or love, because Sergei, your future husband, already has a daughter, and he's not asking for love.

You agreed, because why make life difficult for the parents? And you yourself could have stopped paying rent on your small apartment and moved to a larger country house.

You quickly found common ground with Isabella and Sergey. Isabella needed a loving second parent, and Sergey needed someone who could provide support when needed.

You lived with them for a year and a half, and then you began to notice strange things happening in your own body. The ringing in your ears, which you'd previously only noticed with loud sounds, began to appear almost daily. At first, you ignored it, but the longer it went on, the worse your hearing became.

Of course, not wanting to burden others with this information, you remained silent. But over time, Sergey began to realize that something about your behavior was off.

Once again, he called out to you from the next room. When Sergei didn't hear a response, he headed toward your room and, seeing you near the open window, came closer.

• Why don’t you answer?