Forced to Marry

by kekamarie

Being almost 17 has it's challenges for Chloe. She has to marry before an official comes and decides her fate for defying the law. She doesn't want to live in this world where men control women's lives. Marrying is the least of her worries however.

3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Lionel led her from the tent and took her up a long aisle of people that were standing and cheering. Chloe guessed that there had to have been thousands of people there. She couldn't believe that everyone could gather so quickly for a wedding that hadn't even been planned until yesterday. Her eyes went from side to side to watch their faces. The men were the ones who were staring at her while the women simply looked ahead. This was what it was like in her part of town as well, the women were not allowed to celebrate at a wedding, and they were only there to get food for their husbands. Chloe didn't even see Lex until they had gotten past the cheering crowd. When she saw Lex she could tell that he was wearing a black suit, and was sporting a red tie. He was smiling at her, and Chloe gave him a small smile back. The man that was going to join them in marriage stood beside Lex.

Once Chloe and Lionel had reached the alter the crowd went silent. "Who has the permission to give this woman to this man?" The man asked loudly. He was old and had a long white beard, along with white hair that grew in patches on his balding head. His eyes were light blue and he was completely focused on Chloe.

"I do." Lionel said as he removed his arm from Chloe and then he took her hand. Lex reached out his hand and Lionel put Chloe's hand in his son's. Lionel then stepped away from the alter and sat down in a chair that was closest to where his son was getting married.

Lex then brought Chloe up to where he was standing and then the man who was marrying them stepped up above them. "What a wonderful day for a wedding don't you think?" He asked the crowd smiling at them, and then he looked at Chloe ready to get down to business. It was the woman who was going to be married who was talked to before the man; this was because she had to give up all of her rights before she was allowed to marry. "My dear Chloe." He said as he talked only to her. "You have come here today to honor our law, and therefore we must run through what you will give up in order to be married to this man. So my dear, do you agree to let this man be your husband, do you agree to let him control what you do on a day to day basis, do you agree to let him tell you how to feel, and what you should think?"

"I do." Chloe said even though she didn't agree to any of these things.

"And do you agree to do everything that he says even though you may not want to do these things?"

This was the way of the law to leave things open ended so that men could figure out a way to do whatever they wanted to their wives. "I do." She said again her voice was bold, knowing that it wasn't just her life that was in danger if she refused but her father's life as well.

"And do you agree to no longer be an educated woman. This includes never being able to read another book, never being able to write, and most importantly never being able to question anything, but instead accepting the orders that are given to you."

"I do." Chloe said again knowing that this was the last thing she would be asked.

The man then turned to Lex. "Do you accept this woman as your wife Alexander Luthor? And in being her husband do you accept that you have complete control over her."

"I do." Lex was looking at the man who was standing before them.

"Then place the ring on her finger, showing that you alone own her." Lex took the ring from his pocket. The ring was only for a woman because this showed that she was owned by someone, a ring was never given to the man because he would never be owned by anyone. Lex then placed the ring on Chloe's finger. "You may now seal this marriage with a kiss." Chloe watched as Lex walked towards her and then she felt his lips on hers. The kiss was gentle and it didn't last very long. Whenever Chloe had watched marriages the man always made sure that he kissed his wife long and hard before the crowd, and this had been what she was expecting. She was glad that he had only kissed her softly for a few seconds. "I now pronounce the two of you forever entwined to each other." The man said and then the crowd cheered again. "Now if you could come sign your marriage papers." The man whispered to Chloe, as he led her over to a small table that was near the alter.

It was bad enough that she had just told all of these people that she had given up her rights to Lex, but now she also had to sign her rights away as well. Lionel was again standing with them and he signed underneath Chloe's name stating that he had witnessed her signing with her the hand that she wrote with. Lionel then went over and patted Lex on the back. "I'm glad you are finally married son."

"I am too father." Lex told him with a smile and then he went over to Chloe and grabbed her hand.

"The feast awaits." The man who had married them yelled out over to the crowd, and the crowd moved from their chairs to go and rest under the tents were the food was lined up on tables. Chloe watched as the women made plates for their husbands.

"Come Chloe." Lex told her as he led her down to the tent where they would eat. There were men seated at the table already, and Lex showed Chloe where she was to sit. Lex sat down beside her and Lionel took the other empty seat that was next to her. The young girls who were the servants came up to remove the lids from the plates of food that were sitting in front of them. Lex raised his glass of wine up in the air and all of the other men did the same. They offered their congratulations to Lex, and then they set their glasses back down. Lex then took a bite of his food, and after he had taken his first bite the rest of the men dug in. Chloe waited to eat beside until Lex told her that she could eat, she knew that this was a test that was used against women to make sure that they remembered that they were no longer in control.

Lex ignored Chloe and he waited until he had finished almost all of his food before he turned to her. "You may eat." His voice sounded cold.

Chloe wondered again if he had been lying to her when he told her that he wouldn't force her to do anything. She couldn't ask him that here however, and so she acted as though he hadn't hurt her. She picked up her fork and started to eat her food, knowing that the rest of the men at the table were done, and that they were all staring at her.

Once Chloe had finished eating Lionel glanced at Lex. "Desert will be waiting for you in your room son." Lionel told him as he rose from his seat.

Lex then rose from his seat and smiled at his father. "Come along." He said to Chloe, and then she rose from her chair. She felt like she was a puppy dog waiting for her master's commands.

Lionel then took Chloe's hand and moved it to his mouth and pressed a kiss on it. He then went and hugged Lex. "Don't have too much fun my dear boy." He whispered into his son's ear.

"Don't worry I won't." Lex told his father back loud enough for the whole table to hear it. "I thank you all for coming today; I hope you enjoy your dessert. Now my wife and I must be going to finish the celebration of our wedding." Lex smiled at the rest of the men who sat at the table. They all appeared to be around Lionel's age and they were all wearing expensive suits. Lex grabbed Chloe's hand again and then he led her from the table. They walked past many tents that were filled with men eating while their wives sat and watched. They were not allowed to eat the food from the wedding; instead they had to wait until they returned home to eat. They were then back inside the mansion and Lex led her up a flight of stairs that led to the west wing of the mansion. "This side of the mansion is just for us." Lex told Chloe as he stopped in front of double doors that were made out of oak. "This is our bedroom." He said as he pressed one of the doors open and led her inside. He then shut the door and sighed. "Sorry but I have to keep up the act outside of this room. You see there are cameras all over the mansion to make sure that everyone is following the law."

Chloe looked at him and then she looked around the room. There was only one window in the room and it was draped with red curtains with gold strands trailing down at the ends. The room walls were also painted in gold and they had a red design running over the walls. The chandler that hung from the ceiling was also gold. Chloe had never thought that she would be sleeping in such a magnificent room. She walked over to the bed and touched the comforter that was also red and gold. "Do you like it?" Lex asked her as he walked over to her and took her hands.

"Yes." Chloe couldn't lie that the room was beautiful. She was afraid of what he was going to do to her tonight though.

As if he could see her fear he let her hands go. "That dresser over there is yours you can change into whatever you would like. I'm going to get out of this thing." Lex then went over to his own dresser and pulled out pajamas. He then walked to the adjoining bathroom, and closed the door.

Chloe opened the dresser and looked at the marvelous clothes that filled the drawers. She couldn't believe that these clothes were hers now. The weight of her wedding gown was getting to her and so she pulled out a pair of silk pajamas to wear. She quickly pulled the dress off, which was difficult to do, but somehow she managed it. She let the dress fall to the ground and then she got dressed into the pajamas before Lex would come back into the room. Even though she was married to him she didn't want him to see her naked, although she knew that he could force her to show him her body. She hoped that he wouldn't, after all they barely knew each other.

Chloe heard Lex knock on the bathroom door. "Are you changed?" His voice called out.

"Yes."

Lex then pushed the door open, his suit crumpled up in his hands. The pajamas he had pulled out were also made out of silk, but instead of being light purple like the ones Chloe was wearing his were a bright red, that matched the curtains in the room. "I'm sure you feel better having that off of you." Lex said as he came over and took the wedding dress from the floor. "It was beautiful on you by the way." He placed the wedding dress over his arm and then walked over to where there was a chute in the wall. He threw the dress down first and then he threw his suit down.

Chloe knew that usually men made their wives collect their own dirty laundry and their husbands'. This at least showed her that Lex hadn't been lying to her. "You looked quite dashing in your suit." Chloe said knowing that she should say something nice back to him.

Lex then came over to Chloe again and looked at her. "Do you mind if I take your hair out?"

Chloe had forgotten that her hair was still braided. "No I don't mind." Chloe then felt Lex move behind her and he undid her hair gently. He ran his fingers through it to make the knots go away.

"It's a shame they cut it so much." He said behind her still stroking her hair even though all the knots were gone from it.

"How much did he cut?" Chloe turned to look at Lex.

Lex looked at her with surprise. "They didn't even show you what you looked like?"

Chloe shook her head at him. "No."

"Your hair only goes to your shoulders now instead of to the middle of your back. I wish they had shown you how beautiful you looked in that dress, I'm sure everyone who attended today was jealous that they weren't the ones who were marrying you." Lex crossed over to the other side of the room, and touched the curtains on the window.

"Your father sure was jealous." Chloe blurted out not thinking that this could be a wrong thing to say.

Lex turned from the window and looked at her. "He was?"

Chloe sighed now she knew that she had to tell him what Lionel had said to her. "Yes he said that if he wasn't in the position he was in then he would be the one marrying me."

Lex's eyes went down to the floor. "That does sound like something he would say. My father is a man of power Chloe, and I would do whatever he says. You see even though I am married to you, he does have enough power to give you a death sentence."

Chloe felt a shiver run up her spine she had thought that she had been lucky to be married to Lex. But now she wasn't so sure. "What if he asks me…" Chloe paused she didn't even want to think about it.

"Oh he won't ask you to do anything of that sort Chloe. He still has to obey the rules, and the law says that the only person who is allowed to see a woman who is married naked is her husband."

"And is that what you want tonight Lex?" Her voice quivered with fear, she knew that this was what happened on wedding nights, but she didn't want to give up herself to a man she barely knew.

Lex moved over to her some. "Of course not Chloe, it is however what everyone else has in mind for us to do tonight. But I thought that we should talk, and learn about each other. As I told you yesterday I'm never going to force you to do anything you don't want to."

Chloe felt relief inside of her and then she moved over to the bed. Her feet were tired from having to stand in heels, and so she sat down on the bed. Lex went over to the other side and sat down as well. He leaned his upper body against the wall and put his feet up on the bed. "But outside of this room I have to do as you say?" Chloe pulled her feet up on the bed as well, and then she looked at Lex.

"Yes and I hate to have you obeying my every command, but like I said my father is a man of power, and he can do things to you if I don't treat you as I'm expected to." Chloe looked up at the high ceiling that was in the room, and she wished that she could be back at her house with her father. "I'm sorry that you were forced to marry Chloe." Lex looked over at her sadly. "But I do have a wedding present for you." Lex got off the bed and opened his dresser again. He then pulled out a gift that was wrapped in red paper. He got back on the bed and handed Chloe the gift.

This was something rare as well, usually gifts were only given to the husband, and never to the wife. When Chloe pulled the wrapping paper off she saw a black velvet journal with a pen placed in the spiral. "But Lex this is against the law."

"Only if they find out Chloe and if you keep it in here they won't find out." Lex took the wrapping paper from her hand and then threw it into the trash bin that was across the room. The paper hit the edge of the trash can and then fell in.

"Thank you, but how did you know that I like to write?"

"Anyone who is as independent as you needs to write their thoughts down somewhere." Lex smiled at her and then he moved down so that his head rested on his pillow.

Chloe looked at him, she felt at ease with him now, knowing that he wasn't going to hurt her. "You are very different from other men."

"Is that a good thing?" He turned on his side so that he could look at her.

"Of course it is. But why aren't you like your father?"

Lex's closed his eyes and sighed. "Because I watched the way my father treated my mother, and I hated him. I hated that he hit her even when she didn't do what he asked her too. I hated that he forced her to do things she didn't want to do, and I hated that he made her cry. I promised myself that I was never going to be like that. I was going to treat my wife with respect, even if the law said that I should treat her differently."

"Is your mother still being treated badly?" Chloe looked at Lex curiously.

Lex shook his head. "My father had her sentenced to death after she killed my brother."

"Oh Lex I'm so sorry."

"I'm not. She deserved to not be hit, and I'm sure that she is in a better place now."

Chloe looked at Lex curiously. "Why did she kill your brother? Was it because she wanted to die?"

"I think that was part of her reason for killing him, another part was that she knew my father would make us fight for his attention. She thought that she was protecting us both when she killed him."

Chloe moved closer to Lex noticing that he was holding back tears at the memory of his mother. Chloe touched his cheek gently. "What was she like?"

"She was lovely, she had bright red hair, and green eyes like you have. She spent as much time as she could with me, she was the one who told me how awful the law was to women. She is the reason why I will defy the law at all costs, I won't be the one to hurt a woman the way my father hurt my mother." He turned towards Chloe's touch letting the warmth of her hand fill him up.

Chloe could tell that he liked her touch and so she left her hand on his cheek. "I'm certain that you can't deny the things you desire when you have a wife."

Lex looked at her his eyes meeting hers. "My desire is to have a wife who wants to love me, who wants to spend their life with me. It is not to force my wife to do things she normally wouldn't do. You have to believe me Chloe that I will not hurt you, anything that happens between us in this room will be your choice."

Chloe took her hand from his face and placed it on top of her other hand. Her chest was filling with heat, she had never felt this way before, and she wasn't sure if it was because that he was different from the other men that she had met that she was feeling this way. She looked into Lex's eyes and she could see how much he meant what he had told her. Chloe then scooted closer to him and moved so that her head was on her pillow. She was just inches away from him their noses were close to touching. "I've never felt like this." She whispered to him, wondering what he was feeling.

"I'm sure it's just from what's happened today Chloe." He knew that Chloe couldn't possibly love him, they still barely knew each other, and she had been forced to choose between him and the other man that lived in her part of town. "Why don't you tell me about your parents?"

"Well I don't really remember my mother she died when I was young, she had the flu and we couldn't afford to pay for her medicine. My father watched her face a painful and long death, he talked about it every now and then. I don't remember her dying, I only remember going to her funeral. My father stood behind me the entire time with his hands on my shoulders. He always makes me feel safe and loved. He didn't want me to have to marry, but he also didn't want me to die." Chloe eyes were focused on Lex's so that she could watch him take in everything that she had said.

"He seems like a good man."

Chloe smiled at the thought of her father. "He is it's just a shame that I no longer get to see him."

"That is just another way that the law has failed us." Lex looked at Chloe he raised his hand to touch her but then he put his hand back down to his side.

"Its ok." Chloe told him as she took the hand that he had placed back on the bed, and then placed it on her face. "I don't want to control you either Lex." Chloe removed her hand from his and placed it on her stomach.

Lex gently brushed her cheek with his hand. "What is it that we are doing Chloe?" He whispered unsure of what was happening. He had imagined her lying as far away from him as possible, when he pictured what would happen after their wedding.

"I'm not sure Lex." Chloe closed her eyes as he rubbed circles on her cheek.

"I didn't picture this happening." He kept running his fingers over her cheek.

Chloe opened her eyes and looked at him. "I didn't either." She then scooted closer to him and she put her hand on his face. She stroked him gently her fingers tingling. "I thought I would hate you. I thought that you were lying when you talked to me yesterday."

Lex backed away towards the edge of the bed, he was sure that Chloe couldn't want this. "Is this really what you want, to try and love me?" He looked over at her having moved far enough away that neither of them were touching each other any longer.

"We are already married Lex, why not try and be happy?" She didn't move closer to him this time.

Lex looked at her eyes closely and he couldn't see any trace that she was unsure about what she had just said. He moved back over to her and touched her again. "What if we learn that we don't love each other? What if all of this falls apart?" There's no way to get a divorce once you married, we are married for life, no matter how much we might grow to hate each other.

"I'm not suggesting that we do anything more than we are right now." Her hand went to his cheek again. "In fact I wouldn't want anything else to happen tonight. We should just take it one day at a time."

"As long as this is what you want, I'm fine with that."

Chloe placed her hand that wasn't on Lex's cheek on his hand that rested on her cheek. She gave his hand a little squeeze and then she looked into his eyes. "This is what I want." Lex smiled at her and then kept stroking her face.

They stayed like that for hours, and they talked about their lives. They talked about the things they liked and the things that they didn't like. Then Chloe fell asleep against her pillow and the hand that was touching Lex's face fell to her side. Lex then got up from where he was lying and he gently lifted Chloe's legs so that he could get the blankets and pull them over her. He pulled the covers up to her chin and watched her sleep. He couldn't help thinking that he was taking advantage of her; after all she was still sixteen. He didn't understand how other men thought it was alright that they force such a young girl to commit to them. He had felt as though he was doing wrong all day, and then he had touched her face, but that hadn't felt wrong. The thoughts that were running through his mind confused him, maybe he should tell her what he was going to be when his father died, maybe then she wouldn't feel the same way about him. But did he want for Chloe to hate him? No he decided he didn't want that, but he didn't know what he wanted her to feel about him. After watching Chloe sleep for a few hours Lex climbed under the covers and stayed near the edge of his side of the bed. He closed his eyes and finally found sleep himself.