GABRIEL #2
Frankly, when I hear all of this, I take it in with this strange numbness. I’m not even surprised they made me the fall guy. I feel like one. A naive idiot. A pathetic simp who fell for a passionate activist and let himself get caught in the web he spun.
What can I do? I broke my father’s heart, his past in the police being like a painful exclamation point in my conscience. I broke my dad’s heart too, and he came to this country from Russia hoping for a calmer, better, safer life.
And now his son threw it all away and ended up behind bars.
To be honest, I barely take part in the meetings with my lawyer.
My father handles most of it, building the defense strategy, talking to people he knows, making sure everything is done right.
I just sit there like a puppet being moved around.
I can’t even look him in the eye when he visits.
I stare at the table, at my hands, answering under my breath.
That’s how the first weeks pass, then the first month, then the second. My trial is getting closer, and there’s still no plea deal on the table.
I feel… there’s no point even putting it into words. Everything is ruined. My final year of college just started, and I don’t even know if I’ll be able to finish it. I was majoring in cybersecurity, though that hardly matters now.
◆◆◆
On that particular day, I have a meeting scheduled with my father. I don’t even know what he wants to talk about. I’m lost in all the strategies he’s been putting together.
Soon enough, the guards take me out of my cell, cuff me, and walk me to the meeting room.
Inside, there’s my lawyer, my father, and, to my surprise, someone I didn’t expect to see there.
My cousin, Winter Nolan.
I’m close with his side of our family, spent a lot of time at their house growing up, but I don’t really know Winter. He’s thirteen years older than me, so we never had much in common.
I sit down and fix my eyes on him.
Winter looks almost like an albino. Pale gray eyes, platinum hair, a cold, sharp kind of beauty.
"Hey," I mutter, feeling stupid. I don’t know why, but ever since the day I was arrested, I’ve felt most ashamed in front of family. Talking about my case with strangers doesn’t do much to me, but with relatives?
It’s like I’m just proving everything they always thought about me, a loser, a total failure, a useless waste of space, some idiot who got himself dragged into a crime.
Suddenly I hear my lawyer clear his throat. "Gabriel, we’ve got a development in the case."
He’s from one of the top firms in the city, a rival to the one representing Edgar and Marcel.
He’s treating my case like a personal challenge, but it’s not an easy one.
Their cases are much simpler. They’re probably looking at probation, testifying freely, walking around campus while I sit in county jail.
"Hey, Gabriel," Winter says. "You’re probably surprised to see me here." His face is calm, no judgment, no contempt. Just that steady composure he always had, and I find myself oddly grateful for it.
My father speaks up.
"Gabriel, I reached out to your cousin because I wanted to approach this from a different angle."
"I don’t really understand what he has to do with any of this," I say, finally looking up at my father’s face.
Winter raises an eyebrow slightly, a faint smile touching the corner of his mouth.
"As you know, I work at DevApp, a company owned by Jacob Lowen… Blue’s brother."
A heavy, loaded silence settles in. Winter says it like he wants the weight of it to land.
Right. I completely forgot about that, but what could it really change?
"I reached out to Jacob. We’re on very good terms, you could say we’re friends. I asked him to appeal to Blue on your behalf."
The silence deepens. I can hear breathing, the faint thud of heartbeats. My lawyer rolls a pen between his fingers, my father twists a sheet of paper in his hands and keeps his eyes down. Only Winter is looking straight at me.
"I did that last week. Jacob spoke with Blue, and we managed to find a kind of… solution. It’s controversial, but it could give you a chance to stay out of prison."
A small shiver runs down my spine. So they were actually doing something while I sat in my cell, tossing a ball at the wall and sinking into that numb, hopeless fog.
Winter tilts his head slightly. "Blue agreed that your sentence could be served in a less conventional way. I don’t know if you’ve heard of it, but there’s an organization called Second Chance. They offer alternative rehabilitation methods for young, first-time offenders."
"I’ve never heard of it," I mutter under my breath, though I can already feel a strange tension building in my back.
"Their approach is tied to something the state considers very important," he continues. "Encouraging people to get married."
Silence again. My father keeps staring at the paper, my lawyer keeps playing with the pen. The tension in their faces makes it clear that even to them, this sounds questionable.
"Can you just say it straight? I don’t understand any of this," I say, sounding desperate.
Winter exhales slowly. "Second Chance works with matchmaking agencies. First-time offenders who agree to participate can take part in contract marriage fairs and put their marriage contracts up for offer. After a thorough screening process, that contract can be purchased by a candidate, what they call a contract spouse. You would then live with that person under house arrest, wearing only an ankle monitor, and if you’re a student, you’re allowed to continue your education. "
I just stare at him, mouth slightly open. It sounds absurd. Like I misheard something.
"Wait, hold on. Someone would buy my marriage contract? And that’s it? No other sentence?"
"Yes. You know, the state has a reproductive policy because declining birth rates threaten economic stability, blah, blah, blah. For that reason, any initiative that promotes family and children is strongly supported. Second Chance is part of that system," Winter says, his tone turning a bit dry.
"So what, I’d have to have a kid with some stranger?"
My father straightens up and sets the crumpled paper aside.
"Gabriel, focus. No, you don’t have to have a child.
That’s not part of the contract, and no one can force that on you, not even the state.
The idea is simply that entering this kind of arrangement increases the chances that people will eventually have children, which benefits the system.
No one is forcing reproduction. We are not living in a totalitarian regime. "
"But how would this even work? I don’t get it," I mumble, even though something is starting to click.
Winter continues in the same calm tone. "You attend an open event called a contract fair with other Second Chance participants, along with free people offering their own contracts. Interested candidates come forward, and a special review board evaluates whether they’re suitable to enter into a contract with you. "
I blink and just keep staring at him.
Winter clears his throat softly and goes on.
"There’s also some good news here. As you know, my brother Storm works at a matchmaking agency that has a contract with Second Chance.
We can influence the process so you’re placed with that agency.
Storm will make sure everything is handled properly and that whoever buys your contract is actually a good match. He will be your safety factor."
Another wave of discomfort hits me. Like I said, it’s always worst with family. I know Storm quite well, and the idea of him overseeing something like this doesn't make me feel better.
"Do I get any say in this? Or does he just decide for me?"
Winter makes a faint attempt at a smile, though it looks out of place on his cold features.
"Of course you have the main say in who you agree to. After that, there’s a second stage where, following psychological evaluation, the Second Chance team decides whether the offer is serious and whether the person poses any risk to you. "
"I’ve heard about those fairs. All kinds of creeps and losers show up, people with money who just buy contracts with young alphas or omegas…"
"I’m sure Storm will make sure nothing like that happens," Winter starts, but my father cuts him off.
"Gabriel, your situation is bad. Ten years is the absolute minimum you’re looking at with charges like this. Do you understand that this is your only real chance at having anything close to a normal life?"
I look into my father’s eyes. He’s pushing eighty now, his hair completely gray. He’s still a big, solid alpha, but this situation has taken a toll on him. I can see the shadows under his eyes, the grayness in his face.
We hold each other’s gaze for a moment. The lawyer looks away, focusing on his hands, while Winter’s fingers rest steepled together.
"I want you to have a normal life, and this gives you a shot at that. You could finish your degree, maybe even work in your field as a systems administrator if things go well. None of that would be possible in prison. You’d lose everything.
This is a chance, not a perfect one, because you don’t know who might show up to buy your contract, but it’s still better than spending your life behind bars. "
The lawyer nods. "It’s a strong option, and it’s only available to first-time offenders, which you qualify for."
"Is this really the best you can do?" I ask quietly. "There’s nothing else?"
"I’m sorry, son, but we’re playing the hand we’ve been dealt. I’ve been working on this for two months, talking it through with the family and your lawyer, and this is it. This is your best chance."
I close my eyes. The idea of tying myself to a complete stranger is terrifying, especially since I have no experience at all.
I’ve never had a boyfriend. I never had the courage to get close to anyone, and the one time I tried, with Marcel, it ended like this.
Maybe desperation was the worst guide I could have followed.
"I agree," I say, the words catching in my throat like they hurt coming out.