The silence in the room was deafening.
Amara's hands trembled as the papers slipped through her fingers and scattered across the floor. Words like No intimacy, No interference, Obedience required burned into her memory.
Her wedding night… and he had given her a contract.
Her voice cracked. "Is this… is this what I am to you? A transaction?"
Michael's eyes never softened. He stood by the window, his tall frame bathed in moonlight, looking more like a judge than a husband.
"You married me knowing what this was," he said coldly. "Your family needed saving. I needed a wife for appearances. Don't fool yourself with romantic fantasies."
Her chest heaved. "You could've chosen anyone! Why me?"
His gaze flickered, but only for a second. "Because you were desperate enough to accept the terms."
The words sliced deeper than a blade.
Tears blurred her vision, but Amara refused to let them fall. If she showed weakness now, she would shatter completely.
"So that's it? I'm just… your shield? Your puppet?"
Michael walked toward her slowly, every step echoing like a warning. He stopped just inches away, towering over her, his presence suffocating.
"You'll live here, attend functions as my wife, and smile for the cameras. In return, your family's debt disappears. That's the deal. Nothing more, nothing less."
He reached down, picked up the pen from the nightstand, and placed it in her shaking hand. "Sign it."
Her heart screamed no. Her pride screamed fight. But behind those voices was the image of her father in the hospital bed, her mother crying over unpaid bills, her younger brother begging her not to give up.
She clenched the pen until her knuckles turned white.
Michael's voice dropped, colder than the night air. "Don't mistake my patience for kindness, Amara. I don't beg."
The final thread of hope in her heart snapped.
Her signature scratched across the page, sealing her fate.
Michael took the contract back, his expression unreadable. Without another word, he turned and walked toward the door.
"Where are you going?" she whispered, her voice breaking.
"Business meeting." His tone was indifferent. "Don't wait for me."
The door clicked shut, leaving her alone in the grand, empty room.
Amara sank to the floor, still in her wedding dress, her tears staining the silk. The city lights glittered outside the window, mocking her misery.
On the night every girl dreamed of… she had become nothing more than a prisoner in a golden cage.
Her fists clenched. If this is the life he's forcing on me… then I'll find a way to break free.