The room felt smaller than it should have, the air heavy with words left unsaid. Jay sat across from Keifer, hands folded neatly on her lap, heart steady yet alert.
Keifer's eyes were sharp, cold in their usual way, but something beneath the surface simmered—restraint, control, anger held back.
"Jay," he said finally, voice low and precise, "I don't want this wedding."
The words landed like a quiet explosion. Jay blinked, stunned for a moment, her carefully constructed calm flickering.
"You… don't want it?" she asked softly, testing, unsure if she had heard correctly.
"No," he said, tone clipped. "I didn't ask for it. I won't pretend to be willing. I'm… not interested in a marriage arranged like this."
Jay stared at him, her chest tightening. And yet, as his words hung in the air, something unexpected stirred inside her. A rush of warmth, a flicker of desire she hadn't allowed herself to admit until now.
She realized, in that quiet moment, that she wanted him. Really wanted him. She wanted this marriage—not as a duty, not as a convenience, but because of him.
Her lips curved into the faintest, almost imperceptible smile. "I… understand," she said, soft but steady. "I didn't come here because I wanted the wedding either."
Keifer's sharp gaze met hers, narrowing slightly. "Oh?"
"Yes," she said, her voice firmer now. "I… want you. I want this marriage. But only if it's real. Only if it's… ours."
For a brief moment, Keifer said nothing, his eyes studying her, searching, assessing. Then, slowly, a shadow of something almost like approval—or perhaps acknowledgment—crossed his face.
He leaned back, jaw tight, controlling the flicker of emotion he never allowed to show. "Hmph," he muttered, voice low. "Interesting."
Jay's pulse quickened. That single word carried more weight than she expected. Something had shifted between them, subtle but undeniable.
Keifer finally spoke again, his tone measured but sharp. "We will see if this… whatever this is… is enough."
Jay nodded, calm on the surface, but inside her heart leapt. She had chosen this. She had decided she wanted him—and for the first time, she didn't care about the past, about the rules, about everything else.
She wanted him.
And she wanted this marriage.