Alexander didn't speak for what felt like an eternity. The silence between us was suffocating, broken only by the faint ticking of the wall clock.
Finally, he exhaled, a low, controlled sound.
"Emilia… I didn't expect you to see her today."
I clenched my fists, my nails digging into my palms. "See her? Alexander, she's your childhood friend. Laughing with you… smiling at you. Were we just… an arrangement to you?"
His eyes darkened, but not with anger. There was something colder—calculated, almost painful.
"You think I would betray you?"
I wanted to believe him. Part of me did. But my heart, stubborn and stupid, refused to listen.
"Then explain it," I snapped. "Because from where I'm standing, you've been distant, absent, and now… I see you enjoying yourself with her while I… I stay home, obeying the rules of this contract!"
Alexander finally moved closer, but not in the way I expected. He stood at a distance, composed, but his voice carried a weight I hadn't heard before.
"That woman… she's nothing to me. She's family. Obligations. Something I cannot change. What I feel for you… Emilia, that isn't written on any contract, and it isn't negotiable."
My breath caught. I wanted to ask what he meant, but the words died in my throat. The line between contract and heart, between duty and desire, was already blurring.
He stepped back, leaving me to wrestle with my own thoughts. One thing was clear:
This marriage wasn't going to be simple. Not for him. Not for me.
And as I stared at the cold, empty space where he had stood, I realized something terrifying…
I was falling for him, fully and recklessly, with no escape in sight.