Mr Noah, Our Marriage is just a contract

Chapter 3: Our First Night.

RACHEL'S POV

I sat alone in the big, cold bedroom. It was supposed to be my wedding night, but the bed was perfectly made, untouched. I glanced at the clock on the wall;

"It's 10 pm," I whispered to myself.

Why was I alone on my wedding night? At the very least, I could have expected some conversation, some acknowledgment that we were now married, though that marriage was not born out of love, but rather out of force. But there was complete silence. And then it dawned on me, the cold reality of what Noah had said before. This was a business arrangement, period. I was his wife on paper, and that was all.

Also, it wasn't as if I wanted us to have the wedding night because I wouldn't have agreed but still...

I glanced around, feeling the weight of this decision pressing down on me. My father was safe; his hospital bills were paid. The debt against my family’s name was a thing of the past. And maybe, I could make this marriage work and pull my family out of poverty, securing a future for us all. Maybe.

I could use it for myself.

I stepped out of my room, walking toward Noah’s room before I could even think twice. I didn’t know what I was hoping for: a kind word, a small gesture, something that would make me feel like I was more than a stranger in his life. Maybe if I tried hard enough, I could change his mind. Maybe this marriage could mean more.

I knocked on his door, and my heart raced in a rundown. Seconds later, Noah opened it, and his features hardened instantly when his eyes landed on me. His face was unreadable, but there was something cold in those eyes that made me doubt everything.

“Rachel? What are you doing here? Is there anything you need?” he said sharply, and it dawned on me that I had crossed my boundary.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself so I wouldn’t look like a fool in front of him. “I... I thought we could talk. You know, regardless of how we got married, we still got married, and today is our wedding night. I thought we could have a conversation, even if it’s not for long.”

Noah’s face turned colder. “I made this clear to you before you did this. I’ll say it again, but don’t make me repeat myself after this,” he said, his voice very harsh. “This marriage is a contract, and it will always be. I agreed to help you. Don’t make me regret helping you. Marrying you is my gain, and don’t make me regret doing this with you, okay? There's nothing to talk about regarding this marriage.”

My face flushed with embarrassment, but I still needed to push further. “I know, and I am sorry. I understand it’s a contract. I just think living with a grown man under one roof won’t really... really make sense. Perhaps we could... I think we could make it... work. Yes, we could make it work.”

“Make what work? You'd better stop dreaming. I told you about this.

There’s nothing to work out. You are here to play your part after I have paid the bills. Don’t imagine what will not happen. Don’t...don’t think about this.”

I swallowed, feeling the lump in my throat. “I understand,” I managed to say, though I was shaking. I turned to leave, feeling ashamed and regretful.

“Rachel,” he called out, and I thought he might have had a change of heart. I turned back, waiting and hoping to hear a kind word, a reply that would satisfy me.

“Make sure you don’t come to my room. I don’t want to see you come near it. Add that to the rules.”

Nodding, I made my way out of the room, a heavy heart in my chest.

Softly, I shut the door and padded back to my own empty bedroom.

My phone rang for the seventh time that night and it was my boyfriend calling. He had called me so many times, and I hadn’t answered. I had left him hanging and had no other choice.

How should I tell him that I dumped him and instantly got married to another man?

Pressing my hands against my face, the tears welled and fell silently, unstoppable.

I picked up my phone and scrolled through the messages. There were so many from him, increasingly desperate:

Where was I? Why wouldn’t I answer him?

Yet, I just couldn’t seem to get a reply out. How could I possibly explain this?

I had love, shared dreams, all of that now felt like it belonged to another life, one that was now out of reach for me. I had chosen this path for the sake of my family, yet never in my wildest dreams did I think it would feel this hollow, this lonely. I had lost the man who actually loved me, loved me for who I was. And now, I was wedded to a man who treated me as nothing more than a business deal.

I went to bed, trying to make sense of what was going on. But I couldn’t. It was very hard knowing I’d be living in such a big and cold mansion.