Rules of the unknown marriage
728 Words
The car ride was silent.
Too silent.
She sat stiffly on the leather seat, her hands clenched tightly in her lap as the city blurred past the tinted window. Every streetlight that passed felt like a countdown she couldn’t control.
Across from her, he didn’t speak.
Didn’t look at her.
Didn’t acknowledge that her entire life had just changed inside a single signature.
It was as if she wasn’t even there.
Finally, she broke the silence.
“Where are you taking me?”
His voice came instantly, calm and controlled.
“Home.”
That word made her stomach tighten.
“Home?” she repeated. “I don’t have any home with you.”
A faint pause.
Then,
“You do now.”
That was all.
No explanation. No comfort. No emotion.
Just certainty.
The gates opened without sound.
A massive estate appeared in front of her like something from another world...glass, steel, lights, and quiet luxury that made her feel smaller with every step forward.
Her breath caught.
“This is…”
“Your residence,” he said simply as the car stopped.
A staff member opened the door immediately.
“Yes, sir.”
Sir.
So he wasn’t just wealthy.
He was known.
Respected.
Feared, maybe.
She stepped out slowly, her shoes touching marble floors too clean to feel real.
Everything here looked expensive enough to erase her entire life.
Inside, the air was colder.
Not temperature-wise...but emotionally.
Like the house itself didn’t welcome guests.
Only obeyed owners.
He walked ahead of her without waiting.
“Follow me.”
She hesitated, then followed.
The corridor stretched too long. Too perfect. Too quiet.
Finally, he stopped in front of a large set of doors.
He turned slightly.
“For the duration of this contract, you will stay here.”
Her brows tightened. “And after that?”
“After that, you leave.”
Simple.
Clean.
Emotionless.
But something about the way he said it felt heavier than it should have.
He opened the door.
The room was large. Minimal. Elegant.
But unmistakably a guest room.
Not shared.
Not warm.
Not anything close to “married.”
Just space.
Assigned.
She stepped inside slowly. “So this is it? I live here… and pretend to be your wife?”
His eyes finally met hers fully.
For a second, she felt something strange in her chest.
Pressure.
Control.
Warning.
“Yes,” he said. “You follow the rules, I maintain the agreement.”
Her fingers curled. “And what are the rules?”
That question made the room feel even quieter.
He turned slightly toward her.
Rule one.
“You don’t interfere in my private matters.”
Rule two.
“You don’t ask about my past.”
Rule three.
“You don’t fall in love with me.”
Each rule landed like a lock clicking shut.
Her throat tightened slightly. “And if I break them?”
A pause.
Longer this time.
His gaze darkened just slightly.
“You won’t.”
It wasn’t a threat.
It was confidence.
Like he had already calculated every possible outcome… and she was the least dangerous variable in the equation.
A knock interrupted them.
A staff member entered with documents.
“Sir, the arrangements for tomorrow’s board dinner are ready.”
Board dinner.
So he wasn’t just a businessman.
He was something bigger.
She watched carefully as he signed without hesitation, his expression unchanged.
Then, just before leaving, he spoke again
“Your wardrobe has been prepared. You will attend tomorrow.”
She blinked. “Attend what?”
“Dinner.”
“With you?”
“Yes.”
A pause.
Then she frowned slightly. “Why would I need to attend something like that?”
His eyes lifted slowly.
And for the first time since she met him,
Something almost unreadable passed through his expression.
“Because,” he said calmly, “starting tomorrow… you are my wife in public too.”
The words settled heavily in the air.
Her chest tightened slightly.
Public?
That was not part of what she signed.
But before she could speak, he turned away.
Leaving her standing in a room that suddenly felt smaller than before.
And for the first time since the contract began…
She wondered what kind of life she had just agreed to step into.
And whether she was already too late to walk out.
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