Bought by Marriage

Chapter 5:

Natalia’s POV:

Silent tears streamed down my face, drop by drop falling onto the pristine white sheets like stains of ink spreading from a despair that could never be washed away.

…

“Uncle Matthew, could you call Father and Noah downstairs, please? Edward should be home soon.”

I looked at the table filled with dishes I had cooked myself, and a soft flicker of hope bloomed in my chest as if, if I just tried a little harder, everything between us might finally change.

“Madam, I didn’t expect you to be so good at cooking. The master and the young master will definitely love this, especially young master Edward!”

I smiled gently, trying to ease the atmosphere. “Please don’t call me madam... it sounds so old. I’m just Natalia. You’re my elder, after all.”

But when Uncle Matthew mentioned Edward’s name, my smile faltered for a brief second; the fragile confidence I had just managed to gather was snuffed out by the slightest breeze. Still, I forced my voice to remain steady. “I think… things will get better.”

The sound of his footsteps echoed from the foyer, making my heart jolt. I turned around immediately, unable to hide the anticipation in my voice. “You’re home… I prepared dinner myself today. Do you want to take a shower first and then...”

“I already ate outside.”

He didn’t stop. He didn’t even look at me, not even once, just walked straight upstairs with that cold, distant demeanor I could never grow used to, no matter how many times I had seen it in the past six months.

I stood still for a few seconds, swallowing down the bitterness rising in my throat, telling myself I just needed to do better. I made black coffee, the type he liked the most and brought it to his study. “Edward… this is your favorite black coffee. I just made it. Would you like to try some?”

The scent of coffee drifted softly through the room, but he didn’t even lift his head when he responded: “Put it down. Leave.”

A tight, uncomfortable pressure cinched around my chest, but he continued speaking, his voice even and utterly void of emotion: “And from now on, meals, coffee… let the staff handle it. Your only job is to behave like the madam of the Hargrove family.”

“Edward…” I spoke up, but it felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart so hard it made breathing painful. Did he truly not even want to look at me?

Edward finally looked up, clear impatience carved into his sharp, cold features. My gaze faltered and I realized he froze for a split second, as if staring into my eyes for too long sent a sudden ache through him.

“Do you have anything else to say?” His voice was as cold as a blade sliding across skin so sharp it forced me to clench my fists into my skirt just to stay composed.

I took a deep breath, forcing my body not to tremble. “Edward… I have something I want to talk to you about.”

My voice was soft, but in my eyes I tried to hold onto the last thread of fragile resolve.

He leaned back in his chair, looking unbearably relaxed so relaxed it suffocated me. One brow lifted, mocking and cold: “What? What do you want to tell me?”

I met his eyes, but inside I felt like I was standing at the edge of a cliff, one small breath could push me over. “We’re married now… I don’t think we need to be this cold to each other anymore.”

He let out a low, irritated scoff, his breath deep, almost like a growl restrained beneath his chest: “So what do you want?”

“I just want a normal marriage… but I don’t know what to do to make you satisfied.”

That final sentence felt like snapping a string inside my chest. I had held those words in for too long, and letting them free left me feeling both numb and strangely relieved.

Edward stood up. Every step he took toward me tightened my heart painfully. His shadow fell over me heavy, cold, like a storm ready to break. I instinctively stepped back, but his hand caught me firmly, refusing to let me escape.

“What exactly do you want?” he growled. “You’re already the madam of the Hargrove family. You’ve pleased my father. And that’s still not enough for you?”

His words cut like knives, piercing straight into my heart. My eyes stung despite my efforts to hold it in.

“Yes… it’s not enough.” I shook my head. “I don’t want a marriage without love. Edward… you are what matters. Don’t you understand?”

I placed a hand on my chest, feeling the ache like someone squeezing my heart in their fist.

He laughed softly, a smile with no warmth, then gripped my chin hard, forcing me to look directly into his completely emotionless eyes.

“You’re asking me to love you?” he sneered. “Edward hates nothing more than women who try to manipulate with softness. Especially you. Do you really think you deserve that?”

I froze, staring at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. The way he looked at me, cold, sharp, filled with disdain was like a silent blade slicing into my heart.

In that moment, I understood. So… he thought I was trying to seduce him.

A wave of humiliation burned up my throat, so fierce it made my chest tighten painfully. The hurt spread through me, hot, blistering.

I had never felt so small under someone’s gaze.

“You misunderstood… I’m not...”

“Not what?” he cut in, his voice like a knife’s edge. “Don’t look at me with those pathetic eyes. You’re not the only woman who wants to be the Hargrove madam, Miss Dyer.”

I went still, like I had turned to stone. Even my breath felt trapped in my lungs.

“Do you… really find me unbearable?” My voice trembled, trying to hold back a pain that whipped through my heart like a lash.

Edward’s dark eyes deepened, turning into something bottomless. Then he spoke, each word hitting the ground like a hammer:

“Let me tell you something…”

The air itself seemed to c***k under his cold tone.

“Your love for me… isn’t worth a single cent.”

My heart wavered like someone had crushed it without mercy.

My legs gave out. I collapsed onto the cold carpet, looking up at him like someone facing the person who had just sentenced her to death.

“Why?” My voice broke. “If I make you unhappy… then let’s… get a divorce.”

“Divorce?”

He laughed, a sharp, cruel sound like metal scraping metal.

“My father chose you. I won’t let you betray him.”

Edward spoke slowly, each word a verdict:

“I will never divorce you. And I will make your life worse than death.”

I stared at him, unable to comprehend how someone could be so merciless.

“Why must we torture each other…?” My words were barely audible, dissolving into the air, but the pain in my chest tore through me like claws.

He stepped forward, gripping my shoulders with cold, relentless force. His voice cut deeper than any blade:

“If you dare to seek divorce, not just you but the entire Dyer family won’t live peacefully. Unless you die, you will never escape me.”

In that moment, I realized something even colder than his threat: He wouldn’t let me go… not only because of hatred, but because of a fear he buried beneath his anger.

I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to keep my body from shaking as my heart curled in on itself in agony.

Edward stared at me for another second, long enough to ensure I was utterly broken, then grabbed his coat and left without hesitation.

“Edward…” I called after him, my voice cracking.

But he didn’t turn back.

By the time I ran into the garden, his car had already passed the gates of the mansion, leaving behind a cold gust of wind that felt like it carried away the last bit of warmth left in my life.