Dark Romance.

Chapter 4: Unspoken Desires

Unspoken Desires

Austin leaned against the grand window of the opulent living room, his gaze following the back of Lucy as she disappeared into the crowd. He had seen her countless times before—her hair falling in loose waves down her back, the sway of her hips as she moved through the crowd—but tonight, there was something different about the way she walked away. Maybe it was the way the light caught the edge of her dress, or the way her eyes, usually filled with that aloof calm, seemed distant, withdrawn.

The regret came creeping in slowly, quietly, like the dark tendrils of a storm moving over the horizon. Austin had made so many decisions in his life, decisions that had seemed right at the time, but now, standing in the silent aftermath of his choices, he couldn’t help but wonder if he had wasted his time. He had lived in the shadow of a contract—an agreement that had dictated his actions, his thoughts, his desires—for so long that now, after years of following the rules, it all seemed hollow. The contract had never allowed him the one thing he had truly wanted: to be with Lucy, to touch her, to have her by his side in a way that was more than just a pretense.

The regret gnawed at him. He had never gotten to touch her in the way he had longed for all those years. He had never tasted her skin, never kissed her lips like she was the only woman in the world. Their arrangement, which had begun with so many promises and veiled intentions, had never allowed for the intimacy he craved. He had always been told that he could bed other women, that he could keep up the appearances, but there were certain lines that were never to be crossed. The contract was clear: “No children.” They were to pretend to be a family, to carry on the illusion for the sake of others, but nothing real could be created between them. They were nothing more than two people trapped in a web of deception.

And yet, he had allowed himself to care for her—perhaps more than was wise. He had watched her from the sidelines, unable to touch her, unable to cross the line into anything real. His desire for her had always been a secret, buried deep inside where no one could see, but it had never stopped festering. The pain of knowing that he could never truly be with her, never create the life with her that he imagined, had become almost unbearable.

But that wasn’t the only regret that lingered in his mind. No, there was another regret, a darker, deeper one that he had never admitted to anyone—not even himself. Daisy. He could remember that day vividly on her eighteenth birthday.His eyes flickered over to the other side of the room, where Daisy had been standing moments ago, laughing with friends, her bright smile lighting up the room. She was Lucy’s daughter, and despite everything, he couldn’t help but notice the way she had grown into a woman—graceful, confident, and undeniably beautiful.

Daisy looked like Lucy, but there was something else in her eyes, something that spoke of a shared history he had never fully understood. There had always been an attraction there, an unspoken tension that had never been acknowledged. Austin had told himself that it was wrong, that it was impossible, that it would destroy everything if he ever acted on it. And so, like a fool, he buried the feeling deep inside, refusing to admit it even to himself. But now, as he watched her move through the crowd of darkness , his heart skipped a beat. The regret was sharp, cutting through him like a knife.

He had never gotten to bed Daisy . And that thought haunted him more than he cared to admit.

Elisabeth’s thought; why is he still staring at their direction, stupid man… yes am jealous,so what he is mine. Elisabeth could not help but give his back view a deadly glare.

As the weight of these regrets pressed down on him, he was jolted from his thoughts by a soft, familiar voice at his side. “Austin.”

It was Elisabeth, his new wife, the woman he had promised to be faithful to, the one he had built his life with. She was standing next to him now, her presence as familiar as the breath in his lungs, but somehow tonight, it felt suffocating. Her fingers slid around his waist, her touch possessive yet subtle, as though she could sense the tension in his body.

“Honey,” she said in a flirty, playful tone, “let’s go have some fun. We’re officially together, remember?”

She was always like this, trying to draw him into her orbit with her charm and her allure. Elisabeth was beautiful in her own right, and she knew how to use her beauty to get what she wanted. Her voice was sweet and sultry, and the wink she gave him was enough to make any man falter. She knew how to push all the right buttons.

Austin stiffened, his eyes lingering on the spot where Lucy had been standing, but she was gone now, swallowed by the darkness of the night . Elisabeth’s touch seemed to pull him back to reality, back to the life he had built with her. But even as her hands rested on his body, the images of Lucy and Daisy lingered in his mind, haunting him.

“Can’t you see our daughter is here?” he asked, his tone more curt than he intended. It was an attempt to push her away, to distance himself from the heat that had begun to rise between them. He turned his head to look at Kelly, hoping to see her nearby. Maybe if he could focus on his family , he could push away the forbidden thoughts that had been simmering for so long.

But when he looked, he saw no sign of her. The space where she had been standing was empty. His eyes scanned the room, looking for her, but she was nowhere to be found.

“Where is she?” Austin asked, his voice betraying a hint of concern.

Elisabeth, however, didn’t seem concerned. Instead, she smiled slyly, her eyes narrowing with a mischievous glint. “I already sent her to her room, babe.” Another wink followed the statement, one that seemed to imply more than just a casual remark.

Austin blinked in surprise. “To her room?” He couldn’t recall hearing the door close or seeing her leave. His mind was clouded by Lucy and her daughter.

Austin’s thought;focus on your real family Austin, I could have allowed them to stay. The rain is really pouring hard . Stop thinking about them Austin.

“Yes,” Elisabeth purred, her fingers trailing up his chest. “Now let’s go, shall we? I’m sure we can find some fun without her.”

Elisabeth’s thought; why is he not focusing on me, is lucy more beautiful than me. Never!

Austin’s mind raced, but the soft pressure of Elisabeth’s hands on him made it hard to think clearly. The heat between them was undeniable, and as much as he wanted to resist, he couldn’t. He had been trained to comply, to go along with her manipulations. It had been this way for years—her pushing him, pulling him, keeping him at her side. And now, even as his mind screamed for him to stop, his body responded.

Elisabeth’s thought; Got him, I know him better.

Without thinking, he reached down and lifted her effortlessly in his arms, feeling her small frame against his chest as he carried her toward the bedroom. She kissed him along the way, her lips soft and eager, her hands sliding down to pull him closer. He allowed it, unable to resist the pull of her attention, the way she made him feel wanted, even if it was for all the wrong reasons.

Crossing the threshold of the bedroom, closing the door behind him, Austin couldn’t shake the feeling of sweet excitement he felt as he imagined Elisabeth in his arms to be Daisy.

Austin’s thought;oh Daisy, you are so seductive

The night went on with him being with Elisabeth physically and intimately but with Daisy figure in mind.