MARRIED TO MY ENEMY

THE PERSON AT THE DOOR

Amara's Pov.

"Amara?" Daniel's voice interrupted my thoughts. "Yeah, I'm almost done," I said too fast. He stared at the suitcase, then to my hands, then back to my face. " Are you okay?" he asked. " I'm fine."

Downstairs, the front door clicked again. Not the soft close of us coming in, it was a key turning deliberately. Both of us froze. "We didn't give anyone a key,"I whispered. Daniel was already moving, he didn't run, he was moving fast. I followed him leaving the suitcase half zipped on the bed. The stairs felt longer than usual. The living room was dark, the light from the kitchen showed across the floor. Standing in the little light of shadow, with her jacket still on and a luggage and shopping bag in her hands was Mrs Andrew.

"Mom," Daniel was shocked. She looked up and smiled as if she didn't just break into her son's house at 11: 30 p.m. "My couple, you're home late," Daniel stepped in front of me without thinking. "What are you doing here?"

"I have a key, I've always had a spare key in case of emergencies." She dropped the bag on the counter. Inside the bag were groceries, fruit, milk, eggs, and bread. "I thought you might be hungry after dinner at your father's," she continued softly, setting a plate on the counter. "They called me. Said you looked tense the whole night. And you guys didn't touch your food." She glanced toward the living room where Daniel was, then back at me.

"You don’t have to say anything. Just eat." My stomach dropped. "They called her?" Of course, they did. Daniel exhaled. You could have at least texted me. "And ruin the surprise?" She set the dishtowel down and walked towards me. Before I could stop her, she pulled me in and gave me a tight hug, like she was trying to squeeze some of the tension out of me. "Oh, sweetheart," she murmured. "You don’t have to be strong all the time. Not here."

She smelled like roses, nothing like the cold, glass house we live in. "You look tired, sweetheart, both of you look tired." She said to me, pulling me back. I forced a smile. "We had a long day, I replied."

"Hmm," she whispered. She didn't look convinced, then she started putting the groceries inside the fridge. "So how is married life?" The same question, again. "Good. We're adjusting," Daniel said quickly. Mrs Andrew paused with a cartoon of eggs in her hand. "Adjusting ? That's what people say when they're miserable." She held up her hand, cutting Daniel off. "I'm not stupid, Daniel. I know why you got married." Her eyes flicked to me, then back to him. "I saw how you guys behaved on the wedding day. Posing for photos. Smiling for the cameras," she shook her head. "And I also know you barely speak when no one's watching."

She turned to me. "Amara, can I talk to you? In the kitchen alone?" Daniel tensed, "Mom!"

"It's fine," I said before he could argue. "Daniel, wait in the living room." He looked like he wanted to fight it. For a second I thought he would. Then he nodded once and sat on the couch, shoulders dropping. His phone was in his hands, but he wasn’t looking at it. The screen stayed black and in that silence, I realized Mrs. Andrew was right about everything.

In the kitchen, Mrs Andrew filled the fridge with the groceries she brought. Then turned to me. "I'm going to be blunt because I don't have time for games," she said quietly. Her voice dropped, like she didn’t want Daniel to hear from the living room. "My husband and your father think forcing you two together will fix their mess." A bitter laugh escaped her, as if two kids who barely know each other could clean up decades of bad business. I said nothing. "They're wrong, it won't, unless you want them to," she continued.

"I don't......"

"Don't lie to me," her voice softened. "I watched you at the wedding and at dinner tonight. You're not in love, but you're also not enemies." She paused, putting the eggs down. "You're two people being forced into a room, hoping the door doesn't lock. I know what that feels like. Don't let them turn it into a prison."

I stared at the counter. She reached out and touched my hands. "I married for business too once, it almost ruined me, don't let them do that to you." Before I could answer, Daniel's phone buzzed from the living room, then mine buzzed in my pocket. We both looked.

Unknown number. Both of us got the same message. It was a text: "I need to see you both. I have something to tell you." Mrs Andrew saw my face. "What is it?" she asked. I locked my phone. "Nothing," I replied.

She didn't believe me but didn't push either. Daniel stood up from the couch. "We have to go to bed." His voice was flat.

"Of course, I'll let myself out," Mrs Andrew smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. After she left, the house was quiet again. Daniel looked at me, then he looked at the stairs. "You were packing," he said quietly.

"Yeah".

"And now? We don't have a choice," I said. He nodded once. "Then let's go move your stuff into the master bedroom."

"Together?" Together, he replied. We stood there for seconds. Two people who made rules to stay apart are now being forced to stay in one room. I thought about my father's hacking my iCloud, Daniel's father's threats, then thought about what Daniel's mother said.

As we climbed the stairs, my phone buzzed again. Same number. A text: "Check under the mattress before you sleep. You'll want to see it."

I didn't show Daniel . But when we got to the master's bedroom and pulled back the covers to move my things in, there was a sealed envelope lying on the bed, with both our names on it. Inside it, I knew there was something that would break whatever rules we made. Daniel looked at me, "Do we open it?"

I held the envelope in my hands. Both our names were written on the front page of the envelope in black ink. For the first time since the wedding, I had no idea what the right answer was. Daniel was watching me. Waiting.

"Do we open it?" he asked again. I realized whatever was inside, it would decide that for us.