Married to the wrong billionaire

A new beginning

And for the first time in her life, Elena wondered if the future she had always dreamed of was already slipping away.

She stayed by the window for a few more seconds before letting out a quiet sigh.

There was no point standing there all night thinking about things she couldn't change.

She was married now.

That was the reality.

Elena turned away from the window and looked around the room.

The wedding dress was gone. The flowers were gone. The relatives who had spent the entire day watching her were gone.

For the first time since the ceremony, it was quiet.

Too quiet.

She glanced toward the door.

Andrew had already gone into the other room.

Two bedrooms.

Two separate spaces.

At least that part of his plan was clear.

Elena walked over to the small table beside the bed and sat down.

She rested her chin on her palm.

"Well..." she whispered to herself. "This is definitely not how I imagined getting married."

A small smile appeared on her lips.

Then she shook her head.

There was no use complaining about it.

If she was going to live in this marriage, she didn't want every day to feel like a punishment.

She wanted peace.

And perhaps... friendship.

Andrew might be her husband now, but that didn't mean they had to spend every day acting like complete strangers.

Maybe she could get to know him.

Maybe they could talk.

Maybe they could become friends.

It wasn't such a terrible idea.

At least, she hoped it wasn't.

Elena stood up and walked toward the door.

She hesitated for a moment before stepping outside.

The hallway was dimly lit.

She could hear faint sounds coming from downstairs.

Curious, she followed the sound.

When she reached the living room, she found Andrew sitting on one of the sofas with his laptop open.

His suit jacket was gone, leaving him in a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled slightly above his wrists.

He looked completely different from the man who had stood beside her at the altar.

Less intimidating.

Still serious, though.

Andrew looked up.

Their eyes met.

"What do you want?" he asked.

Elena blinked.

Straight to the point.

"I wanted to ask if you were hungry."

"No."

"Oh."

She nodded.

She turned around.

Then stopped.

"Do you always answer questions with one word?"

Andrew's eyes narrowed slightly.

"Usually."

Elena stared at him for a second.

Then, unexpectedly, she laughed.

Andrew looked at her as though he wasn't sure what was funny.

"I'm sorry," she said, covering her smile. "You just make conversations very difficult."

"I'm not trying to have a conversation."

"I noticed."

She walked farther into the room.

Andrew returned his attention to his laptop.

Elena looked around.

The house was beautiful.

Modern furniture. Large windows. Soft lighting. Everything looked expensive without trying too hard.

She walked toward the kitchen.

"Do you have anything to eat?"

Andrew didn't look up.

"There's food in the kitchen."

"Okay."

She opened the refrigerator.

There were several containers inside, all neatly arranged.

Elena raised an eyebrow.

"You actually have food."

"What did you expect?"

"I don't know. You're a billionaire."

Andrew finally looked up.

"And?"

"I thought billionaires survived on coffee and business meetings."

For the first time, the corner of his mouth moved.

It was barely noticeable.

But Elena saw it.

She smiled.

"See?"

"What?"

"You almost smiled."

"I didn't."

"You did."

"I didn't."

Elena closed the refrigerator.

"Fine. You didn't."

She turned away, hiding her grin.

Maybe becoming friends with Andrew wouldn't be as impossible as she thought.

She prepared herself something simple and sat at the kitchen island.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Andrew worked.

Elena ate.

The silence wasn't uncomfortable.

At least, not anymore.

After a few minutes, Elena looked toward him.

"What time do you normally wake up?"

Andrew glanced at her.

"Six."

"Six in the morning?"

"Yes."

She frowned.

"Why?"

"Work."

"That's too early."

"I don't think so."

"Of course you don't. You're probably one of those people who enjoys waking up before the sun."

Andrew looked back at his laptop.

"I am."

Elena shook her head.

"You're strange."

There was another brief pause.

Then Andrew said quietly,

"You talk a lot."

Elena smiled.

"And you don't talk enough. Maybe we can balance each other."

Andrew looked at her again.

This time, he didn't immediately return to his laptop.

Something unreadable passed through his eyes.

Then he simply said,

"Maybe."

Elena smiled to herself.

It wasn't much.

But it was a start.

Later that night, when Elena returned to her room, she sat on the edge of the bed and looked around.

Tomorrow would be different.

She didn't know what their marriage would become.

She didn't know what life in this house would be like.

But she had made one decision.

She wasn't going to spend her days wishing things had happened differently.

If this was the life waiting for her now, she would try to make the best of it.

And perhaps, somewhere along the way, she and Andrew would stop being two strangers who happened to share a marriage.

Perhaps they could become something else.

Friends, maybe.

Elena smiled faintly at the thought.

She turned off the light and settled beneath the covers.

For the first time since the wedding, she allowed herself to look forward to tomorrow.