The Vow we break

Chapter Three

Bound by Cold Promises

Adrian’s POV

Still, I found something about her quite objectionable. People who spoke were what I was used to. Who negotiated? Who tried for more than what they were allotted? But Maya Bennett only stared into the shadows, not looking at me.

At last breaking the stillness, I added, "You know, I'm not a monster."

She turned slowly, her eyes flashing with rebellion when they met mine. You really are sure about that? Though her voice was subdued, the challenge was obvious.

Taking my time, I moved across the room stopping a few steps from her. You arrived at this voluntarily. You ought to have said no if you wanted something else.

Her eyes become sharp. " Adrian, I had no option. My father virtually pushed me into this marriage.

"That's not my concern." The words emerged more precisely than I had planned. She flinched but turned not aside.

Her voice sounded as if it was a whisper. "If it's not your problem, then why marry me?"

A slink of uneasiness passed through me. I wanted to keep from showing how reasonable it had looked back then—how handy. I am in need of a wife. There must be stability in this merging. Simply said. You are carrying out a role.

She said again, her eyes darkened and her mouth turned into a sour grin. Naturally. How dumb of me to have expectations other than this.

I tensed, offended by the way her words seemed to sink under my flesh. If you have anything to say, Maya, just say it.

Her eyes darted. "Good." As said here. I wish not to be here.

I laughed—short and devoid of humor. "Then why are you??"

She inhaled shakily and her face softened for a split second. "You wouldn't understand."

I was startled by the flutter of sensitivity and momentarily longed to reach out to her. But I stopped myself. There was not some love tale here. It was commercial.

I told her, shrugging, "If you have nothing more to say, then get used to this arrangement. Because this marriage is not evolving. Nor am I.

Her lips opened, and something strong erupted in her eyes—hurt, wrath, maybe both. She then straightened and fixed my eye firmly. "And neither will I."

She passed me along the hall, her shoulder touching mine. A weird combination of emotions swirled inside me, and for a time I stood there, feeling something uncomfortably like remorse. I turned it aside, though, stiffening myself.

Her bedroom door closed with a harsh click, and I was left by myself peering down the vacant hall. I reminded myself it made no difference. I had done what I owed. But I couldn't get rid of the thought that perhaps, just maybe, I had made a mistake as the quiet descended about me.

The first thing I smelled when waking up was thick, black coffee filling the air. The second thing I saw was the chilly area next to my bed—the same area Adrian had not bothered to cover as usual.

One more night alone.

I groaned and pushed myself to stand, stifling the wave of disappointment that came up without invitation. Why did I give it any thought? I felt a hollow aching that I couldn't completely ignore, even though I shouldn't expect friendliness from a man who had essentially purchased me. I was unsure whether it was simply the pain of rejection or loneliness. Alternatively I might have forgotten the variations between the two.

I got ready fast, pulling on the nice, expensive cashmere sweater and pants I had stashed in the closet. One of the few pleasures Adrian gave, as if they might replace the loss of affection. I headed to the kitchen, where Adrian was lost in his phone with a coffee cup in hand.

I started to clear my throat, attempting to retain a steady voice. "Morning."

He looked up, his expression blank. You're up early.

"I couldn't sleep," I said, using a casual tone. "Maybe because I couldn't help but note how often you seem to be... missing."

His eyes flared, and he laid down his coffee with rather less force than required. "Don't begin with that."

I crossed my arms, attempting to hang onto the mental determination I had trained in. " Begin with what? pointing out the clear-cut That you vanished half the evening silently?

His jaw clenched, and for a few seconds I considered he could perhaps be releasing his guard. But if not constant in his coldness, Adrian Wolfe was nothing.

You understood what this marriage meant. Do not pretend you did not.

My breath stopped, but I pushed myself to look at him—defiance raging inside me. "I believed I knew. I did not, however, understand that I would be living in a marriage more like a jail cell.

Something fluttered across his face, maybe remorse or wrath, but it was gone before I could interpret it. He moved toward me, and I had to raise my chin to meet his eye.

His voice low and menacing, "If this is so unbearable for you, Maya," he said, "then why don't you leave?"

The challenge loomed between us, pushing me to call his bluff as my heart hammered. Leave here? Where would I go? It seemed so easy and appealing. He had given everything; my family survived on his riches, hence even if I wanted to leave, walking away was not a possibility. He knew just as I did.

I shook my head, speaking just a whisper. Adrian, you are the one who imprisoned me here. You assume I would want to stay?

The quiet between us was tight, every word we omitted weighty.

The atmosphere was broken suddenly by his phone ringing. Glancing at it, he cursed under his breath. He murmured, "I have to take this," his voice returning to its normal distant quality.

Frozen, I watched him leave the room, leaving me once again alone.

The hollowness came back, weighty in my chest. I wanted to yell at him, urging him to stop acting like this was sufficient, but instead I was left with the hollow agony and certainty that he would not pay attention. Adrian had erected barriers around his heart from which I could never expect to pass.

Later That Day

Driven to make use of my day, I chose to stroll across the city from the penthouse. The doorman nodded politely, then I left into the crisp morning air letting the breeze blow back my hair. I needed this: the freedom, the room, the opportunity to realize that a world beyond the frigid fortitude Adrian had erected around me existed.

Lost in my thoughts, I aimlessly strolled the streets till I heard my name called. Turning, I came upon Luca, my childhood friend and the one person aware of all the secrets I had kept buried. She was not someone I had anticipated to run across here.

"Maya?” His eyes opened to capture my startled look. "This is where you are working? I thought you... well, I heard you were wed to Wolfe, the millionaire.

I scoffed furiously. "I am," said It is not what you believe, though.

Luca's face changed to become softer. "What's incorrect?" You seem like someone snatched the light out of your sight.

I lowered myself and blinked against the unexpected surge of feeling. "It's complicated." Adrian and my friend... Simply said, Luca, it is not genuine. Not what I imagined marriage would be.

He laid a consoling hand on my shoulder, but his face became austere. "Then perhaps it's time for action regarding it, Maya. Perhaps it's time you depart.

Go. The term kept coming back to me, enticing but also deadly. Only if it were that easy. But every action I could take was already part of Adrian's strategy; his riches and power spun a cage I could not escape. Still, Luca's comments set off something in me, the same need I experienced every time Adrian became cold and far away.

Before I could reply, though, a sleek black sedan drew up at the curb and the passenger window rolled down to show Adrian's dark, impenetrable look.

His voice hard and uncompromising, he said, "Get in the car, Maya."

Luca straightened, his hand still on my shoulder, a hard gaze in his eyes directed back at Adrian. But Adrian's demand felt to me as a tangible force, dragging me in even as every instinct urged me to fight. Less of all his wife, he was not accustomed to anybody challenging his power.

I said to Luca, "I.. I should go," hardly seeing his eyes.

Though he murmured softly, "Maya, you don't have to do this," I could sense the desperation in his voice.

I looked at Adrian, whose eyes blazed with a warning I could not ignore. I nodded at Luca, grudgingly disengaging myself from his hold, then hopped inside the car.