THE RULES OF OUR MARRIAGE
751 Words
Charlotte couldn’t sleep.
Nathan’s words echoed in her mind.
“Don’t trust Victoria.”
The note lay on her bedside table, next to the silver locket. She had read it at least twenty times, hoping new words would somehow appear.
They never did.
A gentle knock broke the silence.
“Come in,” Charlotte said.
The door opened.
Alexander stepped inside, now dressed in a plain white shirt with the sleeves rolled to his forearms. Without the tuxedo and expensive suit, he looked less like a billionaire and more like an ordinary man—though there was nothing ordinary about the confidence he carried.
“I hope I’m not disturbing you.”
Charlotte shook her head.
“I wasn’t sleeping anyway.”
Alexander noticed the locket on the table.
“You’ve been thinking about Nathan.”
“And my aunt.”
He nodded.
“So have I.”
Charlotte looked at him in surprise.
“You have?”
“I don’t like people entering my home uninvited.”
A small smile tugged at her lips.
“That’s the part you’re worried about?”
“It’s one of the parts.”
He walked over to the fireplace and stood with his back to her.
“I’ve asked my security team to review every camera on the estate.”
“They’ll find him?”
“If he was caught on camera.”
Charlotte lowered her eyes.
“He knew my aunt.”
“So it seems.”
A silence settled between them.
Finally, Alexander turned around.
“We need to discuss something.”
Charlotte straightened in her chair.
“Our marriage.”
Her heart skipped.
Was he regretting it already?
Alexander seemed to read her thoughts.
“I’m not asking for a divorce.”
She let out a quiet breath she hadn’t realized she was holding.
“I’m asking for boundaries.”
He placed a folded sheet of paper on the table between them.
Charlotte frowned.
“What’s this?”
“Our agreement.”
She opened it.
At the top of the page was a handwritten title.
Rules of Our Marriage
She couldn’t help smiling.
“You wrote rules?”
“I prefer clarity.”
Charlotte began reading.
Rule One: We respect each other at all times.
Rule Two: We never lie to each other.
Rule Three: We protect each other in public, even when we disagree in private.
Rule Four: Either of us may walk away after one year without argument.
Charlotte looked up.
“These aren’t really rules.”
Alexander raised an eyebrow.
“No?”
“They’re… kind.”
He was quiet for a moment.
“I’ve seen what happens when people don’t set expectations.”
Charlotte continued reading until she reached the bottom of the page.
There was one final sentence, written in smaller handwriting.
Rule Five: If either of us is in danger, the other steps in. No questions asked.
Charlotte read it twice.
Then a third time.
She looked at Alexander.
“Why would you add this?”
His expression grew serious.
“Because after what happened tonight…”
“I don’t think your past is finished with you.”
“And if your past comes looking for you…”
He met her eyes.
“You won’t face it alone.”
Charlotte felt something inside her shift.
This marriage had begun as a contract.
But little by little…
Alexander was treating it like a partnership.
She picked up the pen lying beside the paper.
Without another word, she signed her name.
Charlotte Bennett Ashford.
She paused.
It was the first time she had written her new surname.
Alexander looked at the signature for a long moment before signing beneath it.
He folded the paper carefully.
“One copy for you.”
“One for me.”
As he handed her the document, their fingers brushed.
Neither of them pulled away immediately.
The moment was interrupted by a sharp knock on the bedroom door.
Three rapid knocks.
Alexander’s expression changed instantly.
“No one should be here at this hour.”
He crossed the room and opened the door.
A frightened housemaid stood outside.
“Sir…”
She was pale and struggling to catch her breath.
“What happened?” Alexander asked.
“It’s Mr. Oliver.”
Charlotte’s heart stopped.
“What about my brother?”
The maid swallowed hard.
“He’s… gone.”
The room fell silent.
Charlotte felt the paper slip from her hands.
“Gone?” she whispered.
“What do you mean… gone?”
- Writer
