Mia
The bedroom door closes with a soft click, muffling the sounds of the house behind us. Silence settles over us like a heavy veil, broken only by the ticking of the clock on the nightstand and the unsteady beating of my heart.
We are alone.
For the first time since the ceremony, there are no witnesses, no foreign eyes watching our every move. It’s just the two of us, husband and wife, prisoners of a bond I never chose, one that still burns against my skin like a searing chain.
I slowly step toward the bed, my fingers intertwined to keep them from trembling. I know what is expected of this night. I know what he expects.
I know exactly what my duty is, the role I’ve been given. And every fiber of my being resists it. But there is also a small part of me that… I can’t quite understand
