Chapter two.
849 Words
barely made it to the door before I stopped.
My hand was already on the handle but something felt off.
That feeling in my chest.
Tight. Uneasy.
Like I’d just stepped into something I didn’t fully understand.
Slowly, I turned back.
He was still there.
Watching me.
Of course he was.
“What?” I asked, a little sharper than I intended.
“Where are you going?”
I frowned. “Home.”
A pause.
Then
“No.”
The word landed too easily.
Too naturally.
Like he had every right to say it.
I let out a small, disbelieving laugh. “I’m sorry… what?”
“You’re not going back there.”
My grip tightened on the door handle.
“And who decided that?”
“I did.”
Of course.
Of course he did.
I turned fully to face him now.
“You don’t get to control where I go.”
“I do,” he said calmly.
That calm voice again.
That same controlled tone that made everything sound final.
“You signed the contract.”
My chest tightened.
“That doesn’t mean you own me.”
“No,” he agreed.
“It means you live with me.”
Silence.
I just stared at him.
“You’re joking.”
“I’m not.”
I shook my head, stepping away from the door. “That wasn’t part of the deal.”
“It was.”
“No, it wasn’t.”
“Page four.”
My stomach dropped.
Page four?
I tried to remember
But I had skipped it .
I knew I had.
Damn it.
“You expect me to just move in with you?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Just like that?”
“Yes.”
I let out a breath, running a hand through my hair.
“This is insane.”
“It’s necessary.”
“For who?”
“For this to work.”
I laughed again, but there was no humor in it this time.
“This isn’t real.”
His eyes darkened slightly.
“It is to everyone else.”
That shut me up.
Because he was right.
To the outside world…
This wasn’t a contract.
This was a marriage.
A real one.
“I’m not staying with you,” I said firmly.
A pause.
Then he started walking toward me.
Slow. Steady.
And suddenly the space between us felt too small.
“You don’t have a choice.”
“There’s always a choice.”
“Not this time.”
I swallowed.
Hated how steady he sounded.
Hated how unsure I suddenly felt.
“You’re unbelievable,” I muttered.
“And you signed it anyway.”
That hit.
Hard.
I looked away, jaw tight.
He stopped right in front of me again.
Too close.
Always too close.
“You’ll move in tonight,” he said.
“Or what?”
The question slipped out before I could stop it.
For a second, he didn’t answer.
“Or I stop the deal.”
My heart dropped.
“You wouldn’t.”
“Try me.”
Silence.
Heavy. Crushing.
He wouldn’t risk it… would he?
But the look in his eyes
He meant it.
And he knew I couldn’t call his bluff.
I hated this.
Every part of it.
“You’re using this against me,” I said quietly.
“I’m making sure you understand the terms.”
“No,” I shook my head, stepping back slightly. “You’re controlling it.”
A pause.
“Yes.”
That caught me off guard.
He didn’t deny it.
Didn’t try to sugarcoat it.
He just… owned it.
And somehow, that made it worse.
“Why?” I asked before I could stop myself.
The question hung between us.
For a moment, he didn’t answer.
His gaze dropped slightly, like he was thinking
Then he looked back at me.
“Because if I don’t,” he said quietly,
“You’ll run.”
My breath caught.
“I’m not running.”
“You always do.”
That stung.
More than it should have.
“I had a reason,” I shot back.
“So did I.”
The words came out sharper this time.
Colder.
And just like that
The tension shifted.
This wasn’t just about the contract anymore.
This was about the past.
The one neither of us had touched yet.
“Then maybe you should’ve said something,” I said quietly.
His jaw tightened.
But he didn’t respond.
Of course he didn’t.
He never explained anything.
He just acted.
“I’ll have your things sent over,” he said instead.
Like the conversation was over.
Like my feelings didn’t matter.
Again.
“You really don’t change, do you?”
Something flickered in his eyes.
But he ignored it.
“Be ready in an hour.”
I let out a slow breath.
Trapped.
That’s what this felt like.
Not a marriage.
Not even a deal.
A trap I walked into myself.
And the worst part?
I was starting to realize.
He had planned this.
From the beginning.
And I just walked in the lions den.
- Writer
