Chapter Two
603 Words
Chapter Two: Terms and Conditions
Lily stared at the thick stack of papers in front of her.
The contract sat on a glass table in Damian Blackwood’s office—sleek, modern, and cold, just like the man himself. Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked the city skyline, but the view did nothing to calm her nerves.
“You expect me to sign this without reading?” she asked, arms crossed tightly.
“I expect you to read every word,” Damian replied smoothly, settling into the leather chair across from her. “I want no surprises. For either of us.”
Lily glanced down. The contract spelled out everything: one year of marriage. No intimacy required. Appearances at public events mandatory. No relationships with other people during the duration. A monthly stipend. Full payment for her brother’s medical bills, as promised.
And one line stood out more than anything else:
“Emotional involvement is strictly prohibited.”
She looked up. “What does this mean? Emotional involvement?”
“It means you don’t fall in love with me,” he said bluntly. “And I won’t fall for you.”
Her cheeks flushed. “Trust me, you’re not in danger.”
His eyes glinted with something unreadable. “So we’re in agreement, then.”
Lily hesitated. Her heart pounded in her chest. Every instinct told her to run.
But then she thought of Noah lying in that hospital bed, growing weaker with every passing day.
She picked up the pen.
And signed.
---
They stood side by side in a private room of the city courthouse, just forty-eight hours later. There was no ceremony. No music. Just a cold, efficient clerk and a formality that bound her life to his.
“Do you, Damian Blackwood, take Lily Bennett—”
“I do.”
The words were flat. Emotionless.
“Do you, Lily Bennett, take Damian Blackwood—”
She swallowed. “I… I do.”
It was done in under ten minutes.
As they exited into the corridor, Lily glanced at the ring on her finger. A flawless diamond. Expensive. Beautiful. And completely empty of meaning.
“This ring is real,” she murmured.
“Of course,” Damian said without looking at her. “You’ll be wearing it every day. Our story has to be convincing.”
Right. The story.
The lie.
---
That evening, Lily moved into his penthouse apartment.
Her entire life fit into one small suitcase. She stood awkwardly at the threshold as Damian watched her with cool detachment.
“You’ll have your own room,” he said. “Down the hall. Left door.”
She nodded. “Thanks.”
“There are rules,” he added.
She turned to face him. “Of course there are.”
“One: Never bring anyone into this house without my permission. Two: You will attend every event I ask of you, no excuses. And three—”
He paused.
Lily arched a brow. “Let me guess. No falling in love?”
His lips twitched. “That’s rule four. Rule three is simple: Never go into the locked room at the end of the hall.”
Her stomach sank. “What’s in there?”
He looked her straight in the eye. “That’s none of your business.”
The chill in his voice left no room for argument.
She turned away, forcing her breathing to slow.
She was in a stranger’s world now.
A world of secrets, cold deals, and locked doors.
And somewhere deep in her gut, she knew—
This contract might save her brother’s life…
But it could destroy hers.
- Writer
