LIVING LIKE STRANGERS
1195 Words
Chapter Four: Living Like Strangers
The apartment smelled new.
Not clean in a comforting way, but empty. Like a place waiting for someone to decide whether they belong there or not.
Aurelia noticed it the moment she stepped inside.
No pictures on the walls.
No personal items on the shelves.
No warmth.
Just neutral colors, simple furniture, and wide spaces that made her feel smaller than she already did.
Neutral ground.
That was what Dominic had called it earlier.
To her, it felt like a place people stayed when they had no choice.
She stood near the door, her bag still on her shoulder, her coat still on her body. She didn’t know where to put anything. She didn’t know where *she* fit.
Across the room, Dominic moved quietly. He loosened his tie, rolled up his sleeves, and placed his watch on the table with care. Everything about him looked controlled, calm—like this situation hadn’t shaken him at all.
“You can take the bedroom,” he said. “I’ll use the guest room.”
She looked up quickly. “You don’t have to.”
“Yes, I do.”
His voice wasn’t cold. It wasn’t angry either. It was firm, like a promise.
“You set the rules,” he continued. “I meant it when I agreed.”
That surprised her.
Men like Dominic Vale didn’t usually keep promises that cost them comfort.
“Okay,” she said quietly. “Thank you.”
He paused, then added something that made her chest tighten.
“I won’t enter your room without permission.”
Permission.
The word stayed with her as she walked down the hallway.
She closed the bedroom door behind her and leaned against it, letting out a shaky breath.
She was married.
The thought didn’t feel real. It felt like a mistake someone else had made and written her name under.
She changed into loose clothes and lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep refused to come. Her mind kept replaying everything she had tried so hard not to think about.
The club.
The lights.
The heat of unfamiliar hands.
Waking up beside a stranger.
Seeing that stranger again in her father’s office.
Signing a marriage contract she never asked for.
She turned her face into the pillow.
"This can’t be my life," she thought.
But it was.
In the living room, Dominic sat alone at the dining table.
His laptop was open, but he wasn’t working. He hadn’t been working for a while.
He had built his entire life around control. Deals. Decisions. Outcomes.
Yet nothing had ever felt as unstable as this.
He had married a woman he barely knew.
A woman who didn’t trust him.
A woman who had every reason not to.
And the worst part?
He cared.
The next morning was uncomfortable.
They reached the kitchen at the same time. Aurelia moved toward the coffee machine just as Dominic did. Their hands stopped inches apart.
She pulled back instantly.
“Sorry,” she said.
“No—go ahead,” he replied.
They moved around each other carefully, avoiding eye contact. The silence between them felt heavy, like it was full of words neither of them wanted to say.
“I’m going to work,” Aurelia said, grabbing her bag.
“At the supermarket?” Dominic asked.
Her shoulders stiffened. “Yes.”
He nodded. “If anyone gives you trouble—”
“I can handle myself,” she cut in quickly.
He raised his hands slightly. “I wasn’t saying you couldn’t.”
She sighed. “I know. I’m just… overwhelmed.”
“So am I,” he said quietly.
She left without looking back.
Days passed.
They lived in the same apartment, yet their lives barely touched.
Aurelia spent most of her time at work with Nina. Stocking shelves. Smiling at customers. Doing things that felt normal and safe.
Dominic left early and returned late. When he was home, she could feel his presence even when she couldn’t see him. Quiet phone calls. Soft footsteps. A life she didn’t understand but knew was powerful.
One afternoon, Nina leaned against the counter and studied Aurelia.
“You’ve been acting strange,” she said.
Aurelia forced a laugh. “I’m tired.”
“You look like someone hiding a huge secret,” Nina teased. “Like a secret engagement or something.”
Aurelia almost dropped what she was holding.
“I just moved,” she said quickly.
“With who?”
“A roommate.”
Nina smiled. “Let me guess. Rich.”
Aurelia didn’t answer.
That night, Aurelia walked home instead of taking the bus. The streets smelled like rain and smoke. She needed time to think. To breathe.
When she reached the apartment, the lights were low.
Dominic sat on the couch with a glass of water.
“You’re late,” he said.
“So are you,” she replied.
A faint smile touched his lips. “Fair.”
She hesitated, then sat across from him.
“Why did you really agree to this?” she asked.
He studied her for a long moment. “Do you want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“My mother wouldn’t stop pushing,” he said. “And because I wanted you to have a way out.”
“That’s not everything.”
“No,” he admitted. “It’s not.”
“There are people in my world who don’t accept rejection,” he continued. “Being connected to me protects you.”
“From what?” she asked.
“Being used,” he said simply.
A chill ran through her.
“So I’m safer with you.”
“Yes.”
She laughed bitterly. “That’s ironic.”
“You don’t trust me,” he said.
“I don’t know you,” she replied.
“That’s fair.”
Silence stretched between them.
“About that night,” she said softly.
His body tensed. “We agreed not to talk about it.”
“I know. I just keep wondering if it meant nothing to you.”
He stood up suddenly.
“It didn’t mean nothing,” he said quietly. “It meant too much.”
---
Weeks passed.
They settled into an uneasy routine. Separate rooms. Polite conversations. Careful distance.
But something invisible grew between them. Something tense. Something fragile.
One evening, Aurelia came home early.
She heard Dominic’s voice before she saw him.
“She’s adjusting,” he said into his phone. “No, she doesn’t know. And she doesn’t need to.”
Her heart started pounding.
“She’s not a weakness,” he continued. “She’s protected.”
A pause.
“I won’t lose her.”
The call ended.
Aurelia slipped quietly into her room, closing the door with shaking hands.
*Lose her.*
Protected from what?
For the first time, she felt afraid—not of the marriage, but of her importance.
Because in Dominic Vale’s world, being important was dangerous.
And she was beginning to understand something terrifying.
She wasn’t just pretending to be his wife.
She was becoming part of his life.
And maybe… part of his war.
- Writer
