Bought as his bride:.................. Episode 7
569 Words
🔥 Episode 7: A Glimpse Behind the Mask
I woke to the sound of rain tapping gently against the windows.
There was something oddly peaceful about the morning — no shouting staff, no ringing phones, no tension in the air. Just calm.
But I knew better than to trust it.
Calm was always the moment before the storm.
---
I dressed in a cream blouse and black jeans, tying my hair in a loose bun. No makeup. No perfume. I was done pretending to be someone I wasn’t.
As I walked down the marble hallway toward the stairs, I heard soft voices from the study.
I paused.
> “She’s asking questions,” a woman said.
“Let her,” Darius replied. “She’ll give up eventually.”
Give up?
Was that all he expected of me?
I turned away, heart pounding, and headed for the kitchen.
---
Nathan greeted me with a small smile as I sat at the breakfast table.
> “Rough morning?” he asked.
> “Just… reminding myself why I’m here,” I said, forcing a smile.
> “Money?”
“Freedom,” I corrected. “And maybe answers.”
He nodded like he understood too well.
---
Later that afternoon, I found myself drawn again to the music room where Darius had played the piano.
I shouldn’t have gone in.
But I did.
I touched one of the keys softly — a single note echoing in the quiet.
> “You like snooping, don’t you?”
His voice was low, smooth, and very close.
I turned. Darius stood behind me, arms crossed, eyes guarded.
> “I wasn’t snooping,” I said. “Just… listening. That song you played last night…”
His jaw tightened.
> “Forget you heard it.”
> “Why?” I stepped closer. “Because it shows you’re human?”
His eyes met mine. And for the first time, he didn’t look angry.
He looked tired.
> “My mother wrote that song,” he said. “She used to play it when I couldn’t sleep as a kid. I hated it then… but now it’s the only thing that calms me.”
I blinked.
This was the first real thing he’d ever told me. No sarcasm. No ice. Just truth.
> “You miss her,” I said softly.
He didn’t answer. He didn’t have to.
---
We sat in silence, both of us looking at the grand piano. For a moment, it felt like the distance between us wasn’t so wide.
> “You married me to protect yourself, didn’t you?” I whispered. “From love. From trust.”
> “I married you,” he said coldly, “because you were the only one who didn’t ask for my heart.”
That hurt more than I expected.
But I nodded.
> “Then I won’t ask for it,” I replied, standing up. “But don’t be surprised if I still find my way into it.”
---
That night, I lay in bed staring at the ceiling.
My chest ached, and I didn’t know why.
Maybe because I saw the real Darius — not the billionaire with the cold eyes. But the broken boy behind them.
And the scary part?
> I wanted to fix him.
Even if I had no idea how.
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💭 End of Episode 7
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- Writer
