Bought as his bride :
339 Words
đź’” Episode 3: The Contract Husband
I woke up in a stranger’s bed.
No—my husband’s bed. But he hadn’t spent the night with me.
The silk sheets were cold on his side. Untouched. Just like the man himself.
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Downstairs, the housekeeper handed me a white envelope with my name on it. Inside was a typed contract — ten pages long, signed by Darius Black.
> Clause 1: No emotional involvement.
Clause 2: No touching unless in public.
Clause 3: No entering each other’s private rooms.
Clause 4: Do not fall in love.
I felt sick reading it.
This wasn’t marriage. It was a business deal.
At the bottom, he had written in bold:
> “This arrangement lasts one year. After that, we part ways.”
One year.
One year of pretending.
One year of silence, control, and cold eyes.
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Later that day, I saw him in the living room, sipping black coffee like he hadn’t just destroyed every hope I had of happiness.
> “You read the contract,” he said, not looking up.
> “I did,” I replied, standing across from him. “Is this what marriage means to you?”
He finally looked at me—his gaze sharp, unreadable.
> “Marriage is a cage. I don’t plan on pretending it’s anything more.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat.
> “Why me?” I asked. “Why buy me of all people?”
He stood and walked toward me slowly. I froze.
He leaned close, voice cold and calm.
> “Because you were the one for sale.”
And just like that, he walked away, leaving me breathless and humiliated.
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That night, I lay in the darkness, holding a pillow to my chest, trying not to cry.
But my heart whispered questions my pride wouldn’t ask:
> Who hurt you, Darius Black?
And why do I feel like I’m the one who’s going to bleed for it?
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đź’ End of Episode 3
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