CHAPTER FOUR: First Day, First Shiver
1013 Words
The morning sun filtered gently through the silver curtains of Liana’s new bedroom. For a moment, she forgot where she was.
The sheets beneath her felt expensive. The scent of roses and soft vanilla lingered faintly in the air. It was all so different from her old life.
Then it hit her.
She was married.
To Damien Callisto.
She sat up slowly, her eyes adjusting to the morning light. The silence in the room reminded her of yesterday’s ceremony. Silent, cold, and distant. A wedding without music. A marriage without a kiss.
A knock came on the door.
“Breakfast has been delivered, madam,” a maid’s voice said politely.
Liana walked over and opened the door. A tray with covered dishes rested on the small table in her sitting area. She thanked the maid with a soft smile, and once alone, lifted the lids
Everything looked beautiful. Fresh fruit, warm croissants, eggs, juice.
But she barely touched the food.
Her appetite had vanished.
Instead, she walked to the large window overlooking the estate gardens. The greenery was endless, trimmed perfectly, with white stone paths curving like ribbon through the trees.
A part of her wanted to walk there, just to breathe and escape the stillness of the mansion.
But another part of her feared running into him.
Damien.
Even his name made her heart skip.
He hadn’t spoken much the day before. He had done his part, spoken his vows, shown her the room, and laid down the rules. Yet even in his silence, there was something commanding about him. Something that reached into her thoughts long after he left.
She told herself not to think about it.
This wasn’t love. It was survival.
By late morning, Liana had bathed and dressed in a soft cream blouse and tan trousers. She stepped out of her room and walked carefully through the wide hallways, taking in the mansion’s elegance.
Every wall held expensive artwork. Every corner was spotless. She passed by staff members who bowed politely, though none of them spoke unless she did.
When she reached the grand staircase, she paused. Her hand rested lightly on the carved railing.
“Lost?”
The voice was smooth and deep, right behind her.
She turned quickly, and there he was.
Damien.
Wearing a crisp black shirt tucked neatly into tailored slacks. His sleeves were rolled slightly to his elbows. He wasn't supposed to look so casually powerful, but he did.
Their eyes met for a long moment
“No, I was just looking around,” Liana replied quietly.
“I thought you might stay in your room longer.”
She straightened slightly. “I didn’t want to hide.”
Damien’s brows lifted just a little, surprised by her honesty.
“You’re adjusting quickly.”
“I don’t think I have a choice,” she said with a soft smile.
Damien looked at her face. Her skin glowed in the daylight, and her expression was gentle but strong. She didn’t fidget or glance away like she had in his office. She was finding her footing
He didn’t respond immediately.
Instead, he said, “The gardens are quiet at this hour. If you prefer peace, that would be the place.”
She hesitated.
“Thank you. I’ll try it.”
As she turned to walk toward the back doors, Damien found his eyes trailing her movements. Her back was straight. Her posture was graceful. Everything about her screamed calmness, but he knew she must be overwhelmed.
Yet she wasn’t breaking.
And he was starting to admire that.
Liana walked slowly along the garden path. The breeze played with her hair, brushing it across her shoulders. The scent of flowers drifted with the wind. Lavender, roses, something citrusy.
She took a deep breath, trying to let go of the nerves pressing against her chest.
A whole year.
That was how long she was supposed to stay here. Be married to a man she hardly knew. Sleep in a mansion where everything was perfect except the warmth.
She paused by a marble bench and sat down.
Her fingers played with the edge of her blouse. She stared ahead, not really seeing anything.
Somewhere inside the mansion, Damien had already returned to his world of numbers, power, and quiet control. He probably hadn’t thought about her since she walked away.
But she had.
Something about him tugged at her.
Not affection. Not attraction.
It was curiosity.
What had made him so cold? Why did he need a wife on paper so badly, yet push any form of closeness away?
Was he protecting himself?
Or punishing someone else
She closed her eyes.
Her thoughts were drifting where they shouldn't.
Damien sat in his private study, reviewing contracts. But the words blurred too quickly.
His mind kept flicking back to the woman in the hallway.
To the way her voice didn’t tremble this time.
To the way she looked at him directly, even though she had every reason to be afraid.
He hated that he noticed.
But he did.
And what was worse, he respected it.
She wasn’t like the women he had dealt with in the past. No manipulation. No performance. Just quiet presence and an honesty that unsettled him.
He ran a hand through his hair.
This was going to be harder than he thought
Later that evening, Liana sat alone in the dining hall. The long table stretched across the room, and yet only one place was set.
She ate slowly, occasionally glancing at the empty chair across from her.
He hadn’t joined her.
Of course he hadn’t.
Why would he?
She was his wife only by contract. And yet, even that cold fact couldn’t stop her from feeling the hollow ache of loneliness sitting across from nothing.
The mansion might have been beautiful, but it felt like a palace of glass. Fragile, cold, and painfully quiet.
And somewhere deep inside, Liana knew something she couldn’t ignore.
If she stayed too long in this silence, it wouldn’t be her body that broken
It would be her heart .
- Writer
