Chapter 5 : The gift of the Devil
488 Words
The morning sunlight felt wrong inside the house. It spilled across the marble floors as though it had no idea what had happened the night before.
Aira stood before her bedroom mirror, brushing her hair with trembling hands.
Her eyes were hollow.
Her lips were dry from a sleepless night filled with silent tears.
Yet her posture remained proud.
She refused to break.
Downstairs, hushed voices and hurried footsteps filled the house. Her mother had been on the phone since dawn. The wedding planner Dominic had sent arrived early, dressed in a sharp black suit with a clipboard tucked beneath one arm.
Everything had already been decided.
The engagement would take place that evening.
Small.
Elegant.
Traditional.
No one dared argue.
Aira didn't care about the flowers.
She didn't care about the menu or the gold embroidery on her outfit.
She only cared that, piece by piece, her life was slipping into the hands of a man she barely knew...
Yet couldn't forget.
A gentle knock sounded at her bedroom door.
She hesitated.
"Aira," her mother called softly. "Someone is here for you."
When she opened the door, she froze.
A tall man dressed entirely in black stood outside, holding a black velvet box in gloved hands.
Without a word, he offered it to her.
"What is this?" she asked cautiously.
"From Mr. Dominic."
He gave a respectful nod before turning and walking away.
Aira stared at the box for several long seconds before finally opening it.
Inside rested a delicate black velvet choker with a single diamond teardrop at its center.
Beneath it lay a handwritten note.
«Wear this tonight.
I want the world to know who stands beside me.
– D»
Her breath caught.
Her knees nearly gave out beneath her.
She stepped backward, clutching the box before quickly throwing it onto the bed as though it had burned her fingers.
The gift itself wasn't what frightened her.
It was the certainty behind it.
He already believed she belonged to him.
Downstairs...
"Does he honestly think this is normal?" she demanded as she stormed into the living room, holding up the velvet box.
Her mother looked at her anxiously.
"Please... don't make things worse."
"This isn't a gift," Aira said, her voice shaking with anger.
"It's ownership."
Her father sighed heavily.
"Aira... please. We can't provoke him."
"I'm not something he owns!" she shouted.
"I'm not an object."
Before anyone could answer, her phone vibrated.
Unknown Number.
One new message.
«You don't have to love me, Aira.
You only have to remember who you'll be standing beside tonight.
– D»
Her fingers loosened.
The phone slipped from her hand and hit the floor.
A cold shiver raced down her spine.
Then she noticed something outside her bedroom window.
A black SUV.
Parked across the street.
The engine was still running.
She didn't know whether Dominic was inside...
But she knew one thing.
He was already watching.
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