FROM HUMILIATED BRIDE TO HIS OBSESSION

Episode7

Zoey’s POV

Revenge has a price, and I was ready to pay it.

The silence between us felt alive, like something was breathing in the space between Christian Bellucci and me, something that was waiting for me to make a choice I can’t take back.

I sat there, my hands resting on the table, trying to look calm even though my heart was beating so fast that it felt like it might break out of my chest.

He didn’t rush me and that was the scary part. He just watched me in silence like he already knew what my answer was going to be, like this was already done.

My phone buzzed; another buzz followed immediately, then another. I didn’t want to look because I already knew what was waiting for me on that screen, but I reached for it anyway. The screen lit up and notifications flooded with headlines: “Bride humiliated on wedding day, video goes viral” “left at the altar: the full story: “Zoey Aguilar isn’t good enough-ex-fiancé speaks.”

My chest tightened, I scrolled, and that was my mistake. There were comments, so many comments: “She looks desperate,” “he upgraded for sure,” “I would have left her too.” It is embarrassing to watch my throat go dry and, for a second, I wasn’t there anymore. I was back there.

Standing in that dress with everyone staring, everyone whispering, Adrian’s voice cutting through me like a knife. “You’re not what I want anymore.” I locked my phone and dropped it on the table, face down, like it would stop the messages, like it would stop everything. It didn’t and the feeling stayed.

My chest rose slowly as I forced myself to breathe, I wasn’t going to be the girl people pitied and laughed at. I lifted my head and met Christian's eyes. He was still watching me, as if he understood something I hadn’t said.

Something in me shifted, this wasn’t just about him and his problem, this was about me, taking my pride, my control, and me back. My chin lifted a little, my voice came out steady. “I’ll do it.”

It was final and there was no taking them back, but deep down I knew I didn’t want to.

Christian didn’t react immediately, he just looked at me closely. I didn’t look away, I held his gaze, because something had changed. I wasn’t just the girl from the video anymore, I wasn’t just the woman he had to fix, I had made a choice, and now I was part of this.

“This won’t be simple,” he finally said in a calm voice like always “Once we start,” he continued, “we don’t stop until it’s over.”

A chill ran down my spine, not fear, just awareness of what I had just agreed to. I leaned back, crossed my arms. “I’m not your puppet,” I said. My voice didn’t shake, “This works both ways.”

For a second, he said nothing, but I noticed the change in his expression. It was barely noticeable, but I saw a hint of approval. “Of course it does,” he said. That should have reassured me, but it didn’t. Instead, it made me more aware, more careful, because he wasn’t surprised.

He expected resistance, he expected me to push back, and he had already planned for it. That realization settled deep in my chest.

This man didn’t lose control.

The air changed again, we weren’t strangers anymore, we were something else now.

Christian leaned forward slightly, “There are rules,” he said. Of course, there were always rules for men like him.

“Number one,” he said, his eyes locked on mine, “no falling in love.”

I scoffed. “Trust me,” I said, “That won’t be a problem.” But the way he looked at me, made my words feel weak.

“Number two,” he continued, ignoring my reaction, “no personal questions.”

That made me frown slightly, “No personal questions?” I repeated. “So we just pretend… and know nothing about each other?”

“Yes,” he said. That answer came without hesitation. “Number three,” he said, “everything between us is an act.”

The words hung in the air, everything between us was fake to begin with. I nodded slowly, it made sense, it had to be fake, that was the whole point.

“We control what people see, and we decide the story,” he added.

There was silence between us. Christian was still watching me, but now there was more weight in his gaze, then he said, “Don’t break the rules.” That was it, no explanation, but the way he said it didn’t feel like advice, it felt more like a warning.

Who was this man? Why did it feel like I was stepping into something deeper than a fake relationship? I should have been scared, maybe I was, but just a little, I was also drawn in, pulled closer like I wanted to know.

And at that moment, I realized something. This wasn’t about revenge anymore, it wasn’t about Adrian, it was something bigger, something that could either destroy me or make me not someone stronger.

Christian leaned back and extended his hand. “We have an agreement.” I stared at his hand, it looked normal but didn’t feel normal because I knew what it meant. I crossed a line and there was no going back, no undoing this.

My mind flashed back to Adrian, his voice, the laughter, the humiliation, the way I stood there and couldn’t do anything. My breath shook, then steadied. Something inside of me had hardened, I reached out and placed my hand in his.

His hand was warm, firm, and steady. The moment our asking touched, I felt a small spark, but I didn’t pull away, his grip tightened just a little, and he didn’t look away. His eyes stayed on mine and for a second, it didn’t feel like a deal, it didn’t feel fake, it felt like something else.

This man wasn’t safe, not for me, not for my heart, but I still didn’t let go and, for a moment, stood still. I pulled my hand back slowly but the feeling stayed.

I leaned back, trying to steady myself and act normal, but nothing felt normal anymore, everything had changed, my voice came out calm. “So, when do we start?”

Christian didn’t look away from “already have” and, just like that, I knew this wasn’t just a deal, it was the beginning of something I couldn’t control, and I was already too deep in it.