CHAPTER 2

The moment the door to the bridal suite closes behind us, everything feels too much—too heavy, too loud and too unreal.

The quiet click of the lock resonates in the hollow silence that follows. I remain stand there, I don't know what to do .My heart beats loudly, and my head is full of noise.

I can't figure things out.

They say, the wedding was beautiful,it was a grand spectacle of wealth and status. I barely remember it, just the blur of faces and the stiffness in my back as I stood by the altar.", staring at the man I was marrying.

Alexander Hawke.

I know almost nothing about him—his reputation precedes him, and the whispers I’ve heard from my father are far from reassuring. A man who thrives on control.And yet, here I am. His bride. Bound to him by duty, not by choice.

I glance at him now. He stands by the window, looking out at the city skyline, his broad shoulders beneath the tailored suit tense. The dim light from the street below casts shadows across his sharp features, making him look even more imposing and untouchable.

He’s silent. Too silent. The sort of silence that folds over you. I don't have any idea what to say. We’re strangers. Bound by a contract, not by love, not by affection or understanding.

“I didn’t think you’d be this quiet,” I say, my voice sounding weak even to me.

He doesn’t turn, but I feel his gaze shift toward me. It’s the first time he’s acknowledged me since the ceremony. “What would you like me to say, Leila?” His tone is cool and almost bored.

“You didn’t have to marry me,” Alexander continues, his voice soft but firm. “This was an offer you could have rejected.”

His words struçk me like a physical blow. He doesn’t understand. He doesn't comprehend the suffocating burden I carry.He doesn’t know the weight of my family’s expectations, the weight of my father’s constant demands. This marriage wasn’t something I chose—it was something I was pushed into.

“I didn’t have much of a choice,” I say,

His eyes meet mine then,“You could have said no. Your father would have understood you.”

“You don’t know my father,” I reply sharply, my pulse quickening. “You don’t know how he works.”

“Then enlighten me,” he says, taking a step closer, his voice almost too calm than I expected. “Why did you agree to this kind of marriage ?”

I look down, avoiding his gaze. "I had no choice," I say quietly. "This marriage isn't about me. It's about helping my family."

The quietness go on between us, thick and choking. I couldn't say whether I've crossed the line or excessively little.

Alexander steps closer, his presence looming over me now. The heat from his body reaches me before he even put his hand on me.

“Your family’s well-being isn’t your burden alone, Leila,” he says, his voice low, but there’s an undercurrent of something darker beneath it. “And yet, here you are, sacrificing everything alone for your family.”

I bite my lip,I don't have the foggiest idea how to answer. He's right in some ways , however it doesn't make what is going on any simpler.

He lifts his hand brushing a strand of hair away from my face. His fingers are cool, and the contact sends an odd shudder down my spine. I couldn't say whether this is on the grounds that I'm not used to being touched or on the other hand assuming it's something totally different. But I freeze and unable to pull away.

“Do you ever wonder, Leila,” Alexander’s voice is almost a whisper, “if this life was truly meant for you? Or if you’re just following the path others laid for you?”

The question remains hung in the air,and my mind spins. For the first time tonight, I don’t feel like a doll. I feel... lost. Like I've been assuming a part for such a long time that I've failed to remember who I'm underneath every one of the assumptions, underneath every one of the layers of this dress, underneath all that I've been compelled to turn into.

"I don't have any idea," I concede, my voice barely audible. "I don't have any idea who I truly am any longer."

Alexander’s eyes narrow slightly, his expression is not readable. “Then maybe you should figure it out.” His words are both a challenge and a command. A test, I realize. He’s not just pushing me away. He’s pushing me to find something that I lost a long time ago.

“I don’t have the strength of figuring anything out right now,” I reply, trying to push the lump of emotion in my throat away. “I don’t have time for it.”

His eyes soften for a second, and I almost don’t notice it. But when he speaks again, his voice is quieter and almost gentle. “You don’t have to do this alone, Leila.” He says.

The words hit me strongly like a wave, crashing into me so fast. I look up at him, but there is a slight distance between us ,And yet, the sudden vulnerability in his eyes makes me wonder if maybe,there’s more to him than the cold, distant man I’ve come to fear.

“Why did you also agree to this?” I ask,with voice shaking with a mix of fear and something else I can’t quite name.

“I didn’t have a choice either,” he replies, “My family has its own... arrangements.”

His words are deliberate, guarded, but I sense the weight behind them. And for the first time, I realize that maybe Alexander isn’t as distant as I thought. Maybe he’s just trapped in this as I am.

"You don't need to pretend with me," I say, "I realize this isn't what both of us needed."

"I don't pretend," he says, his look is locking onto mine.. “Not with you.”

The room suddenly feels smaller.There’s a moment of silence between us, one that feels heavy with things unsaid.

Then, without warning, he steps toward me. I wonder if he’s going to kiss me. But he doesn’t. Instead, his hand reaches brushing the back of my neck, sending a jolt of electricity through my entire body.

The touch is brief, but it lingers—an almost tender contact that I can’t even explain.

“Leila,” he says softly, his voice low and filled with something I can’t place.

Before I can respond, the door to the suite swings open with a force that makes both of us turn. My father stands in the doorways.

“Leila,” he snaps his voice cold, “it’s time to start behaving like the woman you’re supposed to be.”

I freeze, the shock of his presence feels like a slap. But it’s Alexander’s hand still resting at the back of my neck that keeps me standing at the spot.

And in that moment, I realize something I hadn’t expected.

I’m not just trapped in a marriage. I’m trapped in a life where no one expects me to have a voice. But tonight, something inside me cracks when Alexander touched me. And I don’t know if it’s the touch of Alexander’s hand, the weight of my father’s demand, or something else entirely, but I feel it—the spark of defiance.

And that terrifies me, more than anything.