Will we get married tomorrow?

Seraphina, with a satisfied smile playing on her lips, climbed back onto the bed, straddling Armin's chest as her hair cascaded down like a silken curtain around them. Her eyes sparkled with mischief as she leaned in closer, her body warm against his. Armin, still basking in the afterglow of their passionate encounter, grinned and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down onto his chest.

"Did you like it, Armin?" she asked softly, her voice laced with playful confidence. Her fingers traced gentle patterns on his skin, her lips hovering just above his.

Armin chuckled, a deep, satisfied sound rumbling in his chest. "Hell yeah!" he exclaimed, his hand slipping into her hair as he looked into her eyes, full of desire and affection. "You know exactly how to make me happy, Seraphina." His voice softened as he spoke her name, savoring the way it sounded in the intimate quiet between them. "Finally… you are completely mine."

Seraphina's smile widened, her heart swelling at his words. She leaned in closer, her lips brushing against his ear as she whispered, "I am always yours, Armin… only your Seraphina."

She rested her head on his chest, listening to the steady beat of his heart, feeling the rise and fall of his breathing beneath her. The room, once filled with the intensity of their passion, now felt peaceful, a sanctuary for just the two of them. 

Seraphina closed her eyes, the warmth of his embrace surrounding her like a shield, knowing that, in his arms, she had found both pleasure and the unyielding claim of a man who desired her more than anything.

Seraphina’s heart tightened as she gazed at Armin, her voice soft and filled with hope. “So… we will get married tomorrow?”

Armin’s smile faltered, his expression darkening as reality sank in. The weight of what he had to tell her pressed heavily on him, and in that moment, Seraphina could feel the shift, her pulse quickening in fear. Her heart spanked dangerously against her ribs, a sinking feeling spreading through her as his silence stretched longer than she had expected.

Tears welled up in her eyes, her voice trembling. “Armin… you promised me…” Her words were barely a whisper, but they cut through the air like a knife, her eyes searching his for an answer she didn’t want to hear.

Armin shifted uncomfortably, struggling to find the right words, his gaze falling away from hers. “I... I tried to get us registered at the marriage center. I swear I did, but… some complications arose.” His voice was filled with helplessness, a plea for her to understand.

Seraphina sat up abruptly, disbelief etched across her face. Her tears threatened to spill over as she looked at him, searching for any sign that this was just a bad dream. “Complications?” she echoed, her voice cracking with the weight of her heartbreak.

Armin sat up, reaching for her, but she recoiled, her eyes full of pain. “Seraphina, you know I love you. I have no other woman in my life. There’s only you. You’re my childhood love,” he said, his voice filled with desperation. “I’ve loved you since the moment you were born.”

His words hung in the air, but Seraphina’s chest tightened further, his reassurances doing nothing to ease the ache that was rapidly consuming her. Her throat constricted, choking on her emotions. “But that doesn’t make any sense if we can’t be together, Armin!” Her voice cracked, her frustration and sorrow pouring out in raw, broken words. “I’ve dreamed my whole life of becoming your wife. And now, it’s slipping away.”

Armin forced a smile, trying to hold onto the connection between them, but it felt fragile. “You are my wife, Seraphina. In my heart, you’re already mine.”

But Seraphina turned her face away, a tear slipping down her cheek. The pain in her heart was too real, too sharp. “That’s not enough,” she whispered, her voice barely audible, as if admitting it aloud made it all too real. Her chest felt as if it were breaking apart, her dreams slipping through her fingers.

Armin reached for her, but she stayed still, staring off into the distance, unable to reconcile the love she had for him with the overwhelming disappointment flooding her soul.

Armin’s hand rested gently on Seraphina’s trembling shoulder, his lips brushing against her tear-streaked cheek in an attempt to comfort her. “Seraphina…” he whispered, his voice soft yet pleading. But she remained silent, her tears falling freely, the pain and disappointment heavy in her chest.

He sighed, knowing he had to explain, no matter how difficult. “I don’t know what my parents did, Seraphina,” he began, his voice low with frustration. “Recently, they made me sign some papers… I didn’t even read them, I was in such a hurry.”

Seraphina’s body went rigid, her shock freezing her in place. “What?” she whispered, her voice barely a breath. The weight of his confession hit her like a tidal wave, the disbelief and betrayal swirling inside her. She turned slowly to face him, her heart pounding in her chest.

“But don’t worry, Seraphina,” Armin said quickly, his hand squeezing her shoulder as if to ground her. “I have another solution for us.”

Her heart ached as she looked into his eyes, searching for hope, but all she could feel was the looming shadow of his family’s control over them. “What? What solution could you possibly have?” Her voice was shaky, her vulnerability exposed. “You know your family will never accept me as your wife. They’ll do anything to keep us apart.”

Armin’s gaze softened as he cupped her face in his hands, his thumbs gently wiping away her tears. “You don’t need a marriage registration to become Mrs. Rodriguez,” he said, his voice steady, as though trying to assure her with every word.

Seraphina frowned, her confusion deepening. “What do you mean?” she asked, her voice small and fragile.

Armin smiled gently, brushing a stray hair from her face. “We don’t need a piece of paper to prove what we already know, Seraphina,” he said. “We don’t have to show anyone our marriage certificate to prove we’re together, do we?”

Seraphina shook her head slowly, her confusion mixing with the ache in her heart. “No…” she whispered.

Armin’s smile widened, his eyes shining with determination. “Then let me tell everyone that you are my wife. I’ll make you Mrs. Rodriguez in the eyes of the world. No one needs to know what happened with the papers. What matters is what we have between us. I love you, Seraphina, and you are already mine.”

His words, filled with a strange kind of hope, made her heart skip a beat. But the pain of their situation still lingered in the air between them, heavy and unresolved. She wanted to believe him, to trust that his love for her could overcome the obstacles his family had placed in their way. But doubt gnawed at the edges of her mind.

Seraphina looked away, her heart still breaking, but a flicker of hope remained. "Okay…," she whispered, though uncertainty hung in her words. Armin’s arms wrapped around her tightly, pulling her into his chest as if shielding her from the world outside.