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Chapter 3

The sound of the door slamming shut echoed through my bones. My body was rigid, my heart thumping in my chest, and I stood motionless. The only light in the room was the dim glow from a single lamp, which created long, warped shadows on the walls. Ronaldo held my arm tightly, but it didn't bruise. He didn't have to physically harm me. Even the mere fact that he was there made the air feel oppressive.

For a moment, I was unable to breathe as he moved closer, his massive body engulfing me like a storm cloud. His aroma filled the air between us, a blend of pricey cologne and something deeper and more primordial. I could feel his heavy, piercing gaze on me as if he could see right through my mask.

"Sit," he ordered in a quiet, steady voice.

As though his words alone could control my body, my legs moved without my consent. The soft material of my wedding gown was clinging to me like a confining cocoon as I sat on the edge of the bed. In an attempt to stop the shaking, I clenched my hands tightly as they shook in my lap.

Ronaldo took some time to move. His dark, unreadable eyes watched me as he stood there. The oppressive and thick silence between us persisted until I was at my breaking point. To release the tension that was choking the air, I had to say something, anything.

"Is this your desired outcome?" My voice barely raised above a whisper as I uttered the words. "To ensnare me within a life I never requested?"

When at last he moved, he walked slowly towards the large armchair by the window, a small, humourless smile curling his lips. He took a seat and leaned back as though we were having a normal conversation and my words hadn't sliced through the atmosphere like a knife.

"Trap you?" he asked again, his tone light-hearted. "Roseline, I didn't make you do this. You consented to wed me.

His arrogance made my stomach turn, but I forced myself to swallow it. In a sense, he was correct. The words had come from me. This was the arrangement I had accepted. However, I had no other option. My father's frantic cries and Ronaldo's icy, cunning gaze had forced me into a tight spot.

Looking down at my hands, which were knotting in the delicate fabric of my dress, I muttered, "You know why I agreed."

His voice softened slightly as he said, "Yes," but it was not kind. "Because you had no other option. You, Roseline, paid the price for your father's inability to save his business. An extremely valuable price.

I was so frustrated that I clenched my jaw as I looked up at him. "Roseno, I'm not a commodity you can exchange."

A flicker of something dangerous briefly appeared on his face as his eyes darkened. He rose from the chair and took long steps across the room until he was standing right in front of me. His voice fell to a chilly whisper as he leaned in, his face inches from mine.

"Are you not?"

The cruel, weighty question hung in the air. Tears pricked the back of my eyes and my throat constricted, but I resisted letting them fall. I wouldn't let him witness my breakdown for his satisfaction.

Ronaldo straightened while maintaining eye contact with me. He whispered, "You will learn, Roseline," as though promising. "You are now mine. And this is your life, whether you like it or not.

The words sliced through me like glass fragments, and I swallowed hard. I understood his meaning. There was no way out of this. I had made the vows and signed the documents. I was his in Ronaldo's eyes and the eyes of the law.

I didn't have to accept it, though.

"Why me?" I tried to sound strong, but my voice trembled as I asked abruptly. "Why did you have to pick me out of all the women you could have chosen?"

As though thinking about the question for the first time, he cocked his head slightly. His eyes grew softer, but not with sympathy. No, it was the softness that resulted from solving a puzzle that one enjoys.

He said, "Because you’re not like the others," in a smooth, nearly mesmerising voice. "The women that I've known have consistently demanded something from me. Status, wealth, and power. However, you never desired this. You didn't seek security or money from me. You had nowhere else to go, so you came."

I scowled as I tried to interpret what he had said. "And that should help me feel better?"

"No," he said plaintively, his face unreadable. "But it adds interest to you."

It made my skin crawl the way he said it as if I were some kind of experiment he was interested in. I tried to ignore the growing feeling of dread that was tearing at my insides as I turned my head and dropped my eyes to the ground.

"Don't you think this is a game?" I asked in a low voice that was hardly audible. "A method to amuse oneself."

Ronaldo's silence was a sufficient response. He didn't dispute it.

His presence weighed heavily on me, and I felt as though the room, the dress, and the whole circumstance were suffocating me. I had to leave, to take a breath.

I stepped away from him and stood up suddenly my heart racing. "I need to get some air."

I didn't wait to hear back from him. I turned and walked down the dark hallway towards the door, the train of my gown trailing behind me. I didn't care that my footsteps reverberated in the quiet. Even if it was just for a short while, I had to get away from him.

I stepped out into the refreshing night air after pushing open the balcony door at the far end of the hall. I hardly noticed the stars above, which were twinkling faintly in a deep shade of indigo. I tried to calm the storm inside of me by leaning against the railing and taking deep breaths of fresh air, but my chest heaved.

Below, the expansive garden of the mansion was silent and dark, with the trees and hedges creating long shadows in the dim moonlight. My thoughts were racing as I gazed out into the night, the truth of my predicament becoming more and more apparent by the moment.

I was confined. Stuck.

There was nowhere to go, no matter how much I wanted to run. That was something my father had ensured. Additionally, Ronaldo wasn't a man who would readily let me go. When it was convenient for him, he would keep me imprisoned in a gilded cage.

I felt the tears I had been suppressing finally come out as I closed my eyes. I felt a cool breeze on my skin, but it didn't make the anger and helplessness that were burning inside of me go away.

"What have I done?" With a voice trembling with despair, I whispered to the night.

My heart stopped in my chest when I heard the faint sound of footsteps behind me. With my eyes wide with terror, I turned slowly, expecting to see Ronaldo waiting to pull me back into the nightmare.

However, it wasn't him.

Standing at the far end of the balcony, a shadowy figure was observing me with a determination that chilled my blood.

"Who's there?" My voice trembled as I asked.

The figure remained motionless and silent. They merely stood motionless and silent, like a predator on the prowl.

I stepped back, trying to steady myself with a firm grip on the railing. "Who's there?" I asked.

The figure moved this time, emerging from the darkness. My heart stopped when the moon's faint light revealed their face.

It wasn't an unknown person.

I never thought I'd see that person again.

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