nged to. I had barely slept. My mind kept racing, replaying every moment of the gala, every interaction, and the heavy s

d I keep in my wardrobe for occasions like this. It felt too tight, the fabric constricting as if it were a physical reminder of the role I was playing, th

t woman. I didn't feel lik

like a show, a façade of wealth and power. The servants, the staff, all moved about as if th

hed wood of the table. He was seated, his back straight, his eyes fixed on some document he was reading. The mo

e said, his voice

replied, my own voice betraying a hin

tood up, walking toward me with that same deliberate confidence he always had. I

too calm. It felt like a warning, but I wasn't sure what to mak

"You mean as the perfect wife? Or as th

nger? Frustration? His jaw tightened, but he didn't lash out. Instead

t there was something darker behind it. "Because if you don't, th

d already used my brother's debts to corner me into this marriage, and now it see

e to stay stiff. "I know exactl

t it was cold, calculated. "Good

ker of doubt. But it was gone before I could process it. I couldn't decide whether it was real or if my mind was playi

ent, both of us caught in our own thoughts. My stomach twisted with every passing minute. I didn't want to be here, but

art of the business district. I followed Damien into the elevator, feeling the same tension that had been brewing betwe

oth, "you're here to support me. To show t

throat dry. "

e investors on us. They were all dressed in impeccable suits, their faces a mixture of intrigue and

ce steady and commanding. I stood beside him, smiling when required, nodding when ne

ated in a conference room, the investors across

nt-the way Damien's eyes hardened when certain names were mentioned, the subtle tension in his j

e to be the f

is lips, felt like a calculated move in a game I was never meant to understand. I was just a paw

idn't soften. He stood, nodding curtly to the investors a

but there was something in the way he sai

but inside, my m

of sarcasm leaking into my v

d the door, his presence as imposing as ever. I followed

ng point, and I couldn't ignore it any lon

aking, "how long are you goin

hought he might actually answer. But instead, he just turned

a," he said, his voice like

standing in the cold silence of the con

ed to keep my distance-emotionally, physically-as much as I could. The tension between us was palpable, like static in the air, cracklin

ess I felt inside. I moved through the motions of my days, preparing for events, attending dinners, and playin

readable in his gaze that kept me on edge. It was like we were both waiting for the other t

room, staring out into the city below. The lights twinkled in the distance, a sea of gold and s

an escape from," Damien's voice broke through the stil

his presence drawing closer. I wasn't sure I was rea

aze fixed on the horizon. "About how ever

and controlled, the usual distance in his tone. "But you're a

o be a compliment?" I asked, finally turning

t's a statement of fact," he said, his eyes never leaving mine. "Y

er that surged within me. "I didn't have the

ut it wasn't kind. "No. You didn't. An

h avoided acknowledging. It was a fact that neither of us had ever fully

oice quieter now, almost raw. "I'm here because I had n

ever had to like it," he said, his tone still impersonal but with a hint of something

ating it all was-the pressure, the constant performances, the lies. But I didn't. Instead, I

this marriage. But somehow, every step I took

g the space between us. "You're playing your part well, Sienna. But don't

"You mean it's not just about the p

, Sienna. You're a key player. There's more to this than you

long after he had spoken it. It was always about survival. Survival

ur help to survive," I said, my voice more c

posture relaxed, but I could feel the tension radiating o

n silence, the only sound the

mask slipping for just a second. "This world isn't what you think it is. And no matter how much you want

cing. "What does that mean?

ardening once more. "You don't need to know

the man who controlled my every move, every breath. But his words lingered in my mind like an unanswered question, an

ing him what kind of monster he really was. But I knew better. I kne

stayed

ght of his departure, the silent promise that things were far from