Chapter 2: Shock and Silence

“I can’t believe I just did that.”

The door clicked behind me, and suddenly the weight of what I’d done hit me . My own words echoed in my head: “Let’s marry.”

And he… he said yes.

I stared at the penthouse around me, the kind of place I had only ever seen in magazines or on I*******m, and felt the smallest twinge of terror. The city lights spilled in through the windows, painting the room in golds and blues. It should have been beautiful and thrilling.

Instead, it just made me feel… exposed.

Adrian was standing by the kitchen island, perfectly still and composed, as if he’d been living here forever and nothing could faze him. That was his charm, of course, the kind that made a person simultaneously respect and fear him.

“I hope you’re not regretting this,” he said without turning around.

I froze, I hadn’t even had time to think about regret. That actually recalled my anxiousness back.

“Uh… no! Not… I mean… maybe a little,” I stammered, waving my hands helplessly. “But it’s … it’s not what you think!”

He finally turned toward me, leaning casually against the counter, dark eyes locked on mine. He didn’t smile, but his expression seemed amused.

“You proposed marriage to a stranger in a restaurant,” he said slowly, . “And now you’re… maybe regretting it?”

“Yes! I mean… sort of!” I buried my face in my hands. “This is insane! I can’t believe I just did that!”

He stepped closer, close enough that I could smell his cologne—subtle, warm, faintly spicy—and my breath hitched. The room felt smaller all of a sudden, like we were the only two people in the universe.

“Insane,” he echoed, his voice soft now. “Maybe. Or maybe… necessary.”

I peeked through my fingers. “Necessary? How is this necessary? This is reckless, impulsive, absurd. I don’t even know your middle name!”

He chuckled. A low, restrained sound that sent shivers down my spine. “Adrian.”

I blinked. Of course you’re called Adrian.… perfect name for someone who’s clearly going to ruin my life.

“I should probably leave,” I muttered, edging toward the door as if that would undo everything.

“Why?” His voice was calm, steady, almost impossible. “Do you think you can escape?”

I stopped. He was standing there, impossibly still, and something about the way he said that made my chest tighten. It wasn’t threatening.... it was… knowing. And that was worse.

I sank onto the sofa, curling my legs under me, feeling suddenly very small. “I don’t know… I just…” I trailed off, embarrassed. What was I supposed to say? That I was terrified of marrying a stranger? That I was terrified of my own impulsiveness?

He leaned against the arm of the sofa, close enough that I could feel his presence pressing into mine without touching me. “Elena… do you always act this recklessly?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it. The truth was, I probably did. But it didn’t make me feel any better, admitting it.

“I… I don’t know,” I muttered. “Maybe. Maybe when I’ve been hurt, I don’t want to think anymore. I just want… stability. I want someone to… I don’t know… hold onto. Not forever, maybe. Just… for now.”

There was silence after that.

The kind of silence that stretched so long it became almost tangible. I could hear the faint hum of the city outside, the ticking of a clock , and my own heartbeat, thumping too fast, too loud.

And then… I felt it. His eyes on me really piercing.

“Not forever,” he murmured. “For now.”

I swallowed hard. There was something about the way he said it that made my chest tighten, just something in between.

“I…” I started, then faltered. What could I say? That I was terrified or desperate ? That somehow, sitting here in this penthouse with a man I barely knew, I felt… alive?

I couldn’t say any of that. Instead, I looked away, pretending to focus on the skyline, though my mind was spinning.

He didn’t move, didn’t say anything more. Just stayed there, a silent presence that somehow felt both comforting and dangerous.

I thought about the absurdity of it all. Blind date to Flash proposal to a billionaire stranger. And me, curled up on his sofa like a confused cat.

And then it hit me, the reality I hadn’t let myself think about: this was going to be my life now.

I was in a penthouse with a man I didn’t understand. A man who made me nervous. A man who made my chest ache in ways I didn’t expect.

I was getting marriedto a stranger..

And he wasn’t even trying to be ordinary.

A sudden knock at the door startled me. My heart raced and I realized I wasn’t sure if I wanted it to be someone else or if I was terrified of being left alone with Adrian.

He moved toward the door with that calm, impossible grace, and I caught a glimpse of a side of him I hadn’t seen before: decisive, controlled, a little dangerous. My stomach twisted.

He opened the door. No one was there.

I turned to him, heart racing. “Was that… someone?”

He shook his head, eyes narrowing slightly, a flicker of something unreadable passing over his face. “No one.”

I swallowed hard. “Then… why does it feel like something just… changed?”

He didn’t answer. He simply stepped closer again, just enough that I could feel the heat radiating from him, his shadow falling across the sofa.

And then he said, softly:

“Because it has. Nothing will ever be the same, Elena. Not now. Not ever.”

My breath caught. My chest tightened. And for the first time since I walked into that restaurant, I realized… this wasn’t a date anymore. This wasn’t a game.

This was life!, our life.

And I had no idea what I’d just gotten myself into.

And as I sat there, frozen, watching him move with impossible calm, I didn’t know what he was thinking behind those unreadable eyes,