MasukSophia POVIt was almost evening, and the day after the wedding is finally getting over. ButIt felt so strangeIt felt really different, I mean I havent thought much about having a movie like love story, where the man goes to every extent for the woman he loves, and they ended up getting married. But at least I hoped to marry someone who actually respected me and loved me a little.The encounter I had with Damien since yestersday was a reminder for me to know that this marriage doesn't even having the basic sense of understanding or mutual respect. Love will be the last thing I can have with Damien Hayes, when he thinks I am a flithy, low-grade women who dosent match his high society status.From the corner of my eyes I saw Damien walking in the living room, where I sat down reading a book. His presence alone made the atmosphere different., It felt heavier now,.As if the walls themselves had absorbed the tension of the day and were now holding it., refusing to let it escape. I move
Sophia POVThe door slammed behind him.With a, deliberate click,-For a second,. I stood exactly where he’d left me, my back against the mattress, my fingers still curled around nothing,.The room felt larger now. Emptier. As if all the air had followed him out.Whore.The word rang louder than the door ever could,.I pressed my lips together, breathing slowly,., the way I always did when things threatened to fall apart. My heart was racing, my skin still warm where his hands had been only moments ago, — and that made it worse.That made it confusing in a way I hadn’t prepared myself for;.I hadn’t known what to do'.That was the truth I couldn’t escape, no matter how much I tried to reframe it-.It had been my first kiss,.I hadn’t known what it was supposed to feel like-, what I was supposed to do, how quickly I was meant to pull away. No one tells you that,. No one prepares you for the moment your body reacts before your mind has caught up,.At first, I’d been frozen. Shocked. My
Damien POVI agreed to this marriage with my teeth clenched and my spine straight.Not because I wanted her.Not because I believed in it.And certainly not because I loved her.I agreed because Edward Hayes does not bluff.Six months ago, I laughed in his study when he threatened my inheritance.Three months ago, I stopped laughing when lawyers replaced threats.And a week ago, when the documents were placed in front of me—sealed, final, merciless—I signed.Marry Sophia Rivera.Or lose everything.Hayes Global.The empire.My name.People say power is freedom.They’re wrong.Power is a leash—golden, invisible, and tight around the throat.So here I stand, in a cathedral dressed like a man in control, while my future walks toward me like a sentence already passed.The music swells.And then—She appears.For a moment, my mind betrays me.Sophia Rivera walks down the aisle in ivory silk, her veil catching light like it was spun from something holy,. The gown fits her like it was made w
Sophia POVTwenty days later.28-11-2025That single square on the calendar consumed my life, then would not release it.I stared at myself within the mirror near and hardly recognized the woman looking back at me. She looked calm. Put together. Someone who knew exactly where she belonged.She did not feel like me.Fabric slid over skin.A stylist's instructions were low notes.Jewelry readjusted itself and tinkled. The room was warm. It was too warm. The kind of warm that made it hard to breathe. The kind that pressed against my chest.This wasn’t my Brooklyn home.This is where Edward Hayed has made us stay, so the wedding venue would be easier to reachThe walls here were too pristine. The furniture too intentional. Everything here had been curated by Edward Hayes with the same precision he applied to boardrooms and balance sheets.But my family was here.That was the only thing anchoring me here.Mama sat by the window. The pale blue scarf on Mama's shoulders shone in the sunlight
Damien POVI knew that the moment when grandpa's name flashed across my phone screen., It was late in the morning, just as I was going through quarterly projections that I did not care about. I allowed it to ring twice as long as it was necessary--out of habit, out of rebellion--before I answered.“Yes,” I said, curtly.“Come home for lunch,” Edward said, voice calm, unhurried. “Today.”I frowned. “I have meetings.”“You can cancel them.”That alone told me this wasn’t a request.“For what?” I asked.There was a pause on the other end. Deliberate. Measured.“Sophia will be there,” Edward said.The name hit harder than it should have.“What?” I straightened in my chair. “Why would she be there?”“I’ve invited her,” Edward replied. “She’s meeting the family.”My jaw tightened.“You didn’t think to mention this earlier?” I asked sharply.“You didn’t ask.”Of course he hadn’t.Images flooded my mind instantly—Sophia standing in the Hayes Manor.Her in my house.“That’s unnecessary,.” I sa
Sophia POVI had not expected this night to end with dinner with Edward Hayes.But there I was, sitting opposite him in a quiet, graceful restaurant out of the bustle of the city. It was not lavish in the manner in which riches tend to proclaim themselves--no chandeliers and show-off opulence. Only dimmed gold lamps, smooth wood, and privacy were so conscious as to be protective.Edward Hayes chose his environments the way he chose people—with intention.I sat straight, hands folded neatly in my lap., though my mind refused to be as composed as my posture.“You seem distracted, Sophia,” Edward said gently, lifting his glass,. “Perfectly understandable.”I offered a restrained smile. “It’s been… a long day, sir.”That was an understatement,.Even as he spoke, my thoughts kept drifting backward uninvited, relentless,.Damian’s office.The sharp click of the door closing behind me.His hand around my wrist.The way his voice cut through the air.Why did you agree to marry me?,My chest t







