Chapter Two

Elara's pov

The Kingsley mansion's morning light was always too strong, bouncing off the white marble and polished silver until my head ached. I was by myself when I woke up. The bed next to me was already chilly, and the silk sheets were arranged as though I had never been there.

I sat in my vanity, looking at the lady in the mirror. I had the appearance of a Kingsley my hair was perfectly styled, my skin was radiant thanks to costly serums but my eyes were still the same brown eyes of the girl who had grown up in a quiet, drafty suburban house, the daughter of a man whose sole legacy was a mountain of medical debt.

My phone buzzed on the velvet surface.

​

Maya: Tell me he at least gave you something sparkly. Please assure me that you are not having stale leftover lamb for breakfast.

At last, my mask was broken by a real, little smile. My thumbs were hovering over the screen as I answered the phone. How can I inform her? How could I tell the only person who remembered the "real" Elara that I was drowning in luxury?

​Elara: He’s Adrian, Maya. He doesn't do 'sparkly.' He does 'functional.'

​Maya: I’m coming over. Twelve o’clock. Don't let that dragon-lady mother-in-law of yours block the gates.

​I sighed, leaning my forehead against the cool glass of the mirror. Maya was the only thread connecting me to the world before the "Arrangement."

The majority of people believed I had won the lottery. They noticed the Kingsley moniker and the camera flashes. They missed the day. The Kingsley attorney, Ethan Blake, had sat across from me in my father's small hospital room. The hospital bills were a tidal wave ready to engulf us as my father was dying, his heart failing.

The offer followed. Victoria Kingsley wanted a wife for her son, but someone who was “Uncomplicated”

Someone with a clear history, a kind nature, and a uterus that wasn't connected to any competing business dynasty. A provision in Adrian's grandfather's trust required him to have an heir.

After looking at my father's pale, sleeping face, I turned to the contract. For a heart transplant that extended my father's life by six months, I had given up my life. He passed away regardless, but at least he did so in a secluded room as opposed to a corridor.

I entered this marriage believing I could transform a commercial agreement into a home. I was a fool.

You look like you're preparing for a funeral, not a Tuesday," Maya said, her voice echoing through the morning room.

​She was dressed in a thrifted denim jacket and boots that tracked a bit of London mud onto the pristine rugs. She looked wonderful. She looked like life.

Victoria is coming for tea," I said, hugging her tightly. I didn't want to let go. Her scent of cheap coffee and rain was better than all the lilies in this house.

​"The Queen Mother," Maya groaned, pulling back to inspect my face. She frowned, her thumb tracing the faint dark circles under my eyes that the concealer couldn't quite hide. "Elara... you're disappearing. You’re getting that 'Kingsley look.' The one where you look like a very expensive doll that’s lost its batteries."

​"It's just been a long year, Maya. Adrian is... busy. The anniversary didn't go as planned."

​"Did he even remember?"

​I looked away, focusing on the silver tea service the maid had just placed on the table. "He mentioned his assistant would find a gift today."

​Maya swore under her breath. "He’s a bastard. I don't care how many zeros are in his bank account. You weren't a business acquisition, Elara. You’re a woman."

​"I knew what I was signing," I whispered, the words tasting like ash. "I just thought... after a year of being by his side, of supporting him, of sharing a bed... I thought I’d be more than a line item on his ledger."

​"He doesn't deserve your patience," Maya said, her voice fierce. "You’re waiting for a man who has no intention of arriving. You’re a doctor, Elara. Or you were supposed to be. You had the highest marks in our prep-med year. Why are you sitting here waiting for tea with a woman who hates you?"

​"I can't leave. The contract"

​"The contract is for a marriage, not a lobotomy. Start thinking about yourself again. Before there’s nothing left to save."

The air in the space dropped ten degrees when the massive double doors swung open. With her heels producing a rhythmic, aggressive rhythm on the floor, Victoria Kingsley entered the room. Her hair was a flawless silver helmet, and her suit was worth more than my father's home.

She didn't glance at Maya. She saw the mud on the carpet close to Maya's boots.

​"Elara," Victoria said, her voice like a cello deep and resonant. "I didn't realize you were entertaining... company."

​"Maya was just leaving," Maya said, giving me a supportive squeeze of the hand before standing up. She glared at Victoria, a look the older woman ignored with practiced ease. "I'll call you later, El. Don't forget who you are."

​Once Maya was gone, the silence rushed back in, suffocating and thick. Victoria sat across from me, her movements so precise they felt choreographed.

Your friend is very... vocal," Victoria said, pouring herself a cup of tea without waiting for me to offer. "I suppose that’s the charm of the lower middle class. They feel everything so loudly."

​"She’s been my friend since I was ten, Victoria."

​"Loyalty is a fine trait. But you are a Kingsley now. Your associations reflect on Adrian." She took a delicate sip of tea and set the cup down. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at me. "Speaking of Adrian... he mentioned the anniversary. Or rather, he mentioned your 'disappointment' regarding it."

My spirits fell. He had discussed it with her? As if he needed guidance on repairing a broken appliance?

"It wasn't a disappointment," I said, trying to keep my voice from trembling. "I just hoped for some time together."

"Adrian has a legacy to build. He doesn't have time for the whims of a romantic girl." Victoria leaned forward, her gaze turning sharp as a needle. "It has been twelve months, Elara. The doctors say you are perfectly healthy. And yet, there is no news. No progress."

‘​Progress’ She was talking about a child as if it were a quarterly earnings report.

​"These things take time," I murmured.

Time is a luxury we don't have. Adrian needs an heir to solidify the merger with the Vale group. And speaking of Vales..." Victoria paused, letting the name hang in the air like a threat. "I ran into Serena Vale yesterday. She’s back in London. She asked after Adrian."

My stomach felt like I had been punched in the face by the term. Serena. The woman who was previously at Adrian's side. The tabloids continued to refer to the woman as “The One That Got Away."

“I'm sure Adrian would be polite if he saw her," I said, my grip tightening on my teacup.

​"Serena understood the weight of the Kingsley name," Victoria said, her voice dropping to a whisper. "She didn't ask for 'dates' or 'anniversaries.' She understood power. Adrian needs that kind of strength beside him, Elara. If you cannot provide him with an heir, the one thing you were brought here to do, you have to wonder what exactly your purpose in this house is."

​She stood up, smoothing her skirt. "Think about that. Before Serena decides she wants back what she left behind."

I was left alone in the center of the gold-leafed room when she left. I glanced at the tea. One tear trickled into the cup, causing waves on the surface.

I wasn't married. I wasn't even a partner. I was merely a placeholder, a transient container waiting to be used or discarded. And the shadows of the mansion felt like they were finally closing in.