Shadows Of The Dark Heart

Aria's POV

The silence in the room felt suffocating. My hand trembled as I clutched the fabric of my expensive, shiny, exquisite wedding dress.

I turned my head back to face the room, the greys and blacks surrounding me, pulling me deeper into their cold embrace. Everything in this room screamed power, control, and the terrifying presence of the man I got married to.

My mind kept replaying the words said by Rowan, especially the part about intimacy.

“The marriage will follow every ritual... including the physical expectations.”

My eyes moistened as the reality sank in further, but I pushed back the tears. I couldn't cry, couldn't break now. It’s for my mother. She needs me. The surgery has to be done. I can't let her die.

The thought of giving myself to a total stranger made my stomach churn, and my heart twisted painfully in my chest.

I didn't know this man. A stranger. A total stranger, and yet, here I am as his wife.

Here I came on my own. No one forced me into this. I sold myself for that money… which I never cared about.

Now she throws her authority in my face. In this world, money is everything. I understood the moment when I needed to sell myself for it.

For that money, I agreed to become his whore in bed and a wife in the eyes of the world for six months because his fiancée ran away, and he needed a wife to show the world. And I needed the money to save my mother. I still remember Rowan offering me to take her place in exchange for the money. Having no other option, I agreed to it.

I know this place. My mom used to work in this mansion before she fell sick, and I used to come here to work in her place. Rowan is his assistant who offered to take the bride's place, but I don’t even know his name, the man I married, the owner of this place.

The room was cold yet elegant, everything perfectly in place, yet devoid of warmth. A large bed with white silk sheets sat against the far wall, a crystal mirror above the bed.

I couldn't shake the unease that curled in my chest. I didn't know him, yet his presence lingered in every corner of this room, as if silently watching me.

I wasn't afraid of him, at least I tried to convince myself of that. The thought of what he might expect and what I had agreed to sent chills through my body, but I reminded myself of one unshakable truth: I came here on my own. I accepted every condition.

No one had forced me into this.

My thoughts broke as the door swung open, making a loud noise, and my heart stopped.

I looked up, meeting a pair of gray eyes I had encountered before, the ones whose presence still sent shivers down my spine.

My instinct made me step back. He moved, his movements slow and deliberate, his sharp gaze locked onto my trembling one. His jaw clenched, showing the tension beneath his calm face.

He suddenly halted, his voice dropping into a dangerous tone. “One more step back and I’ll break your legs.” His voice was low and dripping with menace.

My legs froze in place. A shiver ran down my spine. The danger in his voice wrapped around me like a noose, making my legs weak. I didn't dare to move; my breath caught in my throat. His gray eyes pinned me to the place.

The silence stretched, suffocating the air to breathe. His steps echoed as he walked forward, closing the distance. My breath stopped in my throat as he came so close to me.

Fear grabbed me like a noose. My eyes dropped to the ground nervously as his cold, calculating gaze settled on me with intensity.

I didn't know what to do, didn't know how to respond or escape this moment as his hand clod figure made contact with my face skin.

My whole body shivered in response as the goosebumps made their way on the surface of my cold flesh.

His cold fingers traced the curve of my cheek, contacting my skin. It was slow and terrifying, sending chills racing down my spine.

I gave myself silent motivation: Everything will be okay. This is for six months. I agreed to this. This is for my mom.

But my thoughts shattered in pieces when his hand traveled lower, his fingers brushing over my collarbones with a feather-light touch that burned my skin with intensity.

My heart was pounding violently. I was sure he must have heard the loud thump of my heartbeat. My hands grew wet with sweat as I tried to steady myself. Everything will be okay; let him do what he wants, it is just for six months.

My trembling gaze was locked with his hard one. I couldn't predict what he was thinking. It was hard to read his expression with that stone-carved face. He was handsome with those sharp gray eyes; if I wasn't afraid, I could have appreciated his eyes, his shaped nose, and those heart-shaped lips perfectly colored, and the hair falling on his forehead with unsettling beauty.

I was so lost in his beauty until a harsh tug made me come out, my dress knot loosening the only thing keeping everything in place. The silk fabric flowed and pooled from my shoulder. Panic worked through me as I tried to grab the dress, which had slipped past my breasts. My eyes found his eyes lingering on my chest. 

I shivered under his gaze, my trembling hands clutching the fabric of my dress, trying to shield myself from the weight of his eyes. My heart twisted painfully as my eyes filled with salty water. I tried to control it, but I couldn't; this time, the tears flowed down my cheeks.

The tears blurred my vision as his image in front of me faded in the saltwater of my eyes. His gaze dropped to my lips. In the next second, he grabbed my chin firmly, tilting my face up. Before I could think, my lips were captured by his mouth. A gasp left my mouth. The cold slide of his mouth met my lips; they parted when he sucked them. His lips moved with raw intensity, as though he had been starving for this moment for years.

His teeth sank into my lower lip. A sharp pain shot through my lips, and before I could stop it, a tear rolled down. A sound of pain left my mouth as I tasted the metallic taste of my blood.

My body tensed. I wanted to stop this, but I had no right to tell him to stop because I agreed to all the conditions, including never saying no to him. I should obey everything he says and wants. My breath hitched, my heart was dying inside, and the heavy feeling in my chest was so hard that it almost made my breathing impossible. My skin was erupting in goosebumps as a shiver ran through my body.

I felt his hand slide to my back, pulling me closer until there was no space left between us. His fingers traced the hand I was using to hold the dress as, one by one, he loosened all my fingers from the fabric, unfastening it.

I closed my eyes tightly, tears ran down, and a choked sob escaped my mouth.

I knew this was going to come, but not this early.