Honeymoon

Serena found us ten minutes later.

Not alone, but drifting toward us with a small cluster of admirers who peeled away one by one as she approached, like courtiers instinctively sensing a private audience.

“Adrian,” she said warmly. Then her eyes slid to me. “Elera.”

Her smile was still perfect. That angelic, charitable smile that made people trust her with their secrets and their throats.

“I was hoping to steal you for a moment,” she continued, tilting her head. “Both of you, actually.”

Adrian didn’t release my waist. “We’re listening.”

Serena clasped her hands lightly in front of her, posture relaxed, intimate. “I was thinking how wonderful it would be to visit you at the villa sometime. A proper visit.” She let out a soft laugh. “I know how overwhelming all this can be at first.”

Her gaze locked on mine now, deceptively kind.

“I’d love to give you a few tips, Elera. On how to… take care of Adrian.”

My stomach tightened.

“I was with him for a very long time,” she added gently. “Longer than anyone else. I know his habits. His moods. What he needs.” A pause. Perfectly timed. “I’d hate for you to feel unprepared.”

There it was.

Not loud. Not cruel.

A claim.

This bitch

Around us, conversations had subtly stalled. People weren’t staring—but they were listening. Waiting.

I felt it then: the trap. If I bristled, I’d look insecure. If I laughed it off, I’d look naive. If I stayed silent, I’d look small.

Adrian didn’t react immediately.

Which scared me more than if he had.

Then slowly—he smiled.

Not the polite smile. Not the public one.

The dangerous one.

“That won’t be necessary,” he said calmly.

Serena blinked once. “Oh?”

He shifted slightly, turning his body so I was fully, unmistakably at his side. His hand slid from my waist to lace his fingers with mine—intimate, deliberate, impossible to misinterpret.

“My wife doesn’t need lessons from my past,” he continued evenly. “She’s doing exceptionally well.”

A ripple moved through the nearby guests. Serena’s smile tightened—just a fraction.

“But of course,” she said smoothly, “I only meant...”

“And,” Adrian added, raising his voice just enough, “since we’re discussing schedules.”

Uh oh.

I felt it before I saw it. The attention snapping toward us like a camera lens.

Adrian turned slightly, addressing the surrounding circle without letting go of my hand.

“Elera and I will be unavailable for visits,” he said, tone casual, lethal. “We leave tomorrow morning.”

Murmurs.

Serena’s eyes sharpened.

“For a week,” he continued. “A honeymoon.”

The word landed like a dropped glass.

What?

I caught myself before my expression would betray my shock.

“We’ll be traveling,” Adrian went on. “Several locations. I wanted to announce it tonight before rumors do what they always do.”

He glanced down at me then, his thumb brushing my knuckle in a way that made my breath hitch despite myself.

“My wife deserves my full attention.”

Silence.

Then smiles. Applause. Congratulations spilling in like a rehearsed chorus.

Something flickered in Serena's face.

I caught it

Her laugh chimed softly as she stepped back, hands lifting in mock surrender.

“How romantic,” she said. “I had no idea.”

“That,” Adrian replied mildly, “was the point.”

For a moment, just one, her eyes flashed. Cold. Assessing. Dangerous.

Then she leaned in, close enough that only I could hear.

“Enjoy it,” she whispered sweetly. “Vacations have a way of… revealing cracks.”

She stepped away before I could respond, melting seamlessly back into the crowd.

I exhaled slowly, my pulse roaring in my ears.

She recovered in record time.

"That's wonderful, where will it be?, It should be somewhere beautiful" Her eyes didn't waver

She wanted the location

“We’re looking forward to the privacy,” I said, and was surprised by how steady my own voice sounded. “It’s exactly what we need" She wasn't going to ruin this.

For a second, something flickered in her honey-gold eyes. Surprise, maybe. Annoyance. Then it was gone, smoothed over. “Wonderful. Do send pictures.” She leaned in, brushing an air-kiss by my cheek. Her whisper was a venomous curl in my ear. “

Her whisper was a venomous curl in my ear. “Try not to get lost, darling. He has a low tolerance for dead weight. ”Pack light, darling. He has a habit of leaving unnecessary things behind.”

I kept my smile luminous. “How generous of you to share your experience.”

---

The rest of the night was a blur of more hands, more smiles that felt glued on my face. By the time we slid into the back of the town car, my cheeks ached and my soul felt bruised.

The door thudded shut, locking us in quiet, plush silence. The partition was up. The world outside was just streaks of light.

Adrian let out a slow breath beside me, the first real sound he’d made in an hour. He leaned his head back against the seat, eyes closed.

“A honeymoon?” I whispered, staring straight ahead. “You could’ve warned me.”

“You would’ve hesitated,” he murmured back. “I needed it to be convincing.”

I looked up at him. " So you planned this?”

His gaze held mine, unreadable. “Maybe.”

"You did well" he added, "you totally sold it, I'm impressed"

I felt my chest swell with silent pride

I turned to stare out the window. My reflection in the tinted glass looked pale. “Where are we actually going?”

“Somewhere secure. Isolated. We’ll move around.”

“To hide?”

“We are a newlywed couple, desperately in love and desperate to be alone. Do you understand?”

I understood. My stomach twisted into a cold, hard knot. It wasn’t a getaway. It was a new, smaller, more intimate stage. And he was asking me to play my biggest role yet.

The car slowed, turning through the familiar gates of the villa. He didn’t speak again until the engine cut.

He got out, and this time, he did open my door. He offered his hand.

I looked at it, then up at his face. The mask was back in place—cool, composed, impenetrable.

I placed my hand in his. His skin was warm, his grip sure.

As he led me up the steps.

A dark figure waited for us at the top of the stairs.

The sight scared me.

"Alexander" I said between breaths

"you scared me"