All Chapters of Unbound Desires: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

SOFIEI scanned the clause about sleeping arrangements, the words blurring slightly. My head bobbed in absent agreement. Separate bedrooms, of course. That made sense. Then my gaze froze on a single, damning line.A chill spread through my chest. “No, wait! What? You... You want me to sleep with you?” My fingers clenched the contract, heat rushing up my neck.James’s eyes sharpened, something flickering behind them: satisfaction. Like he’d been waiting for my reaction.“Yes.”The single word landed like a gavel. My pulse thundered in my ears. A sleeping arrangement? My thoughts scrambled, searching for some kind of misinterpretation.“But I just met you,” I blurted, disbelief strangling my voice. My thumbnail pressed hard against my teeth, the rapid beat of my heart drowning out everything else.A smirk ghosted across his mouth, his professional mask slipping just enough to let amusement surface. He folded his arms.“Sofie, this is fundamental to our agreement. It’s non-negotiable. Wi

SOFIEThe judge arrived promptly, his presence both authoritative and warm. He stepped onto the terrace, where soft lights cast a dreamy glow over everything.My breath caught. The careful planning and the floral arrangements framing the table revealed James’s commitment.Judge Maddox, a kind man with a gentle voice, began the ceremony with brief, reassuring words. Stephen and Mrs. Williams stood nearby.He turned to me. “Sofia Davis, do you take James Alexander Reed to be your lawfully wedded husband, to love and to cherish, from this day forward?”My throat constricted. The promise felt heavy, unbearably lasting and irrevocable. A lifetime promise, sealed by a two-year contract.This wasn't a vow wrapped in lace and roses; it was made with ink, uncertainty, and hope. Yet, it remained a promise.I gazed at James, my eyes filled with a silent plea. Please, don’t make me regret this.He remained still and silent. His face gave nothing away. My hands trembled, my pulse an unrelenting dr

SOFIEI woke to an unfamiliar weight draped across me. Disoriented, my hands fumbled over the dense pressure, my mind still tangled in the cobwebs of sleep. Pillow? Laundry?No. The warmth seeped through the fabric of my nightshirt, solid and undeniably human.Slow, creeping awareness pushed me further awake. I cracked my eyes open, squinting at the blurry shape. Lifting my head slightly, I forced my sluggish brain to focus. Then clarity struck: a muscular arm lay draped possessively over me.A gasp tore from my throat as I shoved the arm away like it had burned me. A man’s arm.Memories crashed into me like a wave. Andrew’s betrayal. The whirlwind contract marriage. The impromptu ceremony that bound me to a man I barely knew.The storm in my head was cut through by a lazy, amused voice. “Good morning, Mrs. Reed.” He was propped up on one elbow, watching me with an easy, knowing smile, utterly at ease.James.My pulse pounded. Heat bloomed across my face as I took in the broad expanse

JAMESI wandered through the dimly lit room, my attention drawn to the photographs on the mantle. One showed a young Sofie at a picnic with her parents, their faces beaming with joy. Next to it, a teenage Sofie stood beside an older man who looked like her grandfather.“Was there anything about a grandfather in your report?” I asked, keeping my gaze on the photo.“No,” Stephen said, shaking his head. “Sofie has no family left.”My eyes drifted to another picture, a collage of Sofie and Claire spanning years, from childhood to adulthood. They were more like sisters than friends.I returned to the second photo—the one with the older man. I touched the cool glass. “This man is clearly significant. Find out who he is. We’re missing a piece here.”Moving into the small kitchen, I stopped in front of the refrigerator. The door was covered in personal photographs, a chaotic mix of memories that told a story I didn’t yet know.One photo caught my eye: a joyful snapshot of Sofie and a man embr

SOFIEAs soon as Claire and Stephen left, the penthouse felt different.The air shifted. The silence enveloped me like a suffocating shroud, dense and cold.I glanced at James, unsure of what to do with myself.My home.That’s what this place was supposed to be. But it wasn’t. Not yet. Maybe not ever.He studied me, his expression unreadable.“Would you like a tour of the house?”I hesitated.A tour wouldn’t change how out of place I felt, but standing here, lost in the quiet, felt worse.“Sure.”The penthouse revealed itself room by room, exuding sleekness and elegance, yet remaining unapproachable—like a hotel designed for someone else's life.My steps slowed when we reached a glass-enclosed space. In the center sat a grand piano, polished and untouched, the kind you’d see in concert halls rather than living rooms.I felt an irresistible draw toward it. My fingers brushed against the smooth ivory, sending a shiver up my spine and stirring emotions I hadn't experienced in years.A me