"Weird… stuck in my head, this woman," Adrian says to himself, pacing in his office.
"I wish I could remember her face," he adds, running a hand through his hair. His eyes darken with frustration, and for a moment, he looks … unsettled.
Meanwhile, the morning sun streams through the mansion windows. I am already awake, my thoughts tangled between last night, the mansion, and the events yet to unfold.
"Hey, where are you going?" Mrs. Blackwood calls from the hallway.
"I'm going to work," Adrian says nonchalantly, though there's a stiffness in his voice.
Mrs. Blackwood stops there, looking at him intently. "Your father is coming back today. He wants to speak to you about your marriage with Lina."
"She?" Adrian scoffs, pushing his glasses onto the bridge of his nose. "You think she is qualified to be my wife?"
Mrs. Blackwood raises an eyebrow. "Seriously?" Adrian laughs awkwardly, trying to conceal something deeper.
"That's what your grandma wants," she keeps on, without changing her tone. "She and your father await you both at the hospital."
Adrian rubs his forehead, mumbling to himself. "I will give you a billion dollars just to stay out of the Blackwood family."
"What?" I exclaim, overhearing him as I prepare myself for what's coming.
"Well… a materialistic girl like you probably hasn't seen much cash in your life," Adrian continued, smirking, his words sharp.
"No… you misunderstood," I say quickly, my voice firm. "That 20 million dollars is not for me."
His laughter is cold, almost cruel. "So, millions are not enough for you. Your greed comes at a price."
And he simply walks out, leaving me standing there, my chest tightening.
I breathe deeply, trying to steady myself. I have no idea what is going to happen next, but deep down, I know this day is literally going to change everything.
A few minutes later, Adrian returns. He has a completely unreadable expression, but there is a faint tightening in the set of his jaw, as if he were preparing himself for some sort of battle.
"Let's go," he says peremptorily.
We drive in silence, with the air between us thick with unspoken words. Each glance at him causes my heart to quicken, with curiosity, frustration, and something I couldn't quite understand.
The cold, sterile outline of the hospital looms ahead. We enter and I'm immediately hit with a wave of nerves.
The moment of truth: everything is about to be made official.
"Are you… are you Miss Lina?" a soft voice asks so gently.
I look up to see a kind faced elderly woman. My breath catches. "Yes, ma'am," I answer respectfully.
"You look just like your mother," she says, her eyes soft with memory and warmth.
"Thank you, ma'am," I reply, trying to sound calm, though my stomach is filled with butterflies.
"Come here, sweetheart," she says, reaching out and holding my hands. Her touch is so gentle, yet firm. "You seem nervous. Are you marrying Adrian willingly?
"Yes… yes, ma'am," I answer, trying to steady my juddering heart.
"We must get this sorted out for the marriage certificate," she adds, turning to Adrian.
"Yes, mother. I will see to it Adrian's father says, his tone is light, but the weight in the words can be felt.
It is on the grounds of immediate sorting out with the marriage certificate.
"Take this. it is the marriage certificate," Grandma says, as she hands me the document. My fingers shake slightly while holding it. Real. It is real. There's no going back now.
"Tonight, you move into Adrian's room," Adrian's mother says, her voice steady and authoritative. "Remember, your only mission is to bear an heir for the Blackwood family."
I open my mouth and speak, hesitating. "But…?"
"No excuses," Adrian's mother cuts in sharply, allowing no objection. "This is your duty now," she says, her eyes unflinching.
A chill runs down my spine. My chest tightens as I clench the document in my hands. In an instant, my life has turned onto a path that I had longed neither to imagine nor to tread. My heart pounds-though not out of fear or anger, rather from the weight of the expectation foisted upon me.
Adrian stands beside me, impassive. I have no idea what's going through his mind, and that alone is making my stomach twist. There is a tension between us, which neither one of us would wish to recognize, but at the same time, it's impossible to disregard.
Looking at him, I see a faint shadow in his eyes-the memory of someone, maybe, or some interior conflict he does not reveal. And yet, here we are-strangers bound by circumstance neither of us chose.
I take a deep breath and remind myself: I will survive this. I will navigate this family, this marriage, and this man ,no matter how impossible it seems.
I clutch the marriage certificate tighter, my fingers white against the paper. Tonight, I move into Adrian's room. Tonight, I begin a chapter in my life that I never asked for, one that's going to test my patience, my heart, and my will to survive.