The celebration didn't last long for Elena.
The laughter, the music, the congratulatory smiles they all faded into nothing as soon as the doors of the master bedroom closed behind her.
Silence filled the room.
Heavy. Uncomfortable.
Cold.
Elena stood near the edge of the bed, her fingers slowly tightening around the fabric of her wedding dress. The weight of everything that had happened pressed down on her chest.
She was married now.
But it didn't feel like it.
The sound of the door opening again made her straighten instantly.
Adrian walked in.
His suit jacket was gone, his tie loosened slightly, but nothing about him looked relaxed. If anything, he seemed even more distant than before.
His eyes landed on her for a brief second… then moved away.
Like she was nothing.
Like she wasn't his wife.
"You don't have to stand there like that."
His voice broke the silence low, indifferent.
Elena hesitated before slowly sitting at the edge of the bed.
Neither of them spoke for a moment.
The distance between them felt wider than the room itself.
Finally, Adrian reached into his pocket and pulled out a small envelope.
He walked over and placed it on the table beside her.
"Read it."
Elena frowned slightly but picked it up.
Inside was a document.
Her eyes scanned the page… and then froze.
A contract.
Her fingers trembled slightly as she read the words again, just to be sure she hadn't misunderstood.
A one-year marriage agreement.
No emotional involvement.
No interference in each other's personal lives.
At the end of one year divorce.
Elena slowly lifted her gaze to him.
"You want… a contract marriage?"
Her voice was calm.
But her heart wasn't.
"It's simple," Adrian replied, his tone emotionless. "You get the title of Mrs. Cole. My family gets what they want."
"And you?" she asked quietly.
His expression didn't change.
"I get my freedom."
The words stung more than she expected.
Elena let out a soft, almost inaudible breath.
"So I'm just… a placeholder?"
Adrian didn't answer immediately.
But his silence was answer enough.
A bitter smile touched her lips.
For a moment, she looked down at the contract again.
This marriage…
It was never real to begin with.
"Fine."
The word came out more steady than she felt.
Adrian's eyes flickered slightly just for a secondas if he hadn't expected her to agree so easily.
"I'll sign it."
Elena placed the paper back into the envelope and set it on the table.
"But I have one condition."
That got his attention.
His gaze sharpened as he looked at her properly for the first time that night.
"What condition?"
Elena met his eyes.
And this time, there was something different in hers.
Not weakness.
Not pain.
But quiet resolve.
"You don't control my life."
She spoke clearly.
"If this is just a contract, then I live my life how I want. You don't get to interfere."
The room went still.
Adrian studied her for a long moment.
As if seeing her… truly seeing her… for the first time.
Then, slowly, he nodded.
"Deal."
That one word sealed everything.
Elena leaned back slightly, her grip on the edge of the bed loosening.
Strangely…
She felt lighter.
Not because she was happy.
But because something inside her had shifted.
If this marriage meant nothing to him…
Then she would make sure it meant nothing to her too.
Adrian turned away, already heading toward the door.
"I will have the documents finalized tomorrow."
His hand paused on the handle.
"For tonight," he added without looking back, "you can have the room."
The door closed behind him.
And just like that…
Elena was alone on her wedding night.
She let out a slow breath and leaned back fully onto the bed, staring up at the ceiling.
A soft, bitter laugh escaped her lips.
"What a perfect marriage."
But deep down…
A quiet voice whispered something she didn't want to believe.
This wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.