~Ella~
Minutes had passed since I had woken up, yet I still hadn't moved from the bed. Every tiny shift made me wince, a sharp reminder of what had happened last night. My body felt sore everywhere… especially between my legs.
Heat rushed to my cheeks just thinking about it.
About him, and everything that we had done.
I had woken up in a different room, not the one where… everything had happened and some part of me felt disappointed not finding him next to me after giving him my first.
He had seen me completely naked.
Every inch of me.
And the thought alone made my stomach twist with embarrassment.
Eventually, I forced myself to get up and shuffle to the bathroom. I flicked on the lights and froze when I saw myself in the mirror.
I looked like I'd survived a storm.
My hair was a mess...like an entire bird family could've moved into it, and my face looked exhausted and flushed. I didn't even look appealing to my own eyes. I hesitated before pulling my hair aside, to look at the mark that he had left on me and my breath hitched as this was an evidence to our love making and bonding.
A small crescent-shaped symbol etched deep into my skin, glowing faintly as if lit from within. It looked like a moonrise pressed into me.
My fingers traced the pattern lightly, sending a shiver down my spine. It didn't hurt, but the area was warm… almost sensitive.
I dragged my gaze away before my thoughts could wander further, stepped out of the robe, and turned on the shower. The warm water soothed my tense muscles, easing some of the soreness, though not completely. I felt every reminder of what we'd done.
After drying off, I stepped into the walk-in closet—my walk-in closet now, I supposed. My clothes had been neatly arranged, everything placed with care. The room itself was beautiful, brighter and softer than Vincent's dark, imposing space. It felt like its own little sanctuary.
I came from money, yes… but nothing close to this.
Even dressing was a struggle- my legs felt shaky, but once I was finally in something comfortable, my stomach growled for the third time.
I groaned. I had barely eaten yesterday, and hunger was clawing at me, but the thought of walking out there… in my condition, where I could barely walk mortified me.
Still, hunger won the battle. After almost an hour of pacing and debating, I finally left the room, relieved when I found the hallway empty and the house quiet.
I made a beeline for the fridge, found nothing cooked, and settled for preparing a bowl of cereal and once it was ready, I leaned on the counter and began to eat hungrily.
It did not take long before I heard footsteps approaching and when I turned, I saw Vincent making his way towards me.
His gaze dipped once subtly to where his mark rested on my neck...before meeting my eyes again.
"How are you doing?" he asked.
I froze..spoon halfway to my mouth—before swallowing the last of the cereal.
Flashes of him on top of me invaded my mind: his weight, his warmth, the way he whispered my name, the way he'd looked at me...
I quickly cleared my throat, pushing the memories away before they could drown me.
"I'm… okay," I answered, my voice barely steady.
Desperate to dissolve the thick tension in the room, I moved to the sink, rinsed the bowl, and placed it down gently. The moment I turned, he spoke.
"I want to talk about us." and at his words, my back straightened.
Vincent looked different today. Softer. Not in expression, but in color. Since the first time i met him, I had not seen him in any other clour other than black but the white shirt made him somehow approachable.
"This relationship is nothing but a façade. We'll act like a loving couple whenever we're in public… but that's all."
My heart dipped, though I'd seen this coming.
I knew better than to imagine fairytales.
I knew our marriage wasn't born out of love, or even affection. And yet… a small, stupid part of me had hoped there might be something gentle in the cracks.
His mark still burned faintly on my neck.
We'd shared something intimate—and he had taken away my innocence.
I swallowed hard as he continued.
"Everything will be provided for you. Anything you need. But all I expect from you is to be a good Luna in public. Nothing more."
The words stung—more than I wanted to admit.
This wasn't the happy ending I secretly read about in books, and hearing it from his own mouth felt like someone was wringing my heart with brutal hands.
"So we're not… going to give this a try?" I asked quietly.
"To give us a try?"
His lips twitched into a humorless little chuckle—one that burned straight through me.
"Maybe I wasn't clear," he said. "I don't want you in my business, Ella. Just act like a wife in public. I don't want anything more from you, and you shouldn't expect anything from me either."
I shut my eyes just for a second to let his words sinking in before I opened them and seeing no need to fight for something that was already not there, I nodded,
"Fine."
I did not want to be in his presence anymore. All I wanted is some time on my own where I could try to figure out what I would do next because this was not the life I wanted for myself.
Wanting to be as far away from him as possible, I made my way back to the room that had been given to me.