I woke up the next morning and my eyes hurt.
Not just I'm tired hurt. Like swollen, scratchy, been crying for hours hurt. I grabbed my phone to check the time.
Ten AM.
I never slept this late. But I guess when you don't fall asleep until four in the morning because you're too busy feeling sorry for yourself that's what happenns
My phone screen was full of notifications. Way more than usual.
Instagram. Twitter. Even Facebook that I barely used.
I got anxious before I even opened anything.
I clicked on Instagram first. Held my breath.
What my photos are everywhere, the one from last night, The one with Adrain
Not just on the charity event page. On gossip accounts. Society blogs. Fashion pages. Even some news sites.
There were pictures of me and Adrain on the red carpet, he looking perfect and me looking lost in my fancy dress
I tapped to enter the comment sections. Everyone was rude
"Who even is she lol"
"She looks terrified"
"Gold digger for sure"
"Adrian can do SO much better"
"Why does she look like she's being held hostage
"Something is definitely off here"
I kept scrolling. Couldn't help myself. It was like picking at a scab.
"Wait Adrian Sterling got MARRIED?? When did this happen??"
"She's pretty I guess but like… not his type at all"
"Her body language screams uncomfortable"
"That dress is gorgeous but she looks so out of place"
There were so many photos. Different angles. Different moments. All of them making me look awkward and wrong.
Someone had posted a close up of us at dinner. You could literally see the moment Adrian grabbed my wrist. The fork incident
"LMAOOO did he have to teach her which fork to use??
"She really doesn't know basic table manners"
"This is so embarrassing for him"
"She clearly doesn't belong in that world"
I felt so embarrassed and ashamed . They all saw it. Thousands of people saw that moment and were laughing about it. Laughing at me
I switched to Twitter. Mistake.
Someone had made a whole thread analyzing the photos.
"Let's talk about Adrian Sterling's mystery wife because something is NOT adding up her "
The thread had like fifty tweets. All of them picking apart every photo. Every expression. Every awkward moment.
"Notice how she's always a step behind him"
"Her smile never reaches her eyes"
"He barely looks at her"
"This screams arranged marriage or some kind of agreement"
"Plot twist: she's pregnant and he had to marry her"
"Or she has dirt on him lol"
I closed Twitter. Opened TikTok. Also a mistake.
There was already a video with like two million views. Some girl doing a "body language analysis" of our photos.
She was pointing at the screen. Circling things. Looking all serious.
"Notice how she leans away from him in every photo. How tense her shoulders are. How her smile is clearly forced. This does not look like a couple in love guys."
The comments were agreeing with her.
"I KNEW something was off"
"They look miserable"
"Definitely a business arrangement"
"She married him for the money 100%"
"He probably knocked her up"
"This marriage won't last a year"
I locked my phone. Threw it on the bed.
My chest felt tight. My throat were hurting .
Everyone could see through me. Everyone knew I didn't belong. Everyone was talking about what a joke I was.
And they were right.
For the past 30 minutes I've been staring at the comment sections reading the awful things they said about me.
Finally I dragged myself out of bed. Put on sweatpants and a hoodie. My comfy clothes . Didn't bother with makeup or brushing my hair. What was the point.
Downstairs was quiet. The dining room was empty.
Mrs. Chen appeared like she always did . She Smiled when she saw me but her eyes looked worried.
"Good morning dear. How are you feeling?"
"Fine."
She definitely didn't believe me but she didn't push it. Just went to get my breakfast.
She came back with eggs and toast . Set it down gently.
"The photos from last night are lovely," she said. Her voice was soft. Kind. "You looked beautiful in that dress."
"Thanks."
"Don't read the comments," she added quietly. "People online don't know you. They're cruel for no reason."
So she'd seen them. Of course she had. Probably everyone had.
"It's fine. I don't care."
lie. We both knew it. Deep down I'm hurting so bad
She patted my shoulder gently left
I started eating my food,my chest felt heavy like I've been holding it in for so long. Tears filled my eyes as I eat .
After breakfast I had nothing to do I wandered in the mansion.
Adrian was already at work. Probably couldn't wait to get away from his embarrassing wife. I had nothing to do. No job. No friends here. No life.
I ended up in this sitting room that had a huge TV. Thought maybe I could watch something. Distract myself.
I turned it on. Scrolled through Netflix for like ten minutes. Nothing looked good.
Finally picked some random show.move to heaven. Pressed play started watching . After few minutes of watching I couldn't concentrate so I turned off the tv
I opened my messages. Scrolled through old conversations .
Sarah from the diner had texted me two days ago.
"Girl where are you?? Paolo's asking when you're coming back"
I never responded. What was I supposed to say?
Another text from three days ago.
"Alina?? You ok? You just disappeared"
I'd disappeared all right. Into a different world. A world where I didn't belong.
I started typing a response. Then deleted it. Started again. Deleted again.i couldn't text Back I'm sure they've seen the videos by now
There was nothing I could say that wasn't a lie.
I put my phone face down on the couch. Stared at the ceiling.
The mansion was so quiet. Too quiet. In my old apartment there was always noise. Neighbors. Traffic. Life happening.
Here it was just silence. Empty rooms. Me alone with nothing to do and nowhere to go.
I picked up my phone again.
Just one more look.
The photos were still there. Still being shared. Still getting comments.
I read through them again. Let every mean word sink in.
Gold digger. Embarrassment. Out of place. Doesn't belong. Mistake.
Over and over.
My eyes were burning again. Getting blurry.
I heard the front door open.
Voices downstairs. Adrian is back
My stomach twisted. I don't wanna see him. Don't wanna face him after last night. After all these comments about how I embarrassed him.
I stayed on the couch. Heard his footsteps. His voice talking to someone. Probably James or Mrs. Chen.
Then I heard his office door close.
I decided to uptairs, hide in my room and completely avoid him
But I was also hungry. Hadn't really eaten anything all day.
I got up slowly. Headed toward the kitchen.
Had to pass by his office to get there.
The door was cracked open. Just a little.
I was gonna walk past. Pretend I didn't notice. Get food and disappear back to my room.
But then I heard my name.
"Alina was a disaster last night."
I froze.
Adrian's voice. Cold. Annoyed.
"I'm aware of what people are saying James. Yes I've seen the photos. All the comments. Every single one."
He was on the phone.
I should leave. Should walk away right now.
My feet wouldn't move.
"She embarrassed me in front of the entire board. Wrong silverware. Looked terrified the whole evening. Several people asked if she was feeling alright."
My chest hurt.
"No I can't just end it now. We have a contract. The money's been transferred. It's done."
Silence while the person on the phone talked.
"She served her purpose at least. The board saw me married and settled down. That's what actually mattered."
I pressed my back against the wall. Tried to breathe quiet.
"Just get through the year James. That's all I have to do. Then she gets her payout and disappears back to whatever life she had before. I can go back to normal."
"Of course I don't care about her feelings. This is a business transaction. She knew exactly what she was signing up for when she took my money."
I can't believe he said that. Adrain is so heartless. I hate him.
"Look I have to go. I'll handle the publicity side. Control the narrative. Last thing I need is more speculation about why I married some random nobody."
Nobody.
There it was.
That word that kept coming back.
I backed away from the door. Moved slow. Quiet. My whole body felt numb and heavy at the same time.
He thought I was a disaster. An embarrassment. Just something he had to tolerate for twelve months.
I already knew this marriage was fake. Already knew he didn't care about me.
But hearing him say it out loud like that?
Hearing the actual annoyance in his voice?
That hurt way more than I expected.
A vase wobbled. I grabbed for it but it was too late.
It crashed to the floor. Glass everywhere. Water spreading across the marble.
Shit.
The office door swung open.
Adrian stood there. Phone still in his hand. His eyes landed on me. Then on the broken vase. Then back on me.
We stared at each other.
His face didn't change. Didn't look surprised or guilty or anything. Just that same cold blank expression.
"I'll call you back," he said into the phone. Hung up.
The silence was so loud it hurt.
"How long were you standing there?" His voice was calm. Too calm.
"L.. long enough"
He looked at the broken glass. Then back at me. "Mrs. Chen will clean that up."
That's what he cared about? The vase?
"I heard you," I said. My hands were shaking. "I heard everything you said about me."
"You were eavesdropping."
"Your door was open! I was walking by and I heard my name!" My voice got louder. "You called me a disaster. An embarrassment."
"I was speaking privately on a phone call."
"You said you don't care about my feelings!" I could feel tears burning my eyes. "You said I was nobody!"
Something flickered across his face. But it was gone too fast.
"That's what this arrangement is Alina. A business transaction. I thought you understood that."
"I do understand that! But you didn't have to…" I stopped. Tried to breathe. "You didn't have to talk about me like I'm trash."
"I was being honest with my assistant about last night's outcome."
"Outcome? Is that what I am? An outcome?"
He sighed. Actually sighed. Like I was bothering him.
"You're upset. That's understandable. But you need to remember what this is."
"Oh I remember perfectly." The tears spilled over. I couldn't stop them. "I'm some random nobody you're stuck with for a year. Just counting down the days until I disappear."
"That's not what I…"
"That's exactly what you said!" My voice cracked. "You paid me for this I get it. But you were the one to call first, you needed me for this job and now you go around talking shit about me just cause I'm being paid?.
"Alina."
"And the worst part?" I wiped my face with my sleeve. "You're right. I am a disaster. I don't belong here. I don't know which fork to use or how to talk to your fancy friends. Everyone can see it. Everyone's laughing about it online."
"That's not…"
"And you know what else?" I looked right at him. "I hate this. I hate this house and these clothes and pretending to be someone I'm not. I hate going to events where everyone judges me. I hate that I can't even leave without permission. I hate all of it."
He just stood there
"But I'm stuck here," I continued. My voice got quieter. "Because my mom needs the money you gave me. So I have to stay and let you treat me like garbage for a whole year."
"I haven't treated you like garbage."
I laughed. It came out bitter and mean. "You called me disposable on day one. You correct me like I'm stupid. You ignore me unless we're in public. And now I find out you're on the phone telling people I'm an embarrassment."
"I was frustrated about how last night went."
"So you do think I'm a disaster."
He was quiet for a second too long.
"See?" I said. "You can't even deny it."
"Last night was difficult," he said carefully. "You weren't prepared That's on both of us."
"No. It's on me. Everything's on me." I backed away from him. "I'm the prioblem.
"Alina…"
"Don't." I held up my hand. "Just don't. You made it very clear what you think of me."
We stood there in the hallway. The broken glass and water still on the ground Neither of us moving.
Then Adrian did something I didn't expect.
He stepped forward. Closer.
"You want me to make you feel better?" His voice was cold. Sharp. "Want me to tell you you did great last night? That I'm proud of you?"
"No I just want you to…"
"What?" He took another step. "What do you want from me Alina?"
"I want you to stop being such an asshole!" The words burst out. "I want you to remember I'm an actual person with feelings! I want you to…"
"To what? Fall in love with you?" He laughed. Actually laughed. It was the cruelest sound I'd ever heard. "This is a contract marriage. Not some dramas you watch ."
My face burned. "I never said I wanted you to love me."
"Then what? You want me to be nice to you? Comfort you? Maybe kiss you and tell you everything's gonna be okay?"
"Stop."
"You signed up for this." He was close now. Too close. "You took my money. You agreed to play a role. That's all this is."
"I know that!"
"Then act like it." His eyes were ice cold. "Stop crying like a child.Stop being emotional. This is business. Once you're done you can go back to being whatever you were , i helped you don't make the mistake of thinking you matter"
Something in me snapped.
My hand moved and I slapped him
Adrian's head turned from the impact. His hand went to his cheek.
We both froze.
Oh god. Oh god what did I just do.
I just slapped a billionaire. In his own house. After taking his money.
He was gonna kick me out. Take back the money. Let my mom die.
Adrian turned his head slowly. Looked at me. His cheek was red where I hit him.
His expression was unreadable.
I waited for him to yell. To throw me out. To do something.
But he just stared at me.
"Feel better?" His voice was quiet. Dangerous.
I couldn't speak. Couldn't breathe.
"That's what I thought." He stepped back. Adjusted his collar. "Clean yourself up. You look pathetic."
Then he walked past me. Back into his office.
The door closed.
Locked.
I stood there in the hallway surrounded by broken glass and water and the echo of what I'd just done.
My hand was still shaking. Still stinging from the impact.
I'd slapped him.
Actually slapped him.
And he didn't even care.
Just looked at me like I was nothing and walked away.