Aria Hale held the pen with both hands.
"Sign," the lawyer said.
The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the air conditioner. The glass table felt cold under her fingers. She glanced at the papers again even though she had already read them twice.
Marriage Agreement.
Sebastian Blackwood sat across from her, legs crossed, phone in hand. He had not looked at her once since they arrived.
"You can take your time," the lawyer added.
Aria let out a slow breath. "I already did."
Sebastian's thumb tapped his screen. "Then stop stalling."
She looked at him. "I'm not stalling."
"You've been holding that pen for five minutes."
"I'm thinking."
He finally set his phone down. "Thinking won't change the terms."
"I know," she said. "But it might change me."
The lawyer shifted. "Ms. Hale, this agreement has been reviewed."
"I read it," Aria said. "Every page."
"And?" Sebastian asked.
"And it feels like a cage."
Sebastian smiled faintly. "Most things with rules do."
She swallowed and looked back at the document. "You don't even pretend this is normal."
"There's no reason to pretend."
The lawyer tried to soften his tone. "This is standard in high-profile marriages."
"Is it standard to feel this small?" Aria asked.
Sebastian leaned back. "Feelings aren't part of the deal."
Aria's grip tightened around the pen.
"You can take your time," the lawyer repeated.
Sebastian laughed once. "She doesn't need time."
Aria lifted her head. "I do."
His eyes flicked up, sharp and unreadable. "You already agreed."
She swallowed. "I agreed to marry you. Not to stop thinking."
The lawyer cleared his throat. "The contract states—"
"I know what it states," Aria said quickly. "I just want to be sure."
Sebastian leaned back in his chair. "Be sure of what? The money? The house? The name?"
"That this is real," she said.
He tilted his head. "You think it's fake?"
"I think it feels empty."
"It's real enough."
Her fingers trembled. She lowered the pen. "There's nothing in here about us."
"There is no us."
The words hit harder than she expected.
The lawyer looked between them. "Mr. Blackwood prefers clear terms."
Aria laughed under her breath. "Clear is one word for it."
She looked down again. No love clause. No emotional duty. No shared future plans. Just rules. Limits. Control.
"Am I allowed to ask questions after this?" she asked.
Sebastian replied without pause. "About the contract, yes."
"About you?"
"No."
She nodded slowly. "What if I get sick?"
Sebastian shrugged. "You'll have doctors."
"And if I'm scared?"
"You won't be."
"What if I need you?"
"You won't."
Her chest tightened. "Marriage isn't supposed to be like this."
He leaned forward now, elbows on the table. "Marriage is whatever the people in it decide."
"And this is what you decided?"
"Yes."
"Without me?"
"You agreed."
"I agreed because you said we'd talk."
"And we are talking."
"This doesn't feel like talking," she said.
The lawyer slid the pen closer. "Ms. Hale?"
Aria glanced at Sebastian. "Why me?"
His eyes did not soften. "You were suitable."
"For what?"
"For my name."
Her lips parted. "That's all?"
"That's enough."
She flinched.
He continued, voice calm. "You're quiet. Clean history. No scandals. Easy to manage."
The lawyer froze. "Mr. Blackwood—"
"It's fine," Aria said softly.
Sebastian looked at her. "Is it?"
"No," she said. "But I'll live."
"Good."
Aria felt heat rise to her face. "Easy to manage?"
Sebastian didn't deny it. "You wanted security. I wanted stability. This works."
"It works for you."
"It works for both of us."
She laughed softly, bitter. "You don't even know me."
"I know enough."
"You don't know what I like."
"I don't need to."
"You don't know what scares me."
"I don't care."
Her hands curled into fists. "You don't have to be cruel."
"I'm being honest."
She stood up. "Then be honest about one thing."
He looked bored. "What."
"Will you ever care about me?"
The lawyer held his breath.
Sebastian stood too, tall and cold. "No."
Silence filled the room.
Aria stared at him. "Not even a little?"
"No."
Her throat burned. "Then why marry me?"
"Because I need a wife," he said. "Not a lover."
The lawyer spoke quickly. "The terms are fair, Ms. Hale."
Aria laughed quietly. "Fair doesn't mean kind."
Sebastian picked up the pen and placed it in her hand. "Sign."
Her fingers shook again. "If I don't?"
"Then this meeting ends."
"And my life stays the same?"
"No," he said. "It stays harder."
She closed her eyes.
She thought of her small apartment. Her unpaid school loans. Her mother's old medical bills.
She thought of the promise she made herself to never depend on anyone.
Her eyes opened.
She signed.
The pen felt heavy when she set it down.
Sebastian took the papers and signed without looking.
The lawyer smiled too widely. "Congratulations. You are now Mrs. Blackwood."
Aria waited for something to happen.
A smile. A touch. A word.
Nothing did.
Sebastian walked toward the door. "The driver will take you home."
"Our home?" she asked.
He paused. "Mine."
She watched him leave without looking back.
The car ride was silent.
She tried once. "Is this normal for you?"
Sebastian didn't respond.
At the mansion, staff lined the hall. No one smiled. No one spoke to her.
A woman in black handed her a schedule. "Your meals. Your public appearances. Your rules."
Aria scanned it. "There's a curfew."
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Mr. Blackwood prefers order."
Sebastian didn't stop walking.
Aria followed, her steps slow.
Her room was large. Cold. Perfect.
She sat on the edge of the bed and waited.
Minutes passed.
An hour.
She checked the door twice.
That night, she waited.
When the door finally opened, she stood so fast her chair scraped the floor.
Sebastian stepped in, jacket gone, sleeves rolled up.
"I thought you weren't coming," she said.
He closed the door. "I didn't say that."
"Do you want to talk?"
"No."
"About today?"
"No."
"About us?"
"There is no us," he said again.
Her voice shook. "I'm trying."
"I didn't ask you to."
She nodded slowly. "Then what did you ask me to do?"
He looked at her fully now. His gaze was cold and direct.
"Do not expect anything from me except what I paid for."