Chapter 9 - Seraphina

The slam of the door echoed through the house as I stormed inside, my heels clicking furiously against the marble floor. I didn't care if he was right behind me. The audacity—the sheer hypocrisy—of that man was too much to bear.

I spun around to face him as soon as we reached the living room. Adrian was already shrugging out of his jacket, his face dark with irritation.

"What the hell is your problem?" I snapped, crossing my arms.

"My problem?" His voice was sharp, cutting. "You were letting some guy—your so-called friend—hang all over you like he owned you. That's my problem."

I scoffed, throwing my clutch onto the couch. "Oh, please, Adrian. Since when do you care who hugs me or talks to me? Last I checked, you were too busy parading around with your girlfriend."

His jaw tightened, and he took a step closer. "That's different."

"Different?" I laughed bitterly, my voice dripping with sarcasm. "Oh, of course. It's fine for you to have a woman hanging on your arm, but God forbid I talk to someone I've actually known for years. Maybe I should get a boyfriend too, huh? Would that be fine, Adrian?"

His eyes flashed with anger, and before I could say another word, he grabbed my wrist. "Don't even think about it, Sera."

"Why not?" I shot back, pulling my hand free. "You've already made it clear that this isn't a real marriage. You can play house with whoever you want, so why can't I?"

His expression darkened, and for a moment, I thought he might explode. "Because it's not the same!" he roared, his voice echoing through the room.

I flinched but refused to back down. "Why isn't it the same, Adrian? Why do you get to control what I do while you go off and do whatever the hell you want?"

His fists clenched at his sides, and his breathing was heavy, like he was barely holding himself together. "Because you're mine, Sera," he said through gritted teeth.

The words sent a shiver down my spine, but I wasn't about to let him win this argument. "Yours?" I repeated, my voice rising. "I'm not your possession, Adrian. You can't just claim me when it's convenient for you."

His eyes locked onto mine, and the intensity in his gaze made my breath catch. "You're my wife," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Whether you like it or not."

The weight of his words hung in the air, suffocating and heavy. My chest heaved as I tried to find the right response, but all I could feel was anger, hurt, and the sting of his hypocrisy.

"This was your idea," I spat, pointing a finger at him. "This whole marriage, this arrangement—your idea. Don't stand here and act like you have the right to be jealous or angry when you're the one who dragged me into this."

Adrian's face hardened, and he took another step closer. "I have every right," he said, his voice a dangerous whisper. "Because no matter what you think, no one—no one—gets to touch you but me."

The intensity in his tone, the raw possessiveness in his words, made my heart race. I hated it. Hated how it made me feel weak, vulnerable, and exposed.

"Why, Adrian?" I demanded, my voice breaking. "Why do you care so much? You don't even—"

He cut me off, his hand gripping my arm as he pulled me closer. "Don't test me, Sera," he warned, his breath hot against my skin. "You won't like the answer."

Tears stung my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. "Let go of me," I whispered, my voice trembling.

For a moment, his grip tightened, and I thought he wouldn't listen. But then he released me, his hands falling to his sides as he took a step back.

"I'm going to bed," he said coldly, his voice devoid of emotion. "Do whatever you want, Sera. Just remember what I said."

I stood there, frozen, as he turned and walked away, leaving me alone in the silence of the room. My chest ached, my mind racing with everything that had just happened.

I hated him. I hated how he made me feel. But most of all, I hated that I couldn't stop caring about him, no matter how much I wanted to.

I stood there, staring at the empty space where Adrian had been only moments before. My chest felt like it was being crushed under the weight of everything—his words, his touch, the way he claimed ownership over me as if I were some kind of object. It made my blood boil, yet there was something deep inside that couldn't deny the effect he had on me.

I could hear the sound of his footsteps echoing down the hallway, and the anger that had been building in me all evening suddenly felt like it might swallow me whole. I wanted to scream, to throw something, but I just stood there, frozen in place.

The argument had been too much. My emotions were tangled, twisted. On one hand, he was so infuriatingly possessive, so unreasonably demanding. On the other hand, his mere presence had a way of shaking me, pulling me in.

I didn't want to care. I didn't want to feel this constant tug-of-war between my pride and the strange, unexplainable connection we had. But there I was, standing in his mansion, in his life, forced to live by his rules. And it felt suffocating.

I turned, walking aimlessly toward the window, trying to calm the storm of thoughts whirling around in my head. The city lights twinkled outside, indifferent to the chaos inside. This is my life now, I thought bitterly. Trapped in a marriage I didn't want, to a man who thinks he owns me, with no way out.

I heard footsteps again, and before I could even react, Adrian appeared in the doorway. His silhouette was sharp in the dim light, and even though I hated him for everything he was, my heart betrayed me, beating faster at the sight of him.

"What now?" I snapped, turning to face him, trying to maintain some semblance of control.

He didn't answer right away. Instead, his gaze lingered on me, scanning me with that look that always seemed to pierce right through me. It was unnerving, almost as if he could see past all the walls I'd built up around myself.

"I didn't come here to argue, Sera," he finally said, his voice low, almost resigned. "But you have to understand... there's a reason I act the way I do."

I narrowed my eyes. "What reason? You think you can control me by using your power, your money, your..." I shook my head, disgusted at the thought. "I won't let you. I won't be your puppet."

He sighed, his expression hardening. "I'm not trying to control you. I'm trying to keep you safe."

I felt a strange wave of confusion hit me. Safe? That didn't make sense. This wasn't about safety. It was about ownership, about making me bend to his will. But then I caught the flicker in his eyes—the tiniest hint of vulnerability—and my anger wavered for a moment.

"I don't need your protection," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "I never did."

He didn't respond right away, but I could see the tension in his posture, the way his jaw clenched like he was holding something back. It was almost as if he was fighting with himself, trying to make sense of something that didn't quite fit.

"You're wrong," he muttered finally. "I'm not doing this for me. I'm doing this because I care about you."

The words hung in the air between us, heavy and unsettling. I opened my mouth to respond, but no sound came out. His confession took me off guard, more than I wanted to admit.

"You care?" I repeated, my voice shaking. "Since when? Since when have you cared about anything other than controlling me?"

His gaze softened, just for a moment. "Since the day I met you, Sera. But it's complicated, and I don't know how to fix it."

I stared at him, my mind struggling to process his words. He cares? The thought was too much to handle right now. The whole situation felt like a whirlwind of emotions, and I wasn't sure if I was ready to face it.

"You're not the only one who's confused," I said, my voice wavering slightly. "You don't know what it's like to be trapped in this... arrangement. You don't know how it feels to be forced into something you don't want. I don't even know who I am anymore. Who we are."

Adrian's face hardened again, but there was a flicker of understanding in his eyes. He took a step closer, his presence overwhelming.

"I don't expect you to forgive me, or to understand everything all at once," he said quietly. "But I'm not going anywhere, Sera. I never will."

His words hit me harder than I wanted them to, leaving me speechless. I wanted to argue. I wanted to fight him. But at the same time, I could feel the walls I had built crumbling bit by bit.

I wanted to scream at him, to tell him everything I was feeling, but I couldn't. Because, despite everything, there was a part of me that didn't want to lose him either.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. We stood there, in the silence of the room, the weight of our emotions pressing down on us. And in that silence, I couldn't help but wonder—what if he was right? What if we could make this work?

But even as the thought crossed my mind, I knew it was impossible. Because there were too many secrets, too many lies between us. And no matter how much I wanted to let go and trust him, I couldn't.

Not yet.

Adrian turned away, his voice soft but firm as he spoke again. "Get some rest, Sera. We have a long day ahead."

I watched him leave, my heart heavy with uncertainty. And as the door closed behind him, I realized one thing for sure: I was falling into something I couldn't control—and I had no idea how to get out.