Chapter 3
Elena stepped into the mansion that night.
The air inside was different, heavy, cold, like the walls were made of ice.
She looked around. The place was too big, too quiet. Expensive chandeliers hung above her head. The floor was shining like a mirror. She felt small, like she did not belong.
Adrian walked ahead, not even waiting for her. His long steps echoed in the hall. Elena followed slowly, her hand holding the small bag that carried all her life.
No maid said welcome. No smile. No warmth. Everyone just bowed to Adrian and kept their faces blank.
Elena lowered her head, her chest tight. *This is my new home… but it doesn’t feel like home at all.*
---
They reached the living room.
Adrian’s aunt, Madam Regina, was waiting on the couch. A proud woman, dressed in silk, gold hanging from her neck. Her sharp eyes scanned Elena from head to toe.
“So this is her,” Madam Regina said with a mocking laugh. “This is the girl you call wife? My God, Adrian, you have truly fallen.”
Elena froze. Her heart pounded.
Adrian didn’t answer. He walked to the bar and poured himself a drink. His silence was louder than words.
Madam Regina stood and walked closer to Elena. “Look at you,” she said slowly. “Do you even know where you are standing? This is the Knight mansion, not some poor farmyard. You don’t belong here, child. You should have stayed with your kind.”
Elena clenched her hand on her bag. She wanted to defend herself, but the words stuck in her throat. She only lowered her eyes and whispered, “I will try not to bring shame.”
Regina laughed harder. “Shame? You are already shame. A woman with no family background, no status, no class. Do you know what people call you outside? A beggar who sold herself for money.”
Elena’s chest burned. She blinked fast to stop her tears. *Don’t cry here, Elena. Not in front of her.*
She forced herself to stand straight. “I am here because I must be. I don’t care what people call me.”
For a moment, Madam Regina’s smile faded. She didn’t expect Elena to answer at all.
But then she waved her hand and scoffed. “We will see how long you last. Women like you never survive here.”
---
Adrian’s voice came from the bar, cold and deep.
“Enough, Aunt.”
Regina turned. “I am only speaking the truth. You should have married Melissa, not this… stray.”
Adrian’s eyes lifted. They were sharp, warning, but still cold. “She is my wife. That is enough.”
Elena’s heart jumped. He didn’t say it with love, but at least he said it. For the first time, she felt a small cover from his shadow.
Madam Regina clicked her tongue and walked away. “Fine. But don’t come crying when this mistake destroys your name.”
The sound of her heels faded into the hall. Silence fell again.
---
Elena turned slowly to Adrian. “Thank you,” she whispered.
Adrian didn’t even look at her. He sipped his drink and walked past her. “Don’t misunderstand. I only protect my name. Not you.”
The words cut her, but she bit her lip and nodded. “I know.”
He stopped at the door of his study. His back still facing her. “Your room is upstairs. End of the right hall. Stay there.”
Without waiting for her reply, he closed the study door behind him.
---
Elena stood in the middle of the cold living room.
Her chest felt heavy, but she forced herself up the stairs.
When she entered her room, she placed her bag on the bed and sat down. The room was beautiful, too beautiful for her simple soul.
She buried her face in her hands.
*This is my marriage. This is my house. And yet I feel like a stranger in it.*
Her tears rolled again, silent, hidden.
Only the walls of that cold mansion heard her pain.
And somewhere behind a closed door, Adrian sat in his study, his glass untouched, his eyes staring at the dark night. He whispered to himself, “Don’t get close to me… don’t.”
Chapter 4
Elena woke the next morning with swollen eyes.
She dressed quietly and went downstairs. The house was too silent again. She ate breakfast alone, the food tasteless in her mouth.
Adrian was gone before she even woke. No word, no note. She tried to smile to herself, whispering, “It’s fine, Elena. This is the life you chose.”
---
Later that day, as she walked into the garden, she froze.
A woman was standing by the fountain, her long red dress shining under the sun. Her face was perfect, sharp, proud, and her lips curved in a cruel smile.
“Elena, right?” the woman said, her voice dripping with mockery.
Elena didn’t answer. Her chest tightened. She already knew who this was. Melissa. Adrian’s ex.
Melissa stepped closer, her heels clicking. “So you are the one Adrian married? I can’t believe it. He left me for you? You look so… ordinary.”
Elena stayed calm. She didn’t want to show weakness. “Yes, I am his wife,” she said softly.
Melissa laughed loud. “Wife? Don’t fool yourself. Adrian doesn’t love you. He never will. You are just here because of a contract. Everyone knows it.”
Elena swallowed hard. Her hands trembled, but she forced her face to stay still. “I know what this marriage is. You don’t need to remind me.”
Melissa smirked. “At least you are not completely stupid. But tell me something—do you even know why Adrian left me?”
Elena looked up, silent.
Melissa’s smile widened. “Because I cheated. Yes, I cheated on him with someone better, a celebrity everyone adores. And guess what? He still loved me. Even after all that, he couldn’t stop looking for me. So what do you think? Do you think a broken woman like you can ever replace me in his heart?”
The words stabbed Elena deep. She almost lost her breath. But she lifted her chin and whispered, “Then why are you here? If you were enough, you wouldn’t be standing in front of me now.”
For the first time, Melissa’s smile cracked.
---
Just then, Adrian walked into the garden.
His eyes landed on Melissa, cold, sharp like ice.
“Melissa,” he said flatly. “What are you doing here?”
Melissa turned sweet at once. “Adrian, I just came to see you. I miss you.”
Adrian’s jaw tightened. “You have no right to miss me. You threw everything away the day you climbed into another man’s bed.”
Elena froze at his words. So it was true.
Melissa’s smile trembled. “Adrian, that was a mistake. You know I was young, foolish. But look at her—” she pointed at Elena, “she can never give you what I gave. She can never be me.”
Adrian’s eyes burned. He stepped forward, standing in front of Elena. His voice was cold but firm.
“She doesn’t need to be you. And I don’t want her to be you.”
Elena’s heart jumped.
Melissa stared at him, hurt flashing in her eyes, but she quickly covered it with anger. “You will regret this,” she hissed, and stormed out of the garden.
---
Elena stood frozen, her chest tight. She wanted to thank Adrian, but her lips couldn’t move.
Adrian turned to her, his face unreadable. “Don’t think I defended you because of feelings. I only did it because I hate betrayal. Remember the rules of this marriage. Nothing more.”
He walked away without looking back.
Elena closed her eyes, holding her chest.
Her tears threatened to fall, but she whispered to herself, “Don’t cry, Elena. Not here. Not now.”
But deep inside, her heart whispered another truth—
*Maybe, just maybe, he was not as cold as he wanted her to believe.*
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