29
Kaelen
Tonight, I was determined to make things right with Alara. The last few days had been a blur, and I
knew I had ghosted her too many times. Work had been a convenient excuse, but deep down, I knew I was trying to bury thoughts of Kaida. I needed to focus on the present–on Alara. That’s why
I made sure we went out tonight for a proper dinner, a way to catch up and clear the tension that
had settled between us.
The restaurant was fancy, the kind of place Alara loved. Dim lighting, expensive wines, and a view of the city that most people could only dream of. She looked beautiful tonight, wearing a soft, pale blue dress that accentuated her features. Her eyes sparkled with excitement, and for once, I tried
to be present for her.
I pushed thoughts of Kaida out of my mind. She was gone now, a chapter of my life I had to close. She must be happy wherever she is. After all, she got a lot of money in the divorce settlement- more than enough to start a new life, free from me. She didn’t need me, and I had to stop thinking
about her.
Yet, even as I sat across from Alara, listening to her talk about her day, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of something in my chest. Was it regret? No, it couldn’t be. Kaida and I weren’t meant to be, and that was clear. Still, I found myself wondering where she was now, what she was doing.
Suddenly, a thought struck me. Someone had called me recently, and I hadn’t recognized the number. At the time, I didn’t think much of it, but now it was bugging me. I turned to Alara, interrupting her mid–sentence.
“Hey, did you call me earlier today?” I asked, hoping to clear up the mystery.
Alara shook her head, looking slightly confused. “No, I didn’t. Why?”
“Just… I got a call from an unknown number earlier. I thought maybe it was you,” I replied, trying to
brush it off.
Her brows furrowed for a second, but she didn’t push the issue. “No, it wasn’t me. Maybe it was a wrong number?”
“Yeah, maybe,” I said, though something about it gnawed at me.
Who could it have been?
I tried to shrug it off, deciding it wasn’t important. Whoever it was, they hadn’t left a message, and I didn’t have time to dwell on it. But as much as I tried to focus on Alara, that brief moment of
WED
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29
+25 Points:
confusion stuck with me, an unanswered question hanging in the back of my mind.
Alara shifted the conversation, smiling brightly as she leaned forward. “So, I was thinking… about our honeymoon.”
I froze for a moment, but quickly masked my discomfort with a neutral expression. I had been
dreading this conversation. Our marriage, after all, was not built on love, not yet at least. It was a
political alliance, a partnership meant to bring our families together. But Alara, she wanted more.
She always did.
“A honeymoon?” I repeated, trying to sound casual.
“Yes! I know we’ve been putting it off with everything going on, but I think it’s time we take a
mini–vacation. Somewhere tropical, maybe? Just the two of us. We could relax, forget about work
for a while. It would be good for us,” she said, her voice full of hope.
I hesitated. A vacation with Alara sounded like a nightmare right now. Not because of her, exactly,
but because it felt… wrong. Forced. This marriage was still too new, too fragile, and pretending that everything was fine between us would only make things worse. But Alara had always been
persistent, and once she had her mind set on something, there was no changing it.
I forced a smile. “That sounds nice.”
She beamed at my response, clearly pleased with herself. “Great! I’ll start looking into places we can go. Somewhere quiet and romantic.”
Quiet and romantic. The words felt hollow in my chest. I wasn’t ready for this. The idea of spending time alone with Alara, pretending we were a real couple, felt like a betrayal–to myself and to her. This marriage wasn’t real, not in the way she wanted it to be. It was a means to an end, a way to secure alliances and power. But Alara… she wanted more.
I sipped my wine, trying to hide my reluctance. “Just let me know when you find something. We’ll figure it out.”
Alara’s eyes sparkled with excitement, completely oblivious to my inner turmoil. “I’m so excited! It’s going to be perfect.”
I nodded, my stomach twisting. I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to pretend. But I had no choice. Alara wasn’t the type to give up, and I had agreed to this marriage. I had to see it through, at least
for now.
As we finished our dinner and headed home, I tried to push away the thoughts that had been swirling in my head all night. The mysterious phone call, Kaida, the fake marriage–it was all too much. I needed to focus on the present, on Alara. She deserved that much, at least.
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When we got home, Alara immediately started talking about potential destinations for our honeymoon. She was already looking up places on her phone, showing me pictures of tropical beaches and luxurious resorts. I nodded along, feigning interest, but my mind was elsewhere.
The months needed to go by quickly. I needed this chapter to be over, needed to figure out what I really wanted. But for now, I had to play my part. Alara was counting on me, and I couldn’t let her
down.
As I sat there, listening to her excited chatter, I couldn’t help but wonder how long I could keep this up. How long I could pretend that this marriage was something more than a strategic
my arrangement. How long I could keep pushing thoughts of Kaida out of mind.
Eventually, Alara grew tired, and I helped her upstairs to bed. She fell asleep quickly, her breathing soft and even beside me. I lay there in the dark, staring up at the ceiling, my mind racing.
Who had called me earlier? Why couldn’t I shake the feeling that it had something to do with
Kaida?
I pulled out my phone, staring at the unknown number in my call log. Something about it felt off, like a piece of the puzzle was missing. I didn’t know why, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was being pulled into something bigger, something I didn’t fully understand yet.
And as much as I tried to focus on the future, on Alara, I couldn’t help but feel like the past wasn’t
done with me yet.
LO
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Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.
