Chapter 10

[ 953 words ]

Emilia’s POV

I could suddenly imagine it so clearly. Six different women standing where I stood now. Faces falling as they realized what their marriage actually meant. Not partnership. Not even cohabitation.

Erasure.

They weren’t wives. They were dirty secrets. Hidden behind beautiful paintings where no one could see them.

And now I was number seven.

“Did you expect something different?” Sebastian’s voice was maddeningly lazy, like he’d had this conversation so many times it bored him. “Let me make the rules clear, since you seem slow on the uptake. You do not stay in my room for longer than necessary. You do not touch my belongings. You especially do not touch my bed.”

He gestured to the pristine king-sized bed behind him, emphasizing each word. “You don’t even look at it. Understood?”

I turned back to face him fully, studying his expression. His thoughts were still frustratingly blank to me, but his body language spoke volumes. The rigid set of his shoulders. The careful distance he maintained between us.

“Do you have mysophobia?” I asked bluntly. “Some kind of contamination OCD?”

“No.” His lip curled in distaste. “I’m just sick of disgusting creatures like you invading my personal space.”

The casual cruelty should have stung. Instead, I felt something else entirely. Curiosity mixed with suspicion.

Because his words didn’t match his behavior.

“Disgusting,” I repeated slowly. Then I took a step toward him, watching his pupils dilate slightly. “That’s an interesting choice of words. Especially considering we’re married now. Don’t married couples usually share certain intimacies?”

I took another step. The air between us seemed to thicken, crackling with something I couldn’t name. My pulse accelerated for no logical reason.

Sebastian’s jaw tightened. “I wouldn’t touch you if you stripped naked and begged me.”

Another step. I was close enough now to catch his scent. That intoxicating mix of mint and cedar that made my head spin slightly.

“Is that why your previous marriages ended?” My voice came out huskier than intended. “Because you never actually slept with them? What woman would tolerate living like a widow while her husband is alive and well?”

Something flashed in Sebastian’s green eyes. Anger, maybe. Or something darker. He didn’t move, but every muscle in his body tensed. Preparing to strike.

Or flee.

The air between us felt electric now. Charged with invisible current. I could feel it pulsing against my skin, making my breath catch. My gaze dropped involuntarily to his mouth, and I felt the strangest, most inexplicable urge to—

Sebastian moved so fast I didn’t see it coming. One moment we were standing close, tension coiling between us.

The next, he’d pulled back to the far side of the room, putting the massive bed between us like a barrier.

“Don’t.” His voice was harsh, almost ragged. “Don’t even think about trying to seduce me. I told you. I’m not interested in women. You could throw yourself at me naked and I wouldn’t blink.”

I pressed a hand to my racing heart, trying to calm my breathing. What the hell was that? That bizarre pull I’d felt toward him?

“Why?” I asked, genuinely confused now. “Why aren’t you interested in women? You’re clearly a normal, healthy male. Is there something—”

“I’m not gay,” Sebastian snapped, cutting me off. His knuckles were white where he gripped the bedpost. “Just because I don’t want women doesn’t mean I want men. And I suggest you stop asking questions I have no intention of answering. Learn to keep your mouth shut.”

I studied him across the expanse of the bed.

“Well then. Goodnight, husband.”

I turned and walked back to my tiny room, feeling his gaze burning into my back the entire way. Once inside, I closed the door gently and leaned against it, finally allowing myself to exhale.

That moment between us. That inexplicable pull. I’d never experienced anything like it. For a few seconds, I’d wanted nothing more than to press my lips against his and—

I shook my head sharply.

Focus, Emilia. You were here for a reason. Remember the plan.

I needed to stay married to Sebastian. To do that, I needed to survive his hostility and his bizarre rules and whatever psychological damage his ex-fiancée had inflicted on him.

I could do this. I had to.

I peeled off the wedding gown, letting the heavy fabric pool at my feet. Underneath, I wore only delicate white lingerie that Mila had insisted on providing.

The small closet in my room turned out to be fully stocked with women’s clothing. High-end pieces, all in my size, with price tags still attached. None of it had been worn.

Did he buy all new things for me? Or did he just keep a rotating wardrobe of unworn clothes for his succession of wives?

I selected a modest nightgown in soft cotton. As I was pulling it over my head, the door suddenly swung open.

I froze. The nightgown bunched around my shoulders, leaving most of my body exposed.

Sebastian stood in the doorway, his eyes fixed on mine with burning intensity.

“What the hell?!” I snatched the nightgown down quickly, covering myself. My face burned with humiliation and anger. “You didn’t knock!”

“I told you,” Sebastian said coldly, though his voice sounded strained. “I’m not interested in women. Seeing you half-naked means nothing to me.”

He turned away abruptly, presenting me with his rigid back. “Get dressed and come out. Now.”

The door slammed shut.

I stood there for a moment, heart pounding.

I finished dressing quickly and stepped out of my closet-room to find Sebastian.

“You wanted something?” I asked. I looked around for somewhere to sit, but then remembered his warning and stopped myself.

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