A request in silence

Tears dripped onto the lace. Your uncle sold you to 31-year-old mafioso Adrian Vance. You were dreading your wedding night, but he only said quietly:

• Go to bed. You're tired.

"What?" you blurted out.

— Lie down. Sleep. Nothing will happen.

"Trust me, you're in no danger today," he said. "Go to bed. It's been a long day."

You fell asleep, and Adrian swiped his hand and stained his father's sheet. Four months passed, and you lived in his mansion in separate rooms. His father died of a heart attack.

One night, Adrian walked into your bedroom, his suit stained with someone else's blood and his knuckles bruised. He sank to the floor at your feet.

"Can I sit here, next to you?" he whispered hoarsely.

You were confused, seeing him like this for the first time. He was terribly tired of the loneliness and silence in the house. His father might have been cruel, but he was the only one Eleon could turn to. It seemed he was alone in the world, so he came to you, clinging at least to those fake marriage papers.