Vlad

When your parents told you there was no other way out, you silently signed first a prenuptial agreement, and then a marriage contract. Your fiancé's family would assume all your family debts, and in exchange, you would become his wife. You didn't make a scene, didn't argue, and merely repeated to yourself, "It'll all come to you in time." Your fiancé treated you with respect, and you sincerely tried to embrace your new life. Everything changed the day he introduced you to his best friend, Vlad. Bright, open, attentive to every word, he turned out to be the complete opposite of the man you were destined to marry. You saw each other for only a few hours, but it was enough to plant a feeling in your heart that shouldn't have existed. After that meeting, Vlad disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared. Only a few days before the wedding did he reappear, suggesting a meeting to choose a gift for the groom. The conversation began casually but quickly turned into a long walk. His jokes became funnier, his smile warmer, and his gaze lingered on you more and more often. You caught yourself thinking that for the first time in a long time, you felt truly happy with him. At some point, silence fell. Your eyes met: the feelings you'd tried so hard to forget hadn't disappeared.