Chapter 4 4

Married to the man that loved me once

Chapter Four: Lines That Blur (Expanded)

The car ride back to the mansion was nothing like the first.

The silence this time was heavy, charged with everything left unsaid, yet no words were necessary. I kept my hands folded neatly in my lap, but I felt their warmth against my skin. Damien's hand rested lightly on mine, almost imperceptibly, but I could feel the steady pulse of his presence through it. Not because anyone could see. Not because appearances demanded it. But because he chose it.

I couldn't look at him, afraid that if I did, I might read more than he intended to show. His profile was calm, composed, flawless in every line and angle, yet something-just something-in his gaze betrayed a depth I couldn't measure. He wasn't tense. He wasn't cold. Not tonight. He was... watching. Observing. Learning. Protecting.

"Did I handle that poorly?" he asked suddenly, his voice low and even.

I blinked. "What?"

"The dinner," he clarified, glancing at me with the faintest lift of his brows. "If you would have preferred I ignore it... I can adjust my approach."

Adjust. The word struck me. Here was a man accustomed to commanding rooms, lives, even empires-and yet he spoke as if my comfort mattered more than pride or reputation.

"No," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. "Thank you. You didn't have to defend me."

"Yes," he replied, calm but firm. "I did."

The car slowed as the gates opened, the mansion looming once more, bathed in golden lamplight. As we stepped inside, the quiet familiarity of the house greeted us. Every corner, every hallway, was meticulously curated, each decoration perfectly placed, each detail a testament to Damien's precision. Yet it was his presence that made it feel like home-not the chandeliers, not the polished floors, but the quiet dominance of a man who could hold a room without speaking.

He stopped as soon as the doors closed behind us.

"Hazel," he said, his tone low and careful.

I turned toward him, the sound of his voice grounding me in a way I hadn't expected. "Yes?"

"You will never be spoken to like that again," he said. "By anyone. Not Nancy ,Not my family."

I swallowed, my throat suddenly tight. "She was your fiancée."

"She was a decision," he corrected. "Not a feeling."

I didn't know what to say. I thought of her smile, her confident words. Her assumption that she could shake me. And I felt... oddly small, despite my resolve to remain unaffected.

"And me?" I whispered. "What am I?"

His gaze dropped to my lips just for a heartbeat, then lifted slowly to meet my eyes. "You are my wife."

I felt my heart flutter at the simplicity of it, the certainty in his voice, the quiet ownership he conveyed without arrogance.

"I meant emotionally," I added, almost hesitantly, testing the limits of what I could say.

A pause stretched between us, and then he said carefully, "I don't make emotional mistakes."

I wanted to press further, to ask what that truly meant, but I couldn't. The words lingered unsaid as I nodded slowly.

"Good night, Damien," I said finally.

"Good night," he replied, and he did not follow me to my room. Not tonight. Not yet.

Sleep did not come easily. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw flashes of his face-calm, measured, untouchable, yet intensely focused on me. I told myself repeatedly: this was temporary. Contractual. Controlled. Nothing more. And yet, my thoughts betrayed me, replaying the way his thumb brushed mine in the car, the calm firmness in the dining room, the rare softness when he had acknowledged my presence.

Across the mansion, Damien stood in the dark of his room, gazing out at the sprawling gardens below. The night was silent except for the occasional rustle of leaves. He had not anticipated Nancy's presence, nor the ease with which she had tried to unsettle Hazel. The anger that surged quietly inside him was not for himself-but for her. For the woman who had been thrust into this impossible arrangement, who had faced subtle humiliation with grace and restraint. Seven years of restraint. Seven years of waiting. And yet tonight, the lines were already blurring. His resolve, normally unshakable, faltered at the thought of her hurt-even a trace of discomfort in her posture, a flicker of doubt in her eyes, stirred something dangerous inside him.

The next morning, the mansion was alive with quiet movement: staff bustling, kitchens preparing breakfast, and the faint scent of freshly baked bread and brewed coffee filling the hallways. I was halfway through my morning tea when Nancy appeared again.

Unannounced. Uninvited. Smiling.

I froze. My fingers tightened around the cup, and the tea sloshed dangerously close to the edge of the fine china. My chest constricted at her effortless composure, her confidence that made even the grand dining room feel smaller.

"I hope I'm not interrupting," she said smoothly, sliding into the chair across from me. Her eyes, sharp and calculating, flicked over me with a mixture of curiosity and amusement. "I just wanted to apologize for last night. I may have been... insensitive."

I blinked, unsure how to respond. "Good morning," I said cautiously, my voice almost trembling despite my effort to stay composed.

Nancy leaned forward slightly, lowering her voice. "But you should know something. Damien doesn't do permanence. He never has. Everything in his life is temporary. People, relationships... engagements. Contracts. He walks away eventually. Always."

I felt a pang of unease, but I forced a polite nod. "I'm aware this marriage is unconventional," I said carefully. "I didn't come here to compete with anyone."

Her smile widened, but it didn't reach her eyes. "Good. Because if you do, you'll lose."

Before I could answer, a shadow fell over the table. Damien had entered. His presence was calm, unassuming, yet it carried an invisible weight that made the air thrum with tension. Nancy looked up, unconcerned, but her eyes registered something she hadn't expected: a subtle, silent dominance in the man she once claimed to know.

"You're done here," Damien said quietly.

"I was just chatting," Nancy replied sweetly.

"With my wife," he said evenly. "Which you won't do alone again."

He placed a hand gently but firmly on my chair, grounding me in his presence. I felt the pulse of certainty and unspoken protection, the invisible line drawn between me and her, clear and immovable. We left the dining room together. Nancy's smile faltered just slightly, but her eyes glittered with unspent challenge.

Once the doors closed behind us, he spoke in a low voice. "She doesn't matter."

I looked up at him, heart racing. "What happens when the contract ends?" I asked softly.

He stopped walking. His gaze dropped to me, dark and unreadable. "That," he said carefully, voice low, "is not something I intend to let happen."

By the time I finally returned to my room, the mansion felt different-no longer merely a house, but a space under his silent watch. I lay in bed, unable to sleep, aware of his presence across the mansion, knowing he was observing, calculating, and already thinking five steps ahead. And in the quiet night, one thing became terrifyingly clear:

This contract marriage was no longer just business.

It was personal.

And I was at the center