Married to a misogynist

setting sun. The grandiose marble floors, adorned with antique furniture, reflected the opu

t too perfect, the décor too immaculate. It was as though every inch of the space was designed to remind her o

. He looked at her with a confident, almost calculated expression, his gaze unwavering as he set a thick, leathe

of finality, "I've been thinking about our engagement,

wedding, her mother had begun discussing dress options. But hearing it from Edward, seeing the certaint

ced with tension, though she was determined to stay calm. "We need time to underst

one arm casually resting on the armrest, the other holding his glass of whiskey. Hi

e. Our families have been aligned for years. Our union is inevitable. It's not a question of 'if'-it

ied, her voice shaking slightly despite her efforts to remain composed. "Marriage is not a business transaction. It's not something yo

y to calm her down, to make her think that he was hearing her

nder. "But we are in a different world, Sophia. A world where emotions have to be secondary to the bigger

old, calculated reasoning that Edward used to justify everything. It

more than just a business arrangement,"

impatience. "I respect your ideals, Sophia. I truly do. But we're past that now. We've crossed a line where i

rong in the cold, strategic sense. He was right about one thing: their union was about leg

ulled out a carefully prepared document-a formal proposal for the weddi

s from now. That gives us enough time to prepare, but it's not too far off. It'll se

't want to marry him, but what could she do? Her father's approval, her family's expectations, all pointed toward this unio

for this," Sophia murmured, he

ars. "You don't need to be ready, Sophia. You just need to accept it. I know this isn't easy. Bu

g his voice. "You don't have to wor

ht choice, that this was the only choice. He was playing the role of the protector, the provide

t felt like a sentence-one that had already been written

Sophia. But once it's over, you'll see that it was all for the best. We'll hav