Bound To Be; the marriage bargain

Chap

moving in perfect chaos. My dress clung to my curves, crimson and sequined, reflecting the shards of light like tiny galaxies. I was there to forget-to drown out the dull ache that had been gnawing at

e, when I felt his presence before I saw him. A shift in the air, a gravitational pull.

rp cheekbones, a strong jaw, and a mouth that curled into a lazy, confident smirk as he caught me staring. He wore a fitted leather jacket over a plain white t-shirt, and the way his jeans clung to him mad

was smooth, low, and carried just

y curls cascade over one shoulder. "I'm alrea

t more than it should have. "Then how about I

before-knew better. But there was something magnetic about him, something that made me w

avender and woody undertones overwhelmed me. We talked-about nothing and everything. His name was Bastien and I really hoped I would remember his

ocked in our own orbit. I couldn't remember the last time I'd felt so alive, so present. But there was a war wagi

es that weren't that funny. Still, I let him guide me onto the dance floor

oximity blurred into a single decision-a decision I didn'

ring me just enough to register what I was doing. His hand was warm around mine, hi

and an eclectic mix of art on the walls. It smelled like cedar

y, like we were both trying to escape something. His hands found

ace. Who was I trying to prove something to? Him? Myself? Was this abou

. For now, I let myself drown in his touch, his warmth

forgetting, about losing myself in the arms of a stranger

mfort of the hangover was making it more difficult to remember anything that happened the night bef

s. It had been weeks since the disastrous event that had left my reputation in tatters. The memory of that night stil

and melodic, masking the poison she carried underneath. My former business colleague, a friend. She had been the kind of person who would charm anyon

ut in the end, I'd been forced to settle out of court. The fine had been

n the go-to planner for high-end events, and my phone had rung nonstop with request

together every penny I could, but it wasn't enough. I was drow

d to sell my beautiful apartment, the one my parents had gifted me . N

t the future. Would I ever be able to rebuild my

eeling of hopelessness. I couldn't give up. I h

apartment, I couldn't help but