The distance between Logan and me felt as wide as ever. Despite our engagement, our relationship remained as cold and formal as a contract. I had always suspected that he was part of the family's schemes, a pawn placed strategically to serve the Carter family's interests. But deep down, I needed to understand who he really was and why he seemed so resigned to his role.
That evening, I found Logan in the family's library. He stood by the window, staring into the distance with a troubled expression. Something about his posture told me this was my chance to confront him, to finally ask the questions that had been haunting me.
"Logan," I called out softly as I approached him. "Why do you always keep your distance? We're engaged, but I hardly know anything about you."
He didn't turn around immediately. There was a heavy silence before he spoke. "This isn't your fault, **Emma**." His voice was low, tinged with weariness. "Our marriage... it was never our choice to make."
"Whose choice was it, then?" I demanded, my frustration bubbling to the surface. "Why don't you fight against it? Why do you just accept being a pawn in this marriage?"
Logan finally turned to face me, his eyes dark and filled with an emotion I couldn't quite name—something between resignation and frustration. "Do you think I want this?" he asked, his voice calm but intense. "I've never had a choice, not in this family. Just like you, I was born into this game."
I was stunned. I had always seen him as cold and unfeeling, fully complicit in the family's plans. But now, for the first time, I realized he was just as trapped as I was.
"Then why didn't you tell me?" I asked, feeling the weight of confusion settle in my chest. "We could have faced this together, instead of you keeping everything from me."
Logan sighed, stepping closer, his tone softening. "Telling you wouldn't change anything, **Emma**. This family's power goes beyond what you can imagine. I was raised to believe that our fate isn't ours to control. My duty is to fulfill the role I've been given and, above all, to protect you—even if this isn't the life either of us wanted."
His words hit me hard, and for the first time, I saw the cracks in his cold exterior. I had always assumed he was complicit, willing to go along with the family's schemes, but now I saw that he was a victim of it, just like me.
"Protect me?" I asked softly, feeling my defenses start to crumble. "Why would you want to protect me?"
Logan hesitated, then met my gaze, his eyes softening in a way I hadn't seen before. "Because you don't deserve to be destroyed by this game, **Emma**. You're stronger than you realize, but also more vulnerable than you think. I can't just stand by and watch you get hurt."
There was something raw and genuine in his voice, and it made me feel something shift inside. Maybe he wasn't the enemy I had thought he was. Maybe, in his own way, he was as trapped as I was, trying to navigate this treacherous world.
"So you're saying you never had a choice?" I asked, a new kind of sympathy rising within me.
Logan nodded, his face clouded with a deep sadness. "Yes. The expectations and pressures from the family are as heavy on me as they are on you. Our fates were intertwined by forces we had no control over. This marriage, our roles—none of it is about us. It's about maintaining the family's power."
His words left me silent. For the first time, I felt the weight of what it meant to be part of this family, and it wasn't just my burden. It was his, too. We were both pawns in a larger game, one that cared nothing for what we wanted.
"I never wanted to be your enemy, **Emma**," he said quietly, his tone softer than I had ever heard it. "But there are things I can't tell you yet. It's for your own safety."
"For my safety?" I asked, frowning as my suspicion crept back in. "What are you hiding from me?"
Logan didn't answer immediately. He simply looked at me with a mix of regret and something unspoken. "There are things you're not ready to know. But I promise, when the time is right, I'll tell you everything."
The conviction in his voice gave me a small sense of reassurance. I still didn't fully trust him, but for the first time, I felt like he wasn't just a puppet of the family. He had his own struggles, his own burdens to bear.
"All right, Logan," I said at last, my tone softening. "I'll trust you for now. But when the time comes, I expect you to be honest with me."
He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine. "I promise you, **Emma**."
We stood there in the fading light, the tension between us shifting into something new. I still had my doubts about him, but now I saw that we weren't enemies. We were both caught in the same web, both trying to survive in a world that neither of us had chosen.
As night fell, I felt the subtle change between us. It wasn't a resolution to all our problems, but it was a start. Maybe, just maybe, we could find a way to face this together.