As Bruno and I walked back toward the mansion, my mind was spinning. The idea of trying to escape seemed absurd now, especially with him right behind me. Every nerve in my body was on high alert, and I couldn't shake the feeling of being hunted.
He stayed close, his footsteps unnervingly silent behind me. The air felt thick, suffocating, and my throat was tight, each breath shallow. I wanted to scream, to lash out, but what would that achieve? Nothing. Bruno had me cornered, and there was no denying the reality of my situation.
As we reached the back entrance of the mansion, I slowed down, unsure of what to do or say. The last thing I wanted was to go and stay in that party, to face my parents and pretend that everything was normal when my world had just been flipped upside down.
"Why did you try to leave?" His tone wasn't angry or even mocking this time. It was low, calm, too calm, and that scared me more than anything.
I turned slowly to face him, unsure of how to respond. His eyes were fixed on mine, dark and intense, waiting for an answer I wasn't sure how to give.
"I needed air," I whispered, the same weak excuse that had slipped from my lips earlier. It sounded pathetic now, especially with the tension thickening between us.
Bruno took a step closer, his presence commanding as always. He tilted his head slightly, studying me with a curious glint in his eyes.
"Air? Really?" His voice was laced with disbelief. "Most people don't try to scale fences when they're just looking for fresh air, Maria."
I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of his gaze like a physical force pressing down on me. The truth was bubbling just beneath the surface, but I couldn't bring myself to say it aloud.
How could I explain that I was trying to escape a contract marriage I hadn't even agreed to? How could I admit that I was terrified of being trapped with him?
I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but the words stuck in my throat. Bruno's eyes narrowed slightly, and for a moment, I thought he might call me out on my lie. Instead, he said something that stopped me cold.
"You didn't even know, did you?"
I blinked at him, confused.
"Know what?"
Bruno's expression shifted, his smirk fading into something more serious. He studied me for a long moment, and I could feel my pulse quicken under the intensity of his gaze. Finally, he spoke, and his words hit me like a punch to the gut.
"This party," he said slowly, "it's not just some family gathering or social event. It's an engagement party, Maria."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Bruno crossed his arms over his chest, watching my reaction closely.
"Your parents and mine arranged this party to announce our engagement."
The world seemed to tilt on its axis, and I swayed slightly, my vision blurring for a moment. I couldn't breathe. This couldn't be real. An engagement? My parents had already finalized an engagement between me and Bruno, and they hadn't even told me?
I stared at him, my mind racing as I tried to process what he had just said. My parents had thrown me into the lion's den without so much as a warning.
This entire night, all the grandeur and celebration, was nothing more than a façade to bind me to a man I barely knew, a man I feared.
I felt a wave of nausea rise in my throat.
"No," I whispered, shaking my head. "No, this can't be happening."
Bruno didn't look surprised by my reaction. If anything, he seemed almost... amused.
"Oh, it's happening," he said, his voice low and steady. "You and I are officially engaged. The contracts have already been signed."
My knees threatened to buckle beneath me. My parents had lied to me, manipulated me into this situation without even asking what I wanted.
They had taken away my choice, my freedom. And Bruno, standing there so calmly, as if this were just another business deal, wasn't making it any easier to accept.
I couldn't find the words to respond. I couldn't find any words at all. The shock was too overwhelming, suffocating me as the reality of what he'd just revealed sank in.
Bruno stepped closer, his hand reaching out to grip my arm. The touch startled me, sending a jolt of awareness through my body. His fingers were warm against my skin, firm but not painful. He didn't let go, even as I tensed beneath his grip.
"Why are you so surprised?" he asked quietly, his voice soft but insistent. "You knew this was coming, didn't you? Or did you really think you could run from it?"
I wanted to scream at him, to tell him that I hadn't known, that I had no idea what my parents had done until this very moment. But the words wouldn't come. All I could do was stare at him, wide-eyed and vulnerable, as the weight of his gaze bore down on me.
He took another step closer, closing the distance between us until I could feel the heat of his body against mine. His hand slid from my arm to my waist, pulling me just a fraction closer, but enough that I could feel the possessiveness in his touch.
"You belong to me now, Maria," he murmured, his breath warm against my ear. "There's no use in fighting it."
His words sent a shiver down my spine, but it wasn't entirely from fear. There was something else, something deeper, stirring inside me that I couldn't quite understand.
My body reacted to his nearness in a way I hadn't expected, my pulse quickened, my skin tingled where his hand rested on my waist, and I felt an unfamiliar heat building low in my belly.
I should have pulled away. I should have screamed or slapped him, demanded that he let me go. But I didn't. I couldn't. Instead, I stood there, frozen, as his gaze locked onto mine, his dark eyes searching my face as if he were trying to read my thoughts.
For a brief moment, the smug arrogance slipped from his expression, replaced by something darker, more primal. His grip on my waist tightened ever so slightly, and his eyes flicked down to my lips.
My heart pounded in my chest, and I could feel my breath hitch as the air between us seemed to crackle with tension. I didn't know what was happening, but I could feel the shift in him, the change from cold calculation to something much more dangerous.
And then, before I could react, Bruno's mouth was on mine.
The kiss was sudden, fierce, and I gasped at the shock of it. His lips were warm and demanding, moving against mine with a hunger that took my breath away.
His hand slid from my waist to the small of my back, pulling me flush against him as he deepened the kiss.
For a split second, I froze, my mind screaming at me to push him away. But then, something inside me snapped, and I found myself kissing him back.
I couldn't explain it. I couldn't understand why, after everything that had just happened, I wasn't pulling away. But the truth was, I didn't want to.
I wanted this. I wanted him. I belonged to him now, and there was no escaping it.