The silence in the apartment felt suffocating, pressing down on me as Marcus and I sat across from each other. I tried to focus on my breathing, but my thoughts were racing, darting from one question to the next. What had I gotten myself into? How could I sit here with a man I didn't know—who now, legally, was my husband?
I rubbed my temples, the dull ache of an impending headache creeping in. My nerves were frayed, my heart pounding in my chest like it hadn't yet caught up with reality. I glanced at Marcus, still sitting on the couch, his expression unreadable. His calmness unnerved me. He didn't seem bothered by any of this. How could he be so composed when everything felt like it was spiraling out of control?
"So," I began, breaking the silence, my voice barely above a whisper. "What now?"
Marcus tilted his head slightly, considering my question. "That depends on you," he said, his tone steady, almost too casual for the gravity of the situation. "You're the one who decided to get married today."
I blinked, thrown off by his bluntness. He wasn't wrong, but his words stung. I had made the choice. I had dragged him into this. But the weight of that realization only made me feel worse. What had I expected? A magical solution to my heartbreak?
I swallowed the lump in my throat and forced myself to keep talking. "Why did you agree?" I asked, the question hanging heavily in the air. "You could've said no. You didn't even know me."
He leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on his knees as he regarded me. "I didn't see a reason to say no," he replied simply.
I frowned, frustrated by his calmness. "That's not an answer."
Marcus's lips twitched into a faint smile, one that didn't quite reach his eyes. "Isn't it?" He held my gaze for a moment before leaning back into the couch, settling into the silence once again.
I bit my lip, unsure of what to say next. Part of me wanted to press him for more, but another part of me was too exhausted to care. I had been running on pure adrenaline since the ceremony, and now that it had worn off, I felt drained—emotionally and physically.
"I need a drink," I muttered under my breath, pushing myself up from the chair. My legs felt shaky, my body protesting every movement as I crossed the room to the small kitchen. I grabbed a bottle of wine from the cabinet, barely registering the label, and poured myself a glass.
Marcus watched me, his gaze steady but distant. I wondered what he was thinking. Did he regret this already? Did he think I was crazy for dragging him into this mess?
I took a long sip of the wine, savoring the way it burned down my throat. The silence stretched on, thick and heavy, and I hated it. I wanted him to talk, to say something—anything—but he just sat there, calm and collected, like this was all perfectly normal.
"Do you want one?" I asked, holding up the wine bottle as I glanced at him.
He shook his head, his lips curving into another faint smile. "No, thank you."
Of course, he didn't drink. He was too controlled for that, too composed. I finished my glass in one gulp and set it down on the counter, the alcohol doing little to ease the tension building inside me. This wasn't how my day was supposed to go. I was supposed to be married to someone I knew, someone I loved, someone I could trust. Instead, I had…this.
I turned to face Marcus again, crossing my arms over my chest. "So what happens now?"I asked, repeating the question because I honestly had no idea what else to say.
Marcus shrugged, his calm demeanor unwavering. "We figure it out."
"Figure it out?" I echoed, the frustration bubbling up again. "I just married you in the middle of my wedding—my wedding to someone else. Do you even know what that means for me?"
He raised an eyebrow, his eyes locked on mine. "It means you made a choice," he said, his voice low but firm. "You didn't want to marry him. You wanted to make a statement. You did that."
His words hit me harder than I expected. I had wanted to make a statement, but standing here now, with the weight of my decision pressing down on me, it felt like I had overplayed my hand. I had wanted to hurt Liam, to show him that he couldn't have everything his way. But now, I was the one left with the consequences. I was married to a stranger—a man who seemed completely unfazed by everything.
I pressed my fingers to my temples again, feeling the headache intensifying. "This was supposed to be the happiest day of my life," I muttered, more to myself than to him. "Now it's just… chaos."
Marcus stood up from the couch and walked over to me, his steps slow and deliberate. For the first time, I felt a strange energy radiating from him, something calm but unsettling. He stopped a few feet away, his presence almost overwhelming in the small space of my apartment.
"We can't undo it, Nyah," he said softly, his voice steady. "But we can decide what happens next."
I stared at him, my mind spinning. His words made sense, but they didn't make me feel any better. There was no undoing this. I had married him. Legally, we were bound together now, and I couldn't even begin to imagine what that meant.
"Do you want an annulment?" I asked, my voice trembling slightly as I spoke the words I was almost afraid to say.
Marcus didn't answer right away. His eyes bore into mine, as if he was searching for something, but I couldn't tell what. Then, finally, he shook his head. "No," he said, his voice low and firm. "I don't think you do either."
His response stunned me. I opened my mouth to protest, but nothing came out. Did I want an annulment? It would make sense, right? To end this as quickly as it had begun. But something in the way he said it made me pause. Maybe it was the steadiness in his voice, or maybe it was the fact that I didn't have an immediate answer myself.
"I don't even know you," I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
Marcus's gaze softened, just a fraction. "You will."
The way he said it made my heart skip a beat, though I couldn't explain why. There was something about Marcus—something calm but intense, something that both drew me in and made me wary. I felt like I was standing on the edge of a cliff, looking into the unknown, unsure of whether to take the leap or step back.
I rubbed my temples again, feeling the weight of everything crashing down on me. "I just… I need time to think," I said, my voice barely above a whisper. "This is all… a lot."
Marcus nodded. "Take all the time you need," he said, his voice still calm, still composed. "I'm not going anywhere."
The words sent a shiver down my spine. There was something final about them, something that made me realize that Marcus wasn't just some impulsive decision I could undo. He was here now, and whether I liked it or not, we were in this together.
I turned away from him, my mind spinning with everything that had happened. I needed space. I needed air. Without another word, I grabbed my coat and headed for the door. Marcus didn't stop me. He didn't say anything. He just watched as I left, the weight of his gaze following me out into the night.
The night air hit me like a wave as I stepped outside. It was cold, crisp, and biting—just what I needed to clear my head. I wrapped my coat tighter around me and started walking, my mind still racing with questions, doubts, and the overwhelming realization that I had just changed my entire life in a matter of minutes.
The streets were mostly empty, save for the occasional car passing by. I kept walking, unsure of where I was going, but needing to move, to do something that would help me process everything.
I had just married a man I didn't know. A man who, up until an hour ago, had been nothing more than a face in the crowd at my wedding. And now… he was my husband.
My husband. The word felt foreign, strange, as if it didn't belong to me. I had spent years imagining what my wedding day would be like, and this—this wasn't it.
I stopped at a park bench and sat down, my mind still reeling. I had wanted to hurt Liam. I had wanted to show him that he couldn't have everything his way. But now that it was done, I wasn't sure if I had hurt him or just myself.
I pulled my phone from my coat pocket and stared at it. I should call someone. My mom, my best friend—someone who could talk me through this. But I didn't want to hear their voices, didn't want to hear the judgment, the questions. I wasn't ready to explain what I had done, because I wasn't sure I even understood it myself.
I sighed and slipped the phone back into my pocket, leaning back against the bench as I stared up at the dark sky. The stars were barely visible through the city lights, but I found comfort in the stillness of the night. It felt like the world had stopped spinning for a moment, giving me a chance to catch my breath.
But even as I sat there, trying to find some sense of peace, I couldn't shake the feeling that my life had just taken a turn I hadn't been prepared for. Marcus was in my apartment, waiting for me. And despite everything, despite the insanity of it all… I wasn't entirely sure I wanted him to leave.