The farmhouse, which had been a quiet haven just hours ago, was now a battleground of emotions. The soft crackle of the fire in the hearth and the distant chirping of crickets outside only heightened the suffocating tension within.
Alex stood by the fireplace, his posture rigid, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. His eyes burned with a mixture of betrayal and anger as they locked onto Evelyn, who stood motionless near the window. The flickering firelight painted shadows across his face, accentuating the raw emotion etched into his features.
"What do you want?" he demanded, his voice sharp and unrelenting. "What do you want from me?"
Evelyn blinked, startled by the harshness in his tone. Her hands gripped the hem of her dress, her knuckles turning white as she struggled to make sense of his sudden shift. "Why are you shouting?" she asked softly, her voice barely audible. "William will wake up."
Her quiet response only seemed to fuel his anger. Alex let out a bitter laugh, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "Why am I shouting? Because I just married someone who's here under a contract! A contract, Evelyn! One year? What kind of marriage is that?"
Her breath caught, and she looked at him with wide eyes, unsure how to respond. She opened her mouth to say something but quickly closed it again, her thoughts racing. She couldn't tell him the truth—not now, not like this.
Alex's voice rose, his frustration spilling over. "And don't think I don't know why you're here. The only reason I agreed to this sham of a marriage is because of your brother. He saved my life once, and this is me paying him back. That's all this is. Don't think for a second it's anything more."
Evelyn's heart pounded in her chest, her confusion deepening with every word. She had seen glimpses of kindness in Alex earlier that day, moments when he had teased her or smiled. But now, that man was gone, replaced by someone cold and distant.
"What?" she finally managed to whisper, her voice trembling. "What are you talking about?"
"You don't need to know," Alex snapped, his words cutting through the air like a blade. He turned away from her, pacing back and forth like a caged animal. "And don't even think we're a real couple. Whatever this is, it's not a marriage."
Evelyn remained silent, her lips pressing into a thin line. She wanted to defend herself, to explain, but the weight of the contract and the secrets it carried kept her rooted in place. Instead, she simply stared at him, her brows furrowing in confusion as she tried to understand the sudden shift in his demeanor.
"You've been playing me," Alex said, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous tone. He stopped pacing and turned to face her again, his eyes narrowing. "Tell me, is this some kind of game? Did my uncle send you here? Did he tell you to play the sweet, innocent wife and make me trust you, just so you could betray me later?"
Evelyn's breath hitched, but she didn't answer. She couldn't. The words she wanted to say were trapped in her throat, tangled with the weight of the truth she couldn't reveal.
Alex shook his head, his expression hardening further. "Then you're wrong, Miss Evelyn," he said, his voice cold and final. "I don't care what this is about. I'll never trust you. I'll never trust anyone again."
The room fell silent, the air thick with unspoken words and unresolved pain. Evelyn stood frozen, her hands trembling at her sides. She wanted to explain, to tell him that she wasn't the enemy he thought she was, but the contract's constraints held her back.
Alex turned away, his back to her now, his shoulders heavy with the weight of his anger and grief. Evelyn swallowed hard, her confusion and helplessness twisting into a knot in her chest. She had thought this marriage, strange as it was, might offer her a chance at something new. Instead, it felt like she was losing before she'd even begun.
The distance between them, both physical and emotional, grew with each passing moment. Evelyn lowered her gaze, her silence her only defense as Alex walked away, leaving her standing alone in the flickering firelight.
The first rays of dawn spilled through the thin curtains of Evelyn's bedroom, accompanied by the faint sound of a rooster crowing in the distance. She stirred awake, groaning softly as the morning light forced her to open her eyes. The rustic charm of the room, with its wooden beams and simple furnishings, was still unfamiliar to her, but there was a certain comfort in its quiet simplicity.
Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Evelyn stretched and shuffled toward the window. The cool morning breeze greeted her as she peeked out, expecting to see nothing but the calm fields and trees that surrounded the farmhouse.
But instead, her gaze fell upon Alex.
He was outside, carrying heavy bundles of hay with an ease that made it seem effortless. His shirt, damp with sweat, clung to his broad shoulders and sculpted chest, the fabric outlining every curve and muscle of his well-built frame. His dark hair was slightly tousled, strands sticking to his forehead as he worked under the rising sun.
Evelyn blinked, momentarily forgetting how to breathe. Her heart gave an unsteady lurch, and warmth crept into her cheeks. Damn… that man is my husband, she thought to herself, her eyes lingering on him longer than she intended.
She hadn't expected to see him like this—so rugged, so raw, and utterly captivating. There was something undeniably magnetic about the way he moved, his strength and determination evident in every action. For a moment, she forgot all the tension between them, all the hurtful words he'd thrown her way.
As if sensing her gaze, Alex suddenly stopped and glanced toward the farmhouse. His piercing eyes landed directly on her, catching her frozen by the window. Evelyn's heart skipped a beat as she realized he'd caught her staring.
Their eyes met for what felt like an eternity, the air between them charged with an unspoken tension. Then, as casually as if he'd expected her to be watching, Alex straightened and called out, his voice cold and businesslike.
"Get ready and come down. We have lots of work today."
His tone was a stark reminder of the emotional distance he'd placed between them, and it stung more than Evelyn wanted to admit.
"O-okay!" she stammered, her voice higher than usual as she hastily closed the window. The embarrassment was almost too much to bear, her cheeks burning with a mixture of shame and frustration.
She leaned against the wall, pressing a hand to her racing heart. "Oh, Evelyn," she muttered to herself. "Could you have been any more obvious?"
But as much as she tried to shake it off, the image of Alex—his strength, his sharp gaze, and the quiet intensity that seemed to follow him—remained imprinted in her mind.
She sighed, pushing herself off the wall and heading to get ready. Whatever the day had in store, she knew it would involve more than just farm work. Because no matter how hard she tried to steel herself against it, being near Alex would always stir something deep inside her—a feeling she wasn't sure she could control.
TO BE CONTINUED....