Page 14 of Darkest Love
He sighs likeI’mbeing the dramatic one. “You are being taxing tonight. This is why I never wanted to get married. It’s too messy. Too complicated.”
“You don’t even sound like you have a heart.”
“I don’t. You need to know that about me, Anastasia.”
“Ana.”
“This marriage will only work if you temper your expectations. This is purely political.”
“So, if it’s purely political, then you won’t be angry if we don’t have sex? Because last I checked, sex involves emotion. The one thing you apparently hate.”
“I’ve had plenty of sex that didn’t involve any emotion.”
I scoff. “You are disgusting. If I had known this, I never would have agreed to marry you.”
“But you did and we’re in this now.”
“I just wanted an adventure. Something exciting.”
“And I can give you that,” he says. “But just don’t expect me to fall in love with you and you would probably be best to not fall in love with me.”
I walk off the dance floor, not even caring if it’s seen as rude.
My mom finds me in a dark corner of the room, away from the prying eyes of all the guests I don’t even know.
“Don’t,” I warn. “Don’t say ‘I told you so.’ I don’t want to hear it.”
“I wasn’t going to say it. I just wanted to say that I love you and I’ll miss you when you move to France. And if you ever need help, I’ll be there. Ok? I’ll hurt him for you if you need me to.”
“Thanks, Mom.” I give her a tight hug. She was never one for giving me and my sisters many hugs growing up so I cherish this moment with her.
But it’s over too soon.
And as the night continues on and we get closer and closer to the end of the party, I know I’ll have to start my life with Adrien. And I know it will be complicated and messy. More messy than I ever thought it would be.
Why is the one man I chose not believe in love? In my adventure, I always imagined falling in love.
Adrien is putting a wrench in my plans. He’s the man I’m stuck with now and I don’t know how to process that.
Once the reception is over, I say my goodbyes to my family because it’s time to go to France. We’re not even having a wedding night. It’s just off to France to start our lives together.
After the tears and the hugs, I get into Adrien’s car and he drives us away from the church to the private hanger where his private jet is.
“If you can afford your own plane,” I say, “why do you need an alliance with my brothers-in-law?”
“I rent the plane. It’s not just mine. I share it with a few other people.”
“And that bothers you, doesn’t it?”
He gives me a look out of the corner of his eye. “Maybe. How did you guess?”
“Because you’re a man who likes money. I can tell.”
“Is that a bad thing? You make it sound like a bad thing.”
“No. I’ve grown up with money. I’m surrounded with people who have money. I was stating a fact.”
“You like to state your opinions, don’t you?”
