Aria and Rian, once childhood friends who now can barely tolerate each other, are forced into marriage for the sake of their families.
Their relationship is anything but smooth, as both struggle with the weight of their troubled pasts and refuse to...
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Aria
After a disastrous night, I finally found a bit of rest, sharing the bed with Rian, who had stumbled back around 4 AM. But as expected, the respite was fleeting. I woke up gasping for air, tormented by the same recurring nightmare that had haunted me for the past three years. The relentless grip of these dreams was wearing me down, leaving me mentally exhausted.
Accepting that further sleep was a lost cause, I stretched my arms above my head and glanced at the clock. 6 AM. Perfect timing. I tilted my head from side to side, trying to ease the persistent kink in my neck.
When I faced the left side of the bed, I was greeted by the sight of the pillow barrier I had set up the night before. To my surprise, it was still completely intact. I had expected the pillows to be disturbed or moved by now, but they stood firm, a silent testament to the boundaries I had established.
A small sigh of relief escaped my lips, a faint smile tugging at the corners of my mouth. It was a small victory, but a victory nonetheless. The wall of pillows, ridiculous as it seemed, had held its ground.
I slipped out of bed as quietly as I could, careful not to wake Rian. As I moved toward the bathroom, I felt a tiny surge of empowerment. For the first time in a long time, I had taken a stand for myself, however small.
As I prepared for the day, my mind kept drifting back to the conversation Rian and I had the night before. His words, sharp and cutting, still echoed in my head. But beneath the sting of those words, I found a strange, new determination to make the best of this situation. Maybe there was a way for us to find some semblance of happiness, even if it wasn't the life we had imagined.
With that thought in mind, I stepped out of the bathroom, ready to face the day. As I walked back into the bedroom, I saw that Rian was still asleep, his breathing steady and even.
For a moment, I simply stood there, watching him sleep. He looked so peaceful, almost vulnerable, a side of him I hadn't seen before. The anger and bitterness that usually clouded his expression were gone, replaced by a softness.
With a newfound sense of determination, I walked over to the bed and gently shook Rian awake. "Good morning," I said, my voice soft. "It's time to start the day."
Rian stirred, his eyes fluttering open as he looked up at me. For a moment, he seemed disoriented, still caught in the haze of sleep. But then his gaze sharpened, and a look of recognition crossed his face.
"Get lost!" he grumbled, his voice rough with sleep. "I meant what I said last night-I'm not going to play your loving husband."
