"Heartstrings Torn: Navigating the Conflict Between Love Fear"

Chapter 21: A Cold Beginning

As we returned from our honeymoon, I couldn't help but feel like something was off. Alaric had been distant towards me ever since our wedding, and I couldn't understand why.

I tried to talk to him about it, but he would always brush me off or say that he was just busy with work. But I knew that something was wrong.

It wasn't until one night, when we were lying in bed, that he finally opened up to me. He told me that he was struggling with the fact that we had gotten married for business reasons, and that he was scared that our relationship wouldn't work out.

I was hurt by his confession, but I understood where he was coming from. We had taken a risk by getting married, but I had thought that we were in this together. 

But as the weeks passed, Alaric continued to be cold towards me. He would spend more time at work and less time with me, and I felt like we were growing further apart.

I missed the Alaric that I had fallen in love with - the one who was kind, caring, and supportive. But now, he seemed like a different person.

I didn't know what to do. I had taken a risk by marrying him, and now, I felt like I was losing him. I didn't want to give up on our relationship, but I also didn't know how to make things better.

Alaric's POV:

As we returned from our honeymoon, I couldn't help but feel like a fraud. I had married Seraphina for business reasons, but now, I was struggling with the fact that we were married.

I didn't know how to tell her how I felt, so I started to distance myself from her. I thought that by being cold towards her, she would understand that something was wrong.

But as the weeks passed, I realized that I had made a mistake. I had pushed away the person that I loved, and I didn't know how to fix things.

It wasn't until one night, when Seraphina confronted me about my behavior, that I finally opened up to her. I told her how I was struggling with our marriage, and how I was scared that it wouldn't work out.

I knew that I had hurt her, but I also knew that I had to be honest with her. I didn't want to lose her, but I also couldn't ignore the way that I felt.

As Seraphina grew colder towards me, I couldn't help but feel like I had made a mistake by marrying him. I had thought that we were in this together, but now, I felt like I was alone.

As we sat in silence, I realized that our marriage had taken a turn for the worse. We had started off on the wrong foot, and now, we were paying the price for it.

I didn't know how to fix things, but I knew that I couldn't keep living like this. I loved Alaric, but I couldn't keep holding onto a love that wasn't reciprocated.