"Hold me close so I can finally... breathe"
Marriage wasn't something Carina Bridgerton looked forward to. And true love was not something she dreamed of. She had declared it very clearly to her family that no marriage shall ever be expected from he...
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"I do hope everything is to your liking. Should you require anything else at all, please let me know." The inn owner said as he showed them the way, "Ah, here we are." He opened up a door, revealing a room Carina stepped into, inspecting it, when she heard, "Your room, Your Grace, is just over here."
That made her stop on her heels and turn around to face Simon, only to find out he wasn't even in the room, "I requested a separate room." He said. Carina knew this, she had experienced this, this feeling like her heart would burst from all the hurt and disappointment. She had known not to expect anything from this man- her husband. Yet, she did it again. All she could think to say was a simple, "Yes." Simon hesitated. He might not have spent much time with her but he knew Carina like the back of his hand. She was his best friend, she was his Carina. He instantly realised something was wrong. Things had been tense during the carriage ride but he figured that was because she was upset about the marriage. And as she should be, after all, he trapped her into marrying him. "Should I..." "Yes." she replied, and he instantly walked away to his room. Maybe she just despised being near him. Anyone in her situation would.
Carina spent minutes, probably hours, she did not even know at this point, pacing in her room, her separate room, on their wedding night, worrying about her life and how she could spend the rest of it getting her heart broken by the love of her life every time they interact. And the worst part was he did not even realise it.
He was everything to Carina, her best friend, her confidante, her protector, her love, her husband- and Carina was damn sure she looked at him like he hung the stars and the moon for her. Or better yet, bought her a library. Yet, Simon did not even realise. He did not know, he did not care to know, because with how her mama and siblings had acted, she was pretty obvious. So it was either he did not care enough to realise or he did he just did not care enough to think her feelings relevant.
And that made Carina devastated. Only then she decided she did not wish to feel that way anymore. She had spent her entire life prioritising other's happiness, and then the entire season sulking and moping about her unrequited feelings. She would not brood anymore, she would talk to Simon and make some things clear. As she turned and opened her door, she found Simon standing there, about to knock. Perfect timing indeed. Only, he then opened his mouth and made Carina spiral again, "We should go down to dinner." She let out a frustrated breath and started pacing again.
Seeing her in distress made Simon feel miserable in a way he never had before. The only feeling he could ever compare it with was when he had thought his Carina had been hurt after that fall from the horse when she ran into the middle of a duel. Swiftly closing the door for some privacy, he stepped towards her and questioned, "Carina? I... Are you not hungry? The food is excellent here, I assure you. The last time I visited..." "I do not want any dinner!" Carina loudly interrupted him.
