—#[continuation of author’s pov]:[an hour later:that same night]
In the courtyard of the villa, Ethan sat alone on a small garden couch, a center table in front of him and two armchairs flanking the sides, all resting on smooth stone tiles.
The space was cradled by soft, well-tended greenery, glowing faintly under the garden lights.
Behind him loomed the villa’s large living room, letting in a soft breeze through the floor-to-ceiling doors.
The quiet night made the courtyard feel more isolated than ever like its own little world.
Ethan sat unmoving, the stillness wrapped around him like a second skin, his back against the couch, the sleeves of his white shirt rolled up to his elbows, revealing the quiet tension in his forearms.
His gaze was fixed on the night sky, stars reflected faintly in his eyes. Yet even the silence couldn't hide the weight pressing down on him.
Thoughts swirled, but none found their way to his lips.
Ava, who had noticed his silent presence, stood at a distance, leaning against the side of the wall, her arms crossed against her chest as she just silently watched him.
She didn't speak. Or maybe..not yet? Her gaze dropped to the stone path beneath her feet before she slowly pushed herself off the wall.
Unfolding her arms, she took a quiet breath and walked toward him, a soft smile playing at her lips, fragile, like something she had to force into place.
“It’s peaceful here…” she finally said in a gentle voice, stopping just beside the couch.
Ethan, still lost in thought, blinked and looked up. Their eyes met briefly, he acknowledged her, but said nothing. She didn’t wait either.
Instead, she quietly sat beside him.
The silence lingered, broken only by the rustle of leaves and the faint chirping of insects.
Ava remained composed, but her mind churned beneath the calm.
She glanced sideways at him, then looked ahead again. Her voice came gently as she broke the weight of the quietness around them.
“Aren’t you happy?” she asked, her tone barely above a whisper.
He didn’t respond at once. His brows knitted.
And then—“Happy?” he repeated, not as an answer, but as a quiet question to himself.
The word felt foreign, almost misplaced..as if he was tasting the word for the first time.
Ava turned her head slightly toward him, a soft smile curling at her lips, one that tried to be reassuring but carried a quiet ache underneath.
“She finally took her first step towards you,” she said, pausing for a beat, her voice a little more fragile now. “Aren’t you happy about that?”
The question hung in the air like a weight, and with it, a silence deeper than before.
Ethan didn’t move. Didn’t blink. Just stared ahead. Unreadable.
Then slowly, his gaze lowered, eyes drifting down to the simple vase of lilies resting on the center table in front of them.
His voice, when it came, was low but resolute.
“I’m not.”
Ava’s smile faded. She looked at him, startled, not by the words, but by how certain they sounded.
YOU ARE READING
𝐁𝐈𝐋𝐋𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐈𝐑𝐄'𝐒 𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐅𝐄 || 𝐉𝐉𝐊
Fanfiction"I am your wife." "This marriage is a mistake. A huge mistake." He stated, making her eyes go wide open in shock. "I am trapped in it against my will." he finished and she just watched him in silence. As their marriage bond began as a compromise...
