Engaged to Escape

Some stories begin with love.
Ours begins with an agreement.

Not a romantic one, not even a willing one.
A deal, signed in silence, sealed with pressure neither of us could escape.

I had my rules success first, everything else later. He had his walls pride, arrogance, and a sharp tongue made of steel. We were never supposed to meet halfway.

But families don't care for "supposed to." Families care about legacy, power, appearances.
And when two worlds collided, we became their solution.

Engaged, but not in love.
Together, but never truly close.
Bound by conditions, by facades, by the promise that we would never let this charade touch who we were inside.

At least, that's what we believed.

Because the thing about façades is...they crack.
And when they do, you're left staring at truths you never meant to find.