“Rule number three, when you're together, you must share a bed. There will be no separate rooms, or lives.”“Four. You're not allowed to see anyone else while married. You two must be faithful to each other. If either of you cheat, mistake or not, you two would lose everything. The empire, and your parents' stakes, do you hear? We take our family values pretty serious in this family. Our bond is at the core of everything we do, and your family? It starts with you two. With trust, love, and devotion.”Elena nodded slowly, uncertainty wafting off her. Surely she didn't think I'd allow her fuck around while she bore my last name? I clenched my jaw and looked away. Everything about this marriage was mentally draining.“The fifth and final rule you two must abide by is, you must be open to the possibility of finally falling in love with each other. I know you're still hanging on to past feelings, but I believe if you two spend quality time together and give yourselves a honest chance, your

Richard did most of the talking as he gave a tour of his living quarters. I was in awe at how big, spacious and beautiful it all was. Until today, I'd only ever seen his living room and kitchen. His quarters were similar to Talia's in size, but while Talia's was pink, glitzy and glamorous, Richard's was black, cold and basic. Perfectly all-man.I could see my sister's strong influence all over the place, and it felt awkward. She sure did have the entire place in the palm of her hands, given the decorations and setting of things. It made it even more obvious that everything here was meant to be hers. Her territory, and I was only encroaching in it. I supposed, in many ways, everything was still hers. Richard was still hers, not mine.Her books took up most of the shelves in his study. Huge, brown books of health, celebrity magazines, cooking recipes and the likes. He had her pictures on the wall in every room. The love he had for her was choking, and painfully evident in every nook and

“Where do I stand in all of these?” Sarah asked, wiping her wet eyes clean. She sniffled. “Where does this leave us? You're willing to throw away all we've built for the past five years? That's insane.”Richard looked at me, but I was at a loss for words too. If anything, I was anticipating his answer as much as Sarah was. He was the man after all. He was the main character in this.“I'm sorry, Sarah. You know the type of man I am. You know how I feel about marriage. You made the decision to walk away from this. You didn't even consider my feelings. There is... There is nothing I can do to help you. You said we were over.”“I know, my love. I wasn't thinking clearly. I was stupid,” she let out a breath, her eyes on the floor. For a brief moment, I let myself soak up her words. I believed that she was truly remorseful. But when she lifted her face and shot Richard a wicked, scary smile, I knew I was wrong.“You two only have to stay married for five years, isn't that so?”Richard blink

Elena's hurtful look was all I could think about as I made my way to the restaurant where Sarah and I had planned to meet. She looked so helpless — pained. We were only married for a day, and I was already hurting her in more ways than one. What the hell was wrong with me?I had no idea what to make of it. The concept of her and me. I was scared. I didn't know what the future had in store for us, but I was starting to wonder what the next five years would look like for the two of us. I thought she'd want to keep her distance, that she'd want to push me to Sarah, but the way she just touched me — her heartwarming possessiveness — it was beautiful in a way I didn't expect. It made me feel things I'd never felt before.“Richard! Over here, love!”I ran a hand through my hair and exhaled as Sarah rushed toward me the moment I stepped into the private restaurant she'd arranged for us to have lunch together. She wrapped her arms around my neck and rose gently to her tippy toes, her lips bru

I placed my coffee cup on the counter when I hear the front door swung close and walked toward the sounds in the hallway.Elena looked up in surprise and froze. Her hair was wet, and she was dressed in the same clothes she was wearing yesterday. She clearly spent the night somewhere, and it sure as hell wasn't here, in my bed where she was supposed to be."Where have you been?" I asked, my voice deceptively calm."Richard." She lifted her hand to her chest. "You're up earlier than usual."I stared her down, trying to keep her from realizing how angry I am. "I asked you a question."She frowned at me and tried to walk past me, but I grab her wrist and pulled her against me. "Where. Were. You? Answer me,” I snapped.She gritted her teeth and glared daggers at me. "Do you have any right to ask me that after you went for lunch and spent the night with my sister? Don't be a hypocrite."I pulled her closer, until I had her body flush against mine. I do have that right, Elena. I'm your husba