Chapter 25
Sophia
“I really don’t understand what we’re doing here,” I said as I took a seat on the chair that Kieran pulled out for me.
“I told you. We’re celebrating.”
Kieran found a place for himself across from me at the table for two. We were in one of the most exclusive restaurants in the city after Kieran wouldn’t take no for an answer. He insisted on going out so much that he got into my room and chose the dress for me.
Seeing him in a mood I had never witnessed before, I decided to take a chance on him, hoping that maybe the night wouldn’t be a complete disaster.
“I don’t want to play this game with you anymore when I don’t even know the rules, Kieran. I am always the one to surrender in this relationship, whatever you want to call it. I am always the one that gives everything and gets nothing in return. I don’t know how you imagined a marriage works, but this is not it. So, if you don’t meet me halfway, as you once said, we will get nowhere.” I was adamant to stand my ground until I got what I wanted.
At that moment, the waiter came with the menus. I took the one offered to me and placed it on the table without looking. I had no intention of ordering, eating, drinking, or doing anything of the sort until I got something from him.
Kieran said something to the waiter, and he left with a slight bow while I ignored him completely.
A devilish smirk wried Kieran’s lips. “I was waiting for the feisty Sophia to come back before I answered her questions.”
I looked at him in disbelief.
“If I ever had any doubts that you’re insane, they’re all gone now. You’re definitely crazy.” I all but snarled.
“What we have here, between us, is marriage, a promise of forever that we will repeat in front of God when the time is right. And I will answer your questions when the time is right, too. Some things you won’t be able to understand as of now.”
I frowned but refrained from speaking my mind.
“And what now?”
“Now that you passed my tests, we can go and fulfill your conditions for marriage.”
“What conditions?” I didn’t remember having any except one: not wanting to tie myself to him in the first place.
“You said you could never marry without love, so that is what I intend to do. Make you fall in love with me.” Kieran stated flatly, looking me straight in the eye.
I stared at him for a few moments, not blinking, wondering if he was serious. His face stayed utterly still; not even one muscle twitched, not a glimpse of anything but utter truth in his eyes and it made me laugh, loudly and wholeheartedly. Realizing I was attracting unwanted attention from other guests whose eyes were all directed towards us, I slightly bowed my head in a poor attempt to calm down the giggles that kept escaping my pathetic self-control that night. Falling in love with him? Oh, heavens, it was the best joke I’ve ever heard.
When I raised my head again, I saw Kieran staring at me, still gravely serious.
“Oh, my dear husband,” I couldn’t help myself but chuckle at the word ‘husband,’ “You are the last man on Earth I could possibly love.”
“We’ll see about that.”
At that moment, the waiter returned with the wine Kieran ordered and poured it for us. As soon as he turned his back and left, Kieran leaned towards me, his stern face turning into a threatening one.
“We both know how you react when I touch you. How long do you think you can hold it before you’re screaming my name in ecstasy?” He whispered with a promise.
That was the truth, and there was no point in denying it. Kieran was an attractive man, and I doubted any woman would reject him. Maybe I hated myself for how easily my body betrayed me, how it reacted to him, and how, despite everything he did to me, it still returned his kisses with every fiber of my being. It was a matter of the fact that I was attracted to him.
“Oh, I think you have things a little mixed up in your head. I was talking about love, not sex. And I have to let you in on a secret - they’re not the same.” I smirked, noticing just how uncomfortable he was with the statement. “And what about you? Will you ever be able to love someone like me?”
I watched Kieran’s face twist into a frown.
“I am pretty sure I never mentioned love as a must for me to be married to you. I chose you because you are enough.”
For a second or two, I was completely speechless at his words.
“You don’t even know me,” I murmured once the jumbled-up thoughts in my head started making sense. “And what happened to all the hate you didn’t even try to hide?”
“I know enough to be sure of my decision. Despite that initial… let’s call it a misunderstanding, shall we? I can see you as a woman I will spend the rest of my life with, the woman I will grow old with, the woman I will have kids with one day in the future.”
Kieran’s statement took me so much by surprise that I almost missed an all-too-familiar shadow that distorted his facial features in a split second before they settled back to their normal state, and it made me wonder again what it was about, but I was sure as hell there was no point in asking.
I knew I could expect anything from Kieran, but this… plans of starting a family, having kids, growing old together? It was overwhelming. I tried to imagine a life with him, a life that Kieran was talking about, but no matter how much I wanted it, I couldn’t. I couldn’t believe it was possible. Not for him and me.
I sipped on a glass of water, avoiding the exquisite wine before I spoke, trying hard to keep my facial expression steady.
“Unfortunately, we don’t share the vision of the future.” A sad smile pulled down the brims of my lips. Even though I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do with my life anymore, I couldn’t imagine spending the rest of it with Kieran, either.
“We’ll see about that.”
The waiter placed plates in front of us, and I unconsciously frowned at the sight of steak. I wasn’t really a fan of bloody meals, but I refrained from saying anything. So instead of digging in like Kieran, I opted to eat the vegetables served on the plate.
“My father called,” Kieran announced between bites, and I raised my head to look at him. “He’s expecting us for dinner next weekend.”
I sighed. I felt terrible for having to lie to a man who believed in a charade that Kieran had pulled me in. No matter the circumstances, he didn’t deserve to be deceived.
We continued eating in silence, and when I was done picking on the tasty vegetables, I put down the fork and leaned my back on the chair. After a minute or two of watching Kieran as he was finishing the dinner he obviously enjoyed, a thought came to mind and I couldn’t help but voice it out.
“You know, dear husband, ... No matter the time we’ve been spending together and this attempt to get closer, I feel like I don’t know you at all. I’m not sure if we can ever stop being strangers. Hence, I don’t know how you imagine us having a child together.”
“Is there something wrong with the food?” Kieran ignored my statement altogether.
I simply shrugged in response, with no intention of explaining anything.
“And you haven’t tried the wine either.” Why was he pressing like this? I couldn’t believe he was genuinely interested in me and my likes and dislikes.
“I don’t drink alcohol.”
“Hm. That’s understandable. It couldn’t have been easy living with an uncle that drank himself to oblivion every day.”
There it was, a smirk glistening with evil that I expected to see the entire evening. The smirk that told me I was right all along. Kieran King could never change.
“How do you know about that?” I shivered in fear.
I didn’t want to remember. Those memories had to stay locked up in the far back corner of my mind, no matter what.
“Oh, I know everything that concerns my wife.”
“I hate you!” I spat.
“I know that too. But not to worry. You’ll come to love me soon enough. But now, tell me, why does the mention of your uncle make you go pale like you’ve seen a ghost?”