Chapter 33 MY WEDDING NIGHT.
\~~~SERENA.
The silence in the car was loud and it pressed against my ears, my chest, and my thoughts until I felt like I might choke on it if I didn’t say something. But I didn’t. I just sat there, stiff and quiet with my hands folded neatly on my lap like a stranger riding shotgun.
I was married.
The ring on my finger felt heavier than it should have. It was not uncomfortable. Just present and constant like it was reminding me with every small movement that there was no turning back now.
Beside me, Damien sat with his back against the leather seat, his long legs were stretched out, and one arm was resting casually on the armrest. His attention was on his phone, his thumb scrolling slowly, and his face was calm and unreadable.
I watched him and I didn’t mean to. It just happened.
The sharp line of his jaw. The way his suit jacket fit him perfectly, like it had been made for his body alone. The faint crease between his brows, as if he was thinking about ten things at once and refusing to show even one.
My husband.
The word still felt unreal.
Finally, he caught me staring.
Our eyes met for half a second before I looked away too fast with my heart jumping like I’d been caught doing something wrong.
“What?” he asked calmly.
“Nothing,” I said quickly. “I was just… um… thinking.”
He hummed, clearly unconvinced, but he didn’t push.
The city lights blurred past the window and my reflection stared back at me. My veil was gone, makeup was still perfect, and my eyes were tired and confused.
We hadn’t waited for the ceremony to fully end.
I had leaned toward him, my lips close to his ear, and whispered that I was tired and that I needed to leave. He hadn’t questioned it. He had simply nodded his head, apologized quietly to whoever needed apologies, and taken my hand like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Now here we were. Married, and alone.
“You keep looking at me like that,” Damien said after a while.
I swallowed. “Like what?”
“Like you are trying to solve a problem.”
I let out a nervous laugh. “Maybe I am.”
He glanced at me briefly, then back to the road. “You will give yourself a headache.”
I shrugged, then blurted out, “You said you had a surprise.”
That got his attention. He had told me when we first entered the car that he had a surprise and he hadn’t said any more thing since then.
“Yes,” he said. “Later.”
“What kind of surprise?”
He smiled just a little and God, that is the kind of smile that made my stomach twist. “If I tell you, it won’t be a surprise.”
I frowned. “That is unfair.”
“Life is unfair, Moonlight.”
I bit my lip. “Where are we going first?”
“Home.”
The rest of the drive passed in uneasy quiet, broken only by my thoughts spiraling over each other.
Was I doing the right thing?
I had wanted this. I had asked for it. I had walked into his office that day and laid out my terms like I knew exactly what I was doing.
God.
My chest tightened.
When we arrived, the house felt different.
The same walls, the same lights and the same quiet luxury. Yet everything felt shifted, like the air itself knew something had changed.
Damien stepped out first, walked around, and opened my door. He held out his hand.
I hesitated for only a second before placing mine in his.
The contact sent a strange warmth up my arm.
Inside, he led me upstairs without asking, his grip firm but gentle. My heart beat faster with every step, especially when we stopped in front of his bedroom.
His bedroom?!
I raised a brow. “This… isn’t my room.”
He looked at me calmly. “I know.”
“I have a room here,” I said quickly. “In case you forgot.”
He didn’t answer right away. He simply opened the door and guided me inside.
The room was large, dimly lit, and the bed was neatly made like it had been waiting.
“This is going to be our matrimonial room,” he said.
Panic flared in me and I started. “But…”
Damien turned to me fully then, took my hands, and walked me further inside. He shut the door behind us before letting go.
Then he placed his hands on my shoulders.
“Remember what you agreed to when you asked for this?”
My breath hitched as he leaned slightly closer. “W… what?”
“This is going to be a proper marriage in every sense that matters, Moonlight,” he said calmly. “And the first step is sharing a room.”
He leaned down and pressed a soft kiss to my cheek.
“I will not have my wife sleeping doors away from me.”
My head spun.
“B… but it doesn’t matter where,” I rushed out. “I could stay there, you could stay here. It doesn’t change the fact that I am your wife. Everyone already attested to that today.”
“I don’t care what anyone thinks,” he said quietly. “I care about making this your reality.”
My heart pounded. “W… what are you saying?”
He studied my face, eyes sharp and knowing. “You have poor memory, do you not?”
I frowned. “What?”
“You didn’t forget your promise, did you?”
“P… promise?” My eyes widened as I searched my mind.
Then it hit me.
Hard, and God, my hand flew to my mouth.
“A wife who plays the part,” I muttered. “In public, in private and everywhere.”
My knees nearly buckled.
Before I could say another word, Damien bent down and lifted me off the floor with ease.
I screamed. “What are you doing?!”
He carried me toward the bed like I weighed nothing. “Guess.”
“Guess?” I huffed, panicked. “Jesus, I don’t like guessing!”
He set me down gently, but the mattress dipped beneath my weight, trapping me in place.
“Wait,” I panted. “Damien, let’s talk this out.”
He didn’t answer. He simply straightened and slowly shrugged off his jacket.
My breath stopped.
Wait…
What the hell?!
My heart slammed against my ribs as he loosened his tie, his movements unhurried, and his eyes never leaving mine.
“I said wait,” I whispered.
“And I said guess,” he replied calmly.
This wasn’t how I imagined my wedding night.
Or maybe it was.
And that terrified me the most.