Chapter 7 THE VOWS
Eli’s POV
The morning didn’t feel real.
No traffic, no voices, just the low hum of air somewhere above me and the faint tick of a wall clock that wasn’t mine.
When I opened my eyes, light poured in from floor-to-ceiling glass. The city sprawled below, glittering too bright for what the day was supposed to be.
The wedding day.
A small team moved around the room. I didn’t note when they’d come in or how long they’d been working. One adjusted my collar, another combed through my hair, murmuring things about angles and symmetry.
They worked fast, mechanical, their perfume thick in the air.
The tux fit perfectly, of course. Julian’s people didn’t make mistakes.
I stared at myself in the mirror. The man looking back could’ve been anyone; polished, lifeless, expression scrubbed out.
“You look perfect,” one of the stylists said behind me.
“That’s the problem,” I muttered.
None of them reacted. They packed their kits and disappeared as quietly as they’d come. The door shut, and silence wrapped around me again.
A couple of minutes later, the lock clicked.
Julian walked in like the room was waiting for him. Black suit, black tie, everything sharp. Even the air shifted, becoming colder, heavier.
“You’re early,” I said, voice rough.
“I own the schedule,” he replied, crossing the room. “You look… acceptable.”
I barked a laugh. “You could’ve just bought a mannequin instead of ruining someone’s life.”
He paused, eyes flicking up from my tie to my face. “Mannequins don’t bleed when you touch them,” he said evenly. “I prefer something real.”
My hands curled into fists at my sides. “You’re unbelievable.”
“Accurate,” he corrected, stepping close enough that his cologne hit me with a scent of cedar and something metallic. He straightened my tie like he was adjusting a prop.
“You’ll stand beside me. The ceremony is brief. The press will be there. You’ll smile when I nod, speak when spoken to. And behave when I kiss you.”
“Kiss?” I blurted before I could stop myself.
He didn’t look up. “Relax,” he said, thumb brushing my jaw with deliberate calm. “It’s just for the cameras.”
“You mean for the contract.”
A corner of his mouth lifted. “You’ll learn they’re the same thing.”
He left the room before I could find another insult strong enough.
\---
The hall outside the ceremony shimmered with money. Glass chandeliers, white flowers, cameras. Like you'd know, without being told, that money organized everything.
I counted at least four reporters pretending not to know that there's two male walking in and not a male and a female.
It's not legal to wed the same gender… I mean, there are laws that make this union illegal but Julian is a menacing public figure, so secretive, yet public. It's as if everyone is seeing what he's doing but they pretend to need glasses…
Everyone knew. Everyone pretended to be blind.
Julian never broke stride. His hand pressed lightly against the small of my back; not affectionate, just guiding. Controlling.
Every flash of a camera felt like a pinprick under my skin.
The officiant’s voice floated through the noise. “We’re gathered here today…”
The words blurred. I focused on the floor, the shine of it, the echo of my heartbeat in my ears.
When it was Julian’s turn to speak, he faced me fully. His voice was steady, carrying easily through the hall.
“I vow to protect what’s mine,” he said. “To provide, to maintain, and to ensure stability; even when chaos tempts it. You’ll never have to wonder who holds control, Eli. You’ll always know.”
The crowd was silent. Even the cameras seemed to hesitate.
My mouth went dry. My cue came and went before I could think.
I forced the words out.
“I vow… to remember who I am,” I said. “Even when everything else tries to make me forget.”
For a second, something shifted in his expression; a crack, a shadow; then gone.
The officiant’s tone lifted. “I now pronounce you—”
Applause. Cameras. Flashing lights.
Julian leaned in, voice low enough for me alone. “Remember, you agreed to obey.”
Then the kiss!! It's not gentle, not fake. He actually kissed me, possessively… demanding.
Just enough pressure to remind me where the power sat.
The crowd cheered. My hands stayed frozen at my sides.
\---
Later, the noise disappeared behind heavy doors. The suite was too quiet again.
I turned away first, loosening the suffocating collar. “So that’s it? I sign my life away, smile for the crowd, and you win.”
“Win?” Julian’s tone was mild. “You still think this is a game.”
He set his jacket on the chair, methodical, unhurried.
“You belong to me, Eli. Don’t forget that.”
My chest tightened. “You can’t own a person.”
He looked up then, calm and terrifyingly certain. “I already do.”
He stepped closer, undoing his cufflinks. The sound was small, precise. I backed up instinctively until my spine hit the wall.
“What are you doing?” My voice cracked despite me.
He stopped just short of touching me. The air between us was heavy, charged with everything unsaid.
“Finishing what the vows started.”
His hand lifted, not forceful, just brushing the edge of my throat, the briefest contact. Enough to make me forget to breathe.
He leaned closer until his breath touched my ear.
“Tonight,” he said quietly, “you’ll learn what this marriage really means.”
The words sank in like a blade.
He stepped back, leaving me in the echo of my own heartbeat.
And that’s where the silence swallowed everything.