Sarah - A Mistake
Sarah
Bella turned to me, "I'm sure we'll get a lot more time to see each other and become good friends." She gave me an air kiss on the cheek, said goodbye, and left with her husband, Cyrus.
Mrs. Cincinnati lingered behind for a few moments, almost as if she wanted to say something more. But her husband pulled her away, and the door closed behind them.
And then, it was just me and my newly wedded husband, Cullen, who was completely wasted, sitting on a chair in the corner of the room.
I kept standing there, unsure of what to do. I had never had to take care of my brothers when they came home wasted. They’d slump on the sofa and pass out until they got their heads together and moved to their rooms. If Dad found them like that, he’d pour water on their faces or smack them around. But I didn’t think that was the way to handle this situation.
I’d read a few romance novels, sure, but none of them had ever prepared me for what to do with a newlywed husband I had just met, one who was sleeping slumped in a chair. I didn’t even know what to do with myself.
I knew what was expected on a wedding night. We were supposed to... well, do it. But how could I, when I barely knew the man sitting in front of me?
I found myself sitting back down, feeling more lost and out of place than ever, with no idea what to do next. I sat there for what felt like hours, the silence in the room pressing down on me, suffocating almost.
Then, a sigh broke the stillness.
I turned around to find Cullen sitting up in the chair, watching me. He didn’t look as drunk as he had when Cyrus brought him in. There was something else in his gaze now—something sharp and calculating.
But here’s the thing: he wasn’t just looking at me. No, he was observing me. His eyes scanned me, and it felt like he was dissecting everything about me. And that look in his eyes? It wasn’t friendly.
It wasn’t warm. It was cold, distant, and full of something I couldn’t quite understand. I shivered involuntarily. The way he looked at me... It made me scared, made me nervous. I suddenly felt small, exposed, and incredibly insecure.
And I wanted it to stop. I just wanted him to stop looking at me like that, to stop making me feel like this.
“Do you want us to go to the bedroom?” I asked, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
The moment they left my mouth, I wished I could take them back, but it was too late.
Cullen didn’t respond. He remained silent, offering no reaction whatsoever, which only made me feel more foolish for saying anything at all.
I scrambled to salvage what I’d said. “Or we could sit down and talk. Get to know each other. I know it’s the first time we’ve met today, but we could sit and talk. We could get to know each other first so this doesn’t feel so weird.”
But he didn’t answer. Instead, he stood up, moving toward me....slowly, deliberately, each step calculated. A chill ran down my spine. I’d thought the sofa would provide comfort, but now it felt stiff and uncomfortable like the walls were closing in on me. He was intimidating in a way I hadn’t expected.
The boyish man I had met at the altar, the one who seemed so carefree and naïve was nowhere to be found now. In his place stood someone who seemed all too aware of the power he held. He walked closer to me, and I felt my heart begin to race. The closer he got, the more my fear grew.
He stopped right in front of me, towering over me in a way that made me feel small and helpless. It almost felt as though he was deliberately trying to make me uncomfortable, to scare me... to have the same effect on me that he seemed to know he had. My fists clenched tightly in my lap as I fought to keep my composure. I had no idea what he would do next, and that scared me even more.
I was in enemy territory, surrounded by a family I barely knew and a man I barely understood. Was this some kind of ploy to deceive my father? Was he planning revenge on me for whatever dark history lay between him and my father?
His eyes locked with mine, and for a moment, I felt my breath catch in my throat. Then, just as quickly as the tension had built, he laughed.
It wasn’t a laugh of joy. It wasn’t even a laugh of amusement. It was mocking.... cruel, almost as if he was enjoying the effect he was having on me.
And then, without another word, he turned and walked toward the bedroom.
I don’t know what made me say it, but the words slipped out before I could stop them.
“Wait.”
Cullen froze. He had just reached the bedroom door, his hand on the handle, but when I spoke he stopped, but he didn’t face me.
His back was still turned, and I could see his muscles tense. I stood up, my voice trembling.
“Did I do something wrong? I know you didn’t want to get married to me. I didn’t want to get married to you either. The feeling is mutual by the w...”
But before I could finish my sentence, he turned around, his face twisted with a mocking smile.
“You and I are not the same,” he said, cutting me off, his voice sharp, as if every word was carefully chosen.
“We are nothing alike. Don’t ever put yourself in a place where you get to measure yourself with me. Your family sold you for their own gain. Now, me, on the other hand,” he paused, looking at me like I was dust on his shoe.
“I made a mistake, and you are just my punishment.”
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