CHAPTER 14
"I've already told you, it was an accident," Arianna asserted, her voice firm but tinged with frustration. "I never wanted any of this, and I won't ask anything of you."
Xander's scoff cut through the air like a blade.
"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" His tone dripped with skepticism.
"Two years ago, you vowed to vanish from my life, only to magically appear in my bed, claiming it was all a mistake. Yet, hours later, the media had a field day with the story. How did they find out, Arianna? Without this marriage, I'm certain you and your parents would have hounded the media, forcing my hand."
Arianna's jaw clenched, but she remained silent, the weight of his accusations heavy upon her shoulders.
With Xander's disbelief looming over her, Arianna knew that any attempt to explain herself would be futile. He would only despise her further.
When she reluctantly agreed to this marriage, she did so with a plan in mind. Arianna hoped that once she met her newlywed husband, they could come to a mutual understanding.
She would arrange for the best doctors to treat his disfigurement and physical ailments.
Once he was healed, he could pursue a relationship with someone he truly cared for, freeing her from this unwanted marriage.
It was a calculated gamble, but one she was willing to take to secure her freedom.
With her plan now in shambles due to the unexpected revelation of Xander as her newlywed husband, Arianna found herself at a loss for what to do next.
As she remained silent, Xander interpreted her lack of response as acquiescence. A smug smile played on his lips, confirming his low expectations of her.
For Xander, any glimmer of softened feelings towards Arianna was quickly extinguished by the harsh reality of their circumstances.
Each time he allowed himself to consider the possibility of forgiveness, the past would come crashing back, reminding him of her betrayal.
Xander’s eyes blazed with barely-contained fury as he watched Arianna, who seemed lost in her own thoughts, her gaze fixated on something beyond the window. He felt a surge of irritation at her apparent disregard for his presence, his jaw clenched tightly in frustration.
With each passing moment, his anger simmered beneath the surface, intensifying as Arianna remained oblivious to his seething glare. The silence between them grew heavy, punctuated only by the distant sounds of the bustling city outside.
Finally, unable to contain his frustration any longer, Xander spoke in a tone laced with thinly-veiled hostility.
"Are you just going to sit there and ignore me?" he demanded, his words sharp and cutting.
Arianna turned her gaze towards Xander, her expression puzzled as she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. With a nonchalant shrug, she responded with a simple
"Huh?" conveying an air of indifference, as if she hadn't heard a word he said.
With a furious glint in his eyes, Xander's grip on the sheet tightened as he struggled to contain the seething rage boiling within him. In one swift motion, he tore the sheet away from Arianna's body, sending it cascading to the floor in a heap.
Caught off guard by his sudden aggression, Arianna instinctively shielded her exposed form with trembling hands, her eyes wide with shock and confusion.
"What... what do you think you're doing?" she stammered, her voice wavering with a mix of fear and disbelief.
Xander's expression twisted into a sinister smile as his slender fingers began to deftly unbutton his shirt. Despite the elegance of his movements, his voice dripped with icy malice as he spoke.
"It's our wedding night, Arianna. Naturally, I'll be exercising my rights as your husband."
Arianna felt a knot form in her stomach as she observed Xander's sudden change in demeanor. What had she done to provoke him this time? She racked her brain but couldn't recall any recent actions that warranted such hostility.
After all, she hadn't done anything wrong...
Arianna's voice trembled as she hugged herself tighter, her heart pounding with fear.
"Xander, please, stop right there," she pleaded, her words coming out in a rush.
Arianna's back pressed firmly against the headboard of the bed as she tried to put as much distance between herself and Xander as possible.
Every instinct in her body screamed for her to escape, to flee from the man who now loomed over her with such menacing intent. But no matter how hard she pushed against the bed, she couldn't escape. She was trapped, vulnerable, and at his mercy.
"If you despise me and don't want this marriage, why don't you just end it? I promise I won't let my parents cause any trouble. I'll leave the country immediately, and you'll never have to see me again..."
Her sentence was cut short by a gasp as Xander suddenly lunged forward, grabbing her ankle with a vice-like grip and pulling her towards him. Arianna's eyes widened in terror as he pinned her hands above her head, leaving her helpless and trapped beneath him.
"X-Xander.....pleses let g-go..."
