Page 8

I hated Val.

I hated the arrangement I was forced into, and I hated how attractive I found him even more.

It only muddied the situation and made it harder for me to keep my guard up.

At the very least, dwelling on the unfairness and how twisted it all was helped me maintain my disdain for him.

My dad’s betrayal reminded me that I couldn’t trust anyone—not even my own flesh and blood.

That meant I couldn’t trust Val for even a moment, regardless of how pretty he was or how sensual his words had been.

He made it very clear that he was playing a game…toying with me for reasons I still didn’t understand. He said as much himself.

It didn’t matter how either of them tried to reassure me about how beneficial our marriage would be to both sides—it wasn’t what I wanted, and I wasn’t prepared to be treated like a chess piece.

Despite being given the night to sleep on everything, I couldn’t stomach the fact that my dad was following through with the sham deal. I especially couldn’t understand how I, of all people, could get swept into something so ridiculous.

Being married off like we were stuck in some bygone era…as if my entire value came from what I could offer Val, and what the deal could provide my dad.

It still didn’t make any sense to me. How marrying me off to one of his associates would benefit Dad in any capacity.

I couldn’t wrap my head around it, and I wasn’t sure if I even wanted to.

Needless to say, I spent most of the night tossing and turning in that hotel room while the dread and anxiety clawed at me.

I didn’t want to be married. Certainly not to a man I didn’t know—one who took far too much pleasure in teasing me and watching me suffer.

No part of me understood what he was playing at, or what he stood to gain, but it seemed I had no choice.

Even after spending the morning begging my dad not to make me do it. To let me go and return to the life I made for myself, regardless of how scant it was.

And still, that wasn’t enough. Seeing my dismay and hearing the desperation in my voice couldn’t shake his walls enough to give in.

I was his pawn. That was evident enough.

And for the first time, I had a genuine reason to despise him.

Being forced into a dress and seated for a makeup artist made me feel like nothing more than a doll to be dressed up and paraded around for everyone’s amusement. With Dad guiding me down the aisle in that small chapel, it was even worse, especially while surrounded by Val’s family.

Despite being briefly introduced to his brothers, I barely remembered their names, and hardly allowed the mental space to be able to place their faces just yet.

The ceremony was still fresh in my mind even then, forced to relive it in what felt like a perpetual loop of my worst nightmare.

He had stood beside me with his hand against the small of my back at one point, and while the warmth of his touch sent a slight shiver up my spine, it also irked me more than I imagined it would.

I wanted to scream through every moment of the ceremony. I wanted to punch Val in particular.

Yet, my choice was silenced, and I could only grit my teeth and try my hardest not to make a scene, despite how badly I wanted to.

Dad kept a straight face throughout, not showing a hint of any kind of emotion. No anger, no tears, and no elation.

It was a deal, nothing more.

He handed me off, and in whatever way, he got what he wanted in the end.

While our relationship had never been particularly good or bad, I never imagined I could feel such intense disdain for my own father as I did at that moment.

To him, I was only something to be traded, and while I had been completely unassuming before, the time for that was over. He revealed how he truly felt about me, and there was no more hiding his real intentions.

To him, I was a tool and a prize to be used on a whim.

Since the moment he revealed his plans to marry me off to Val, it felt like a piece of me broke, and I wasn’t sure if it could ever be repaired again.

With a glance in Val’s direction at any point during the charade, his pleased expression could be found. He looked far too satisfied with the way things were unfolding, like he was moments away from getting everything he could ever want.

His posture had been pin-straight throughout the ceremony, demeanor calm yet quietly triumphant. He repeated everything that needed to be said, smiled when he needed to smile, and put on his usual charm. It almost seemed like he was happy to be there.

Happy to bask in my anger and dismay.

Val looked perfect—unshakable, handsome, and perfectly hateable.

Every part of me hated the way he looked at me, like everything was set in stone and decided. How he expected me to be good and go along with it all.

It was infuriating, and it took every molecule of strength in my body not to lash out at him, or at Dad.

All of it was completely unfair; out of everyone it could’ve happened to, why did it have to be me?

I never asked for any of it. Regardless of me doing everything to go off on my own, to provide for myself and carve my path, I still got sucked into my dad’s world of influence—the control I tried so hard to avoid. Somehow, all of that work I did had been for nothing.

My time away, living on my own, was all just a facade. Dad’s attempt at seeming charitable before he’d ultimately decide to screw me over.

No matter what I said or did, I had no choice. I had no freedom.

Having all of that choice taken away from me made my heart ache and burn.

They both saw me as a piece of property…nothing more.

I hated it.

It made me feel sick.

“You okay over there?”

That voice snapped me out of my thoughts, and I tore my eyes away from the back window of the SUV to find Val on the other side, looking at me somewhat expectantly. If I hadn’t known better, I would’ve thought there was a trace of worry in his eyes.

“I’m fine,” I muttered, tone colder than it needed to be. But I didn’t care, anyway. What did it matter? I already lost everything.

In truth, I was far from fine.

My whole body felt numb, and my pulse pounded in my ears. I wanted to run so badly, but being in a moving vehicle made that impossible without getting myself hurt. And even if we weren’t moving, Val, the driver, and whoever the man in the passenger seat was would catch me before I could get far.

I knew Val had money, but to have a guard? That seemed like a bit of a stretch to me. It didn’t make much sense, but I didn’t question it.

“I’m not so sure I believe you,” Val mused, eyes gleaming with a touch of humor that only made my blood burn more.

“I don’t care whether or not you believe me.”

“Is that any way to talk to your husband?” he questioned, finding far too much joy in knowing he had me at his mercy.

Scoffing, I narrowed my gaze at him. “You could at least try to be understanding.”

Without flinching, Val glanced at me. “I am understanding.”

I threw him an incredulous look. “Bullshit. You’re acting like you’ve won some kind of game. Like you don’t care about anything other than your ridiculous agenda.”

Val threw up a brow at that, looking vaguely more annoyed than before. “Oh? And what exactly is my agenda, then, since you seem to know so much about that?”

“I don’t know,” I mumbled, irritated for a multitude of reasons. “But whatever it is, it doesn’t have my best interests in mind.”

“That’s what you think, hm?”

“Yes. It is,” I returned, feeling the building resentment inside me.

His gaze lingered on me for a long moment as he seemed to study me, getting some kind of read on me. Then, the briefest smirk pulled on his lips.

In an even, slow movement, Val reached up and hooked his finger beneath my chin while he moved the slightest bit closer, eyes examining me further.

The feeling of his skin against mine sent small, barely-there shivers through me, and as warm as he was, I didn’t want to give in to it.

“I hate to break it to you, but I’m not trying to ruin your life, Tia,” Val murmured, focusing on the line of my jaw while his finger slowly grazed it. He hummed to himself. “But either way, you’re a Novikov now, which means you’ll only have the best of the best. It’s up to you to accept it, or make things harder for yourself.”

Despite his touch and the way I had half a mind to lean into it, his words set in with the damning truth, and I scowled at him before pulling away.

At my abrupt movement, the corner of Val’s lip turned upward, and a small huff of amusement escaped him.

“Feisty…well, I suppose I can’t make that decision for you. Either way, you better get comfortable, wife.”

Wife .

That title was enough to make my skin crawl.

Far too angry to put up with him then, I tore my eyes away and looked out the window again, silently pleading for the drive to be over before I completely lost my mind.

Neither of us said anything while the driver made his way through the city, heading towards one of the swanky gated communities.

After some time, the silence was unbearable and suffocating.

I hated everything—I hated Val.

Even so, I was stuck with him, and stuck in that meaningless marriage.

The ring around my finger felt like a tool to mock me, and I couldn’t look down at it without feeling my stomach twist.

It spoke of my dad’s cruel decision and Val’s victory over me.

Eventually, the vehicle pulled up to a not-so-humble place that spoke entirely of the wealth his family possessed, and the driver cut the engine.

I still couldn’t feel my legs while I sat there for a moment longer, noting as Val wordlessly got out. A moment later, my door opened, and he was there, looking at me expectantly.

“Well?” he asked, gesturing for me to give him my hand.

As much as I didn’t want to comply with him, I also didn’t want to sit there a moment longer than I needed to with him closer than necessary.

Just barely stopping myself from muttering under my breath, I accepted his hand, and he smoothly pulled me out of the car.

Val’s hand found the small of my back once again, causing me to freeze up immediately, tensing while he guided me toward the opulent front door.

I had no doubt he noticed how rigid I was, but he didn’t say anything about it. Instead, he maintained that slight hold on me, whether it was a bid for control or an attempt at soothing me.

Regardless, it was unwanted.

Clenching my jaw while we moved across the driveway, I muttered, “Don’t expect me to comply with whatever you want. I’m not a trophy, and I’m not your obedient little wife.”

Even if I didn’t look in his direction, I still felt his gaze on me.

“You are my wife, but I certainly don’t expect you to give in without a fight,” Val murmured, dipping his face closer to mine with a hint of amusement in his voice. “Besides…your resistance is something I like about you.”

Even if the admission caught me off guard, I scoffed to myself and continued walking, refusing to look at him. Another man by the door opened it up for us, and I went in first with my arms crossed, feeling ridiculous in that stupid dress.

As I stormed ahead, having no idea where I was going, I heard the sound of Val’s chuckle behind me.

He was such a smug asshole…

I didn’t have a choice in our marriage, but I wasn’t about to give all of myself to him. Never.

While he could force my hand, he couldn’t make me like him, and he certainly wasn’t going to find the wife he wanted in me.

I was going to keep my distance, no matter the circumstances.

He wasn’t going to win. Not completely.