“This will be your room,” Cedric said just as he opened the door next to his own room.

I had wondered what he was going to expect of me regarding sleeping arrangements, but unsurprisingly he was a gentleman. We may have been together last night when we were both tipsy, and we may be technically married, but it was clear he wanted to be respectful of the newness of our situation and not make any assumptions.

“It’s sort of small and dark...”

The problem was not about the size, or even living together in one house. It was the fact that my room didn’t have its own bathroom! But I didn’t want to start this marriage off by complaining.

“It’s fine.” I smiled. “I like it.” Besides the problem with the bathroom, I liked everything about this room. It wasn’t too big or luxurious, but it looked cozy, with rich black drapes and tasteful furniture. It also adjoined Cedric’s room, which I found comforting for some reason.

“This marriage is a bit sudden, and I never expected someone to move in so… it might take a few more days before I can fix up the other, bigger room for you. I’m using it as a gym right now.” He sounded apologetic.

I nodded. “It’s not a problem. I can use the bathroom downstairs.”

“Or you can take my bedroom and bathroom, and I can use this room for now.”

But I declined. I didn’t want to give him any more trouble.

“Ah? No. I don’t.”

“Good.” I could see his ears turned red. I should probably stop staring at him. “I like this room.”

“I thought you don’t like black.” He looked at me as if he was wondering when I changed my preference.

“I think… I stopped liking pink stuff a long time ago.”

Pink. The feminine color Evan had insisted I wear and decorate with.

“All right. You should— “

“I’m not tired,” I knew he wanted to tell me to rest early, “I want to talk,” I added.

“About what?”

“About us…” If there even is an ‘us’. “We’re married, so we should talk about the contract.” I quickly added, hoping I wouldn't offend him somehow. Maybe I was too straightforward, but I thought this is the best way to set boundaries about this… relationship. Or whatever it was that we have now.

He pursed his lips.

“All right. Let’s go to my study.”

I nodded. “How many rooms does this house have?” I wanted to ease the tension by talking about anything.

“Four.”

I followed him into his study, which was located across from his room. The big bookshelf behind his swivel chair immediately attracted my attention. It wasn’t because it was big, or because it occupied the entire wall. It was because of how all the books on the shelves had black hardbound covers.

Much like my room, this room was just black and white. A black rectangular table and a chair were the only pieces of furniture inside. Across his table was a huge flatscreen TV. Aside from that, there was nothing else inside the room. The atmosphere inside the room was both sophistication and loneliness.

“So um…”

He pointed at the only chair inside. “You can sit on my chair.”

“Thank you.” I sat on the swivel chair and looked at him as he stood by the window to my right.

“What do you want us to talk about?” he got straight to the point.

“No matter what happens, please agree to treat me as your wife for at least a year.”

One year is enough time to save Cedric from his own demise, and should also be enough time to bring down Evan.

He turned towards me. “Huh?” He looked confused.

I knew, since the moment I woke up in that bed, that I didn't deserve him. He was too nice, too warm and bright for my dark past. “I know the marriage is sudden. And while I know you don’t believe in divorce now, it’s possible you could learn things about me that make you question that resolve. So please, I just want a guarantee of one year, no matter what.”

He took a step towards me. His eyebrow rose, the corner of his lips raised into a smirk. Did he look… amused?

“What could I possibly find out about you that’s worse than your bizarre affection for my brother?” he asked.

I gulped.

“And I still married you, even knowing that.”

He had a point. But still, I alone knew how terrible I truly was. I continued with my demands,

“And at first, we need to keep this marriage secret.”

I couldn’t enact my revenge if everyone knew about my personal connection to Cedric, so waiting to reveal it was crucial.

“Ok.”

What? He didn’t want to know why? He would be infuriating if he weren’t so handsome. But ok, my plan would benefit both of us, and the fewer questions he asked the better.

But he did have one question.

He leaned closer, and I immediately leaned back. Lemon and musk swirled around me. Then he spoke, “Isn’t it a little too late to talk about this now? After all, we’re already married. And whether we tell people or not, I’m not going to change my mind in a year, or ever.”

But emotions change! I just wanted to give him a chance to be happy. Still, I couldn’t argue that was indeed a bit too late to talk about this now. And maybe part of me wanted to believe that no matter what he found out about me in the next year, he wouldn’t change his mind. If we would just promise me that though…

He smiled and pulled my hand closer to his body. Then he said, “We’ll keep our marriage a secret until you are ready. No divorce. Let’s not talk about this anymore.” His tone had a hint of finality that stopped the words that I was about to say.

Just as his lips touched the back of my palm, my phone rang. The sound of the Mama Mia soundtrack, which my mother had set as her personalized ringtone, echoed inside the study. I immediately took my hand back and answered my phone.

I had been so distracted by Cedric that I hadn’t realized it was time to get this particular phone call already.

“Mom?”

“Bella… come home…” It was my father’s voice. His words were the exact words that he used in the previous timeline. “We have an emergency.”