Chapter 3 - A Marriage Without Love
The first thing I learned about being Nathaniel Crane’s wife was that nothing about his world happened by accident.
Not the schedule.
Not the conversations.
Not even the way people looked at us.
Everything was planned.
Everything had a purpose.
Three days after signing the contract, I stood inside a luxury bridal boutique in downtown Boston, staring at myself in a mirror while strangers adjusted a wedding dress that felt nothing like me.
The woman in the reflection looked elegant.
Beautiful, even.
But she didn't look like Emily Taylor.
She looked like someone pretending to belong in Nathaniel Crane’s world.
"You look incredible," the designer said.
I smiled politely.
"Thank you."
But my mind was somewhere else.
A week ago, I was worrying about unpaid medical bills and whether I could keep my apartment.
Now I was wearing a designer wedding dress worth more than my yearly salary.
It should have felt like a dream.
Instead, it felt unreal.
"Mr. Crane selected several options personally," the designer added.
I looked at her.
"He did?"
She nodded.
"He was very specific."
That surprised me.
Nathaniel had never seemed like someone who cared about details like dresses.
He cared about numbers.
Contracts.
Business.
Control.
Not fabric and flowers.
"What did he choose?"
The designer smiled.
"Something simple."
She turned me toward the mirror.
"Elegant. Not excessive."
I looked at the dress again.
It wasn't covered in diamonds.
It wasn't designed to attract attention.
It was clean.
Classic.
Almost exactly what I would have chosen myself.
And somehow, that bothered me.
Because it meant Nathaniel had noticed something about me.
Something small.
Something I hadn't told him.
The wedding was held two weeks later.
Private.
Quiet.
Exactly as Nathaniel wanted.
No media.
No unnecessary guests.
No celebration that could create questions.
Only a small group of people in a beautiful garden behind a private estate.
Nathaniel stood beneath the white flowers wearing a black tuxedo.
Perfect posture.
Calm expression.
Like he was attending a business meeting instead of getting married.
I walked toward him slowly.
Everyone watched.
But Nathaniel was the only person I saw.
For a moment, I wondered if he was nervous.
Then I remembered.
This was Nathaniel Crane.
The man who could negotiate million-dollar deals without changing his expression.
The man who never showed weakness.
The ceremony was short.
The vows were simple.
No promises of forever.
No declarations of love.
Only legal words.
Only signatures.
Only an agreement.
When the officiant said we were husband and wife, Nathaniel looked at me.
Not romantically.
Not emotionally.
Just carefully.
As if he was studying the consequences of his own decision.
Then he offered his hand.
I took it.
The cameras captured the moment.
To everyone watching, we looked like a perfect couple.
A powerful man and his beautiful wife.
A dream.
A fairytale.
Nobody knew it was a contract.
Nobody knew there was an expiration date.
Nobody knew that the woman standing beside Nathaniel Crane had married him because she needed saving.
And nobody knew that the man beside her had married her because he believed love was a weakness.
The first week of marriage was strange.
Not bad.
Just strange.
Nathaniel was respectful.
That was the first thing that surprised me.
I had expected arrogance.
Coldness.
Maybe even cruelty.
But he never treated me like property.
He never demanded anything.
He never reminded me of the agreement.
In fact, he barely spoke to me.
Our home was a massive penthouse overlooking the city.
Three floors.
Private elevator.
A view that looked like something from a magazine.
It was beautiful.
And completely empty.
The first night, I stood in the bedroom doorway and realized something.
We had a bedroom.
But not a marriage.
There were two separate closets.
Two separate sides of the room.
Two separate lives.
Nathaniel walked past me carrying a folder.
"I had another room prepared for you if you prefer."
I looked at him.
"You mean I don't have to share this room?"
"No."
The answer came immediately.
"You have your own space."
That surprised me.
"Most people would assume a married couple..."
"Most people are not aware of our arrangement."
His tone was calm.
I nodded.
"Right."
He placed the folder on the desk.
"Your brother's debt has been cleared."
I froze.
"What?"
"The payment was processed this morning."
A strange emotion filled my chest.
Relief.
After weeks of fear.
After sleepless nights.
It was finally gone.
"Thank you."
Nathaniel looked at me.
"You don't need to thank me."
"Yes, I do."
"No."
His voice softened slightly.
"You fulfilled your side of the agreement."
The words reminded me.
Agreement.
Contract.
Transaction.
I looked away.
"Of course."
Nathaniel noticed.
For a second, I thought he might say something.
He didn't.
He simply left.
James came to see me the next day.
When I opened the door, he looked different.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like someone who had been carrying a heavy weight and finally put it down.
"Emily."
I hugged him.
He held on tightly.
"I'm sorry."
I sighed.
"You've said that a hundred times."
"I mean it."
"I know."
He pulled away.
"I don't understand how you did this."
I looked toward the city.
"Neither do I."
James became quiet.
"Do you hate him?"
The question surprised me.
"Nathaniel?"
He nodded.
I thought about it.
The truth was complicated.
"No."
"Really?"
"No."
I looked down.
"I don't know him well enough to hate him."
James looked uncomfortable.
"But you're married to him."
I smiled sadly.
"Apparently."
He didn't laugh.
Because we both knew.
This wasn't normal.
"This isn't fair to you."
I looked at my brother.
"You made a mistake."
His eyes lowered.
"But I'm the one who chose this."
That was the hardest truth.
Because no matter how much I blamed the situation...
I had signed my name.
Nathaniel and I quickly became experts at pretending.
Public events.
Business dinners.
Photographs.
Everyone believed our story.
The happy newlywed couple.
The powerful businessman finally settling down.
The woman who changed Nathaniel Crane.
That last part made me laugh the first time I heard it.
Because nobody knew the truth.
I hadn't changed him.
I barely knew him.
At dinners, Nathaniel would place his hand on my back.
He would smile at the right moments.
He would say the right things.
And when we returned home, the performance ended.
One night, after a charity event, I found him standing alone on the balcony.
The city lights reflected in the glass.
He had removed his jacket.
His tie was loose.
For the first time, he looked tired.
Not powerful.
Not untouchable.
Just human.
"You hate these events," I said.
He glanced at me.
"What makes you think that?"
"Because every time someone asks you about your personal life, you look like you want to leave."
A small smile appeared.
Almost invisible.
"You notice a lot."
"So do you."
The smile disappeared.
"I have to."
"Why?"
Nathaniel looked back at the city.
"Because not noticing things gets people hurt."
There was something in his voice.
Something from the past.
Something painful.
Before I could ask, his phone rang.
The change was immediate.
The businessman returned.
The walls went back up.
He answered.
"Crane."
His expression became colder.
I watched him listen.
Then his eyes moved toward me.
Not with anger.
Not with suspicion.
With concern.
That surprised me.
"Understood."
He ended the call.
"What happened?"
"Nothing you need to worry about."
I frowned.
"You always say that."
"Because it's true."
"No."
I looked at him.
"You say it because you don't want people close enough to know when something is wrong."
For a moment, Nathaniel said nothing.
The silence between us felt different.
Not empty.
Something else.
Then he quietly asked:
"Why do you care?"
The question caught me off guard.
I didn't have an answer.
Because technically, I shouldn't.
This was a contract.
A temporary arrangement.
A business decision.
But standing there, looking at a man who seemed surrounded by people yet completely alone...
I realized something.
Nathaniel Crane wasn't cold because he didn't feel anything.
He was cold because somewhere along the way, feeling something had become dangerous.
"I don't know," I admitted.
His eyes stayed on mine.
And for the first time since we met...
Nathaniel looked uncertain.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
The man behind the contract.
The person hidden beneath the power.
Then he looked away.
"Goodnight, Emily."
"Goodnight, Nathaniel."
I walked back inside.
Neither of us said what we were thinking.
Neither of us understood what had just happened.
But that night was the first time our marriage stopped feeling like a deal.
Only for a moment.
Only a crack.
May you like
But sometimes...
A crack is all it takes for light to enter.
