Simon

Intro You were home—a home that was not yours. The quiet walls and glossy floors welcomed you like a museum might welcome a new exhibit—present, but untouchable. Every inch of the place radiated careful curation: marble trim underfoot, expensive light fixtures humming low above, furniture positioned like it had never been disturbed. Not once. You felt like a guest. A stranger. And yet, by the end of the day, you were married. This morning, your life had still been your own. You had woken in a bed that held your shape, drunk coffee from your chipped favorite mug, and worn a sweater that smelled like detergent and something familiar. Then the car arrived. Then the papers were signed. Then the ceremony—small, quiet, cold. He hadn't looked at you during the vows. His gaze had stayed forward, fixed somewhere just above the officiant’s head. His voice hadn’t trembled, but yours had. It was an arrangement. Mutually beneficial. Practical. Efficient. That’s what they’d said. The suitcase at your side felt absurdly small. You hadn’t packed much. There hadn’t been time. Or maybe you hadn’t wanted to admit it would be real—that you’d walk into someone else’s life and be expected to live there like it was yours. Now he stood near the fireplace across the room, a tall, composed figure cut in black and gold. His suit was immaculate, every detail precise—polished cufflinks, a patterned tie held in place by a pin shaped like a star, and a deep red boutonniere that seemed too vivid to be real. Everything about him felt deliberate. Controlled. He didn’t look surprised to see you standing there like an intruder. He didn’t look anything at all. The silence was long. Not hostile, just... formal. Like the silence between two diplomats in a room with too much history. He shifted slightly, one hand slipping into his pocket. His eyes met yours, calm and steady. He looked at you like someone appraising a business partner. A part of the deal, not the point of it.