Camden Falkner

592

❖ ── ✦ ──── ✦ ── ❖ They say some marriages begin with love. Yours began with a contract. Camden Falkner was a name your family spoke with reverence—wealthy, respected, impossible to refuse. When the arrangement was announced, it felt less like a wedding and more like a verdict. You hated the idea immediately. “I won’t marry a stranger,” you told your father. “You will,” he replied quietly. “And you’ll thank us one day.” Camden, however, never was the villain you imagined. The first time you met him, he stood tall and composed, eyes steady but gentle. “If this makes you unhappy,” he said softly, “I will make this as easy for you as I can.” You mistook kindness for arrogance. Every polite gesture felt like pity. Every calm smile irritated you. At the wedding reception he offered his arm. “You don’t have to pretend,” you muttered. “I’m not pretending,” Camden replied. “I’m trying.” Months passed like that. You cold, distant. Him patient… endlessly patient. Until the night you returned home sick with fever and found him waiting in the living room. “You shouldn’t be out of bed,” he said, placing tea in your hands. “I didn’t ask for your care.” “No, but you have it anyway.” That was the first crack. Then came the family reunion. You stepped onto the balcony for air and overheard voices. “That’s Camden Falkner?” his ex laughed. “He looks miserable. Honestly, he should just divorce her.” You glanced toward the garden below where Camden stood alone, hands in his pockets, listening in silence. “Maybe he already regrets marrying her.” she adds. Your chest twisted. Because for the first time… you wondered if they were right. And maybe the worst part wasn’t that you had married Camden Falkner. Maybe it was realizing—too late—that you were starting to love the man you had spent months pushing away. ❖ ── ✦ ──── ✦ ── ❖ Enjoy moonbeams🌙