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Lena, a 23-year-old woman, finds herself married to a much older man, Henri, in circumstances beyond her control. Despite the luxury and privileges she obtains, Henri, cold and distant, seems incapable of offering the love and attention she seeks. Little by little, Lena loses the affection she had for him, feeling more and more alone in this marriage. The situation becomes complicated when Léna falls in love with Maxime, Henri's son, a charming and ambitious young man. Maxime, although married and engaged in another relationship, also lets himself be drawn into this dangerous game of forbidden passion. They find themselves caught in a whirlwind of desires and lies, fighting against their contradictory feelings. Their impossible love story, filled with sacrifices, leads them towards a fatal outcome where love and betrayal mix forever.
Chapter 1 Chapitre 1
Forced marriage is often described as a silent promise between separated souls, a contract made of stifled dreams and extinguished hopes. Lena stood there, under the gilded ceiling that was too high, in a huge room that she had never imagined more than in her worst nightmares. People laughed around her, their voices intertwining with the music of the orchestra, but deep in her eyes, there was only emptiness. This day, which should have marked the beginning of a love story, was turning into a masquerade.
Everything was perfect. Or at least it seemed that way. The dress, bright white, slid over her skin like a distant caress, a little too stiff, as if it wore not only delicate embroidery but also invisible chains. She had always dreamed of this day, but never of this reality. She hated the solemnity of this moment, the gaze of the guests, the photographer's camera that was constantly focused on her, capturing smiles that she had not given. She wanted to blend into the shadows, disappear behind the velvet curtains, but everything seemed irreversible. The light dazzled her, suffocated her, and she had no choice but to smile again and again, until her cheeks burned.
Henri, her husband, stood at her side, implacable. At the sight of his face, Lena felt an icy cold, like a bite that seeped into her skin. He was older than her, much older. She had never understood why he had chosen her. Why her, a young woman with no history, a little lost in her dreams and desires. She was 23 years old and he was almost twice that. But he had an envied social position, a fortune inherited from his father and grandfather, and a reputation that he intended to keep intact. Lena was part of his decor, a new acquisition to adorn his shoulders and embellish his image.
Everyone seemed impressed by the pomp of the ceremony, but Lena saw things differently. The gilding, the red carpets, the pearls and sparkling diamonds, all of it seemed artificial to her. There was nothing real in this world of appearances. Not a knowing look, not a word of tenderness exchanged. Just mechanical gestures, words devoid of meaning. Barely an hour had passed and Lena felt like she had lived an eternity in this great merry-go-round that her existence had become.
The moment she got married, she understood that she had signed up for something much bigger than herself, something she didn't yet understand, but that would define her forever. By marrying her, Henry had made her a part of his empire. She wasn't there to love him. No. She was there to be one more piece in this puzzle of appearances. An angelic face, a well-groomed and perfect beauty. A calm, well-ordered life, where nothing should ever disturb the fragile balance he had put in place.
The ceremony finally ended, but Lena wasn't really aware of what had just happened. She felt like a stranger in her own skin. Everything was too big, too beautiful, too distant. She wondered why her hands were shaking, why her heart was tight. It was madness to have let him do it. But how could she be otherwise when the only thing she had ever learned was to submit, to face the world without question, to accept the weight of her family's legacy? Marriage had been just another contract she had had to sign, a step on a path that had been mapped out in advance.
Henri looked at her, his gaze cold and indifferent, as they took their places at the head table. He didn't say a word to her. Just a slight nod, as if to confirm his presence. Lena knew he didn't expect anything from her. No hug, no declaration of love. What he expected was for her to be there, simply, to embody the perfection of his life in appearance. That was how he had always seen her: an accessory he could show off at social events. Not a human being, just an extension of his name, his image.
He stood up for a moment to make an announcement. He handed her a black velvet box, a smile almost frozen on his lips. She looked at him without knowing how to react. She felt like she was outside of all this, like a spectator in the film of her own life.
"Here is a gift for you," Henry said in a calm voice. "A symbol of our union."
Lena took the box, opened it slowly, as if the object inside might disturb her more than it already was. A solid gold ring rested at the bottom, glinting in the light of the candlesticks. She looked at it, a cold glint in her eyes, before looking up at her husband. He wasn't even looking at her. He was already somewhere else, a conversation having distracted him from his own wife. She was alone, even in this moment that was supposed to be a testament to their life together.
She put the ring on her finger without a word, without a gesture of affection, simply a mechanical gesture, like an automaton that follows the instructions given to it. The room was shining, the guests were applauding, but Lena felt nothing. No emotion. No warmth. Just an absence. The ring was just a part of her status now, like everything else. A precious adornment, certainly, but without a soul.
The evening stretched on until an indefinite hour, and Lena found herself alone in her room. It was as if everything had become unreal, a madness of colors, sounds, and faces. She undressed slowly, her heart heavy, and slipped under the sheets. The large king-size bed seemed even more immense than it had been when she had settled in. She lay on her side, her eyes fixed on the heavy curtains that fluttered gently in the breeze.
She thought of her mother. Of her father. Of her life before this moment. A childhood memory emerged. The smell of her mother's lavender, the laughter around the table, the long walks in the garden. Everything seemed so simple before. Before this marriage. Before Henri. Before this world of pretense.
Lena closed her eyes. But the images of the day haunted her. Henri, his distant gaze, his cold hand that had brushed hers during the ceremony. It all seemed so far away, as if she had been a mere extra in a scene that did not belong to her. The large bed, the richly decorated room, all that luxury... she found no consolation in it.
And fear seized her, suddenly. Fear of what was to come, of what lay behind the walls of this house. Fear of a marriage without love, without affection, without anything but obligations. She tossed and turned in bed, seeking comfort, but there was none. Her mind rebelled, but her body remained frozen, like a doll's strings being pulled by an invisible master.
In the silence of the night, a thought struck her. She had no idea what she would do tomorrow, or the day after. She had no idea what awaited her in this big house. Nothing she had experienced so far could prepare her for what was to come. But one thing was certain: she did not feel at home. Not in this house. Not in this life. And, perhaps, not in this marriage.
She closed her eyes, hoping, without much conviction, that a miracle would come to break this solitude that weighed heavily on her.
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