Your parents sat you down at the dining table that night. Their faces looked tired… scared.

"Sweetheart,"..your father said softly..."our company is going bankrupt."

Your mom grabbed your hand, her grip trembling...."There's only one person willing to help us… if you agree to marry him."

Your heart stopped. You already knew the name...."Leo Haynes".

The cold CEO everyone in the city feared. A man who fired workers without even looking up from his computer. A man who didn't know how to smile. A heart made with stone and ice.

You whispered, barely audible.."He wants… to marry me?"

Your mom nodded weakly. And that night, you cried quietly into your pillow, wondering what kind of life you were walking into..It didn’t feel like a wedding. It felt like a deal being signed with invisible ink on your heart.

"I’m about to spend my life with someone I barely know… someone who doesn’t even care about me. What if I can’t survive this coldness? What if I break under it?"

The Wedding day Leo stood at the front, tall, perfect, expression empty. He didn’t look at you when you approached. He didn’t look when you stood beside him. He only spoke once, voice low and cold:

"This is business. Don’t expect anything from me."

Your chest tightened, but you forced a small smile for the cameras.

His hand touched your back only long enough for a picture… then he moved away like your skin was made of fire.

Leo's house wasn’t a home...It was huge, silent, and cold—just like him.

He walked you inside and said:..."You’ll stay in the room down the hall. We won’t share a room."

You nodded, even though it hurt.

He looked straight at you, but his eyes held nothing warm...."This marriage is only on paper. Don’t try to get close to me. If you need anything there's a maids".

Then he left you standing alone. That first night, you cried into your blanket, staring at the wall and wondering if he even cared that you were suffering.

Does he even see me as a person? Or am I just another name on a contract to him?

Leo barely spoke to you. Some days he didn’t say a single word. At breakfast, he ate at the opposite end of the long table, scrolling through his tablet. You didn’t know if he even knew what your voice sounded like.

You tried talking once...."Good morning, Leo."

He didn’t look up. Just said... "Morning,"... In a voice colder than snow.

You went upstairs later and closed your door before crying. You didn’t want him to hear. Would it even matter if he did? you wondered. He probably doesn’t care that I’m here… that I’m hurting.

*One night, you sat on the balcony, hugging your knees as tears ran down your face. You tried to stay quiet, but your body shook with every sob.

You didn’t hear footsteps… but then you heard his voice.

"Why are you crying?"

You gasped and wiped your face fast...."It’s nothing. Sorry."

Leo stood there, watching you with a strange look—like he didn’t understand your tears, but they bothered him...."You don’t have to cry because of me,"...he said.

You let out a painful laugh...."I’m not crying because of you."

*But you were.z

He didn’t believe your lie. You could see it in his eyes. He turned to leave… but before he walked away, he whispered:

"Goodnight."

It was the first gentle word he had ever said to you. And somehow, as you hugged your knees tighter, a small part of you felt… seen.

Maybe… maybe he isn’t completely heartless. Maybe there’s something behind that cold gaze. But I can’t let myself hope. Not yet. Not when everything else feels so… broken.