Chapter 12
Her POV
I was arranging the flowers in the living room, trying to keep myself busy, when I heard his footsteps behind me. I didn't need to turn to know it was him. There was something about his presence that filled the space before he even spoke heavy, controlled, impossible to ignore.
"Get ready," Sebastian said.
I turned, confused. "For what?"
"We're going to the main house."
For a second, I just stared at him, trying to process it. His family. Not the wedding crowd, not distant faces but his actual family, in their space, where I would be seen properly for the first time. In there everyone is gonna judge me for who I am or if I am well fitted for the family
A strange uneasiness settled in my chest.
"Why?" I asked, my voice quieter than I expected.
"There's a gathering," he replied casually, like it meant nothing. "You're coming with me."
Of course I was.
I nodded slowly, but my hands had already started feeling cold. This wasn't just a visit. This was judgment.
...
Getting ready felt harder than it should have. I stood in front of the mirror longer than usual, adjusting my dress again and again even though nothing was wrong with it. My reflection didn't comfort me. If anything, it made things worse.
I will definitely mess things because I dont belong there. Moreover I am a Whitemore. Thats enough for them.
What if they already hated me? What if they looked at me the way everyone else in his world seemed to?
I was still staring at myself when I noticed him behind me through the mirror. He had been watching for a while.
"You're overthinking," he said.
"I'm not," I replied quickly.
"You are."
There was no irritation in his voice. Just certainty.
I hesitated before speaking again. "They're your family. Of course I'm nervous."
"They don't matter," he said instantly.
That made me turn fully toward him. "How can they not matter?"
His eyes met mine, calm and unreadable. "Because you're with me."
The way he said it… it wasn't comforting. It wasn't soft. But it did something to me anyway. It made the fear quiet down, just a little.
....
The drive was silent, and the silence made everything worse. My thoughts wouldn't stop. I kept imagining different situations, different reactions, different ways I could mess this up.
"Stop thinking," he said suddenly.
I looked at him, startled. "I didn't say anything."
"You don't need to," he replied.
I looked away immediately, annoyed at how easily he read me. He reads me better than anyone.
.....
The moment we entered the mansion, I felt it.
This place was different. Bigger, yes but colder. The kind of place where every corner seemed to be watching you. Conversations lowered as we walked in. Eyes followed us, some curious, some judgmental.
Without realizing it, I moved slightly closer to him. Not touching just close to him.
"Relax," he said under his breath. His hands barely touching my back
Easy for him to say. This was his world. I was just someone forced into it.
...
People greeted him with respect. Some greeted me out of formality. A few didn't bother hiding their disapproval.
I smiled politely, responded when needed, and tried not to look uncomfortable even though I felt completely out of place.
Then I saw her.
Vivienne.
She wasn't speaking to anyone. Just standing there, watching. Her eyes weren't on me at first they were on Sebastian. The way she looked at him made something in my stomach twist.
It wasn't normal. It wasn't how a mother should look at her son.
"Here you are Elara" she said as she approached, her voice smooth but sharp underneath.
I straightened slightly. "Hello."
Her eyes moved over me slowly, taking everything in. "You still look… delicate."
I didn't know if that was an insult or not.
"This house isn't kind to delicate things," she added, glancing at Sebastian before looking back at me.
There was something about her smile that made me uncomfortable.
"I'll manage," I said quietly.
Her lips curved slightly, like she knew something I didn't.
.....
After some time, I couldn't take it anymore. I needed space, air anything away from those eyes.
I walked down a quieter corridor, where the noise faded and my chest finally loosened a little.
"You must be the young mistress."
I turned to see an older maid standing there, her expression kind.
"Yes," I nodded.
She smiled warmly. "You look just like how I imagined."
"How?" I asked without thinking.
"Soft," she said gently. "Too soft for this place."
I let out a small breath. "That's what I thought too."
She looked at me for a moment before speaking again. "You remind me of him."
I frowned. "Sebastian?"
She nodded. "Not the man he is now. The boy he used to be."
That caught my attention.
"He was very different," she continued. "Quiet, yes… but kind. Always smiling around his mother."
Something in my chest tightened.
"His mother?" I asked softly.
"She died when he was very young," the maid said. "After that… everything changed. He stopped being a child. Became cold. Distant. Like he is now."
I didn't speak because I couldn't.
For the first time, I wasn't thinking of him as just dangerous.
As from the information which the maid give me he was not a monster whom he is now. Poor him must have felt trapped with his father when his mother passed away
I was thinking of him as someone who lost something.
Something important enough to change him completely.
...
When I returned, I saw him standing alone for a moment.
He is looking Calm yet dangerous. Like always but I am seeing a difference which I have never seen before in him.
I walked toward him slowly, something pulling me closer without me understanding why.
He looked at me the moment I stopped near him.
"What happened?" he asked.
"Nothing," I said.
But that wasn't true.
Something had changed. Inside me and I dont know why or what but I am definitely going to understand my husband better and prove myself that he is not a monster