Chapter Ten

James stood outside Sarah's apartment, the weight of his impending wedding pressing down on him like a leaden sky. He clenched his fists, his heart torn between duty and desire. With a shaky breath, he raised his hand and knocked softly on the door.

The door swung open, revealing Sarah's tear-stained face. Her eyes widened in surprise at the sight of James standing there, a tumult of emotions flickering across her features.

"James, what are you doing here?" Sarah's voice trembled with a mixture of hope and apprehension, “I thought you were…”

"I had to see you, Sarah," James replied, his voice thick with emotion. "I couldn't go through with this without telling you one last time that I love you and I mean it."

Sarah's breath caught in her throat, her heart aching at the sincerity in James's words. She stepped aside, wordlessly inviting him into her apartment.

They sat in silence for a moment, the air heavy with unspoken truths and lingering regrets. Then, with a voice barely above a whisper, James began to speak.

"I know tomorrow is my wedding with Emma, but you need to understand that it's just for show," James said, his words pouring out in a rush. "My father arranged this marriage for political reasons, but he made me promise that it would only last for a year. After that, I'll divorce Emma, and we can finally be together."

Sarah's eyes widened in disbelief, a surge of conflicting emotions swirling within her. Part of her wanted to believe James's promises, to hold onto the hope that they could have a future together. But another part of her couldn't shake the feeling that their love was built on shaky ground, a fragile illusion destined to crumble under the weight of reality.

"I want to believe you, James, I do," Sarah said, her voice wavering with uncertainty. "But what if things don't go according to plan? What if you decide to stay with Emma after all?"

James reached out and took Sarah's hand in his, his touch sending a jolt of warmth coursing through her veins.

"I won't let that happen, Sarah. I promise you," James said, his voice tinged with desperation. "I'll do whatever it takes to make things right, to make us work. Just give me this chance, please."

Sarah stared at him, her expression a mixture of hope and doubt. "But a year is too long? You expect me to wait an entire year, hiding our love, while you're married to someone else?"

"I know it's not ideal," James said desperately. "But it's the only way. If I refuse this marriage, my father might disown me. I'll lose everything - my inheritance, my family legacy. Please, Sarah. Just one year, and then we can have our happy ending."

Sarah gazed into James's eyes, searching for the truth in the depths of his soul. And in that moment, she made a decision – a decision to trust him, to believe in the power of their love to overcome any obstacle that stood in their way.

Leaning forward, Sarah pressed her lips against James's, a silent vow sealing their fate. And as they surrendered to the passion that engulfed them, they knew that no matter what the future held, they would face it together.

The night stretched on, each moment filled with a sense of urgency and longing. They clung to each other as if trying to defy the inevitable, their bodies entwined in a desperate embrace.

But as the first light of dawn began to creep through the curtains, reality came crashing back with brutal force. James pulled away from Sarah, his heart heavy with guilt and regret.

"I have to go," James said, his voice choked with emotion. "I can't stay here any longer."

“No, you can’t leave me here alone tonight, this is the night I can be sure we can still be together…”

“Don't say that we will also be together, I promise but I need to go. You know what is at stack if someone finds me here, this could be the end of my family,” James stated.

“No one is going to find you here, I promise. You can stay here and leave very early tomorrow no one will find out you came here but for tonight I need you,” Sarah persisted.

“But please you can do this later, I never told anyone I was going to be coming..” he paused, and little confused not knowing the next thing to say, he couldn’t deny that he wanted her as much as she wanted him.

Sarah reading the silence as contentment, closed the distance and kissed him fiercely, arms winding around his neck as she surrendered herself to his consuming embrace.

And just like that, any remaining arguments died on James's lips as he eagerly returned her passionate onslaught with equal fervor. His hands found purchase on her hips, gripping tightly as he walked her backward toward the bedroom without breaking their heated liplock.

Clothes were shed, desperate gasps and murmurs of longing exchanged between fevered kisses as they finally tumbled naked onto the plush mattress. In that heated cocoon of tangled limbs and sweat-slicked skin, the outside world ceased to exist for one blissful, heady oblivion. All that mattered was their connection--their insatiable need for each other that burned more intensely with each passing second.

Much later, as the first pale rays of dawn began filtering through the curtains, James cradled Sarah's sleeping form in his arms, his thumb stroking her flushed cheek reverently. Looking at her breathtaking features in repose, he tried tamping down the roiling wave of guilt and uncertainty that rose within him at the thought of the sacred vows he would be taking later that morning.

With a weary sigh, James pressed a tender kiss to Sarah's hair, breathing in her beloved scent. Whatever happened from here, he would make this up to her eventually. He just hoped his lies and deceptions in the name of securing his future didn't ultimately cost him the only thing that truly mattered to him in the world which was being with Sarah.

The marriage was just for a year and thereafter they could continue with the love of her life, he tried to convince himself before sleeping.