Chapter 3

Petra was terrified.  She was inside the hospital room, dressed in white, ready to marry a complete stranger.

A man she has never seen before.  It was her father who arranged it all, giving her no choice or opportunity to refuse.  She felt trapped in a situation that wasn't her choice, but she couldn't do anything to change it.

The man she was about to marry was in a coma after being in a car accident.  She felt a little relieved that she didn't have to face the physical act of marrying a complete stranger, but she was still apprehensive about the situation.

The priest began the ceremony, and Petra stood beside the unconscious groom, staring into his pale, still face.  She wondered who he was, what he did for a living when he wasn't working, what his interests and dreams were.  Would he have liked her if he'd been conscious?

Petra's thoughts were interrupted when the priest called her to the oath.  She hesitated for a moment, but ended up reading his pledges of love and fidelity.  She didn't know why she was doing this, she wasn't in love with him, but she knew she had to move on.

At the end of the ceremony, Petra kissed the unconscious groom's forehead, imagining what life would be like from that moment on.  A life without love, without choices, but with the weight of a wedding ceremony like a chain around her wrist.

And so, Petra left the hospital a wife, but not a happy bride.  She wondered if she would ever be able to fall in love, if she would ever have the chance to choose the man that was right for her.  But for now, she needed to deal with her new reality, and take care of a comatose and possibly paraplegic husband.

.  .  .

— You will stay in that room. — says Rebekah, Bryan's mother.  — but only until tomorrow, your house needs some maintenance work before you move there permanently.

— All good. — said Petra, pulling her suitcase into the room.  — Is the house very far from here?

Petra was very curious, but she was also relieved to know that she wasn't going to be staying in that house, with these people she didn't know.

— Your house is five kilometers from here. — says Rebekah.  — now go take a shower and improve that appearance.  I don't want people to say that my daughter-in-law looks like a beggar.

So she leaves, leaving Petra alone in that room, gaping.

What do you mean, a beggar?

Petra moved to the large mirror she had there and looked at herself closely, her casual clothes were normal, sure her hair needed a cut and a good moisturizer, but she didn't look that bad.

But about one thing, the witch, I mean, her mother-in-law was right.  She really needed a shower and a good rest.

So, Petra walked to the bathroom where she took a relaxing shower, did a quick conditioner to her hair and made a mental note to cut it later.

After getting out of the shower, Petra opens her suitcase and takes out a lace nightgown, she wanted to be comfortable to sleep a little.

When she finished getting dressed and had her hair in a bun, she heard a knock at the door.  Petra, thinking it was her mother-in-law, walked over to it and opened it.

But who was at the door was not Rebekah, but a man completely unknown to her.  The man in front of her should have been 1.90 tall, honey brown hair and blue eyes.  He wore business attire, and the look on his face made Petra uncomfortable.

— Who are you?  — Asked Petra trying to hide behind the door, so that the man would stop looking at her body.

— Excuse me, I'm Adrian, Bryan's brother — he says, extending his hand, but then lowers it when Petra makes no move to take it.

— I'm Petra.  Hey!  What are you doing?  — Said Petra when Adrian was entering her room without any invitation.

— I just want to meet my sister-in-law.  — He says looking at Petra's body, at that moment she felt as if she were naked, and tried to cover her body with her arms.

— Can you leave my room? — says Petra, pointing to the door. — I didn't invite you in.

— I was really curious when my father told me that Bryan was going to marry the youngest Martinez daughter. — says the man, sizing Petra up and practically devouring her with his gaze. — I've never seen you before, but now, I see you're even better than that bitch sister of yours, and even hotter.

— Get out of my room! — exclaims Petra, already getting very angry.

— Lower your tone, my mother told me you would make a good wife, calm and obedient.  — says the same with a smile of debauchery.  — I'm not seeing any of that, I'm seeing that it's very angry, you know, I love angry women.

Adrian started walking towards Petra, while she walked backwards.  The space between them decreases when Petra hits her back against the wall and is left with no way out, Adrian smiles, taking his hand to Petra's chin, however, a voice is heard by them and makes Adrian move away from Petra.

— Adrian? — It was a male voice calling him from the hallway.

— It was nice meeting you, Petra.  — says the man, moving further away from her with a smile on his face.  — hope to see you again.

So he leaves, leaving Petra still with her back against the wall and her breathing ragged.  She knew she would have to be careful with Adrian, despite not knowing him, she already knew he could bring her problems, and problems were the last thing she wanted at that moment, after all, her life was already full of them.

She takes a deep breath and walks to the door, locking it with the key, after that, Petra walks to her bed and throws herself on it, feeling all her muscles relax as She comes into contact with the softness of that mattress.

Tomorrow she would move out of that house, and she was quite relieved, however, she knew that the problems would still continue to accompany her, and she was afraid of all that, because she knew, that maybe she could have even bigger problems in the future.

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