A Forced Contract Marriage with the Devil novel Chapter 22

Chapter 22

NIKOLAUS POV

I woke up with a start, my chest heaving. Some stupid dream clung to me like a phantom, slipping away the moment I opened my eyes, but the weight in my chest remained. I let out a slow breath. rubbing a hand over my face before swinging my legs over the edge of the bed.

The house was quiet. Too quiet.

Pulling on a hoodie, I padded downstairs, the wooden floors cool beneath my feet.

Alessandro wasn’t in the living room. It was the first thing, I noticed the moment my eyes moved around.

I tossed the novel I got from the library onto the kitchen counter and glanced around. As usual my food was already prepared but the maid wasn’t around too. No sarcastic remarks. No lazy sprawls on the couch.

There was total quietness and peace in the room but surprisingly it was still unsettling to me.

Before i could get my breakfast, I turned and I headed back to my room. All I wanted was a moment to myself, to think, to figure out what the hell was going in my life.

But as I reached my room, my gaze flickered to the door beside it.

Alessandro’s.

It was slightly open. A thin sliver of darkness stretched across the floor, bleeding into the dimly lit hallway.

I hesitated.

Something about it felt… off. There were no signs of Alessandro, so why was his door slightly open right now.

I exhaled sharply, shoving my hands into the pockets of my hoodie. I should’ve ignored it. Should’ve turned back, closed my door, and shut the world out for a few more hours.

Instead, I stepped forward and pushed the door open.

Darkness.

Not complete, but enough to make the hair on my arms rise.

The only light came from the flickering glow of candles, their soft flames casting restless shadows

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Chapter 22

against the walls. The air was thick, warm, scented with something rich and almost intoxicating. A slow, low tune played in the background, something barely audible, yet it seemed to seep into my bones, making my limbs feel heavier.

I wasn’t supposed to be here.

I knew that.

Yet my feet continued moving inside as I stared around Alessandro’s room. The room was so big. with dark portraits of things I didn’t care to decipher. The shadows stretched unnaturally along the walls, flickering as if they had a life of their own. The entire space felt different, almost otherworldly in its darkness–like stepping into a place meant to swallow people whole.

My gaze flickered to the large bed, sheets rumpled like someone had been there not too long ago. Whatever it was, the bed looked inviting. I was about to yawn and fall on it when a baritone voice called my name from a dangerously close position.

I stiffened.

The room had been empty a second ago. Or at least, I thought it had.

Slowly, I turned.

And then immediately I wished, I didn’t.

Alessandro stood in the shadows, just beyond the reach of the candlelight. The dim glow barely touched him, outlining his tall frame, his bare chest gleaming with droplets of water. A towel hung low on his hips, dripping wet, a towel slung loosely around his hips and water sliding down the contours of his chest and his damp curls clung to his forehead, framing his sharp features in an

almost surreal way.

But it was his eyes that held me still.

For a moment, neither of us moved.

My eyes trailed over his toned chest before snapping back to his face, my mind scrambling to process what I was seeing. My heartbeat quickened, a strange tension filling the air. His smug grin was already in place like he knew exactly what effect this would have on me.

“Is there anything you want in my room?“, He asked stepping forward.

I didn’t respond immediately, struggling to find my voice. I had seen Alessandro in a thousand different ways, smirking, irritated, throwing sharp insults my way. But never like this. Never in the dark, half–dressed, with that/unreadable expression lingering on his face.

“Your doo..” I swallowed, forcing myself to look him in the eyes.

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“Were you looking for me?“,

I was suddenly very aware of how close we were, the steam from the shower still circling him like some sort of absurdly attractive haze.

Fuck, my heart was thumping loudly and his hands pressed besides mine on the bed It was like he was caging me between him and the couch. I was starting to feel aroused. Why the hell am I reacting to this guy?

“Noo…..“,

“Then why did you enter inside?“,

His chest pressed onto mine and I could suddenly feel the heat exuding from his body and his musky body scent mixed with shampoo and body wash. He smells good… And nostalgic….

Wait, hang on Nikolai. This is bad. You are supposed to push him back and tell him to fuck off!

Alessandro’s smirk deepened, as if he could hear every frantic thought racing through my head. His breath was warm against my skin, and the space between us felt nonexistent.

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