Franklin rose from the bed and slowly walked over to where I stood.

I was completely speechless, still frozen. There was no way to do any damage control, he had probably seen everything written in the diary.

He stared deep into my eyes. I tried to look away, but for some unknown reason, I couldn’t. I watched as he flipped through specific pages again before letting out a sigh.

“You fell in love with me the very moment you saw me?” he scoffed, “Have you forgotten how you cried that day to be taken home to your parents?”

He was actually right, but that didn’t change the fact that I had liked him from the very moment I saw him, even though I was just a little girl back then, too young to know what love really meant.

He handed the diary to me. “That’s not what brought me here,” he added, shoving his hands into his trouser pockets, his face now serious.

I gulped hard, my heart beating fast.

“I don’t know how you managed to find out Sylvia’s name,” he began, “but if you ever meddle with my things again or interfere in my personal life, I'll make sure to hurt you in a way that will make you hate all the men in this world”

With that, he turned and left the room.

Finally, I let out a sigh of relief.

But wait a second, what did he mean by those words? To hurt me in a way that would make me hate all men? What did that really mean?

Tears welled up in my eyes as I stood there, stunned. I quickly composed myself, convincing myself that this was just another episode in the ongoing series of humiliations I endured from him on a daily basis.

And speaking of meddling with his things, I had never done that. I would never go through his personal belongings.

But interfering with his personal life? Well... that would definitely be hard to stop.

Mom had already assured me that he would be mine, and I trusted her. I just needed to stay calm and wait for the right moment.

I walked over to my drawer and tucked the diary away. Someday, I would type it into my system and burn the book so no one else could see it. Franklin had taught me a lesson already.

But if he had really read everything, why didn’t he say anything about the part where I fantasized about our honeymoon in the Maldives? Or the part where I imagined how our kids would look like both of us in the future?

I hadn’t only called him my heartless fiance. I had written things, worthy of questioning.

He probably didn’t read it all. Just skimmed through it, I tried to convince myself.

***

The next day, I woke up late. But it was the weekend, so I didn’t have to worry about school. After a light breakfast, I sluggishly headed to the workout room for some exercise, my favorite being jogging.

I loved jogging and running, sometimes on the treadmill and sometimes around the estate. Though truthfully, I considered the treadmill much more convenient than running outside.

As I walked into the workout room, the first thing my eyes landed on was Franklin, already jogging on the treadmill, dressed in dark athletic wear that clung to his body, drenched in sweat. He looked handsome. Breathtaking, even. Every muscle moved like it had been sculpted on purpose.

There were only two treadmills, placed close to each other. As I walked closer to one, I got carried away watching Franklin.

When he noticed I was staring, he slowed to a halt, picked up a water bottle, drank deeply, then glanced at me; just once before walking out of the room without a word.

I smiled to myself, my heart fluttering a little. One day, I’d be lucky enough to call him mine.

I finally got on the treadmill, trying to shake the moment off and focus on jogging.

But then I heard a ringtone.

Definitely not mine.

I paused and looked around. His phone was left carelessly on a nearby bench. I walked over and picked it up.

When I saw the name on the screen, I froze.

It was Sylvia.

I hated her. She was always too close, a rival I couldn’t get rid of. Jealousy prickled under my skin. I remembered how Franklin warned me to stay out of his personal life and not to meddle with his things. But I was furious. Burning. So I rejected the call.

Not even a minute later, it rang again. This time, I answered. But before I could say a single word, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned, and behold, Franklin was standing there, eyes locked on me. He was obviously not pleased.

On the phone, Sylvia’s voice rang out. “Hello? Is everything okay?”

I didn’t respond. I couldn’t.

Franklin walked over, snatched the phone from my hand without breaking eye contact, and spoke coolly into the receiver. “Yeah. I’ll be ready soon.”

He ended the call, shoved the phone into his pocket, and then turned his full attention on me.

"I thought we’ve talked about this already," he muttered, his gaze fixed and intense.

I stepped back, and surprisingly he stepped forward. I stepped back again, and he stepped forward once more. So I kept stepping back until my back met the wall.

He took his final steps until there was barely space between us. Then he leaned in, like he might kiss me but didn’t. His voice was low, right by my ear.

“I won’t warn you again,” he whispered. “Stay out of my life, or else you won’t imagine what I’ll do to you.”

Then, without another word, he gently brushed a loose strand of hair from my face, his fingers lingering a little too long. His throat moved as he swallowed, jaw clenched.

And then he walked out, leaving the air around me heavy and shaken.

It took me several seconds before I finally exhaled, my chest rising and falling fast.

I was panting. Confused. I couldn't even explain my emotional state at that moment.