377: HEART'S CONUNDRUM

ARIEL'S POV I lay in bed, staring up at the ceiling in the dimly lit room, feeling the weight of the decision I had just made pressing down on me. The events of the day replayed in my mind like a broken record, each moment more chaotic than the last. Marrying Luke. The mere thought sent shivers down my spine. Would I ever be able to truly love him, or would our marriage be nothing more than a facade, a means to an end? And what about his feelings toward me? Would he ever come to see me as anything more than a pawn in his family's game? I couldn't help but wonder what our life together would be like. Would he treat me with the same contempt he had shown earlier, or would he eventually soften toward me? Could a marriage based on duty instead of love bring me happiness? As I pondered these questions, a sense of dread settled over me like a suffocating blanket. The prospect of spending the rest of my life with someone who may never truly care for me filled me with a profound sense of l