When Alexis’ parents forced her to marry Robert, she had no idea what she was getting herself into. Later, Alexis broke the one rule her husband gave her and entered the room he warned her about, unleashing secrets she wasn’t prepared for.

I couldn’t understand why my parents wanted me to get married before I found someone myself.

“Alexis,” my mother said, “Robert is a catch. He’s a wealthy man who will take care of you. You wouldn’t even have to work.”

I couldn’t refuse. My father had made it clear.

“You marry Robert, Alexis,” he said, puffing on his cigar. “Or you can figure out your own living arrangements.”

In a sense, Robert was my prince charming. Our family had a bakery, which was losing customers because we had no gluten-free options on the menu.

“We will continue to bake what we know,” my father insisted.

Our marriage was definitely an arranged one. Robert’s demeanor was cold, and he refused to let me get to know him properly. I don’t know how my father arranged our connection.

Our wedding was a spectacle of Robert’s affluence, nothing short of extravagant. Robert’s wedding planner had thought of everything.

My wedding dress was a custom piece that he commissioned for me. But even through our wedding planning, we barely spoke.

“I’m looking forward to being married,” he admitted one evening, a few days before the wedding.

“But I don’t know what I’m doing,” he added.

That was the closest Robert had gotten to letting me in.

Two days after our wedding, I moved into our new home.

“Come, I’ll show you around,” Robert said.

He took me around our home, a mansion boasting luxuries I’d never imagined before: sprawling golf courses, a shimmering swimming pool, and a fleet of staff at our beck and call.

“It’s beautiful,” I said when we got to the kitchen. “Everything is beautiful.”

“Now, Alexis, this house belongs to you too,” he declared with a hint of pride.

I smiled at the stranger standing in front of me. Maybe we were going to make something of our marriage.

“But one thing, Alexis,” he said. “There’s one rule. The attic. Never go in there.”