I finally left my hometown. Things started looking up. I found a nice house in a friendly neighborhood and landed a job that seemed pretty good. It felt exciting as I followed the moving van on a bright June day.
That's when I met my new neighbor, Alexander Julian. We first bumped into each other while saying hello in the yard. Then, while I was walking my dog, I heard footsteps behind me. It turned out to be Alexander walking beside me.
With a friendly smile, he introduced himself as a doctor. He mentioned he was single and living alone. I tried not to think too much about it, but I felt a little spark.
Even though I was interested, I didn't want to assume he liked me back. Life had taught me to be careful, and I was used to feeling disappointed. I was confident at work, but I struggled in social situations.
Then, something surprising happened. The next day, I came home from work and saw him sitting on my porch steps, looking relaxed.
I thought you might be too busy to go grocery shopping, he said with a smile. How about we go out to eat?
I happily accepted. I was glad I wouldn't have to cook tonight. When we got to the restaurant, the conversation flowed easily, like we were old friends. Alexander's kind nature made me feel calm. For the first time in a while, I felt like I could just be me.
As the night went on, I started to open up to Alexander more than I thought I would. He listened closely as I shared my past. His face showed he cared and really wanted to know. I felt warm inside from his kindness.
Then, Alexander shared some of his life too. He talked about being a doctor and how it kept him too busy for relationships before. I admired his commitment to helping others. It made me respect him even more.
As the night came to an end, Alexander helped me with some chores. We laughed and chatted like we were old pals. When he kissed me goodnight, I felt a jolt of excitement.
The next day, I was on a high. Time moved so slowly as I waited for Alexander to come pick me up for dinner and a show. The more time we spent together, the more I felt heard and noticed. Talking to him was easy.
I loved how he cared about my story. He asked good questions and gave me encouragement. It felt like I was the only person that mattered in that moment. As I opened up about my fears, I felt lighter.
Alexander's praise for my hard work was special to me. He celebrated my strength, and I felt proud in a way I hadn't felt before. As the night went on, I realized I was falling for this kind and caring guy.
The next few weeks were filled with romance and luxury. Alexander showered me with attention, gifts, and amazing dates. I felt like I was living a fairy tale.
When we first made love, Alexander was shocked to learn it was my first time. After that, he started talking about marriage, and I was swept away in my feelings. I loved him deeply, and he knew it.
One day, Alexander surprised me by buying the house I had admired on the next block. He was so proud and excited to show it to me. He called it our house, and I felt thrilled and like I belonged.
As time went on, I found myself leaning more on Alexander. He made all our plans and even told me to quit my job to be a full-time wife. When he decided to sell my house, I felt grateful that he was taking care of everything.
Three months after we met, we got married in a simple civil ceremony. It wasn't the wedding I dreamed of. But by then, I was under his spell, doing everything he wanted. We didn't even have witnesses, just the justice of the peace to sign the papers.
Looking back, I see I was caught up in a dream that Alexander created. At the time, I missed the warning signs and just fell for his charms.
When I moved to town, I didn't know many people. My social life started with the friends Alexander introduced me to. But it became clear that some of them were only after my cooking and free beer. Alexander loved to brag about my cooking. He often invited a mix of people over to eat. Still, I enjoyed the new social scene.
Alexander thought it would be a good idea to remodel our home and add a fireplace. Since he was busy with work, he asked me to handle our money. I was used to it because I helped my family budget when I was a teenager.
The workers liked to get paid in cash, so I would take out money from the bank. We gave them cash to buy materials too. After selling our old houses, we pooled our money into a joint account. That made sense to me, just like my parents did.
I also did the grocery shopping, which added up with all the extra people we had to feed. Alexander never looked into our finances. He seemed happy to let me manage it.
The first three months of our marriage were busy and fun. But then, I noticed a change in Alexander's drinking. He would have a couple of beers with friends at first, but after they left, he'd drink whiskey until he passed out. I worried about it, but I didn't say anything. I hoped he'd cut back on his own.