Uninvited Guest

I woke up with the same hollow feeling in my chest. Another day, another morning without seeing Vulvan.

I hadn’t seen him since our heated argument, and the weight of it pressed down on me like a curse. His words still echoed in my mind, sharp and unforgiving.

"i don't trust you, zara."

I wanted to hate him for saying that. But I couldn’t—because it wasn’t entirely false.

I was keeping things from him. Things that could destroy him.

What he didn’t know was that Savik had given me poison. A slow, lethal poison meant for him. Every day, I kept that secret, and every day, I felt the guilt clawing at my throat, but i have been playing it off telling myself i had no chioce even though i knew it wasn’t the right thing. I should have told him. Maybe I still could. Maybe if I confessed, he would understand.

But deep down, I knew—he wouldn’t, why would anyone want to understand your reason wanting to kill them.

I sighed, running my fingers through my tangled hair. I wasn’t just weighed down by guilt. There was something else. A strange, unwelcome feeling that I couldn’t quite name. I didn’t want to see Vulvan hurt. And that terrified me. Because wasn’t that the plan? To get away from him? To finally be free from my brother's clutches.

Then why did the thought of him in pain make my chest ache?

I shook my head. I needed to stop thinking about him.But fate had other plans.

A car engine rumbled outside, cutting through the silence. My heart jumped before I could stop it. I rushed to the window, gripping the edge of the curtain as I peered outside.

And there he was.

Vulvan.

"Zara, wait up! What’s going on?" Mika called from behind me, but I barely heard her. My feet barely touched the floor as I bolted down the stairs and flung open the door.

But the moment I saw her, I wished I hadn’t.

A tall, elegant looking lady smirking like she owned the world. Her manicured fingers grazed Vulvan’s arm in a way that made my stomach twist, but he was quick to divert her hands.

Susan.

A woman stood beside him. Tall, elegant, too close. Her red lips curled into a smirk as her perfectly manicured nails brushed against his arm like she belonged there.

I froze.

Vulvan turned his head, our eyes meeting for a split second. There was something there—hesitation? Guilt? But just as quickly as I thought I saw it, he looked away.

And walked right past me.

Like I was nothing.

The woman followed, but not before she gave me a slow, deliberate once-over. Then she scoffed. Scoffed.

I clenched my fists. Oh, hell no.

"Oh hey Mika!" I heard her say with a bright smile.

Mika came up beside me, glaring at the woman. "You’ve got to be kidding me," she muttered.

I swallowed hard, my voice barely above a whisper. "Who is she?"

Mika exhaled sharply. "That’s Susan. Vulvan’s ex."

I felt like I had been punched in the gut.

"His ex?" I repeated, barely believing it. "And she’s here because…?"

Before Mika could answer, Susan turned with a dramatic sigh, her eyes landing on me like I was something on the bottom of her shoe.

"Oh, so you must be the mate," she said, voice dripping with fake sympathy. "Hmph. Cute."

I stared at her, my blood boiling.

Susan leaned in slightly, lowering her voice like we were girlfriends sharing a secret. "Sweetheart, I don’t know what fantasy you’ve been living in, but let’s be clear—Vulvan and I? We have history. And history always wins."

Mika scoffed beside me. "Oh, please. You mean bad decisions always come back to haunt people."

Susan turned her sharp gaze to Mika. "Oh, and you must be the sidekick," she said sweetly, her words an insult wrapped in sugar.

Mika smirked. "And you must be the expired milk that Vulvan forgot to throw out."

Susan’s smirk faltered for a split second before she flicked her hair over her shoulder. "Funny. But let’s be real, honey. If I wanted him back, I’d have him."

The confidence in her voice made my blood boil.

"Why are you here, Susan?" Mika cut in, crossing her arms. "You slithered out of Vulvan’s life once. Why come back?"

Susan turned to her with a slow, practised smile. "Aw, Mika. You’re still here? I thought pets usually got put outside."

Mika stepped forward, but I grabbed her arm, holding her back.

Before I could say anything, a soft voice interrupted.

"Miss Susan, your room is ready."

We turned to see Erica, one of the housemaids, standing nervously by the door.

Susan smiled sweetly. "Oh, wonderful," she drawled, flipping her hair. Then, without even looking at Erica, she waved a dismissive hand. "Be a dear and bring my bags inside, won’t you?"

Erica hesitated, glancing at me.

I gritted my teeth. This was happening. She was staying here. In this house.

Rage built up inside me, hot and suffocating. Why? Why would Vulvan bring her here?

My mind raced. Was this his way of punishing me? Or—worse—was she really back in his life? Were they—

No. I couldn’t think about that. I wouldn’t.

Susan turned back to me, her smirk firmly in place. "Well, this was fun," she said airily. "We should do this again sometime, don’t you think?"

I said nothing, my nails digging into my palms.

She stepped past me, bumping my shoulder on purpose, before sauntering inside.

Mika exhaled sharply, turning to me. "Zara, listen to me," she said. "That woman is here for one reason—to destroy you and Vulvan."

I didn’t answer. I was too busy swallowing the lump in my throat.

Mika placed a hand on my arm. "You can not let her win."

But the problem was… I already felt like I was losing.

---

I couldn’t sleep.

No matter how hard I tried, my thoughts kept circling back to her.

Susan. In this house. In his house.

Why would Vulvan bring her here? Was she staying in his room? The thought made my stomach twist.

I refused to let it show. My pride, my ego—I wouldn’t break. But the frustration burned inside me, making it impossible to rest.

I found myself in the kitchen, needing a distraction. My hands moved on their own, chopping, stirring… anything to silence my thoughts. The aroma of the soup filled the air, grounding me.

Then, I felt it.

A shift in the air. Heavy. Electrified.

I turned—and there he was.

Vulvan stood in the doorway, his broad, sweat-slicked chest rising and falling with each breath. The black tank clung to his sculpted muscles, his forearms flexing as he ran a hand through his damp hair. Strands fell over his intense gaze, dark and unreadable. His scent—clean sweat, raw masculinity—clouded my senses.

I swallowed hard.

He said nothing, but his presence alone suffocated me. A silent force, too close, too much.

His gaze flickered to the stove. Slowly, he stepped forward, his heat swallowing me whole.

Then he reached past me.

His chest pressed into my back, his hardness nudging against my softness. I stiffened. My breath caught as his fingers twisted the knob, shutting off the gas.

I turned to escape to breathe, but he followed.

The fridge door opened. I barely had time to react before he cornered me.

My back hit the shelves. His arms caged me in. he had the upper arm, and he knew with his height towering over me, it only took him a step to close the distance between us, slanting his head ever girl knew what's about to go on when a man slants this way close to you..... he was caving in with me leaning.

Then

"Oh, hey! There you are, Vulvan! I’ve been looking for you."

Susan.

He didn’t move. Not at first. His eyes lingered on mine.

Then, finally—he took the bottle of water from the fridge and left.

Rage simmered inside me as Susan smirked. I clenched my jaw, storming out before I did something reckless and left as well.