KYLO’S POVThe decision wasn’t sudden. For weeks it gnawed away at me as though some slow fire boiled on deep inside my head forever insisting upon itself. Only when Varya grudgingly suggested we give a shot together in putting things right between us did something go click in me?My wife wasn’t just someone whom I married; she was an individual who deserved dignity, calmness, and security at home like everybody else. Action had to be taken because righting what went wrong was my business.The dwelling turned into a battleground yet I could not afford to keep it that way any longer. To really give our union a real shot at success that is.Dora and Cassandra had crossed boundaries too many times before, but I should have acted sooner than this. I was complicit in their behavior through my silence. But no more.It was time to reclaim my house—and my marriage.That morning, after breakfast, I found myself standing in the doorway of the living room where Dora and Cassandra lounged on the
VARYA’S POVThe office was eerily quiet after the storm that was Dora and Cassandra. I was standing beside wide windows, observing the skyline of the city, trying to comprehend everything that had just occurred.The dull humming buzz of the office still surrounded me – ringing telephones, people arriving to or leaving meetings – but it all felt like a distant echo; as if I was covered in a veil of obscurity and ambiguity.Kylo ordered them away from him. He really sent both Dora and Cassandra to town, out of his dwelling place, out of his workplace, and away from me.I did not know what to feel about that.Part of me wanted to be relieved. After all, they had made my life such an agony for so long. They had disgraced me, belittled me, and tried their best to maintain my position as the most unwanted wife in this big mansion. Yet there was something about it that made me think that this was not an act of kindness or loyalty from Kylo.There was no reason for him to suddenly act this wa
“I’ve been alone in that house, in this marriage, since the day we signed that contract. So why now, Kylo? Why are you suddenly acting like you care?”He cast his gaze downward and grimaced as if searching for words that should never be uttered. “But I do,” he finally spoke.His voice was rough. “I care too much about you. And that makes me terrified.”My eyes popped out as I gazed at him, and suddenly my heart began to throb painfully. I was speechless. Part of me wanted to trust him, to have him hug me and make me feel good by saying we would be fine in the future.Yet in equal measure, another side always wondered what happened to make him this way and why all of a sudden he seemed to care so much."I’m not sure if I can trust you," I murmured, tears brimming in my eyes “Not after everything.”Kylo’s face relaxed and he moved another step nearer and nearer to me. “I don’t expect you to trust me right from now,” he added softly.“But I am ready to show it to you I want a normal and
That night when I was dressing in front of the mirror, I tried to adjust the material of the dress over my hips. And I was stunned that it was very fitted and even my curves were well embraced by the dress.Suddenly, I saw the face of a stranger, the woman who posed as a classy, well-groomed and, well, . . . out of place.This was not something I got to do in my past relationships or at least I was not good at it. Not anymore.The sound of Kylo’s footsteps approaching helped me out of my reverie and when I turned around I saw him standing in the doorway wearing a black suit that made him the capable CEO he was.But there was a gentleness in his eyes as he looked at me now, a gentleness that robbed me of my words.‘You look beautiful’, he said in a matter-of-fact way, but his words and the way he was looking at me, was enough to make the room feel much warmer.I could see a reddening of color cross my face and I averted my eyes unsure of how to react. Like all things in life, positive
In his voice, there was no question, just an order that I had to obey.When we got out of the car, the coolness of night blew against my cheeks. Kylo held onto my hand and took me inside without uttering much.The moment we crossed the threshold, the air became different; it was heavier and had a certain feel in it that I could not comprehend but could sense deep inside me.There were no lights. Instead, we walked through the house’s shadows as each footstep brought us closer to our fate. While climbing upstairs together, my heart beat fast due to the silence that existed between us louder than any other human word.Finally when we got to the bedroom place Kylo stopped. He turned facing me with dark eyes filled with something indescribable and deep within him. Gasps escaped my lips when he lifted up his hands thus holding onto my face gently against himself notwithstanding the heat coming out of him.“Varya,” he said softly as if he was afraid to make a noise at all. His thumb ran acr
KYLO’S POVThere were no words exchanged, we were quiet, but the awkwardness of that was not felt and nobody seemed to mind. This, in particular, was a sensation that I could almost smell; there was still the ghost of Varya’s perfume to be felt – the memory of her physical closeness and desire.My fingers clicked on the steering wheel and I felt the internal tension rise like lava rising through the throat of a volcano.Tonight was different in the sense that I could not contain myself and the signals my body was sending to hers. I still could not understand it but touch, even meeting her eye, involved a spark, and it was rather provoking.It was then that I switched off the car engine and looked her way, then at the house. For a moment she gazed at the window and her profile was visible in the tawdry neon lighting from outside the building.I stood there simply looking at her Cheeks parted a little, lips a little open, even the gentle rise and fall of her chest fascinated me. I felt
Weeks had passed since that night with Kylo. Stolen weeks, sneaky pecks, and much more love than I’d ever imagined from him.I could still feel his gentle hands on my skin, his soft lips on mine; he had become more attentive, more loving – as if trying to rewrite our story.He used to murmur a soft goodbye before leaving for work each morning and then every evening he would invariably draw me closer; sometimes wrapping his arms around my waist while we cooked together or showering kisses on my hair strands whenever we sat in front of television.His demeanor was uncanny, so unreal-like at times. I’d never seen this side of him before—the side that wanted to show the world that I was his.Even in the office, where we usually maintained a professional distance, he didn’t hesitate to show his affection. Sometimes, it was a lingering touch on my back as we walked through the hallway.At other moments, it was more overt—a peck on my cheek as we went by in the break room, or the way he woul
It was becoming increasingly difficult to breathe.Every single moment Kylo entered the room, I had this sensation of constriction in my thorax. Not due to the fact that I did not want him there, but rather because I did want him there.The realization became worse with every passing day knowing that holding on to those passionate emotions would result in more agony once our affair came to an end.I needed to distance myself, to protect what little was left of my heart. But Kylo was making it impossible. Every gentle smile, every lingering touch, every fleeting kiss made me want to believe that there was more to this than a contract.That maybe, somehow, he felt the same way I did. But I couldn't allow myself to be fooled by hope.Our contract was still there, a quiet shadow that never left my mind. It loomed over every moment, every interaction, reminding me that whatever tenderness I was seeing from Kylo was temporary.Today was no different. Kylo had come home earlier than usual. H