Broken by him, bound to him

Chapter 2: The night that changed everything

Cain hadn’t always been as cold as Naya eventually found him to be. Back in school, he had been charming—or maybe she had only seen what she wanted to see. She had ignored the red flags, falling blindly for him, just like her mother had fallen for her father. The thought unsettled her. She stretched, trying to release the tension building in her chest. She had been waiting all day for him to show, but he never did.

Later, after Lisa left her to settle in, Ryan showed up. He was a middle-aged Arab man with long hair tied into a neat ponytail at the back of his head, tattoos climbing all the way from his hands to his neck. At first glance, his soft and gentle face made him seem almost innocent and sweet. But his insanely built frame, bulging muscles, and the ink snaking across his skin gave him a dangerous edge. He looked unpredictable, and Naya couldn’t help but wonder what his story was.

Ryan handed her the work schedule for the week, chatting warmly before leaving. He was almost too friendly, but Naya brushed it off. She would be working here for as long as it was needed; having a few allies would serve her well. He admitted he rarely spent time in the office, preferring his home office instead—a fact that worked to her advantage. For the most part, she would have the office to herself.

That evening, as Naya left, she asked Lisa about Ryan. Lisa explained that Ryan and Cain barely got along, though being cousins meant Cain couldn’t fire him. Ryan avoided the office altogether to keep his distance.

“A little petty, if you ask me,” Naya said, leaning in with a disapproving face.

“Too petty! And here I thought men were the ones who didn’t hold grudges,” Lisa replied, matching her energy.

These two were already warming up to each other. Earlier that afternoon, Naya had brought Lisa a cold drink from the cafeteria since she had clients and couldn’t leave her desk. Afterward, they’d sat together and talked. Lisa had shared an overwhelming amount of inside information about the company. As much as Naya appreciated her openness, she made a mental note to keep her personal life private. If Lisa could spill this much in a single day, she clearly wasn’t great at keeping secrets.

That night, Naya couldn’t sleep. She tossed and turned until, finally, she gave up and stepped onto her balcony. Hoping the cool night air might do her some good.

She lived in a spacious one-bedroom apartment on the fifth floor of a ten-story building. The living room was a large square space with a wide window overlooking the city and street below. An L-shaped couch in light grey—so pale it almost looked white—dominated the room. She hadn’t bought it; it came with the apartment. A thick, grey-and-black rug stretched across the floor, nearly covering the entire room. In the center sat a round glass coffee table. Across from it, a mounted TV rested above a sleek white cabinet that doubled as a bookshelf.

At first, the place had felt too cold. So Naya softened it with long orange-and-white curtains, matching pillows, and delicate wall art. Only then had it started to feel like home.

The open kitchen sat on the far end of the living room, with a glass door leading to the balcony. Her bedroom, tucked in the opposite corner, was wide and cozy, decorated in pale grey with touches of orange. Her bedspread matched—orange and white—and a spacious bathroom with a gleaming bathtub completed the room. The moment she first saw the apartment, she knew she loved it. It was a huge upgrade from her old place in Cairo.

Now, sitting on the cool tiled balcony floor in nothing but her oversized sleep shirt, she let the midnight breeze caress her skin. She shivered, spread her arms to the side, and closed her eyes. For the first time in five years, she allowed herself to remember.

It had been a cold October evening. Julia burst into her dorm room, squealing with excitement—her long-time crush had finally asked her out.

Naya had been curled up in bed, avoiding the chaos of Friday night parties in favor of a good book. But Julia bounced onto the mattress, nearly landing on her.

“He finally asked me out! Rowen asked me out!” she squealed, bouncing like a child.

“Good for you. When’s the date?” Naya asked, smiling despite herself. She never understood Julia’s obsession with Rowen—or with any college boy, for that matter. Naya called them boys for a reason. To her, they were immature, self-absorbed, and consumed by little more than parties and girls. She had always preferred older men, more established, more… intentional.

So when Julia revealed it was a double date, and that Naya was her plus-one, she nearly groaned.

“No, Julia. You know how awkward I get around those boys. I never know what to say. I can’t.”

But Julia begged, spinning fantasies of marriage and children until Naya sighed and relented. She agreed, only to end her friend’s borderline obsession once and for all.

Hours later, they arrived at a massive house party thrown by one of the wealthy students. Music pulsed through the mansion, bodies pressed together, the air thick with alcohol.

Naya stood at the bar, clutching her purse and sipping water. She wore a red silk dress that skimmed her knees, paired with knee-high black boots. Her hair was tied in a messy bun. Out of place didn’t even begin to describe how she felt.

Julia returned, clinging to Rowen’s hand, but Naya’s supposed date was missing.

“We couldn’t find Cain!” Julia shouted over the music.

Relief washed over Naya. She started to leave when Rowen caught her hand.

“Stay. He’s looking forward to meeting you,” he insisted.

She didn’t like his tone, but Julia’s pleading eyes made her pause. She agreed to wait ten minutes, no more.

Perched on a barstool, Naya distracted herself by studying her nails, imagining dancing to the song playing. She was about to laugh at her own thought when a hand slipped gently around her waist.

Startled, she turned—and found herself staring into a pair of piercing black eyes.

Cain.

Handsome, towering, built like a tank. His features were sharp, his aura dark, his presence magnetic. Something in her instincts screamed at her to run.

“Hello there,” he said smoothly. “You do not want to be here.”

“Hi. Cain, right?” she asked, pressing her hand against his chest, urging him to step back.

“Yes. And you are Naya—Julia’s close friend.”

“Julia’s close friend? Who even talks like that?” she laughed nervously.

Cain reached out, tilting her chin up until her eyes met his.

“God, you’re beautiful,” he murmured.

And she blushed cutely while trying her best to keep up the façade, but Cain saw right through her. He asked if she would leave with him, but even though she was very uncomfortable inside that house, she refused. Instead, she looked at him boldly and asked him to sit next to her.

“Sit next to me and tell me all about yourself,” she said, surprising even herself with how boldly the words came out.

He only looked at her and laughed quietly as she continued to tease him, thinking she was in control.

Naya, deciding Cain was just another one of the college boys, thought she might as well have fun with him. After all, there wasn’t any harm in it—he was supposed to be her date.

“Do you know the origin of your name, Cain?” she asked after he leaned closer instead of sitting down.

“Yes, I do,” he answered, his gaze locked intensely on her now playful brown eyes.

“So did you, too, kill your brother, Cain?” she teased, then laughed. But this time, his expression was serious—like her question had unearthed something in him he wanted to keep buried.

“Yes, my love. I too killed my brother.”

Naya frowned at his words until she realized the weight in his dark gaze and the impression on his still-serious face.

“Come. Let’s get out of here. I’ll take you somewhere you can ask me all the questions you want—and actually be able to clearly hear my answers,” he said.

But Naya stayed put.

“No, you stay,” she replied, though she too was beginning to sense the danger in Cain—the darkness about him. Ironically, instead of scaring her away, it made her curious about what he kept buried deep down.

The night spiraled from there—his strange phrases, his intensity, his charm. Against her better judgment, Naya found herself softening. And when he scooped her up effortlessly into his arms, the part of her that should have resisted… didn’t.

Inhaling his cologne, burying her face against his shoulder, she let him carry her away.

And with that, her life shifted forever.