Broken by him, bound to him

Chapter 5:The vindictive wall flower

Aydin stood at the window of his room and watched as guests slowly flowed into the garden until eventually it was flooded with them. He spotted his cousin Ryan walk in, wearing a polished black suit, looking all bright and shiny—yet very restless and anxious. Aydin wondered what that was about, but he didn’t dwell on it. The night had just begun, and he could sense something brewing in the air.

Maybe a little chaos. Maybe one of those perfectly put-together ladies and gentlemen would finally snap, letting the mask fall off exposing their true selves to the crowd.

Whatever it was, Aydin waited eagerly—praying his family would somehow be involved. As he continued observing, he saw Cain slip in through the back entrance of their villa. A few minutes later, Naya appeared, wearing a tight red dress that hugged her curves perfectly. She walked in on golden heels that made it look as though she was balancing on her tiptoes. Her hair was swept up, exposing her neck and the delicate golden necklace that hung gracefully against her skin. Clutching her purse nervously, she scanned the garden as though searching for someone.

Aydin didn’t have to wait long to find out who. The moment Ryan spotted her, he rushed toward her with barely disguised excitement. So that’s what the glow-up was about, Aydin thought.

But what truly caught his attention was the way Cain’s eyes shot dangerously at Ryan the second he saw him with the girl. Cain moved toward one of the benches tucked away in the garden, lowering himself to sit quietly. From the angle Cain chose, most guests probably couldn’t see him, but Aydin—watching from above—could make him out perfectly. He wasn’t impressed.

“The golden boy,” Aydin sneered under his breath. Nobody noticed his absence from the party. Why would they? The golden boy had come home from college—Cain, tall and mighty, drawing the attention of half of Dubai simply by existing. Meanwhile, Aydin might as well have been invisible. He almost hated him for it.

Aydin was Cain’s younger brother, forever living in his shadow from the moment he was born. Growing up, he had tried desperately to earn his parents’ attention, but the housemaids seemed to know him better than his own mother did. He worked hard in his studies, managed to become one of the top students in his school, and for a short while, he thought his parents might finally notice him. But Cain stole even that spotlight—this time with a record of his own: the most fighting suspensions in a single year.

Later in high school, when Cain’s scandals finally started to settle, Aydin’s presence in the family began to be noticed. His father even made small talk with him at the dinner table. His mother seemed happier, praising him for always making it home in time for dinner. Cain, on the other hand, rarely ate with them. He came home late, and on some nights, he didn’t return at all. Their parents didn’t worry—he always called to tell them where he was, usually at Latif’s or Ryan’s place. He was safe. He was absent.

For Aydin, Cain’s absence was a gift. It meant he could bond with their parents, laugh with them, share with them, and—at last—be noticed. But that joy was short-lived.

Because Cain had to go and kill a man.

And once again, the family pulled together to protect him, burying the scandal and pushing Aydin back into the shadows.

Aydin did not hate Cain, but he didn’t like him either. He had always viewed him as an obstacle he would one day have to remove. As the years passed, and Cain’s sins became heavier and more exhausting for their parents, Aydin began to believe his father would finally give up on him. He waited for the moment Cain’s madness would finally break their father. He waited for the moment he could swoop in and claim his place.

But it never came.

If anything, the worse Cain became, the tighter their parents clung to him.

From the window, Aydin watched their mother make her way toward Cain, smiling ear to ear. She was a frail yet elegant woman in her late forties—kind, gentle, with a smile for everyone, even those who didn’t deserve it. She seemed fragile to Aydin, so delicate he often wondered how she hadn’t yet collapsed under the weight of everything. Naïve too, he thought, in the way she blindly trusted and openly loved.

She hugged Cain warmly before moving on to greet other guests. Soon after, the music began, and Ryan took the girl in red onto the dance floor, once again drawing Cain’s attention—and not kindly. Aydin leaned back from the window, curiosity stirring. Who was this girl to Cain? And why did Ryan seem to enjoy torturing him with her?

The dinner party had been thrown by Mr. Nadeem to entertain one of the company’s oldest investors, a businessman who loved extravagant parties whenever he came to town.

Naya, growing restless, slipped further down the garden to escape the crowd. Cain’s home was vast and beautiful, the villa sitting at the far end of the compound like something out of ancient Greece. The space before it was a sprawling garden, dotted with trees and perfectly manicured hedges that divided the grounds into elegant sections.

She removed her heels, sighing in relief as her sore feet touched the cool grass. Carrying the shoes in her hand, she wandered toward a side of the garden where rose bushes bloomed in thick clusters. Undoing her hair, she let it spill down her back before running playfully toward the roses. She leaned in, inhaling deeply, just as a voice came from behind her.

“Careful. They have thorns.”

Naya turned slowly, embarrassed to be caught barefoot in someone else’s garden, about to pluck a rose she had no right to take.

“You know what—I’m not going to apologize for being here,” she said, lifting the skirt of her dress as she began to walk away.

“What if I were a total stranger? Would you still run away?” Cain asked.

“Probably not,” she admitted, feeling the strange urge to prove her boldness.

“Then stay. Pretend I’m just a stranger who wandered out of the party too.”

“Okay,” she said, dropping her shoes and turning back toward the roses, deliberately giving him her back.

“You look beautiful tonight,” Cain said, stepping closer until he stood beside her.

“Thank you, sir. Why aren’t you at the party?” she asked, still avoiding his eyes.

“I needed some air. You?”

“I think I probably did too. So—what’s your story?” she asked, suddenly bold, maybe from the champagne, maybe from something else.

Cain tilted his head. “Are you asking as Naya—or as a stranger i just met tonight?”

“As a stranger,” she replied, teasing. “One you'll see again after tonight.”

He smirked. “Alright then. I met a girl years ago, when I was still in school. But I left her when she needed me the most. Do you think she’d ever forgive me?”

Naya laughed softly, turning to face him. “Maybe there’s nothing to forgive. If it was true love, you wouldn’t have left. But the fact that you did… means it wasn’t that deep. It’s not your fault. I’m sure she gets that.”

“Do you think she’d take me back?”

Her laughter rang louder, almost tipping her backward. “No. Because that would mean she’s a fool. And I’m sure she’s a very smart girl.”

“Has she really moved on?” Cain asked, his tone more serious now.

Naya froze. Her instincts screamed to walk away, but instead she stayed—testing her strength in his presence.

Cain reached for her waist, pulling her into his arms. Her hands pressed against his chest as if to push him away, but she stopped herself. He leaned in, brushing his lips not on hers but to the corner of her mouth, then trailing them to her ear before kissing the soft spot just behind it. She shivered, her hands curling into fists against his shirt.

“What are you doing, Cain?” she whispered.

“Reminding you it’s always been me,” he murmured, cupping her face. “And even after everything I’ve done—it’s still me.”

“That’s not fair,” she whispered. “I worked so hard to forget you. Why won’t you make it easy for me?”

“Because the past five years taught me one thing—I can’t live without you. I looked for you. I went abroad, came back, even went to your hometown, but you were gone. What happened, Naya? What happened after I left?”

She stiffened.

“What happened to our baby?”

Her throat tightened. She could feel his desperation, but she refused to answer.

“Let me go,” she whispered.

Reluctantly, he loosened his hold, though she didn’t immediately step back.

“There’s no point going down that road now. It will only bring pain.” Finally, she stepped away, creating distance between them. Meeting his gaze one last time, she said: “I’ve moved on, Cain. Ryan asked me out on a date tomorrow, and I agreed. There’s never going to be anything between us again. This is my goodbye.”

“You like him?” Cain asked, his voice sharp.

“Yes. I think I do. I’m twenty-five, single—it’s the most normal thing I can do. I’ve deprived myself of living for too long. Not anymore.”

“And the first man you choose is Ryan?” he asked bitterly.

“I don’t understand your problem with Ryan. He’s a good man. And right now, he’s what I need.”

She turned to leave, but he grabbed her hand again, pulling her against him.

The sudden closeness stole her breath. His eyes burned into hers—dark, searching, desperate. Then, before she could protest, his mouth crashed down on hers. The kiss was raw hunger, a fire long denied finally unleashed. Her knees weakened as she clung to his shirt, his arms anchoring her as if the world might tear her away.

But then—almost as suddenly as it began—she tore away, gasping. Wide-eyed, she pushed against him with trembling hands, slipping free before the fire in his gaze consumed her again. She snatched up her shoes and ran into the night.

Cain stood with his hands on his hips, satisfaction curling at the corner of his mouth. She kissed me back. Hesitant at first, yes—but she had kissed him back. And God, she tasted better than he remembered. He craved her now more than ever.

“You’re mine, Naya,” he muttered. “You’ve always been mine. Ryan be damned.”

A cruel smile tugged at his lips. “Now I just need to figure out how to ruin that date.”

Hidden in the bushes, Aydin laughed quietly to himself. From his window, he had seen Naya leave the party when Ryan stepped away. Cain had waited a moment, then followed her. That was all the proof Aydin needed—so he too followed, keeping a safe distance.

“Oh, brother,” Aydin whispered, stretching as he rose from his hiding spot. “I knew you wouldn’t disappoint. Here I was starting to believe you’d gone good. And then—an illegitimate child.”

The thought amused him.