Chapter 10
1312 Words
The night was quiet — too quiet. The kind of silence that screamed louder than chaos. I lay on the very edge of the bed, my back turned to him, body rigid and mind spinning like a broken carousel.
I could feel him there.
Rivan.
His breathing was calm, deep… controlled. Like he had caged every storm inside him while I was drowning in mine.
Every nerve in my body was on edge. My skin burned with awareness. The air felt heavy too heavy filled with his scent, his presence, his… power.
I clenched my fists under the blanket.
I hated him. I hated his audacity. I hated how he controlled everything my life, my choices, my future.
But worst of all… I hated how his nearness made my heart race like this.
Suddenly, the mattress dipped.
I stiffened instantly.
He was closer.
“Stop pretending to sleep,” Rivan’s voice came, low and husky, vibrating against my spine.
I didn’t move. “Go to hell.”
He chuckled softly, a deep, sinful sound that made my stomach knot.
“Sweetheart… you’re already in my hell.”
I finally turned around to face him, my eyes burning with fury. “You think this is funny? You ruined my life, Rivan. You trapped me here like some… some prisoner!”
He leaned in slightly, his dark gaze locked on mine, intense enough to steal the breath from my lungs.
“You’re not a prisoner, Kiara,” he whispered, his voice dangerously soft. “You’re my wife.”
My throat tightened. “Not by choice.”
His smirk returned slow, lethal. “Doesn’t matter. You’re mine now. In every way that counts.”
I shoved his chest hard, but he didn’t even flinch. My strength was nothing compared to his stillness, his control.
“You’re insane,” I spat.
He tilted his head, eyes glinting like shards of obsidian under the dim light.
“Insane?” he murmured, brushing a thumb along his jaw as if considering it. “Maybe. But only about you.”
I swallowed hard, hating the way his words tangled in my chest, choking me with emotions I refused to name.
“Why me, Rivan?” I finally asked, my voice breaking despite my resolve. “Why trap me? Why force me into this?”
He stared at me for a long, heavy moment before leaning in, so close that his breath ghosted over my lips.
“Because,” he said slowly, deliberately, “you were born to be mine. And I don’t share what’s mine.”
My heart thundered against my ribs, my breaths uneven. I wanted to scream at him, claw his face, escape this madness… but before I could say anything, he reached up and tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear.
The gesture was so gentle, so intimate, it made me freeze.
“You should sleep,” he murmured, his voice a strange mix of command and care. “Tomorrow, things… change.”
I frowned. “What do you mean?”
His lips curved into that wicked smirk again. “You’ll see.”
And just like that, he turned around and switched off the lamp, leaving me drowning in darkness and unanswered questions.
I lay there, wide awake, my chest tight and mind chaotic.
He thought he owned me.
He thought I was his little trapped doll.
But if Rivan thought I would break easily… he didn’t know me at all.
If he was fire…
I’d become the storm.
The morning sunlight spilled lazily through the giant glass windows, but inside… the atmosphere was suffocating.
I woke up on the same bed.
Same mansion.
Same nightmare.
Rivan wasn’t next to me. The space beside me was cold, untouched like he hadn’t slept a single second.
Good.
I didn’t want his presence anywhere near me.
I dragged myself to the bathroom, washed my face, and stared into the mirror. My reflection was a mess swollen eyes, pale cheeks, a stranger staring back at me.
I hated this.
I hated him.
Just as I stepped out, the door creaked open.
Rivan walked in.
Perfectly dressed. Perfectly composed.
Not a single trace of guilt on that infuriatingly calm face.
He was holding a tray.
“Breakfast,” he said simply, placing it on the table.
“I’m not eating,” I snapped, crossing my arms.
He didn’t even look up as he adjusted the tray. “You said the same thing last night. You’re weak already.”
“I’d rather starve than eat anything from you.”
That made him finally glance at me slowly, deliberately. His dark eyes locked on mine, and for a moment, the room froze.
Then he smirked.
That maddening, arrogant smirk.
“Oh, sweetheart,” he drawled, stepping closer, “do you really think you get a choice?”
I glared at him, clenching my fists. “You can’t force me to—”
Before I could finish, he grabbed my wrist and pulled me closer so suddenly that I stumbled into his chest.
“You think I can’t?” he whispered, his breath grazing my ear, making my stomach knot. “I own you now, Kiara. Stop testing me.”
I shoved him hard. “You don’t own me, Rivan! You’re a f*****g psycho—”
His jaw ticked, and for the first time, his calm mask cracked. He pinned me against the wall, his arm trapping me, his face inches from mine.
“Watch it,” he said lowly, dangerously. “Or I’ll make you regret saying that.”
My heartbeat roared in my ears, but I refused to look away.
“You already ruined my life,” I shot back, voice shaking but steady. “What else can you do?”
He leaned in even closer, his lips brushing the shell of my ear as he whispered, “Plenty.”
Suddenly, he stepped back, releasing me. The sudden space between us felt like oxygen after drowning.
“Eat,” he ordered, his voice back to calm, but his eyes… his eyes were stormy.
I didn’t move.
“I said eat, Kiara.”
“And I said no.”
For a moment, we stared at each other neither of us backing down.
Then something unexpected happened.
He sighed, picked up the spoon, and sat down across from me.
“If you won’t eat yourself, I’ll feed you.”
I blinked. “What?”
Before I could react, he scooped up a bite and held it near my lips.
“Open your mouth,” he said simply, like it was the most natural thing in the world.
I slapped his hand away, making the spoon clatter on the plate. “Don’t you dare.”
That smirk returned. “Oh, sweetheart… we can do this the easy way or the hard way.”
“I choose neither.”
I turned to walk away, but suddenly his arm snaked around my waist, pulling me back hard against him. I gasped, my back against his chest, his breath fanning my neck.
“You keep fighting me,” he murmured softly, “but sooner or later, you’ll break.”
I swallowed hard, trying to hide the shiver running down my spine.
“You’re delusional,” I whispered.
“And you,” he said, brushing his thumb against my jaw, tilting my face toward him, “…are mine.”
I wanted to scream, to shove him, to scratch his perfect face but instead, I stood there, frozen, heart pounding in chaos.
That night, I lay in bed again… only this time, Rivan didn’t leave.
He slid into the bed beside me, his back against the headboard, watching me silently.
“You can’t keep me here forever,” I whispered into the darkness.
He didn’t reply immediately. Then, softly, almost like a promise:
“Watch me.”
- Writer
