His Last name, My Secret

His Anger

Chapter 7

Hunter let go of her in anger after she scratched his face. Instead of fighting back, she weakened under the force of the hard slap that landed on her cheek.Zia felt dizzy, her face tilting from the strength of the blow.

"I told you, I don’t want anyone touching my face," he growled, the veins in his neck bulging as he grabbed her cheek. Zia let out a soft cry and no longer resisted, allowing him to do whatever he intended.

She thought he would finally take her, but instead, she heard the door to her room slam shut. Only then did she release her sobs, angrily questioning in her mind how she ended up in such a situation.

She didn’t even know Hunter, and yet here she was—trapped and without freedom. She would still have to wait a year if she wanted to be freed, in exchange for the child he wanted.

The moment she heard the hum of the car pulling away from the gate, Zia stood up and peeked through the window. When she saw Hunter leave the property, she exhaled in relief, her chest loosening for the first time since last night.

She stepped out of the room, made her way to the kitchen, and poured herself a glass of cold water. The chill soothed her throat, but it did little to calm the ache she carried inside.

She went outside to retrieve her things, only to realize they were still in the car. Thankfully, Hunter had left it unlocked. One by one, she carried her bags inside and brought them to her room. By the time she finished, the sun was already high—almost noon. She took her time cleaning before carefully organizing her belongings in the cabinet.

Her fingers stilled when she saw the box of painting supplies. A soft smile touched her lips. At least this came with me. It was a small comfort in a house where freedom didn’t exist. She had no plans of going back to school—not now, not when she was trapped in a life she hadn’t chosen.

She took a long shower, trying to wash off the weight of the morning, then dressed in a peach-colored dress that fell just below her knees. The sleeves were long and airy, and she paired it with simple flat sandals. After brushing her damp hair, she reached for her phone and dialed Stephie, her best friend from school. The call was answered almost immediately.

“Zia! Where the hell have you been? I’ve been texting you nonstop. You haven’t replied to a single one!” Stephie in the other line talks like she's been vanished for so long.

Zia didn’t answer. Instead, she let out a deep, tired sigh.

“Can you come pick me up?”

“Huh? What?”

“Please,” she whispered.

“Okay, okay—fine. I’m on my way to your house.”

“No, Steph... I don’t live there anymore,” she said quietly, cutting her off.

“What? Where are you?”

Even though she couldn’t see her, Zia knew Stephie’s brows were furrowed in confusion—and maybe even fear.She gave her friend the address and waited for her to arrive. It didn’t take long before she heard a car honk outside. She quickly closed the main door and stepped out of the gate. Her friend greeted her with a warm hug, and she hurriedly got into the car. She had left ahead of time, after all, she just wanted to escape the suffocating atmosphere of Hunter’s house.

"What happened, Zi?" her friend asked while driving.

Zia let out a deep sigh before turning to face her.

"I’m married now, Step. Three days ago. Mom went through with her plan to marry me off to the son of one of their family friends," she said sadly.

"What?!" her friend exclaimed, shocked. She even hit the brakes. If no one had honked at them, she might’ve forgotten they were on the expressway. "How? I mean, why?" she asked, frowning in confusion.

"They did the same thing to me that they did to my sister, Zyra," Zia replied gloomily.

Stephie gave an awkward chuckle before focusing back on the road.

"Oh my god," she muttered."So, how’s your husband? Does he hurt you? I guess he’s not letting you go back to school, that’s why you’ve been absent?"

"I don’t know, Step. I haven’t even spoken to him yet. And I don’t think he’ll allow it."

Stephie raised an eyebrow at her.

"You haven’t even tried, but you already think it won’t work. Just try, Zi. We only have a few years left until graduation. It’d be a shame to give that up."

"I’ll try, Step. But for now, I need to get closer to him and earn his trust first."

"Why? What’s he like? I’m really curious about this guy your parents forced you to marry. That kind of thing shouldn’t be happening anymore. We’re not living in the past to be dealing with contract marriages." Stephie

"Step, there’s no use questioning it now. They succeeded. I’m already married. And honestly, he doesn’t matter to me. I’m sure we’ll separate eventually. Just like me, he doesn’t want this marriage to last. It’s not something either of us wanted," she explained.

She remembered that Hunter had strictly warned her not to reveal who her husband was. Most people didn’t even know he was married and still lived like a bachelor. It actually worked in Zia’s favor and she didn’t want anyone to know either.

Stephie shrugged.

"It’s your choice. At least now I know why you’ve been absent. If our prof asks again, I’ll just say you had an emergency. Who knows? Maybe your fake husband will eventually let you go back to school. That would be great."

Zia nodded and thanked her friend.

They went straight to the mall. Zia hadn’t really wanted to go, but she didn’t want to return home either, so she agreed to go shopping. It was already evening by the time they finished, and Stephie dropped her off at the house she shared with Hunter.

"Alright, go on. Your husband might get mad," Stephie teased.

Zia stepped out, thanked her, and waved goodbye.

The neighborhood was quiet and the house lights were off, so Zia was certain Hunter wasn’t home yet. In the three days she had stayed there, he had never arrived early.

Carrying her shopping bags, she reached for the duplicate key and opened the front door—only to realize it was already unlocked. Her heart skipped a beat. She quickly pushed the door open. The house was pitch dark.

She almost jumped when the lights suddenly turned on. Before she could react, she spotted Hunter still dressed in his business suit, standing on the staircase, eyes dark as he stared at her.

His expression was unreadable, and Zia instinctively lowered her gaze, unable to meet his piercing stare.

"You’ve been in my house for less than a week, and you already have the nerve to leave and come home this late?" His deep voice echoed through the house, sending chills down her spine.

"Hunter, I was just with Stephie. We ate and did a little shopping. I thought you’d be home later. I’m sorry—"

"You really think I’ll buy that? You have no money, and yet you’re out shopping like your parents didn’t sell you to me," he cut her off sharply.

Zia couldn’t speak. She swallowed hard as he walked toward her.

She could see his tall, commanding figure. Despite the dark aura surrounding him, she couldn’t deny how strikingly handsome he looked in his business suit.

Hunter stopped just a few steps away from her, his presence towering and cold. Zia stood frozen, her hands tightening around the shopping bags.

"Did you forget what I told you, Zia?" he asked, voice low and sharp. "You're not to leave this house without my permission."

She raised her eyes to meet his and for the first time, Hunter called Zia by her name.

"I didn’t mean to disobey you. I just... needed to breathe." she said in her low tone voice.

Hunter's jaw tightened as he heard Zia's aliby to him.

"You live here now. Whatever you need—you ask me first."

Zia swallowed her frustration. There was no point in arguing with him, not when she barely understood him. And truthfully, she was afraid. Not of him hurting her physically, but of the unknown of what it meant to be tied to a man like him.

"I'm sorry," she said quietly. "It won't happen again."

Hunter didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he stepped closer, lowering his voice.

"Don't make me regret this deal, Zia. I saved your family, and this is the only thing I asked in return."

Her breath caught in her throat.

"You didn’t ask. You demanded." Zia said in her mind while playing with her finger on the paper bag she holds.

His eyes darkened, and for a second, she thought she’d gone too far. But instead of snapping, he leaned in just enough for her to hear the next words clearly:

"You have no idea what I’m capable of when I’m pushed."

Then, without another word, he walked past her, heading upstairs and leaving her in the silence of the well-lit hallway.

Zia slowly exhaled. Her heart was pounding not just from fear, but from something else she didn’t want to name. She hated the way his words got under her skin, how his presence made her feel things she didn’t understand.

This wasn’t love. It wasn’t even hate. It was something darker. Deeper.She quietly picked up her bags and she ran to her room.