Outburst
949 Words
“Sir… I mean, how, when,how?” I stammered, blinking hard, waiting for someone to pinch me and wake me from this ridiculous dream.
Kanat leaned back in his chair, his green eyes fixed firmly on mine. “Look, Vondy.
I need a wife before the end of this month. And I want you to be that wife.”
Someone please throw a bucket of ice water on me.
Anything. Because this had to be a hallucination.
Sure, I could admit it, yes, I sometimes thought he was attractive, in the way a hurricane was attractive when you were safe behind a window.
But not attractive enough to end up proposed to over a pile of work files.
“Vondy,” Kanat’s voice sliced through my spiraling thoughts.
“I want you to take me seriously. I know you have questions, so ask them.”
“Are you… are you really serious, sir?” My voice came out small, shaky.
His expression turned even more unreadable, cold enough to freeze the wine on the table.
That was the moment I knew: he wasn’t joking. Not even a little.
“But, sir… you have so many options.
Why me?”
His lips pressed into a firm line. Then he spoke, every word precise, like a knife being set carefully on the table.
“I know you’re in desperate need of help right now. Your father, he’s in the late stages of cancer.
Your younger brother is in foster care because you can’t afford to raise him.
Your house has been mortgaged because of your father’s debts. I can take care of all of that.
I can reunite you with your brother.
I’ll send your father to Vegas for the best treatment money can buy, and I’ll appoint the top doctors in charge of him.
You will never have to worry about those problems again.
All I need from you is one year. Be my wife for twelve months, then we’ll divorce. After that, you walk away with ten million dollars, and I’ll never bother you again.”
The restaurant seemed to tilt. My stomach churned. My fists clenched so tight on the table I thought my nails might draw blood.
“First of all,” I hissed, voice trembling with rage, “f**k you.”
Kanat’s brow ticked upward, but I didn’t stop. The dam inside me broke.
“I don’t know who gave you the right to dig into my personal life like it’s a file in your cabinet, but you crossed a line.
Do you think just because I’m drowning in problems, you can swoop in with your money and use me for whatever twisted thing you’ve got going on in your head? You’re mistaken.
So very mistaken.”
His eyes narrowed, jaw tight. “Are you in, or not?”
That was it.
No explanation. No justification. Just an ultimatum. A threat dressed up in expensive words.
I shot to my feet, grabbing my bag with shaking hands.
“Whatever sick thing you’re planning, don’t you dare drag me or my family into it. We’re not your pawns. We’re not your bargaining chips. And I am definitely not your wife.”
Without waiting for a reply, I stormed out of the restaurant.
By the time I got home, my chest felt tight, like all the anger I’d held in had wrapped itself around my lungs.
Din, my cat, was already waiting by the door, tail flicking, eyes wide.
“You would not believe the night I’ve had,” I ranted, dropping my bag and kicking off my heels.
“That arrogant, egotistical man actually thinks he can buy me! Me! Like I’m some… some accessory he can rent for a year. Can you believe it, Din?”
Din blinked at me, unimpressed.
I paced the room, hands flying with every word. “And then, like it’s nothing, he brings up my dad. My brother. Our debts.
He said it like he was reciting a grocery list, like my entire life was a problem he could fix with his credit card! Who the hell does that?”
Din meowed, hopping onto the couch.
“I don’t care if he’s handsome,” I snapped, pointing at her like she was my partner-in-crime.
“I don’t care if he’s rich, powerful, or smells like sin wrapped in Armani.
He can take his ten million dollars and shove it—”
My voice broke.
Suddenly, the fury drained out of me, leaving only the raw ache I’d been holding back.
My knees gave out, and I sank to the floor, tears spilling before I could stop them.
“My life is falling apart, Din,” I whispered through the sobs. “Dad’s sick, my brother’s alone, the bills keep piling up, and I can’t fix any of it. And then he—he just insults me and throws it all in my face like I’m pathetic. Like I’m weak. Like I need him.”
Din padded closer, pressing her warm little body against mine, her purr a soft vibration that cut through the silence. I buried my face in her fur, clutching her like she was the only solid thing left in my world.
I cried until the sobs turned into hiccups, until my eyes stung and my body felt hollow. At some point, exhaustion pulled me under.
When sleep finally claimed me, it wasn’t peaceful. It was heavy, full of ache. My last thought before the darkness swallowed me was simple, bitter, and terrifying:
Even in the middle of all this mess, I’d rather lose everything than lose my morals or my humanity to my egoistic bastard of a boss.
- Writer
